Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:25:42 -0500
From: Lee McDougal <bluedragonstar@centurytel.net>
Subject: Under your Spell Chapter 3

Welcome back.  Thanks to all the people who sent me feedback between
chapters.  I am very grateful for your support.  There was at least one
really good guess made too, but I won't say if they got it right though.  I
think with detectives like him around though, I may be in trouble if I plan
to keep anything secret for long!  I hope you will enjoy this new
installment, and please send your thoughts to leoinbama@gmail.com .

                             Under your Spell

                                 Chapter 3

                           Birthday then [part1]

That night I had the same dream as before.  This time though I almost saw
something.  The cave was so dark though, and everything just seemed like
shadows there.  Darkness surrounding me, I called out for Brody, but he
wasn't there.

"You know you can't always count on him dear.  Sometimes you have to save
yourself."  A woman dressed in white suddenly pulled me out of the cave
dream.

"I know you don't I?"  I asked.

"Of course you do.  I've been with you all your life."  The lady said.

"Grandma?  You look different, but it's you right?"  I asked her.

"Yes, but that's not what you really want to ask is it?"  Grandmother
asked.

"No.  What's inside that cave?  Why would I ever go back there?"  I asked
her.

"Inside the cave you will face pure darkness, but face it you must.  As to
why you have to go there, I can not say.  You will know the answer in time.
Remember no matter how dark it gets, there will always be a light inside
you."  She said.

I woke up after that.  Brody was still asleep, and I didn't want to wake
him.  I quietly moved to the kitchen and started making breakfast for us
both.  I heard his alarm clock go off about the time I was taking the
biscuits out of the oven.  I had a plate fixed for us both, by the time
Brody made it to the kitchen.

"Something smells nice." Brody said as he gave me a warm hug.  "Oh and you
cooked too!"

"I can't send my man off to work on an empty stomach now can I?"  I asked

"I like the sound of that, you taking care of me."  Brody kissed me and
then took his seat at the table.

"I have to go back home today.  I just remembered that I promised a friend
that I would put a few of my paintings in his art show.  I think if I work
all day, maybe I'll finish my current project.  I really want it to make
the show."  I told him.

"That's awesome.  Come to think of it I haven't seen your work yet.  Do you
think I could come by this evening and get a preview?"  Brody asked.

"Sure you can come over, but you can't see the new one.  I never let anyone
see my work till it's done."  I lied.  In actuality the new painting was a
gift for him.  I had picked out the work for the show days ago.  He
probably doesn't even realize I still remembered his birthday.  It had been
a long time since his 17th birthday.  It was the last one of his bashes I
was able to attend.

The year was 1997 and we were juniors in High School. Brody's friends had
spread the word out that he was going to throw a party to celebrate his
birthday.  I was a little confused at first that I had yet to hear from him
about it though.  In study hall that day I decided to just confront him
about it.

"Brody, I hear you are having a party this Friday?"  I asked him.

"Oh, um, yeah I guess so.  It's all David's idea.  He's inviting almost
everyone we know.  I told him I'd rather just go out with a few friends,
but he's like making a big deal of it."  Brody said.

"Ah, so that's why I didn't get invited?  David doesn't like me much, does
he?"  I asked.

"I'm sure he just forgot to invite you." Brody lied.  "Listen it doesn't
matter.  You and I have known each other since Kindergarten you should
come.  It wouldn't be the same without you man!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."  I told him.

Though as it turns out, I might have been better off had I missed the
party.  It was that night that I met my ex-boyfriend, Allen.  He was a
sophomore at our school, and I had never really noticed him before that
night.  I'm not sure how it happened but we wound up spending most of the
night talking in another room from everyone else.  It turned out that he
lived across the street from me.  We hit it off right away.  For the next 7
years of my life, I would be madly in love with him, well at least when I
wasn't hating him at the same time.  It's been 4 years since I last heard
from him, and I don't miss him at all.

Brody suddenly cleared his throat and brought be back to the present.
"Where did you go just now?"  Brody asked.

"I guess I was just thinking about some stuff.  Nothing I want to talk
about right now though."  I moved a piece of bacon around on my plate.

"You know you can tell me anything Anthony."  Brody said looking worried.

"It's not that.  I just know you have to go to work soon, and it may take a
while to talk about that subject."  I told him.

"Great, now I have something to look forward to this evening-talking with
you for a long time."  He said with a smile and kissed me as he went to get
ready for work.

The truth is it wouldn't have taken long to explain to Brody that I was
thinking about Allen, and all the things he did to fuck me up for a long
time.  However, I didn't really want to bring it up now, after all it was
tied to his birthday.that I didn't want him to know I remembered.  By this
evening I'd be able to cleverly leave that part out, but in the mornings I
tend to not censor myself very well.  I'd end up telling him about the
party, and then he'd know I remembered his birthday.etc.  It would be the
slippery slope theory in motion.

"So I'll be at your place this evening as soon as I get off work.  I can't
wait to see your work, and you have to tell me all about what's on your
pretty little mind."  Brody said and kissed me again before he left.

"You are what's on my mind love."  I said to myself after he was gone.

It was hard to paint the portrait without Brody to model for me, but a
picture I took of him would have to do for now.  I could only imagine I
would be painting another one eventually.  Maybe one of him not wearing.

"Mind back on the project Anthony!"  I scolded myself.

I worked slowly trying to make sure to get just the perfect shade of brown
for his eyes, just the right texture of his short but curly brown hair.  I
tried to capture the look of his facial hair in the mornings before he
shaved.  I loved the way he looked when he first woke up.  I don't know if
I would do him justice, but it would be my pleasure to try.

Sometime during my work I kept remembering one particular morning I had
stayed over at Brody's house.  We haven't yet slept together in the sexual
sense, but we did share a bed that night.  We had stayed up late watching
reruns of old shows on tv.  I decided to just stay over, instead of driving
home sleepy. Since that first night he held me there was no discussion of
him sleeping on the couch again.  He and I liked to hold onto each other
when we slept, and that was all either of us was ready for at the time.  I
woke up with our chests pressed together.  I looked into his face as he was
waking, and that's the exact moment I longed to capture in my work.

It normally would have taken forever to finish a painting of mine, but I
was done before Brody called me that evening.

"Hey babe, I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way-just in case you
still have your new painting out." Brody said.

"I am done with it, but I'm not sure if you'll get to see it this evening
or not."  I teased.

"Oh why's that?"  Brody asked.

"All will be revealed soon my inquisitive one."

Brody pulled up about 10 minutes later.  I had his gift covered with a
sheet.   I was hoping he would like a portrait of himself, but if not I
could always think of some more exciting gift offers.

"So what's first the tour of your studio, or should we talk first?"  Brody
said clearly excited.

"Studio?  LOL!  I wish, you can go into the extra bedroom with me, and I'll
show you some of my works.  Most of my stuff is at my mother's place.  She
has more room, and likes to show off to her friends.  It's a mutually
beneficial arrangement."  I explained to him.

"Sounds like it."  Brody followed me to the other room where I had a few of
my paintings hanging on the wall.

"So was that canvas in your living room the new project?"  Brody asked.

"Yeah, but lets hold off on that big boy." I told him.

"Wow, look at that.  You painted this?"  Brody asked.

"Yeah, I painted it a few days before I ran into you."

"It looks amazing, wait."  Brody suddenly stared at the painting very
carefully.

"What is it?"  I asked worried.

"That's the stream we had the picnic by!"  Brody exclaimed.

"What, but I."  He was right.  It was the exact same place, but that
drawing was of a stream I saw while I was vacationing in North Carolina.  I
hadn't put the two together though.

"That was done on my last trip to North Carolina, but you are right.  It's
the same place.  I don't get it."  I told him.

"Wait did you think the place was romantic?  Someplace you would bring
someone?"  He asked.

"Yes, but how could it be in my back yard?"  I asked him.

"I think you made it appear there.  I don't know how you did, but I feel
like that is exactly what you did.  You wanted everything to be perfect and
it was."  Brody said.

"Until we got lost in that forest, and that awful cave."  I said.

"Well that's not in your painting.  That's where the other thing comes in.
That shadow, thing.  I know it has something to do with it."  Brody said.

"I've never done anything like that before though.  So forgive me if I'm
not as convinced as you." I told him.

"I'm not convinced, but it does make as much sense as anything else we've
come up with."  Brody rebutted.

"I suppose."  Much to my delight he moved onto the next painting.  It
happened to be a painting of my niece Crimson.

"She's beautiful.  Whose little girl is it?"  Brody asked.

"That would be my sister Heather's daughter Crimson.  She's really awesome.
I hope you get to meet her soon.  She'll be six at the end of the month."
I told him.

"I can't wait."  Brody said.  Then he moved on to another painting, which
happened to be of myself.  It was a project in an art class I took.

"Wow, you did an amazing job here.  I really like the subject too." He said
and hugged me.

"Thanks.  I'm not sure why I kept that one here, but I guess I wasn't ready
for my mother's friends to ogle over me, even if it is just a painting."  I
told him.

"Okay, you are just wicked talented.  I'm dying to know what's under that
sheet in there." Brody pleaded.

"Fine, but I was going to wait till later tonight.  It isn't really your
birthday till midnight after all."  I said with a pout.

"Wait, what?  How did you possibly remember my birthday?  I haven't even
really given it much thought myself."  He said with a laugh.

"Let's just say something happened at your 17th birthday party, and I won't
be forgetting the date anytime soon."  I told him.

"My party, I thought you didn't come.  I was disappointed when I never saw
you there."

"That's a story for later.  Right now I want to show you your gift."  I
said and led him to the living room.

I pulled the sheet back and revealed his portrait.  "Wow, it looks just
like me, babe!  How did you do it?"  He asked me.

"I took a photo of you the one day last week, remember?"  I asked him.

"Oh yeah, I remember that.  Wow, you did all that from a photo?" he asked.

"Not all of it.  I had to use my memory to get the facial hair right.  You
always have that sexy bit of growth in the morning, and I like it."  I told
him.

"I hope you don't take offense, but I don't think I really want this
painting."  Brody told me.

"What, but why?"  I asked upset.

"I think I would prefer the painting of you.  You can keep the painting of
me for yourself, and I'll keep the painting of you for me.  That way we'll
always have each other."  He told me.

"That is the sweetest thing I ever heard!"  I kissed him softly.

"This is the best birthday I've had in years, if not ever.  So is there
really an art show, or was it all just to build up the surprise for me?"
Brody asked.

"No, there really is an art show this weekend.  I was hoping you'd be my
date?"  I asked him.

"Of course!  I can't wait to meet your art friends."  He said.

"Brody."  I said.

"Yeah babe?"  He asked.

"Nothing I just.Thanks for being you."  I said and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for being with me."  Brody said and held me tighter.

Three words were very close to my lips, but I didn't say them that evening.
It wasn't time yet, but soon I wouldn't be able to keep them back.  I was
falling faster all the time.

                              To be continued

This chapter seemed short when I was editing it, but maybe that's because
I'm just really excited about chapter 4.  I think it will be following very
soon after this.  Once again thanks for reading my story, and please send
all thoughts and comments to leoinbama@gmail.com