Sneak Peek

The sun peeked through the narrow slit between crimson cotton drapes illuminating the bare curves of a woman half covered by tan sheets. She was beautiful and he loved her. He loved everything about her from the way her amber hair curved around her freckled cheeks to the attention to detail she exhibited in every aspect of her life.

He watched her as he fiddled with his watch. It was a habit of his but he couldn’t quit, not even if he tried. The watch had been a present she had given him when they started dating. Later she had the underside engraved with a message. He read it every day like clockwork. It wasn’t necessary for him to flip it over to read it, but he did anyway. He enjoyed the curves of her handwriting, the finesse and care she took with each line. She was nothing short of beautiful in mind, body and spirit. He slipped the watch from his hand and flipped it over to admire her secret message to him for the second time this morning. The sound of each word and syllable filled his heart with love and echoed in his soul.

He came to the last line and his heart shattered like glass. “Like hope, my love for you James will never cease.” The watch vanished from his grasp. He clasped his palms to his temples as a spike of pain tore through his eyes and mind. James. He blinked and suddenly the bed and the woman were no longer there. Light streamed through the window but the crimson curtains were gone. The pain increase and in response he pressed his palms harder into his temples. James closed his eyes. James. No, something was wrong.

He felt his legs buckle under him and he collapsed to the floor. His knees and shoulder absorbed most of the impact with a deep thud a split second before the hallow crack of his skull meeting the unforgiving ground. Pain blossomed in his head like an inferno from kindling. He cried out in pain but wasn’t sure if anyone was around to hear him.

Then something soft as a feather caressed his cheek and a voice whispered in his ear.

“Davin.”  His name was James. He lived in a bedroom with crimson curtains.

“Davin.” The voice said again. It was soothing and soft like a lover’s whisper. She couldn’t be calling him though, his name was James. He loved Emma, the girl who slept on the bed. Yet as he began to explore the facts of his life he found he didn’t know what resided beyond the window or what was on the other side of any door.

“Davin.” Came the voice again. He had never seen Emma awake and he never slept. James was a man whose life consisted of powerful feelings of love, a watch, and a woman he assumed was named Emma. It was a fragment of his life. No, not his life, but James’.

“Davin.” This time the voice sounded more concerned than sweet. His mind began searching for associations with the name Davin. He found them. As if a light had been turned on, memories of Davin flooded through him out of the darkness. The tension in his arms dissipated and he pulled his hands away from his temples. He relaxed, enjoying the slow and gentle caress on his cheek. Finally Davin opened his eyes and found Salina crouching over him. The corner of her lips turned up into a smile but the faint creases of concern and worry were still evident.