Black Heart

by K L Rymer

  Right now, I couldn’t give a shit. Let her fear me.

  “Here, take a seat,” she says gently as she sits me down on the couch, and I become self-conscious of the cheap, tacky material that sticks to my pants. My suit probably costs more than everything in this living room.

  Crystal grabs a box of tissues and moves my hand away from my nose. “Hopefully the bleeding has already... Oh!”

  Blood gushes forth once again, and quickly she presses the tissue to my nose, leaning my head back against the couch.

  I’ve never wanted to murder anyone so much in my life, putting me in such an undignified position.

  I push her hand away and take a hold of the tissue. I can block my own nose, thank you.

  The clock ticks on the mantel as silence filters through the room.

  Why did I even come inside? This was a mistake. The whole thing’s a mistake. I should just forget the whole dating game and take her away with me now, wooing her be damned.

  If only the stupid café owner weren’t in the picture. She would know I was out with Crystal tonight. She’d report me to the police.

  Unless I dispose of her... There are more recent baby pictures on the mantel. Most likely a grandchild.

  Could I really harm a grandmother?

  “I... really am sorry...”

  My eyes roll towards Crystal. I’m breathing out of my mouth, looking like some fucking simpleton, since my nose is too blocked up to do much of anything else.

  Maybe I should just get over it. It was clearly an accident, but I’ve never felt so humiliated.

  I’m Eli Black. I don’t do the whole ‘embarrassed’ thing.

  I close my eyes, pressing the tissue down on my nose. “Don’t be. You never meant to do it.”

  The clock ticks away the awful seconds. I even miss Misaki’s intrusive little voice. I shouldn’t have shut her out. I’m clueless with what to say.

  She was right; I am utterly hopeless with Crystal. It’s like we’re from different planets.

  We have absolutely nothing in common.

  Crystal shifts closer on the couch, and I’m too tired to even move. I’m just grateful my nose is too preoccupied to pick up on her stupid candy scent.

  It’s too distracting.

  “May I?” she asks, holding her hand out for the tissue.

  I give her one more scathing look then roll my eyes. “Go ahead.”

  She takes the tissue and investigates my nose.

  So undignifying...

  “The bleeding appears to have stopped.”

  At her words, more blood trickles out of my nostrils, and I sigh through gritted teeth.

  What’s that bloody head of hers made of, anyway? Titanium? My nose is likely broken now.

  “Here, lay your head down,” she says, pulling my head to her lap, and I willingly oblige.

  She smiles. “There. Much better.”

  Now I stare up into her big doe eyes, and something wrenches on my guts. She looks like one of those Japanese anime girls. Her irises are so blue and sparkly, they’d melt the heart of anyone. Well, unless your heart’s as black as mine.

  “Has the bleeding stopped?” I ask.

  “Not quite. I must have ruptured some vessels. Again, I’m sorry.”

  I gaze into those shimmering pools, getting lost in their depths again.

  Now I’m drowning in the ocean blue of her eyes.

  Crystal bites that lower lip of hers with one of her rabbit teeth, and a tightness forms in my pants.

  The biting’s even worse in close proximity. In fact, I even have a good eye view of her breasts, which aren’t so lacking now in that figure-hugging dress. They’re humble and perky, and the man inside me wants to rip that ridiculous pink polka dot dress off her body and have her there on the couch. But I resist, letting the demon win.

  It would never work. She is of angel descent. I am demon. Apples and oranges.

  We repel each other. Yet I still can’t explain why I feel electricity whenever my fingers meet hers.

  “Please don’t tell anyone about this... but... I sort of have a special gift...”

  I raise a brow, intrigued. “How special?”

  “Just close your eyes. This shouldn’t take long.”

  I do as she asks, and now she has me at her complete mercy. Her warm finger gently caresses the bridge of my nose, and my heart jolts.

  It’s definitely never done that before.

  Suddenly, my nose begins to clear, and air fills my nostrils once again, along with her sweet candy scent.

  I sit up, staring at her amazed.

  So that’s what divine power felt like?

  Crystal brushes her hair behind her ear, all coy-like. “It’s just a little gift of mine. I’ve always been able to heal. I can’t understand why.”

  I watch her curiously now. This peculiar little creature seriously has no idea the potential of her power, and my mind runs a mile a second.

  Just what would she be like when she comes into her full power? She could be a true force of nature one day.

  I can’t let that happen.

  She giggles. “You’ve still got a little blood on you.”

  She grabs a tissue and wipes beneath my nose, and my heart does another lurch.

  I ought to see a doctor about that.

  Most women wouldn’t even dare touch my face. Yet Crystal just goes ahead and wipes my nose like I’m some snot-nosed toddler, and she’s gentle too, making sure to get every scrap of blood.

  I watch her transfixed.

  This is really strange territory.

  She lets the tissue hover over my lips (since some blood dripped down into their too), and stares at them for some time, her eyes soft.

  They’re a great pair, sure, but still... no girl has ever looked at me like she does now.

  My throat closes next because I know what’s about to come. I can taste it in the air, feel it in the rise of her heartbeat.

  Yet I don’t even try to stop her.

  Slowly, she leans her head forward and places her lips to mine, and all I can smell is her sweet candy breath.

  Her big eyes fill my entire vision, and I can’t look away. They pull me in, drowning me even further, and I simply stare, spellbound.

  Crystal’s breaths intensify, blowing the hair from my face, and I wonder when I should intervene (men are meant to make the first move after all), yet I can’t move. I want to see how this plays out.

  Finally, she shuts those big blue irises, and presses her lips gently to mine. A small smile pulls up my cheeks.

  This was the type of kiss you had at the playground when you were seven, and it comes to my realisation that this is probably her first kiss.

  She really is innocent in every way possible, and my true opposite: she’s probably my millionth kiss by now.

  Still... she’s not half bad, but perhaps it’s about time I helped her along.

  I place my hand against her cheek and lean into her kiss. Crystal’s heart beats so fast now, I can feel it on her lips, yet she doesn’t stop, kissing me with more fervour.

  Something is drawing me in to her, a magnetic force of some kind, and I can’t pull away. It sends pulsating waves through my being, locking me in place, and I lose myself in the kiss, threading her hair with my fingers.

  The clock stops ticking on the mantel. In fact, time ceases all together and it’s like we’re the only two people left in existence.

  I’ve never kissed a girl like this before. For one, we’re not even using tongues, but I still enjoy it.

  But Crystal takes me by surprise, slipping her wet tongue into my mouth, and I groan, following her example.

  Maybe she’s not so angelic after all.

  She sucks a little on my tongue, and I suck hers even more, showing her how it’s done, and finally we reach a momentum.

  Fuck, why did she have to taste so good? The man in me can’t resist, and I haven’t had sex in a week.

  And lord knows how much wine I had at the
restaurant. Horny and drunk were never a good combination.

  So much so that even White’s daughter looks appetising to me now, the pink polka dot, candy-smelling angel, and I have to put a stop to it.

  Yet I push her back on the couch, and my mouth never leaves her. Before long my hand moves of its own accord and finds her smooth leg, travelling up under her petticoat. It reaches her thigh, but she pushes back, her blue eyes wide and alert. “No...”

  I blink in confusion, meeting her anxious gaze. Then I finally register what’s going on and sit back, wiping my lips.

  For the first time in my life, I refrain from sex and give Crystal her space.

  Of course. She’s a virgin. Sex is actually a big deal for someone like her.

  It’s for the best, anyway. My brain’s too frazzled to think straight as I shake it about, rubbing my face.

  So I let my cock get the better of me once again. What else is new?

  Finally, I rise to my feet, smoothing down my suit. Crystal still sits on the couch, dazed and confused.

  “I should probably head home.”

  She peers up, sadness swirling through her eyes. They tug at my chest, and I wince.

  I must be getting really bad indigestion or something.

  Her light pink lipstick looks a little smudged from our game of tonsil tennis, and I wipe my mouth again. Pink.

  It’s like she’s still on me.

  “All right,” she sighs. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  She gets up and follows me out. We linger for a while, the clock in the living room loud and sombre again.

  “Well, drive home safe,” she says.

  The corners of my mouth pull up. “Promise.”

  Crystal takes a tentative step towards me, then wraps her arms around my waist. Her head rests against my chest, and I’m sure she’s listening to my heartbeat. I hope she’s not disappointed by the hollow sound it makes.

  “Thank you for dinner, and thank you for... well, you know...”

  “The snogging?” I reply, stifling a snort. “It was pretty good. You’re a good kisser, Crystal.”

  She lets go and looks back up, beaming. “Was my first kiss too.”

  I’d already gathered that, yet I humour her some more and raise my smile a little higher. It doesn’t hurt my cheeks so much when I’m with her.

  She opens the door and I step out, breathing in the cool night air. My breath fogs, but when it clears away, my stomach drops.

  Marcus. He’s gone.

  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  Crystal has already shut the door, and I grind my teeth.

  Misaki. This was her way of getting back at me for shutting her out. She would have loved the kissing too, no doubt, the pervert.

  Now I’m stuck in Croydon in the dead of night, wearing an expensive Italian suit.

  It’s a good job I’m demon-born. No teenage gang of knife-wielding hoodies have anything on me.

  I try to channel into Misaki, ordering her to bring Marcus back, but she keeps me out.

  A window opens above, and Crystal appears, looking worried. “Eli? What’s wrong? Where’s your driver?”

  I shrug. “He must have got bored of waiting.”

  She bites her lip in concentration, and I’m half tempted to join her up there and spend the night with her in her warm bed, but I persevere.

  Besides, it would only scare her off. The girl’s afraid of the thought of having sex with me anyway, and I don’t blame her. I’m brutal, and far from gentle.

  “Hold on.” The window shuts as she disappears back inside, and I wait in the street, my hands in my pockets.

  The front door opens, and she steps outside, clad in a pair of fluffy slippers and horse pyjamas.

  Let me reiterate. Horse pyjamas...

  Seriously, was she six or twenty-one? If it’s not pigtails or pinafores, then it’s bright pink horses.

  The brief urge to have sex with her vanishes immediately, and now I see her for what she truly is. White’s insufferable, goody two shoes of a daughter, and it grates on my nerves.

  She holds out her hand, giving me some change. “It’s not much, but it should get you home.”

  I stare at her palm for a while, confused. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such petty change.

  Her huge eyes continue to probe me, and I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “I can’t take your change, Crystal.”

  “No... I want you to. I just want you to get home safe.”

  Now I’m rendered speechless. The girl truly was pure, too pure for this world.

  My chest clenches as I take the petty change, and that electric shock shoots up my arm.

  Crystal steps forward, reaches up on her toes, then kisses my cheek. “Get home safe. I’ll keep my phone on.”

  Next, she moves back to the house and shuts the door, and I stare at it for a while.

  Somehow, I’m starting to have regrets.

  I ENTER THROUGH MY front door at last. Giles holds it open in his stripy pyjamas, and I roll my eyes.

  It’s 2am. No frigging wonder.

  It took me two hours to get home in the end.

  Misaki will pay.

  I gave Crystal her change back. I had my wallet, but that was beside the point. She most likely needed it more than I did, but she didn’t seem to care. All she cared about was that I got home safe.

  The foolish girl.

  I find my cousin sitting in the drawing room, the fireplace on full whack. I take a seat across from her, staring her daggers.

  She drinks a small glass of scotch, helping herself to my stores. She doesn’t meet my eyes.

  Today she wears a hat with a black veil. It’s as if she’s attending a funeral. I seldom question her strange fashion choices, but it couldn’t be more appropriate at this ungodly hour.

  The only funeral she’ll be attending is her own in a few moments.

  “So... how much did you bribe Marcus?”

  Misaki takes a sip of scotch. “One night of passion with yours truly. I see how he looks at my legs.”

  “Well, I hope the sex was worth it. Will you be there to cheer him up when I fire his arse tomorrow?”

  She gazes into her glass. “What do you think?”

  I rise from my seat then place my hands on the arms of her chair. I lean in close to her face. “Don’t fuck with me again.”

  Misaki smirks, raising a brow. “Is that candy I smell on your breath?”

  I scowl and move away, opening a cabinet door to the left of the room. There I find a small bottle of mouthwash, flip the lid open, and swill my mouth. Then I spit into the fireplace.

  Crystal’s candy taste finally leaves me.

  Misaki’s smirk widens. “Well, did you fuck?”

  I light a cigarette, take a long drag, then lean my arm over the fireplace. “Go home, Misaki,” I say, blowing smoke from my lips.

  She stands to her feet and comes up behind me. “I hope you learned your lesson, Eli. Face it. You really are clueless. You wouldn’t last one whole date with her, the unsociable bastard you are...”

  I glare into the fire, remembering the terrified expression on Crystal’s little face when we pulled up to the restaurant. She’d looked like a rabbit in the headlights.

  How was I supposed to know she didn’t like fine dining?

  “I even warned you that the expensive meal would turn her off. She’s not like the basic chicks you usually date. This girl wants to get to know your heart. Not that you have one.”

  A dark chuckle escapes my mouth as I keep my eyes on the flames. “Basic? Like you and all your fake fucking friends?”

  Misaki scowls at my back then turns towards the door. The last thing she says before she leaves: “Fuck you, Eli.”

  I roll my head back, blowing smoke up at the ceiling.

  What a night.

  7. Crystal

  A few more weeks tick by, and Eli and I go on several more dates. We go for picnics in the park, a trip to the zoo, and days at the museum.
>
  He even visits me a few times at work, and I blush like a silly school girl, twiddling my hair.

  Eli really was starting to grow on me, despite that aloof playboy charm. I think I may even be starting to develop feelings for him, but I still remain cautious.

  It’s not that I don’t trust him. He had proven to me on more than enough occasions that he was a sweetheart deep down (don’t believe everything you read in the media), despite his past misdeeds. But it was because it was still early days.

  There was so much we still didn’t know about each other.

  Besides, I wanted to keep my tender little heart guarded for that much longer. I’m the first to admit that I’m too sensitive for my own good, and have a habit of letting people walk all over me. I need to build up a strong suit of armour first.

  There was also my own self-doubt at play. What if my feelings were not reciprocated?

  I’m no idiot. I know Eli’s way out of my league, and I see the way women watch him while glaring at me like green-eyed monsters. I know what they’re thinking: “What’s he doing with that plain little thing?”

  I try not to let it bother me, especially as I was well aware of some of Eli’s old female companions. But Eli had chosen me out of millions of other girls. I should feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

  However, it was hard to read his expression at times. He was just so stoic and poker-faced. I don’t know if it was due to his aristocratic upbringing, but he had a knack for keeping his true feelings inside. But every now and then, I would crack through that icy exterior, and see a hint of his beautiful smile, and my heart would flutter.

  I bet he had an adorable smile with dimples on his cheeks. One day, I would make him smile all the way, and finally see those pearly whites. I knew he had a good set of teeth; I‘d felt them when I searched his mouth with my tongue the night of our first date.

  I know. I’m such a minx.

  We’d just had our seventhor eighth date, I’m not too sure anymore. I’d long stopped keeping track.

  Eli had taken me to see a play on the West End, and then afterwards we walked the streets for a while. Namely Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden. My feet were getting sore, but with Eli, I seldom noticed.

  People seemed to move around Eli, unlike me, who gets pushed and shoved on a daily basis.