Sara's Soul by Deanna Kahler Read Free Book Online

kissed her with a passion that Sara had never known. Her body felt limp, and she fell into his arms, tears streaming down her face.
    “I don’t want to hurt you,” she sobbed. “I don’t want you to suffer.”
    “Well,” he said. “I just have one question then. How do you feel about me, Sara?”
    Sara wiped streaks of mascara from her face with the back of her hand and looked up at him. “What? How should I know?” she lied. “We just met.”
    “Just answer the question.”
    “I can’t believe you’re even asking me that.”
    “Okay. Fair enough. So let me speak first then,” he said. “When I walked into Starbucks today, I wasn’t looking to meet a woman. I was just grabbing a coffee. I had planned to turn on my laptop and work on my thesis. I had no interest or desire in mingling or picking up chicks. I’m a busy man. I don’t have a lot of time for dating.”
    “Then why waste your time with me?” Sara asked.
    “That’s just it. I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time. When I touched your hand, it was like a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and jump-started my heart. I feel something for you that I’ve never felt for anyone. I can’t explain it, but it’s powerful.”
    “Okay. Go on,” she urged.
    “I just want to know if you feel the same way. ’Cause I have a suspicion you do. So, do you, Sara?”
    Sara looked down at the sidewalk, struggling to find the right words. “I… I… dammit.” She stomped her foot in frustration.
    “It’s okay, Sara,” he said. “I don’t want to pressure you. You don’t have to answer me.”
    “I do,” she said. “I mean… I do feel the same way. But I’m depressed. And miserable. And I have no business getting into a relationship.”
    “But?”
    “But I’m drawn to you. Don’t ask me how or why. I just am.”
    “Then let me in,” he said. “Give me a chance.”
    Chip put his arm around Sara, and they stood on the sidewalk just holding each other. It felt good to be in his arms. Sara never wanted the moment to end. Unfortunately, like most of her happy moments, it did.
    A horn honked on the street in front of Starbucks, jolting them back to their surroundings. “Hey, Chip,” a guy around the same age called. “I’m heading to campus. You wanna ride?”
    “Sure, buddy,” Chip answered. “Thanks.”
    Sara followed Chip to the car and he gave her another quick kiss. Chip pulled a small notebook and pen out of his briefcase and scribbled his phone number on it. He then gave the pad to Sara and she did the same.
    “I’ll call you soon,” he whispered in her ear.
    She smiled and nodded.
    “Oh, by the way,” Chip said to his friend. “This is Sara.”
    “Nice to meet you, Sara,” the guy said. “You never told me you had a girlfriend, Chip.”
    Chip shrugged his shoulders and smirked, then got into the car.
    “Bye,” Sara called after him.
    “Bye, beautiful. I will see you soon.”
    Sara walked back toward home. She was in an unfamiliar daze all the way through town. The curtain of despair had lifted, and all she could think about now was Chip—how safe and loved she felt with him. She pictured his beautiful calming eyes and charming smile. She could still almost feel his kiss and his embrace. There was something really special about this man. It was like she had been waiting her whole life to meet him. Could he really help her? Could she finally lead a normal life? Sara didn’t know if either of these was possible. But there was one thing she did know: at least for now, death had been replaced with love—and Sara liked it.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    chapter 4
    Taken away
     
     
    Sara went to bed that night with a renewed sense of hope. Her mother had told her that she would meet a man and that she should trust him. Maybe there was something to the dream. Not a visit from her mother’s spirit. Sara still didn’t believe in that. But maybe it was a sort of hidden, unconscious premonition—a glimpse of what was