Chapter 36

“Will you stop doing that?” Allie rolled her eyes when Aidan leapt from the couch in the middle of a movie.

“It’s just too freakin’ weird when someone wanders into your head.” He shuddered. “It’s like spiders crawling in your brain.”

“I’m familiar,” she said dryly.

“I don’t even know I’m doing it!”

“Like I do? Aidan, I never know what I’m doing!”

Since that first night, they’d experienced these minor telepathic incidents. It never lasted long, but whenever one of them realized the other had drifted into their thoughts, they lost the connection.

“I know you hate this,” she said, “but you do know I didn’t invade your privacy on purpose?”

“I know. I suppose if I have to share my brain with someone, I’m glad it’s you.”

* * *

This is so bizarre. Allie knew she was asleep in her own bed, but somehow she was also in Aidan’s room, and she definitely wasn’t dreaming.

Aidan, wake up, it’s happening again. She thought about beating him with a pillow, and one was instantly in her hand.

Wake up! She slammed the pillow against his head.

Jeez, Lex! Not so rough, baby, he muttered sleepily.

Okay, that’s new. She hit him again.

What? What’s with the brutality? he moaned. I’m awake. Whoa, this is weird. I’m not awake, am I?

I think we’re asleep, but not really. She shrugged.

Progress, I guess. Wait, why did it feel like you were beating me to death just now?

Like this? She envisioned the pillow again.

Hey, stop it, red!

Power of visualization. She thumped him over the head again.

You’re so dead!

She immediately found herself lying on Aidan’s bed as he returned in kind.

Stop! She giggled. When he collapsed beside her, she noticed how underdressed they were. He was in boxer-briefs, and she was in a tank and boy shorts.

This is definitely not helping our boundary issues. He sighed as a t-shirt covered his bare chest. Allie quickly made a mental adjustment to her own attire.

Sorry I’ve made it worse.

Sorry I’ve been a jerk about it. I know you didn’t want this either. You just missed me. He smiled.

And apparently, I used my power to force my way into your mind against your will.

I don’t even understand what’s happening right now. He changed the subject. But it’s kind of amazing.

Are we really just dreaming? She tried to wrap her brain around the anomaly.

It’s more than that. He frowned in concentration as his bedroom faded, and they were suddenly sitting in their normal spot on the beach, although they now had separate lounges. It’s like we’re somewhere between awake and asleep, in a reflection of the real world.

Yeah, it’s distorted, like a fuzzy memory. Hold on a sec, I want to try something. Allie closed her eyes and focused on a vivid mental image. In a flash of green light, they were lounging in their chairs atop the ruins of Machu Picchu with a giant picnic basket between them.

You have quite the imagination, baby. He reached for a bunch of grapes.

Okay, what’s with that?

What?

I don’t know, pookie-bear, you keep calling me baby.

What? No.

Yes, you most certainly have. She giggled, but her smile faltered when she caught a glimpse of the jumbled thoughts bouncing around his head. His loneliness was so painful. She sensed something dark and forlorn rising within him, something associated with his power.

Don’t get too close, Lex. My demons are all twisted up with my power.

Aidan, I thought I understood before. I wasn’t even close.

Wow, you do think like a mortal, he said softly. And you don’t see yourself clearly at all.

Back atcha. She reached for a plate of cupcakes she imagined into existence.

We better get our story straight before the mentors have us in session for the foreseeable future, he said.

Cheers to that. They’ve been salivating over this, just waiting for something interesting to happen.

They don’t need to know everything. Let’s just tell them we had the same dream. It’s almost true... And just like that, Allie was back in her room. She rolled over and stretched, amazed by how well rested she felt.

Me too, Aidan said. She could still feel his thoughts, but she could also see him in her mind’s eye as he stretched to his full height.

Uh, can we not turn this off? I have to pee, and I’d rather do that alone. Aidan stood uncertainly at the center of his room.

Crap, I have to take a shower! Are we stuck?

Dude, I am so dead. He groaned.

Hey, I do not like where your thoughts are going, mister!

No, no, this is not happening!

Aidan Loukas!

Allie, I’m a guy. You mention taking a shower, and my brain immediately goes on naked girl alert.

Try thinking about another naked girl? she glowered.

I know, I know! We need to figure this out. Any ideas? If not, I’m going to the bathroom, so brace yourself for a whole new level of intimacy issues.

I am not watching you pee. So, we’ll just try our best to ignore each other? And no peeking, she added firmly.

Yes, ma’am.

Allie tried to concentrate on a strong mental image to keep her mind off Aidan as she raced to the bathroom.

“This is so ridiculous.” She let her focus slip for a moment.

Alexis Ann!

Sorry! She clamped her eyes shut and hummed to herself.

This has to stop, he snarled through mentally gritted teeth.

I’m sorry, Aidan. Let’s just try to get through the morning.

It took a Herculean effort, but Allie struggled the most when they were showering. It was distracting, catching quick flashes of his naked flesh and tattoos she didn’t know he had. But it was even more distracting when she caught the random thoughts he was trying very hard to control.

I must have done something awful in my past, and I’m paying for it now. He dressed quickly and stormed out of his room.