Chapter 9: Red is the Color of Lips

My mind is foggy in a dream like trance as I process everything. I must have seriously been sending off the wrong signals while lost in thought, because before I know it, I am lip locked with Jude. A warmth spreads through my body from my lips, as he parts them slowly with his tongue, exploring my mouth. I have NEVER been kissed like this in my life. He tastes like honeysuckle in the middle of summer, and I kiss him back, hard. I am wrapping my hands around his neck, running my fingers through his hair, lost completely in this moment. Have I completely lost my mind!?

The moment shatters like glass as my temples tingle and I wake from my dreamlike state. Jude breaks his hands from my head with a smirk on his face, "How did you like my projection? You seemed to enjoy it quite well, if I say so." At this point, I realize our heated exchange only took place in my mind. He seems quite sure of himself as he continues, "So you DO want to kiss me? Go ahead and I will put you down from my arms. Kiss me. Just know every time I want to kiss you again; I will carry you around until you pay your release price of a kiss. I think I may like this feeling."

I shove him hard, but his Spider-web vines catch me before I fall from his lap. Even though I was sure I was about to hit the ground running, I am entangled even more in this Vixen's embrace. I stare at him coldly. "Jude, get your appendages off of me and let me go already. You can't force me to kiss you, and now I am too annoyed to even consider it." Whatever moment happened between us in his mind meld had definitely passed.

He laughed at me, which annoyed me further. He cupped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes again, "Nola, a projection is shared between two who are currently connected via their minds, and thinking similar thoughts. The kiss was just as thorough in your own mind as it was in my own, yes? I can't project with someone who is unwilling, and I couldn't kiss you unless you wanted me to."

I want to deny it more than anything as my face turns the deepest shade of crimson, but I stayed put, mouth wide open, with nothing coming out. Jude's response was to die laughing so hard he forgot he was holding on to me and I tumbled on to the ground. I turn to exclaim my victory when Queen Lascella runs in to the room.

She looks at me on the ground, then Jude, then back to the ground. She seems angry, or frustrated, and she demands, "what have you done to her to upset her, Jude? Awenasa feels us all, and the ground was blackened with negative emotions. She has healed, but I knew the only one who could do this was Nola."

I am lost and confused in the conversation as I realized she was talking about what happened before. My emotions had taken over, and the ground surrounding me had taken on an ugly, diseased color. My emotions start rolling back in as I remember the loss again. Jude and Lascella both wrap me in glowing vines, and the warm feeling Awenasa had given me before has returned.

Lascella wraps me in a soft shawl as she says, "walk with me Nola, and let us speak." We walk out in to the fresh air, holding hands, a glowing vine still connecting us. She is staring out over the beautiful landscape our city has become as she talks to me, "Depression, anger, anxiety, they are all normal things to feel, but in excess, they damage us inside. We here are all connected through the ground, and if one of us hurts, we all hurt. You still have to learn and grow, and it will take time before you discover how to change like the rest of us, but until then, never feel alone. I will always be here with you, and if I am not, any of our people would reach out to calm your spirit."

I turned away from the ledge to look at her, "Lascella, Queen, how am I supposed to process my grief if you won't allow me to feel it? How does one develop healthy emotions when you can't feel the negative?"

"I never said you couldn't feel, but you can't get stuck. Imagine grief like a sticky black tar. A small spot can be scrubbed away, but if you let yourself become engulfed in it, it won't easily be removed. This is all I mean. I had to grieve myself when I woke here. I miss those I lost, but I love those I now have. My love overcame my loss, and therefore, my sticky spots have been all but scrubbed away over time. Therefore, cry if you need to, talk to me if you want, but let my family and I help you through this."

I thought for a moment about her tar analogy, and thanked her thoroughly, "I appreciate you Queen Lascella, thank you for your kindness. I will definitely take you up on this and it helps knowing it does get better."

Lascella smiled softly as she leaned over to kiss my forehead.

I suddenly remembered something I wanted to ask her, "Can you tell me more about the mind meld projection stuff? I need to know how to control it. PLEASE."

Her face went through a flutter of emotions before she crossed her arms. "What did Jude do? He was allowed to show you Awenasa's memories, but I have a feeling he did more, didn't he?" She asked,

I looked up at the sky, "Never mind, it is completely fine, don't worry about it, we can discuss it later."

"JUDE!" Lascella yelled loudly, "Are you harassing our newest family member!?"

Jude sheepishly walked out like a puppy who had stolen a cookie from a baby. "I may have made out with her, but it's ok, she consented."

Lascella looked irate, "Nola is not just another one of your friends you can connect to and battle it out in the head! She doesn't know how to keep her walls up, and it isn't your place to go digging around and making her uncomfortable. Don't be a pervert!" Her face mellowed out and her demeaner changed suddenly as she continued on, "But wait, does that mean my baby boy has an actual interest in a WOMAN!? I thought I would never have this day. Almost 300 years and the world's youngest bachelor has taken an interest in someone. I am ecstatic!"

Lascella ran to Jude and embraced him, scruffing his hair up like he is still a young child. Jude's pure look of confusion mixed with guilt made for an interesting facial expression.

"I am super embarrassed… so if we can just move past this topic of conversation, and possibly on to dinner? My stomach is growling. I don't mean to impose, but I still am human, and I need nourishment." My stomach made my point further by growling loud enough for everyone to hear. I hadn't really eaten anything in over 400 years other than a few berries, right?

Lascella covered her mouth as she realized I hadn't eaten almost all day. Jude rubbed his stomach in agreeance. Awenasa opened up the floor near them a tunnel, down to a dark abyss. Lascella turned to me as she said, "Do you like slides? Let me loose my queeny composure and take the fast ride to dinner." She waved goodbye, grabbed her skirt and jumped down the hole.

I turned to Jude, in shock and horror, "there's no way I am jumping down a dark hole, no way at all."

His response was to grab me in his arms and jump for both of us. As we slid down a slide that felt like it took ages I realized there was slivers of light here and there. My scientific mind wanted to analyze it further. It must be a type of glowing algae. My mind was in complete botanist brain overhaul as I realized I was yet again in Jude's lap, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, and he was… smelling my hair?

He nuzzled my neck as we slowed to a stop in the middle of the tunnel. This vixen had me trapped in a claustrophobic, low lit tunnel, and now he was cuddling me from behind. Are there no boundaries here? I'm not saying that I didn't like it, but I have morals, and we just met THIS MORNING.

"Jude, you can't just touch me whenever you want, you have to ask me first." I wasn't keeping hold of my self-control very well, and my mind and body were exhausted from the craziest day of my life. I did not need the sexiest man I had ever met throwing himself at me.

"May I touch you here?" he then took his arms from my waist and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"May I touch you here?" his hands moved slowly up my neck, caressing my cheek.

"May I touch you there?" His hands slowly made their way to my temples, and as I realized what he was doing, it was already too late. Jude and I were back in his little mind meld game. Reality and projections of the mind, feel exactly the same. I realized the trick, is to acknowledge you are connected to someone else in your thoughts, rather than it actually taking place in real life. Unfortunately, at this time my mind chose to forget we had entered in to this little space, and my deepest desires were laid bare. Jude wasn't joking when he said it didn't work if they weren't both wanting it, and I had been seduced in to wanting it a second time today.

Jude massaged my temples as he began to kiss the side of my neck. He moved around to the other side, kissing as he went. His hands smoothly traced circles down to my shoulders where he massaged me in to a puddle of pudding in his lap. Adjusting his position, he turned, allowing me to lean back in his arms, half laying in to his embrace, staring in to his eyes. He cupped my face again leaning in to kiss me. Can this dream never end? Let me stay here like a drug.

Jude was millimeters from my lips, letting the static of want and desire build between us, until I met his lips this time with my own. A soft peck, our lips touching, nothing more. I breathed him in, the fragrant smell of honeysuckle filled my nose again. I was taken to memories of my past, laying in a green back yard, honeysuckles lining the fence, the fragrance wafting through the air. Although it was a memory, somehow Jude was still there holding my hand. We were children, laying in a grassy meadow, watching clouds and guessing their shapes.

It all ended too soon as Jude was pulled out of our tunnel by his ear. He broke the connection with me, jolting us both back to reality. The smell of honeysuckles vanished and only an angry King Ash remained.

"I believe your mother told you no projecting against Nola's will. It's not something you can just do with a newborn rosebud who has no clue." King Ash was holding Jude's red ear as he scolded him like he wasn't 299 years old. "I won't have my son being a pervert."

I had enjoyed myself, regardless of whether I was the real pervert here or not. Obviously, I had to deal with my own issues, but I wanted to stand up for Jude. Eventually he will learn his lesson, or maybe honeysuckles will become my main dish. "King Ash, it's ok, Jude wasn't really forcing himself on me, we visited my childhood backyard together." He didn't need to know the fine details.

It was about that time I realized there was an entire dining room full of people behind the king. I had never seen so many beautiful people in my life. There were women with skin color and hair in pinks, reds, and yellows. Others had every shade of green possible, as well as blue and orange. I am not sure if any one person wasn't more beautiful than the other. Here I was, walking in to a rainbow garden of plant people, and all of them were staring at me.

I must have stuck out like a sore thumb, but I was welcomed with open arms, and kisses, lots of kisses. My cheeks, forehead and temples were covered. This was all an overabundance of affection for sure. I wonder if this is what it is like going to Europe? Everyone kissing your cheek all the time?

I knew that somehow, everything was going to be ok. I know that regardless of who is kissing me, at least lips are still red.

RED. The color of Lips