Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,17
the dark gray sky.
Heedless of the raven’s presence, Raisa chatted about the latest collection of the newest fashion prodigy, whoever he or she was. I didn’t bother showing the bird to her and forgot all about it when we entered the classroom a few minutes later.
Raisa and I took seats along the back wall, where some of her friends sat. As expected, she engaged in a detailed conversation with them about guys, clothes, and makeup.
To pass the time, I whirled my hair around my fingers while humming one of my favorite songs.
“Oh yeah.” Raisa turned, including me in the conversation. “I forgot to tell you. We saw the hottest guy ever at the party.”
“Really?” I asked, pretending to be interested but wanting to get a head start on the upcoming lecture.
“Oh yeah, he was gorgeous.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Cool. Did you guys meet him?”
Raisa’s smile faded. “No. He may have escaped this time, but he won’t for too long. The buzz is that he’s a new graduate student.”
I frowned. They were talking about a new student. Micah was new, and he seemed a few years older than me, like a graduate student. And he was majorly attractive. “What does he look like?”
“Tall and hot, with dark blond hair and light blue or green eyes,” Raisa said. “He wasn’t too close to us, so I couldn’t get a good look at his eyes.”
No, this guy wasn’t Micah. Internally, I condemned myself for feeling relieved.
The instructor entered and started the typical first day of summer school speech, which saved me from having to hear more descriptions of a supposedly hot, unknown guy.
Something else saved me from my boring biology class.
I felt the familiar pang in my chest, the spreading of warmth through my veins, and the tingling over my skin. Then, I entered the vision.
I found myself in the middle of Washington Square at the center of NYU’s campus. The scent of flowers and trees surrounded me. Like all my visions, the sky above me was blue and the day was warm. A surge of joy rushed through me. I’d see Victor. I’d missed him so much, and the weird encounter with Micah only reinforced how much I cared about Victor. I couldn’t wait to spend time with him and reconnect the way we always did.
Despite the sameness of the sky, in each vision the setting was different. My clothes normally changed to match. This time, I frowned when I saw myself dressed in my usual attire: jeans, snug tee, a thin jacket, and ballet flats. Yeah, it screamed “relaxing day in the park,” but I was hoping for more. I didn’t want Victor to see me dressed so casually.
“What’s with the pout?” I heard his voice and brightened. There he was, coming toward me, in jeans, a fitted button-down shirt, and casual shoes. But he didn’t look simple. He looked like an expensive apparel model during a photo shoot.
“Hi,” I was able to utter. My heart pounded so fast my chest hurt.
He halted a foot from me. His tall, elegant frame loomed over my petite form, and his delicious scent wrapped around me, making me dizzy. He smiled down at me. “Hi.” He pushed a lock of my hair out of my face, his fingers caressing my skin. I shivered. “So. Why the disappointed face? From knowing you’ll see me?”
I giggled. “Yeah, right.” God, I had to get a better hold of myself when around him. “I was disappointed with my clothes.” I motioned to them. “I would rather be wearing a ball gown or a cocktail dress.”
His sea-green gaze swept me from head to toe, and I blushed.
“I don’t see anything wrong with how you’re dressed.” He stepped toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist. The air ran out of my lungs. “In fact, I think you look beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.
I shivered again. His warm breath washed over my neck, making butterflies dance in my stomach. His lips touched my skin, setting it on fire. I could faint.
I went to lay my head against his shoulder but he pulled back, although keeping his hold on me.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “I have to go.”
“What?” I yelped. Victor leaving me had never happened before. He always stayed with me until someone yanked me out of my vision. “Where are you going?” I heard the frustration in my voice.
He smiled. “Don’t worry, Nadine. We’ll see each other again.”