When Worlds Collide Ch. 05

"Mama?"

My head snapped up at the sound of her voice, I turned back towards the door and there she was. Her fingers were nervously twirling that pretty pink ribbon I'd braided into her hair and she'd shed so many tears they'd met at her chin dripping in fat drops. Her eyes though, told me she'd heard every single word. Every one.

December 20th 2004

"Reign we can't miss this flight, hurry it up!"

Caiden leaned against the doorframe, his single carryon bag in hand. It took him just over thirty minutes to pack, and that was only because he couldn't find his book. Just before he started packing his mother called to wish him a safe flight. She also told him that if he didn't bring the book with him he might as well stay in Iowa. The book was now secure in his carry-on bag. All of that took just over thirty minutes and he'd been waiting for Reign for over an hour. He just didn't understand what she could possibly be packing into that huge suitcase. Dropping his bag he once again ventured down the hall to find her trying to close her overstuffed suitcase.

"What could you possibly have in there? We'll be gone for a week, just seven days! What, you think you'll be wearing three outfits a day?"

"No! I-I just need to have options! What if I show up there and I'm wearing something I think is appropriate but then your mama thinks I'm a-a Hooker! They'll, well then they'll tell you I'm no good for you-"

"Hold it," he said stopping her mid rant. He grabbed a hold of her arms and stood her to face him. "You're gettin' all worked up and hysterical. Ain't nobody gonna think you a hooker,that'sridiculous."

She sighed anxiously and he rubbed her arms in an attempt to relax her.

"Besides mama loved the clothes you picked out for her, and the rest you helped pick out.

"Now we ain't got much time, our flight leaves in three hours and we still gotta get to the airport. Let's see if we can't weed some things out this suitcase, shall we?"

She nodded her consent and they got to packing.

*******************

When the twosome reached their gate it was a different story. Reign was fidgeting and jumpy. Caiden was frustrated. Something was going on with her, she was different but she would never open her mouth and talk about it. She was the 'suffer in silence' type and it drove him nuts. By the time they took their seats on the plane, she was panting and her hands gripped the arm rests for dear life. Caiden tried to console her but she ripped her hand away and settled for wringing her hands in her lap. It was going to be a long four hours.

By the time the couple arrived in Houston, at 3pm on the nose Reign could not get off the plane fast enough. The second the fasten seatbelt sign went off she was already up, walking to the front of the plane. Caiden took his time gathering their bags including her deserted purse long forgotten and slowly made his way off the plane.

As he walked up the pedway to the main gate he felt himself getting upset. Here was just another example of the 101 things Reign was afraid of. She refused to let him in. Refused to share her fears with him just let them happen and shut down when they did. The elevator was the one exception, except she didn't let him know what was going on until afterwards. She was like a set of Russian dolls; just when you think you're at the end you find there's another inside. He just couldn't figure out, why he loved her so much, if he didn't know who she was, really.

When he reached the gate he could see her leaning against a pillar breathing heavily, her bangs plastered to her forehead with sweat. As soon as she saw him approach she ran to him and flung herself into his arms. He dropped their bags and caught her as she damn near tackled him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Caiden, thank you so much!" she said as he set her back on her feet. He sighed and began to speak.

"Reign I love you honey but you can't keep doing this; I'm in the dark most of the time during our relationship. I have no idea what's going on inside your head; if you're in the middle of a crisis, if you're suddenly conquering one of your fears, I have no clue."

She turned away from him, ashamed of her behavior but he wouldn't let her.

"No, sweetheart. Please don't do that. I want you to share it with me, please. I want to know if you're hurt, when you're hurt. Not afterwards when I can't do anything about it. I want to know about you, to know what made you who you are today. It's why we're even here honey, so we can figure us out together. Not just for you to meet my family but for you to know me. All of me. I..." he trailed off and she listened intently, waiting for him to finish. "Listen I know what it's like to be a prisoner of your own thoughts... Memories... It's something that I have to face... Something I'm going to face, but I can only do that Reign, if you're there with me. If you're by my side through it."

She stared at him like she didn't fully understand and he understood why. He hadn't really said much but it was all going to come out this trip. All his secrets would be laid bare for her to judge, if she still wanted him after everything was made clear then he would be the happiest man on earth. If not, he would be devastated; but he would fully understand.

"Caiden... I'm sorry I keep putting you in these situations I really am. It's hard for me to open up, to anyone but please believe me, I'm trying." Tears began to well up in her eyes threatening to overflow. "You mean more to me than I could ever say with words, I love you and I mean it. If you need me, if you're going through something... Just, I'm here. I'll always be here."

He held her again and kissed her like his last breath depended on it.

By the time they reached the baggage claim hers was the only suitcase spinning on the turnstile. Caiden walked up intent on retrieving the bright pink suitcase, bent down to grab it but was stopped in his tracks when another hand reached in and picked it up before he could.

"How'd I know y'all be the last folks off the plane?"

Caiden looked up and felt joy surge through his heart.

"Pops!" he gasped excitedly. It had only been four months since he'd last laid eyes on his father and it was four months too long. He bear hugged him, his 6'2 frame dwarfing the smaller man but his father hugged him back just as tightly, clapping him soundly on the back. Clearing his throat he released him and looked him over. He wasn't a small man, only about 5'8 at the most but he was built from hard labor, working as a mechanic he'd spent most of his days either bent over or underneath a motor vehicle. His hands had a permanent layer of motor oil on them it seemed but at least he wasn't wearing his coveralls, stained beyond recognition with the nametag "Rick" displayed across them. Who rick was, no one knew but they fit so his father wore them. He was also Calvin's carbon copy, they had the same quarter to midnight skin color, same luminous smile and the same kind eyes.

"Pop, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Reign," he said reaching out for her. She flashed him a look of confusion, then it was quickly replaced with a warm smile. Caiden wondered at the look but continued, "Now that's Reign as in the queen reigns over Europe or something to that effect."

His father released the suitcase and hugged her, chuckling. He nearly lifted her off the ground too. "So this is the pretty little thang my son been goin on about? All we hear is Reign this, Reign that! I'm just glad he's finally bringin someone home to meet the family. Calvin's always bringing somebody home. Hell, Eddy and Bobby been with the same girls since kindergarten. We been just waitin on this here one to settle down and here you are. Even prettier than he said."

Caiden watched as his father smiled warmly at his woman and felt something tug at his heart. The rightness of that moment threatened to overwhelm him and he cleared his throat again, finding it thick with emotion.

"Well!" his father said, finally releasing her and grabbing the suitcase once again. "Figure it's about time we got outta here, storms comin in tonight, you know how your mama gets."

When they stepped outside, Caiden looked up at the skies. They were overcast but otherwise looked pretty regular to him. He knew though, if one of his parents said there'd be a storm, a storm was coming.

"You going back to your place?"

"Yep," Caiden said approaching the back seat of his father's pickup. He dropped his bags in the far end then held the door open for Reign. He made a show of closing her door and bowing as he did it which made her chuckle. He climbed in the passenger seat himself, eager to get home. His dad started the truck and made to pull out into traffic but stopped himself and put the car in park again. Caiden glanced at him but he was already turning around to Reign.

"Oh, Reign I can't believe I almost forgot," he said offering her a genuine and warm smile.

"Welcome to Texas."

***********

It took them only twenty minutes to reach Caiden's house, and when they did Caiden had barely gotten their bags out of the truck before his dad was backing out of the driveway.

"Sorry son, hate to rush off but I got me a long drive ahead and you know how your mama gets."

Caiden just smiled and nodded, he did indeed know how his mama gets.

"Your uh... we makin' your favorite; that baked chicken you like. Better get to the house early before it's all gone."

His tone may have been abrupt but Caiden knew his dad; knew what he was saying without saying it.

"I missed you too Pop," he said with a grin. That kind smile greeted Caiden again. With a nod, his father sped off seemingly leaving ominous dark clouds in his wake. Caiden fished his keys out his pocket and handed them to Reign. Grabbing their bags he made his way up the driveway to the bungalow he called home.

"So this is your place?"

"Yep," he replied rushing to the door.

"You own your own home? Already?" she asked not far behind him.

"Naw, it's actually my parents place but I kinda managed it for them. They own a bunch of properties actually all over town," he stated. He'd felt a strong plop hit him directly on the head and wanted to get inside before the rain started. As he held open the screen door he paused, wondering in what state the house was left. He'd rented it out to a couple of students going to state; all guys. The place was probably a mess. As soon as he'd unlocked and opened the door a horrible smell assaulted both their nostrils.

"Oh my good God Caiden what is that smell?"

As they entered the hallway he realized the smell only got worse. All three "tenants" had left for winter break so it was just the two of them but their smell lingered on. Quickly he rushed down the hall to open all the windows.

"Do not take off your shoes until I clean this place up!" he called over his shoulder. Once he had a good breeze blowing through he found her, face plastered to the screen door sucking fresh air for all she was worth.

"I'm so sorry about this, don't worry I'll clean it all, you won't have to touch anything! It was three guys living here, I should've know-"

"Don't be silly," she said interrupting him. "We'll split the work, it'll get done faster that way. Besides, I'm not stepping foot naked in that bathroom until I'm satisfied that it's completely disinfected. I'll do the bathroom, living room? Is that it there?" she asked pointing to her right where there was nothing but a weight bench, a stereo and a bookshelf full of cd's.

"Uh, yea that would be the living room. And I'll do the kitchen, just because I'm pretty sure that's where the majority of the smell is comin from."

"Alright!" she said with a clap and a half smile. "Let's get to work!"

*************

Two and a half hours later, after hauling about six months' worth of garbage out to the curb in the now pouring rain, scrubbing the kitchen from ceiling to floor, and a store run for more bleach and cleaning supplies, his apartment was actually completely clean. He took a peek down the hall and didn't see Reign. Creeping down the carpeted hall he looked in the bathroom. It was spotless.

"Reign?" he called into the hall, still looking around for her. "Oh my God, this bathroom hasn't been this clean since we moved in!" he ran his finger over the smooth ceramic countertop. Everything was in its place and best of all it didn't smell like a gym locker room like he remembered.

"Reign?" he called out again about to make his way down the hall when the dryer went off nearly scaring him half to death.

"Jesus Christ!" he mumbled to himself, wrenching open the closet doors to grab the fresh linens from the dryer. He knew she wouldn't sleep on them if they weren't downy fresh and drowned in gain. Even though they were they only sheets he found in the linen closet, he honestly didn't trust that they were clean. He made his way back to his bedroom, dropping his sheets down on the king size bed. He glanced out the window and saw the rain coming down in buckets, which was quickly making a puddle on the floor where the window was still open. He wrenched it closed muffling the sound of the whistling wind and rain.

"Hello?"

He could hear rustling coming from the living room and decided to make up the bed.

"Oh my goodness Caiden, are you serious right now?" she called laughing.

"What?" he yelled back to her. She appeared at the end of the hall, dressed in a pair of his sweatpants and a tight SpongeBob t-shirt. He watched as she doubled over in laughter.

"You... you....you have a Hanson CD?"

Caiden felt his face flush.

"What?!?!" he yelled, tearing down the hall towards her. Seeing him coming she squealed and ran into the living room. He caught her easily, there was nowhere for her to hide. Swinging her in his arms he grabbed at the CD but she dodged him keeping it out of his reach until he pinned her arm down and quickly snatched it from her chuckling to himself. Sure enough, it was a Hanson CD. How it got in his house he had no clue. He paused a moment, taking in the clean feminine scent of her as she was pressed into him.

"I honestly have no idea where this came from, where did you even find this?" he said reluctantly placing her back on her feet but holding her flush against him; her head against his chest, his hand splayed across her stomach.

"On the shelf!" she exclaimed laughing. "Right between, and I kid you not; your Stankonia CD by Outkast and your Tim McGraw album, Live like you were dying! For real!"

He smirked down at her from behind as she swung her bangs out of her honey brown eyes. "Now I know you're not making fun of my taste in music are you? Tim McGraw is an amazing country artist!"

She broke out laughing again and he turned her in his arms smiling. "Would you rather I had Sisqo's greatest hits up there?" she laughed harder and his heart swelled. "That thong!" he sang horribly off key, she laughed even harder hopping in his arms.

"Please stop!" she cried, "I'm gonna pee myself!"

"Whoa!" he said backing away from her. "I mean, I know I'm funny but c'mon!"

She wacked him in the arm as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"You better quit! And don't think we're letting this Hanson thing go okay? You ain't gon' fool me, I know it's yours!"

Caiden just smiled. "I don't know who's that is," he said glancing at the case one more time and finally tossing it over his shoulder. "But let me play you something that actually is mine."

Caiden glanced through the selection and saw a few added gems that he honestly couldn't account for. Finally he landed on the album he was looking for, flipped it open and popped the pink disc into the stereo.

"What-"

"Shhh!" he said silencing her with his finger. "Just listen..."

The song 'Love hater' began to play and he gathered her in his arms and began to waltz.

"I absolutely loooooove this whole album! I think it's my all-time favourite."

He could feel her smiling into his chest as they swayed together against the beat of the song. It was just right.

"You do know we aren't even dancing to the beat of the song right?" she asked gazing up at him. "I just want to make sure you were aware of that fact-"

"Shhh! Woman, wait!" he called as she pulled herself free from his grasp and went to the stereo, crouching down to change the song.

"Now,yougon hear something that's mine now."

She smiled, straightened stopped and hit the repeat button. She then turned back to him, taking his hands in hers, she kissed them both as the song started to play.

"This is my song. This, Caiden is how I feel about you put into music, the first few lines... 'I hope that you're the one. If not, you are the prototype.' That's how I knew. It know it's silly, a song makes you really know? But sometimes music can offer you that clarity of mind that you didn't know... you didn't know you didn't have. One day, very shortly after I met you, while we were just hanging out as friends, I was on my way to class, this album blaring through my headphones and when this song came on... something pounded me in my chest. I had to stop walking, catch my breath... 'I hope that you're the one' he said. I know you're the one Caiden. I know it and if we're not meant to stay together then you will be the prototype, against which all others will most assuredly come up short."

Caiden felt his throat close up with emotion, felt as though his eyes were burning. Reign grabbed a hold of his white t-shirt and yanked him down to her in haste. Slipping her hand to the back of his neck she pulled him into her kiss. She was never the aggressor, it was always Caiden who'd initiate any intimacy between them. Not that they'd done anything besides some dry humping, copping a feel here and there. She was always reluctant to really touch him. But now, her hands were all over him, under his white t-shirt exploring his chest and back. He felt himself almost snap when her hand travelled over the top of his jeans and undo the button. Quickly he took control of the kiss demanding entry past her soft lips to the sweetness of her mouth. He lifted her easily in his arms and her legs immediately went around his waist. Turning he pinned her to the wall. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and he felt almost dizzy with need. Months of deprivation had him seriously testing the limits of his self-control and in that moment he knew he was teetering on the edge but could not bring himself to stop; to separate his lips from hers. She wasn't helping, grinding her hips against his, her nails digging into his back as she kissed him desperately. Everything in him was screaming to rip her clothes off and take her right there against the wall. He hooked his arm under her knee and lifted, testing her flexibility. Her body was pliant as he took hold of the opposite knee and spread her thighs wide. She slid down the wall a little, just enough to bring her soft mound in direct contact with the rock hard bulge in the front of his pants. His hips moved as if on their own, grinding against hers. He wanted so badly to rip off those baggy sweats, free himself and bury every single inch inside of her. His hand had already left the pit of her knee and was on his fly when he stopped himself.

"Reign," he said panting against her lips.

He placed his palms on the wall trying to calm himself. The only thing holding her up was his hips which seemed attached to hers.

"Reign please," he said into her neck. He had to know, he had to ask her. "Did you mean it?" he asked his eyes searched her heavy lidded honey colored ones looking for the absolute truth. He swept her bangs out of the way so he could see her completely. She must have sensed his urgency because she sobered a bit and started right back at him, looking directly into his eyes.