Jonathan acted appalled by this. “No.”
His reaction didn’t seem sincere, giving her the creeps.
“Well I won’t keep you then,” Hope said.
She tried to walk past him, but he blocked her path.
“I take it the man you’re swapping tongues with is your boyfriend,”
He said in pissy voice. He almost sounded jealous, which surprised Hope.
“Yes.”
“You don’t seem into him, which makes me hopeful.”
“Pardon me?” Hope asked in surprise.
“You weren’t ripping off his clothes like you were with me.”
“Oh please.”
Without warning his eyes and lips were on hers setting her on fire. She leaned into him and, without thinking, kissed him back. When their tongues met, she felt desire wash through her. He pulled her away from the washrooms into a dark corner where his hands roamed over her. During the process something was pulling her back to the reality of the situation. When she realized where she was and what she was doing, she immediately stopped.
“I want you,” Jonathan whispered in her ear.
“Jonathan we have to stop.”
“I want to take you right here, right now,” he said as he pushed her up against the wall with his erection.
“No.”
Jonathan looked into her eyes.
“I’ve got to have you,” he whispered.
Jonathan sensed she would refuse him, so he slammed his mouth over hers hoping to change her mind. Hope was so overcome by passion that she couldn’t think, until a voice in her head began speaking.
“Hope you must stop.”
Hope heard the words, but kept kissing him anyway.
“Stop!” the voice shouted in her head.
Hope pushed Jonathan away and felt her body tingle from head to toe. This sensation startled her, along with the voice in her head; making her wonder if she was going crazy.
“No you’re not crazy, horny maybe, but definitely not crazy,” the voice in her head said.
This voice sounded like Judy’s uncle Will.
“Will is that you?” Hope questioned silently.
“Yes it is.” Will answered.
Tears began to well up in her eyes. She knew that Judy, Jay, and even Ren could communicate with Will. She always hoped that one day, she would be able to, but unfortunately right now wasn’t the best time to start.
“The man’s an M.O.E.” Will said.
“No, his name is Jonathan not Moe,” Hope said.
Will laughed. “I know that. What I mean is an M.O.E., a manipulator of energy.”
Hope looked at Jonathan in a new light.
“I thought he was controlling me,” Hope said in disgust.
Thinking back to her encounters with him, she realized she did things that were out of character for her.
“Hope,” Jonathan said as kissed her.
Hope could feel him pulling her back under his spell.
“Fight it Hope, before he drags you out of here and has his way with you,” Will warned.
“I can’t do this,” Hope said, breaking away from him.
Jonathan was about to say something, but Hope stopped him.
“I’m going back to my boyfriend,” she said as she backed up. “Don’t bother me anymore.”
Hope quickly turned and walked away. She heard Jonathan calling out to her and could feel him pulling her back.
“Keep walking away and don’t look back,” Will advised.
Hope focused on Rick as she entered the dining room hoping to forget about Jonathan.
“I was about to send Judy to see if you were alright,” Rick said as she sat down.”
“Sorry I took so long,” Hope said nervously.
Judy sensed something was wrong with her friend.
“Is everything alright?” Judy asked.
“I’m fine,” Hope lied.
She was still trying to shake off the effects of Jonathan, as well as come to grips with talking to Will. She was very excited that she got to speak with him; however, it seemed weird carrying on a conversation in her head. She wished she could share this with the others, but refrained from saying anything due to the nature of their conversation.
“Something is wrong.” Judy whispered, “I can tell.”
Hope tried to ignore her friend to concentrate on Rick. Just then Jonathan walked past her table and winked. She wanted to slug him, but refrained. Luckily, Judy was the only other person who noticed him.
“Now I know what’s wrong.” Judy said in a hushed tone.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Hope muttered,
Throughout the night, she kept her eyes on Jonathan wondering why he had his sights set on her. He left just before they were about to depart, making Hope wonder if he was also intuitive to boot.
When they got outside, Hope checked the parking lot for any signs of him. She sensed that he was out there watching her, but where he was she wasn’t sure. Rick noticed her scanning the area.
“Looking for someone?” he asked.
“I just thought I saw someone I knew.”
Rick opened the door for her before getting inside. The drive home was a quiet one, as Hope was lost in thought. When they got home, Hope said she was tired and got ready for bed. Rick knew something was wrong, he sensed it back at the restaurant. He wondered if maybe she had an encounter in the bathroom, because she started acting strange when she got back to the table. Luckily for Hope, Jonathan didn’t follow her right away. If he had then Rick may have seen him and connected her mood with him.
When Rick got to bed, Hope was sleeping so he never got a chance to question her any further. A sudden yawn escaped him, as he got out of his clothes. He never realized how tired he was until now. He lay down beside Hope, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and snuggled close. Within minutes he drifted off to sleep.
Hope heard the light sound of snoring and was thankful that Rick was asleep. She could tell that he knew something was wrong with her, but she didn’t want to talk to him about it, not yet. She was still reeling over what she had learned from Will. Jonathan manipulated energy to control people. This made her wonder if he did this to others as well. The thought bothered her. She stewed about this for a long time until sleep finally took over.
“So what was wrong with Hope tonight?” Ren asked, as he changed out of his clothes.
Judy sensed she had another Jonathan encounter, but without talking to Hope she wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know.” Judy replied. “I asked her and she said she was okay.”
“She’s lying then.” Ren commented. “Something must have happened when she was in the bathroom, because when she came out she seemed weird.”
“I know,” Judy sighed. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow and hopefully get some answers about her mood.”
“Speaking of moods,” Ren started. “What was up with Jay tonight? Lisa said he freaked out on her when she was straightening up the family room.”