I just need more time with him.
When she got back to their table, Jones was standing next to it, his jacket on and his phone to his ear. He glanced at her, frowning, then wrapped up his conversation.
“You're sure? ... Positive ... I figured ... okay, thanks ... call me if you hear of anything ... yeah, thanks. You, too. Thanks. Bye.”
“That sounded promising,” Adele grimaced when he put the phone in his pocket.
“Yeah,” he said. “Like I said, there's nowhere available tonight. Every hotel, every lodge, every room – shit, even every Airbnb – is booked.”
“That's okay. I can just head home, I'm sure I'll find some motel along the way. It'll be fine.”
It would not be fine, and she wasn't sure at all, and she really, really didn't want to go.
“No,” he said, like she'd hoped he would. “I don't want you doing that. You can sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor.”
“That's ridiculous!” she tried to argue. “It's your place, your bed. I can sleep on the floor, or in the back seat of my car, I can -”
“Adele.” He held up his hand, silencing her instantly and giving her a déjà vu so strong, it felt like whiplash. She'd responded the same way to him in her dreams; it felt eerie to do it in real life. “I'm not about to make you sleep in your car. And you're right, it is my place, and I choose to sleep on the floor. I like the floor. It's a really ... comfy ... floor.”
She held it together for a moment, then burst out laughing at how ridiculous he sounded.
“Okay, Jones. But just for tonight.”
“Sounds good. Let me go take care of the check and we'll get out of here,” he said, waving the bill between them before heading up to the bar.
Adele went about putting on her jacket and collecting her purse. She stole one last fry from his plate, then stood up straight. She was surprised, though, when she turned around to find a burly looking man skulking nearby.
“Hello there,” he greeted her as he sidled up to the table.
“Uh, hello,” she smiled politely at him.
“You here for the fishing?” he asked. She shook her head.
“No, I'm just visiting a friend who has a place here.”
“That's nice. Great lake, huh?”
“I didn't get to see much of it today, but what I did seemed gorgeous,” she offered.
“It is. I do charters, I could take you for a spin out there.”
“Oh,” she was surprised. “Oh, that's really nice of you, but I'm leaving tomorrow, I think.”
“You think? Well, then, that means you're not sure. How about we have a dance while you think it over some more?” he leaned in close and held out his hand.
“Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun, but we were just about to head out,” she explained, trying to look over his shoulder for Jones. The man was too big, though, she couldn't see around him.
“We? I don't see no 'we' around here, so how about that dance. C'mon, sugar, I don't bite,” he teased, then he grabbed her hand.
“I'm good, really, thanks,” she argued, holding her ground when he tried to pull her towards the dance floor.
“What's wrong? You shy? It's just a dance, sweetheart, I promise I don't got two left feet,” the man laughed. “Now just c'mon and we'll have a good -”
“You okay?”
Jones appeared at her side, but didn't look at her. He was too busy staring down the man next to them.
“I was just telling this guy we're leaving,” she explained. Jones' stare turned into an outright glare.
“I heard that part,” he said, then he nodded his head at the man's hand on her. “So I can't figure out why you're still touching her.”
“No need to get sensitive, fella,” the guy said, dropping her arm and holding up his hands. “I didn't know she was with anybody, I just asked her to dance. There's no problem here.”
“It became a problem when she said 'no' and you put your hand on her,” Jones informed him. “So why don't you just walk away and go find the bottom of a bottle, okay?”
Adele was stunned into silence, and she almost thought there was going to be a stand off. The man glared at Jones, then snarled and turned away, spitting on the floor as he went. They both watched until he'd fully disappeared into the crowd, then she turned to face Jones.
“Um ...” she started, not sure how to proceed. He glared for a second longer, then his face abruptly cleared.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, raking his fingers through his hair.
“I don't know, but it was pretty awesome,” she laughed. “Were you jealous?”
“God, I was, wasn't I? I can't believe it – I've never acted like that in my life! But I saw him grab you and heard you and I just ... I don't know. I saw red. That's was insane!” he exclaimed, both hands in his hair now. Adele couldn't stop her smile from morphing into a grin.
“It was,” she agreed. “I've never seen this side of you before, you were always so calm and mild mannered. I mean, you never really had a reason to be jealous before, but it's kinda sweet, honestly. I don't mind if ...”
She didn't finish the sentence because she instantly knew she'd gone too far. This Jones could only be pushed so much before he shut down – before his logic and reasoning took over. She felt so familiar with him, and he just wasn't there yet. She had to remember that, she had to respect it. If she didn't, he'd freak out and push her away, which was exactly what he was about to do.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he gushed, holding up a hand. “Mild mannered? Adele, I know we said some stuff, but you don't know me. You don't. You had a dream. A head trauma-induced dream, but it wasn't me. It was just your brain creating someone and giving them my face and voice. It was a figment of your imagination. It wasn't me.”
He could've slapped her and she would've been less hurt, but she stayed strong. He was scared, and she had to understand that – it was scary. All this unknown, all this ... magic. She took a deep breath and nodded.
“You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk to you like that, it's ... it's inappropriate. I'm really sorry,” she spoke quickly.
Jones didn't say anything. He just turned away and stormed out of the bar, leaving her to hurry after him. They'd taken her car – he'd driven, but she had the keys, so she wasn't sure what to do.
He was in his head, though, and automatically walked around the car and dropped into the driver's seat. She got into her seat with more delicacy, then sat quietly while he looked all around the dash and steering wheel, patting his pockets at the same time.
“This isn't my car,” he suddenly realized out loud. Adele held out her keys.
“You know the way back better,” she said. He glared again, then took the keys and started the vehicle.
It was an awkward drive to the cabin, and she couldn't even appreciate the spookiness of seeing it in person again because the tension between them was so thick. He was frustrated because he didn't understand what was going on between them, and mad because she did, and it all made him uncomfortable. She knew all that, but it didn't make his anger any easier to bear.
“Really, I don't mind leaving,” she lied again once they were inside the small house. Jones shook his head while sliding off his jacket.
“Enough. You're staying. It's late already. I'm just ... I'm gonna take a shower, you can next. I'll leave out some stuff for you to sleep in.”
Adele's weekend bag was in the car, with a pair of perfectly good pajamas inside it, but she didn't say a word. Just nodded her thanks and stayed quiet while he made his way across the room. The only other door in the building was at one end of the bed, and though she'd never been through it in her dreams, she assumed it was the bathroom he was disappearing into.
His shower was long, and she worried his over-analytical brain was undoing any progress their hearts had made that evening. It shouldn't be possible, what was going on between them, she knew that – before her coma, she hadn't thought soulmates existed. She certainly hadn't believed you could fall in love in your dreams.
But now there was no question in her mind that both were possible, and she thought – no, she believed – Jones was coming to the same conclusion.
If he didn't talk himself out of it first, that was.
Stupid stubborn guy. He always was stubborn, in his own annoying way.
Her phone dinged in her pocket and she pulled it out. A text from Zoey was sitting on her screen, so she swiped it open.
I slept with your brother.
Adele blinked her eyes rapidly, not sure if she was seeing the text correctly. When she read it again, though, it was still the same statement. She gaped at her phone for a bit, then hastily typed out a response.
You'll have to be more specific – there's three of them.
Ocean, you dork, who else!?
Oh.
Oh? OH!? That's it!? I bang your broody older brother and all I get is OH!?
Don't say “bang” and my brother in the same sentence, okay?
ADELE. WHERE ARE YOU. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. WE NEED TO KIKI.
She chewed at her bottom lip and glanced around the cabin.
I'm at Donner Lake.
Where the fuck is Donner Lake?
It's near-ish Lake Tahoe.
Why the fuck are you all the way up there?
She wasn't sure how to answer at first. Even River, her most understanding brother, had thought she was nuts for going up there. She didn't need everyone else thinking she was crazy, too.
But then she remembered that of everyone, Zoey had been the only one to say she believed her.
I came to see a guy about a dream.
There was a long pause before the next text came through.
Lund is with you?
Yeah. We're at his cabin up here.