by M. K. ROZE
His grin turned into a frown, and he walked back into
his room. I guess he was hoping the sadness in my tone was
for him.
“Hey, I’m leaving. See you at school.” I walked out the
door.
“Bye,” he shouted back.
At school, I sat in the parking lot, debating if I wanted
to face Latore. I needed to know if we went out, but I was
too afraid to know the truth. After a while, I got out and
went to all my classes without seeing him. That convinced
me it was real, and he was hiding from me.
When I arrived at my parents’ house, something smelled
good. I walked into the kitchen. “What’s baking?”
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Mom and Dad hugged me. “Chicken alfredo,” Mom
said.
“Perfect.”
We sat at the kitchen table. “How have you been?” Dad
asked.
“Great. I went to see Dr. Dalca, and she gave me more
pills. But I won’t be seeing her again.”
“Why?” Mom asked.
“She was nosy and rude.”
“Huh. She seemed nice when she was here,” Mom
replied.
“Find someone else. I like you being back to your
normal self,” Dad said.
“I will.” I took a sip of my soda.
After we ate, Mom got up from the table. Moments
later, she returned with a brown wooden jewelry box. She sat
down and slid it over to me.
“That’s for you.”
I reached for it. “What is it?”
Mom looked at Dad briefly, then back at me. “Just open
it, honey.”
“Okay.” I lifted the lid to see an old photo of a woman
and a man holding a baby. The woman’s face was sad, and
her brown eyes looked like she was crying. I glanced over at
Mom and Dad. “Are these my biological parents?”
Mom exhaled and nodded with tears in her eyes.
“Yes, your mother asked us to give it to you when you
were old enough,” Dad said. “We were waiting to give it to
you.” He looked at Mom. “We decided now that you’re
doing better, this would be the time.”
I glanced at the picture again. My mother was beautiful.
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Her hair was long and brown, and she seemed tall. My dad
was very handsome, also with brown hair.
I shook my head as I looked at my parents. “Here, I
don’t want it.” I placed it back in the box and slid it over to
Mom. “I’m glad you adopted me.”
Mom frowned. “I’m sorry.” She got up and hugged me.
Dad followed behind her, doing the same.
“Thanks for showing me, but let’s not talk about them
again, okay?”
Mom nodded.
“We won’t discuss it ever again unless you want to,”
Dad said.
“Good, so what’s for dessert?” I tried not to show the
hurt in my voice. I wanted to cry and run away, but too many
things were racing through my brain to give a crap about
people who gave me up.
“How about a slice of cheesecake?” Mom said.
“Sounds good.”
After we cleared the dishes from the table, I sat back
down and looked at my phone to see the time. “Dammit.” I
wanted to hit the wall because Constin had called and texted
me. I was annoyed that I’d forgotten to turn the ringer back
on after Mom called me in the morning.
“What’s wrong?” Mom asked.
“Nothing, I just missed a call. I’m going to step outside
for a minute to call them back.”
“Okay,” Mom replied.
Dad didn’t say anything because he was too busy
stuffing his mouth with cheesecake.
On the porch, I called Constin.
“Good evening,” he answered in a sexy voice that
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immediately set off butterflies.
I smiled ear to ear wanting to screech, but I didn’t. “Hi,
how are you?”
“Wonderful.”
“You disappeared again. Is there ever going to be a night
when you stay with me like normal people do?”
“Someday soon,” he replied softly.
I looked in front of me because his voice sounded like
he was close. “Where are you?
“At home. Why?”
“Nothing. So, what’s up?”
“I was hoping you would like to get together tonight.”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“I would love to take you out on my father’s yacht. Does
that sound good to you?”
“I’ve never been on a boat at night before, but okay.”
“You’ll be fine. We can go out on the ocean, relax and
talk.”
“Sounds romantic.”
“I’ll pick you up at your house tonight at 7:00. Does that
work for you?”
“Yes, that’s perfect.”
“Viata, be careful and watch out for that rat from last
night.”
“I will. Thanks.” I ended the call, walked back inside,
and wolfed down the cheesecake.
Mom and Dad laughed.
“What’s the rush?” Mom said.
There was no way I was going to tell them that I was
dating Constin, not after me telling them about what he did
to me before. “I forgot that I had to write an essay.” I rushed
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up, gave them a hug, and a kiss on their cheek. “Thanks for
dinner.”
As I got in the car, they waved bye with a suspicious
look on their faces. I’m sure they could tell I was lying.
I drove back home and got dressed. When the doorbell
rang, I rushed to the door and found Constin smiling at me.
“You’re right on time.”
“Only for you.” He kissed me on my cheek. “Are you
ready?”
“Yes, but I’m a little nervous.”
“You have nothing to worry about when you’re with
me.” The way he spoke was strong, and I liked how he made
me feel secure.
We got into the Aston Martin, and he took off down the
street.
“What else does your father own, besides fancy cars and
a yacht?”
“Whatever he wants” He smirked and stepped on the
gas.
I clutched the door handle and closed my eyes. “Slow
down.”
“Relax. You’re in good hands.”
At the marina, he opened the door for me and helped
me out of the car.
“Your hand is shaking,” he said.
“I’m fine. I’m still nervous.”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Viata, you trust me,
right?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Yes.”
We walked hand in hand to the yacht, and he helped me
step on board.
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“Wow! This is gorgeous.” I stepped up onto the
wooden cedar deck and walked toward the Jacuzzi with a
chrome bar in front of it. I continued to the other side and
stopped. “It has a downstairs too?”
“Yes.”
“Can I take a look?”
He nodded.
I grabbed the brass handle and walked down
the steps
to a rustic looking kitchen. I continued to the back where
there were two large bedrooms with a bathroom. I lay on the
king bed.
“This is insane.” I jumped back up and ran upstairs.
“Constin, you’re full of surprises.”
“This is only the beginning.” He started the vessel and
took off slowly.
As the cool breeze blew my hair back, I licked the
saltwater off my lips. About a mile out, Constin stopped and
anchored the yacht. He came up behind me, held me, and
kissed the top of my head. My body quivered. As we stood
there in silence looking toward the horizon, heat lightning
caught my eye.
“It’s not going to rain, is it?”
“No. I wouldn’t have brought you out here if it was.”
My anxiety dissipated, and he walked me over to sit at a
small table with two crystal wine glasses and what looked like
a bottle of vintage wine.
“What kind of wine is that?”
He sat next to me and opened the bottle. “I took it from
my father’s wine collection. It’s from Romania. I thought
being you love it there so much, you’d like it. It happens to
be a few hundred years old.”
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“That was sweet of you. Thank you.”
He opened it like a pro and poured me a glass. I held
the stem of the glass, swirling the thick red wine while
smelling its fruity aroma, just as Kaylee taught me to do.
Constin poured a glass for himself.
He smirked. “Enjoy.”
I hesitated for a moment as he watched me, waiting for
me to taste it. With it against my lips, one sip led to another,
and I ended up drinking it entirely.
“Can I have more, please?”
“No, you have school in the morning.” He took my
glass away.
I frowned, turned around, and placed my feet up on the
extended bench with my back against his chest. Constin
wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck.
“What’s been going on with you since I’ve been gone?”
he asked gently.
“Not much. Just school.”
“What about your job? How’s that?”
I sat up, turned to him, and sat Indian style. “I quit.”
He pushed my hair away from my eyes. “Why is that?”
I sighed and looked down. “I don’t want to talk about
it.”
He lifted my chin. “Viata, it’s not healthy to keep bad
memories built up inside. You should tell someone. Like me,
perhaps.”
I wanted to tell him, but I was worried he would never
talk to me again. “Another time?” I got up and walked over
to the edge of the boat to look at the rough sea.
Constin placed his hands on my shoulders. “I know you
want to tell me.”
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I was about to tell him to drop it, but he turned me
around to face him. “I will never doubt you, Viata, ever. Is it
the dreams you’ve been having while you’re awake?”
I grabbed his hand and sat back down. I told him
everything that happened to me since the first dream in
Romania, and he listened carefully to every word I said.
“Please, don’t think I’m crazy”
“I don’t think you’re crazy at all,” he said.
“Are you ready to run yet?”
Constin gently ran his fingers down my face. “No.
Who’s this man you dream of?”
“He seems to know me and has saved me many times.”
His eyebrows came together. “Saved you? Did you like
that?”
“I guess. I mean, I believe it was a dream, but then again,
they were so real I couldn’t tell.” I rubbed my face and
sighed. “Maybe I was going insane.”
“No, you weren’t, and you’re not now.”
“What about the part where I was called Divinity at the
train station and again when Kaylee and I got pulled over?
Also, that Muma lady brought me to another realm and said
I was a reincarnated goddess who was adopted. The
adoption part was true, but the goddess part is a little crazy
to me.”
“You are a goddess,” he said bluntly.
I placed my hand over my heart. “What?”
Bain touched his head with a confused look and smiled.
“I said you’re a goddess to me.”
“That’s not what you said.”
“Well, that’s what I meant to say.”
I thought he was serious for a minute. “Thanks, but I
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don’t feel like one.”
“This might be happening for a reason. Do you trust the
man from your dreams is telling you the truth?”
“Should I?”
“Viata, there are many things in this world that we can’t
explain. You said it yourself when you told me you believed
there were other realms out there.”
I sat on his lap, embraced him, and kissed him on his
cheek. “Thanks for listening to me.”
He squeezed me tightly.
“You’re burning up again,” I said. “Are you okay?”
He stood up. “Yes, but before I tell you what’s going on
with me, I have one last question.”
“Huh?”
“Do you have any feelings for this man from your
dreams?”
“No, he’s not real.”
Constin smirked and took his shirt off as he walked
away. “What if he wasn’t a figment of your imagination?
What then?”
I was unable to take my eyes off his sweaty body. “Even
if he was real, I like you. So, it wouldn’t matter.” I lied straight
to his face, and I think he knew it. If Bain were real, I don’t
think I could choose. I loved them equally, dream or not.
Constin walked over to me, picked me up, and brought
me to the edge of the boat. “You’re not a good liar.” He
jumped off the side of the yacht, holding me, and plunged
into the ocean.
The coldness of the water rushed through my body as I
clung on to him. When we surfaced, I spit out the salty water.
“You’re crazy!”
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“Breathe,” he said calmly as he held me in the frigid
water.
“G-get me out of here. There are sharks.”
“Try to relax,” he replied as the cold flowed around me
violently.
I buried my face into his warm neck. “Please, Constin,
let’s get out. I can’t feel my body.”
“You will momentarily.”
Shaking uncontrollably and feeling like I was going to
die, I wrapped my arms and legs around him tightly. Constin
didn’t struggle as he held me. When the water turned warm,
I raised my head.
“Do you feel that?”
He grinned. “Yes, it’s my body temperature that’s doing
it.”
“But that’s impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible, and you’re not the only different
one. The cold helps my body temperature go down.”
“That’s incredible. But how in the world are you not
dead from getting so hot?”
&nbs
p; He took my face between his warm palms. “My body is
used to it. And you, Viata, are the incredible one.”
I melted in his warm eyes. I went to say something, but
Constin silenced me with his kiss. We kissed so long that my
mouth became numb, and I forgot I was in the ocean.
He swam me over to the boarding ladder and pushed
me up onto the deck, where we lay cuddling while my body
temperature returned to normal. His body was still
ridiculously hot, but I didn’t mention it. I was happy that he
kept me warm. We laughed and talked about the stars, then
before I knew it, I was damp, and Constin had become
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incredibly quiet.
I nudged him gently. “Hey, are you still awake?”
Constin groaned. “Yes.” He began kissing me again, but
that time, his kiss was weaker, and his saliva was extremely
warm.
I stopped and turned toward the bar.
“Come on, let me get you home,” he mumbled.
“No, I want to stay here with you and sleep.”
He sighed and rested his head on my chest. “I wish I
could, but I just can’t,” he slurred.
I lifted his limp head. “Constin, you’re very pale. Are
you okay?”
“I’m fine.” With great effort, he pushed himself to his
feet and stumbled over to start the yacht.
“No, you’re not. What’s wrong? What do you want me
to do?” I ran over to him and tried to hold him steady. He
stared at something up ahead, and hissing sounds came from
that direction. “What was that?”
“I don’t know … but stay close to me.”
“Why?” I searched the darkness, trying to see what he
was looking at.
He looked at me like he wanted to tell me something.
“What is it?”
He sighed and looked straight ahead.
At the dock, I supported him most of the way to the car.
Constin took his key fob from his pocket. “You must
drive.”
I helped him into the passenger seat, ran to the driver’s
door, and took off out of the parking lot.
“Whoa, this car is fast.”
“Trust in yourself and drive it.”
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“Constin, I don’t know where I am. Where do you want
me to go?”
He didn’t respond.
“I’m taking you to the hospital.”