by Viola Grace
“It’s not harmful, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He shrugged. “It’s weird. Too bad you found it, it should have stayed lost. Maybe you should get rid of it.”
“How can you say such cruel things?” She shot up in bed. “You know how sentimental it is to me. And if you knew anything about me, you would know how much I cherished my grandmother.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest. “It was fun at first, but now it’s just eerie. Especially that ridiculous story your grandmother told you. Maybe you’re letting your imagination run wild.”
Lara’s cheeks burned and she fought to control the anger rising within her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He silently walked out the door, closing it behind him.
Lara lay back on her pillow, praying for sleep. Maybe she was just overtired. In the morning things would be better. Who was she kidding? Whatever mystical power the emerald held, had been unleashed the moment she’d placed it around her neck. Even if Ian wouldn’t admit it, he knew there was something going on…something his reasonable mind didn’t want to accept.
Lara racked her brain trying to make sense of her grandmother’s words, but nothing made any sense. She loved Ian and planned to spend her life with him. But why couldn’t she even look at Skye? They’d been friends forever. How was Skye connected to the necklace? Her heart knew the answer, but her sensible mind kept it hidden. “No. It can’t be,” she said aloud.
A soft tap sounded at her door. Lara rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She wasn’t in the mood to argue and that’s what would happen if she allowed Ian back into her bedroom. The door quietly opened.
“Lara, are you okay?” Skye’s soft voice whispered as she silently moved to the bed.
Lara rolled onto her side, facing Skye who was bent over the bed, peering down at her with a concerned look on her face. She flashed her a weak smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Do you want to talk?” Skye hesitated. “Ian stormed out so fast. Is everything alright?”
Lara chewed her bottom lip as she sat up. The covers slipped from her body, exposing her breasts. Her heart began thumping erratically again and an intense heat enveloped her insides. If her nakedness bothered Skye, she gave no indication, but then they’d seen one another naked several times throughout the years. “I don’t know—” Before she could say anymore, tears began pouring from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Lara?” Skye asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. She put her arms around Lara’s heaving shoulders and rubbed her back. “What can I do for you?” she asked in a frightened voice.
Skye’s closeness felt like Lara had just stuck her finger in an electrical outlet. She could almost see the sparks shooting out of her body. Her voice caught in her throat.
“You’re burning up with fever!” Skye said, alarmed. “Do you want me to drive you to the ER?”
“No,” Lara finally choked out. She looked into Skye’s eyes. “I’m not sick. Ian doesn’t understand.”
“Understand what? Did you two have a fight?”
She nodded, then took the tissues Skye handed her and dabbed at her eyes before blowing her nose.
“Ian’s just worried about you, Lara.” Her eyes moved to the jewelry box. “It’s still glowing and even brighter than before.”
“Ian wants me to get rid of it…he thinks my grandmother was crazy.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it. If he’d only heard some of the wonderful stories your Gramma Kathleen told. I still remember when we were little, sitting on the floor next to you, completely mesmerized by her stories.”
“You believe her stories, don’t you…especially the one about the necklace. Tell me I’m not crazy, Skye,” Lara pleaded.
“You’re not crazy. Of course, I believe all of her stories. I may not understand the meanings of them, but in the case of the emerald, it’s obvious something’s going on.”
Lara let out a shuddering breath. “I don’t understand the story behind the emerald either.” Skye’s closeness was overpowering, almost suffocating, but in a warm sensual way. She wished she could give into her feelings and just drift into what her subconscious was bringing to the surface. Suddenly, like a dam bursting, the truth came flooding to her conscious mind in all its brilliance and joy. Could Skye really be her hidden desire? No! Her mind screamed as her heart swelled with passion.
“Do you have the slightest idea of what your secret unconscious desire could be?” Skye asked.
Lara swallowed the lump in her throat. “It doesn’t make sense.” She pulled out of Skye’s embrace. “Could you do me a favor?”
“Of course. You know I’d do anything for you.” She patted Lara’s bare shoulder.
“Go into the living room and then come back in five minutes. Don’t knock, just come in.”
Skye stood. “Is there anything I can get you? A cup of tea?”
Lara shook her head. “Just come back in five minutes.” After Skye left, Lara’s racing heart returned to normal. She climbed out of bed, walked over to the jewelry box and retrieved the emerald. She fumbled with the clasp, but finally managed to hook it around her neck. It glowed brighter than before. She climbed back into bed and waited for Skye.
A few minutes later, Skye reentered the room. As she slowly made her way over to the bed, the bright light from the emerald guided her. Lara watched Skye’s brightly illuminated face. She took a deep breath and locked her eyes with Skye’s. Her heart pounded and her palms grew moist.
Skye’s eyes filled with fear. “I’m scared, Lara. What’s wrong with you?”
Lara slowly let her breath out. “I know what my hidden desire is,” she said in a low voice.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“In a minute.” Lara grabbed Skye’s hands. She watched Skye’s eyes drift to the emerald, which was centered, between Lara’s breasts. “We need to talk.” Her throat dried out. “What I’m about to say could destroy our friendship, but you need to know.”
Skye’s eyes clouded. “I can’t think of anything that would do that.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I know that Ian doesn’t like me.” She fought the tears that threatened to fall. “I hope when you and Ian move in with each other we’ll still be able to get together once in awhile.”
“Skye, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. That’s why what I have to tell you is so difficult for me.”
“I…I think I already know.” She blinked back tears. “I’m not asking you to make a choice between Ian and me. I would never do that.”
“You’ve got it wrong.” She looked down at the necklace. “Haven’t you felt anything different since I first put it on earlier?”
“No. I don’t feel anything different from what I’ve always felt.”
“Tell me then,” Lara gently insisted. “How have you always felt?”
Skye cast her eyes down. “Deep down I think you’ve always sensed it, but you were afraid to say anything.”
Lara trembled. She was terrified to ask, but she had to know. “You’re feelings for me aren’t just as friends, are they?”
Skye swallowed hard as she raised her eyes to Lara’s. She slowly shook her head.
Lara squeezed Skye’s hands. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you felt this way?”
Her lips trembled. “I…I knew since I was about thirteen.” The tears she’d tried so hard to control now freely escaped. “How could I tell you? I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you,” she sniffed. “I understand if you don’t want to stay in touch after you move in with Ian.” She tried to pull her hands free. “This can be a clean break for you. The choice is already made.”
Lara held tightly, not relinquishing Skye’s hands. “You’ll never lose me, Skye,” she whispered. She put her arms around her and drew her close. “You’ve been my hidden desire only I was too afraid to admit my feelings for you and blocked it from my conscious mind.”
; Skye shuddered. “What about Ian? You can’t just turn your feelings off and on.” She pulled away from Lara and moved to the door before Lara had a chance to stop her.
“Skye, wait!”
“Please don’t do this to me!” Skye cried as she ran from the room, shutting the door behind her.
Lara ached to go to her, but forced herself to stay put. Skye needed time to process what she’d just told her, just as she needed time to come to terms with her newfound feelings. She took the necklace off, got out of bed and set it in her jewelry box. Back in bed, she drifted into a peaceful sleep, knowing that things would be the way they were meant to be.
The following morning Lara walked into the small kitchen expecting to see Skye and was crestfallen when she realized Skye’d already left for work.
Lara touched the coffee pot, noting it was still warm and poured herself a cup. She sat at the table, grabbed her cell phone, called her office, then left a message that she was under the weather and would be taking a personal day. Next she called Ian and made arrangements to meet him at a coffee shop a few doors from the gym.
She sat in a booth, nervously watching the door. When Ian arrived, she watched his eyes as he scanned the room. He broke into a wide smile when he saw her, then hurried over to the booth and slid into the seat across from her. He grabbed her hand.
“It’s good to see you looking like your old self again.” He glanced at her neck. “Good. You took my advice and got rid of that thing.” He signaled to the waitress. “It’s funny how our minds can do strange things to us. We can make ourselves believe almost anything. It’s really mind over matter. In most cases it can be a good thing…like if you’re sick or something, but then…well, you know what I mean,” he said, peering into her eyes. “I’m rambling.”
Lara didn’t respond and, when the waitress came to take their orders, she only asked for coffee while Ian ordered coffee, eggs and toast. After the waitress left, he leaned back in the booth. “You’re awfully quiet. I’m not used to it,” he teased.
“We need to talk.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here. You’re the one who asked me here, remember?”
The waitress set two cups of coffee on the table, then departed as quickly as she’d appeared.
Lara slowly stirred sugar into her coffee. “Has Jack moved into his new place yet?”
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “The deal fell through so it looks like my little brother will be staying with us for awhile. Don’t worry though, he won’t bother us.” He sipped his black coffee. “Anyway, now that you’re back to normal, what do you want to do tonight?”
“What do you mean by normal?” she snapped.
“Don’t be so touchy. I’m just glad that you got rid of that damned necklace.” He shrugged. “I also think Skye feeds your imagination.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Is there anything about me or my friends that you do like, Ian?”
“You know how I feel about you, Lara.” He smiled. “But you spend way too much time with Skye. It’s not that I don’t like her, I just find her boring.”
“You have me in common with her. And she’s definitely far from boring. You’ve never taken the time to get to know her.”
“We have no privacy with her always hanging around at your apartment.”
“It’s her apartment, too. Besides, we have as much privacy at my apartment as we do at yours…what about Jack?”
“What about him? He’s my brother and he won’t be living with us forever,” he defensively replied. “Skye isn’t even a relative.”
“We’re like sisters. In fact, we’re probably closer than most biological sisters.”
He shook his head. “Look, I don’t want to argue. In a few days we’ll be living together and everything will be perfect…just you and me.”
“And Jack.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not discussing this anymore, Lara. Jack is a good guy.”
“I know that and I like him. I’m just reminding you we won’t be alone.”
“Let’s just drop it. At least we won’t have to deal with that necklace anymore.”
She met his eyes. “I never said I got rid of it.”
“What?”
“You heard me. And in the future I would appreciate it if you didn’t refer to my grandmother as crazy.”
“I didn’t mean it the way you’re taking it.” He frowned. “I only meant that we all have someone in our family who’s a little off the norm. Look at my Uncle Mel. You met him a couple of months ago.” He spread his hands palms out.
“Your Uncle Mel resides in a psychiatric hospital and was home on a weekend pass. It’s not the same thing!” Her anger rose to the surface and she could barely control it.
“Okay, calm down, I’m sorry. It was a bad example. All I’m trying to say is your mind is convincing you that your grandmother’s stories are true.”
“You saw the necklace glow.”
“That’s why I suggested having it tested. Who the hell knows what’s inside of it!”
She pulled the necklace from her purse. “Put it on,” she urged. “See if it glows on you.”
“You’re kidding, right? Besides, won’t that ruin its magical powers?”
Lara ignored his sarcasm. “It doesn’t matter who puts it on…the powers only work with the intended benefactor.” She held it out to him. “Come on, I want to see if it glows on you.”
“It won’t prove anything.”
“If it’s loaded with something, then it should glow on you, too. If it does, then I’ll have it checked out. If it doesn’t, then it proves my grandmother’s story about it is correct.”
He rolled his eyes as he took the emerald and held it around his neck with his thumb and index finger.”
Lara peered at it, but it remained static. “How do you feel? Is your heart racing?”
“I feel the same.”
The waitress set down his food and glanced at the necklace. “It’s beautiful!”
“Thank you,” Lara replied.
Ian’s face reddened and he quickly handed it back to Lara. “She just wanted to see how it looks against my black shirt,” he said to the waitress who nodded, then dismissed herself.
“Now what do you say?” Lara asked with a smug look on her face.
“Can I eat my breakfast now?”
She nodded. “Just remember that it didn’t glow on you.” She held it the way he had with a thumb and index finger around her neck and almost immediately her heart started to race and the emerald began to brightly glow.
Ian’s forkful of egg stayed poised below his mouth as his eyes widened. “It’s even brighter than before!”
“I know,” Lara replied as her mind filled with visions of Skye. She removed the necklace and placed it back inside her purse, then slipped out of the booth.
“Where are you going?”
“Let’s not kid ourselves, Ian. This isn’t going to work.”
“Come on, Lara.”
She shook her head. “I won’t give up a lifelong friendship or the wonderful memories of my grandmother to please you…someone I’ve only known for six months. Everything happens for a reason and I’m glad we found out before we moved in together.”
His jaw twitched. “So this is it? You’re dumping me?”
She touched his hand. “Ian, you know that eventually we’d grow to resent each other. It’s better we end it now.”
He sighed heavily. “Say for arguments sake I do believe in the necklace…do you know what your hidden desire is?”
“Yes,” she replied softly.
“Will you tell me?”
“No.”
“If I had agreed right away about the necklace would that have made a difference?”
“No. My heart would be denied it’s true desire.”
He nodded. “You’re a strange woman, Lara, but I’ll never be sorry I met you.”
“Me either, Ian.”
“We can still be friends and who knows.” He shrug
ged his broad shoulders.
“Yeah, who knows what the future holds for any of us.”
Lara restlessly paced around the apartment, anxiously waiting for Skye to return from work. She’d thoroughly cleaned the apartment, ran to the market and popped a roast in the oven. When it was almost time for Skye to come home, she dimmed the lights and lit several candles. Every few minutes, she peered out the window, but Skye’s Chevy was nowhere in sight. She lowered the temperature on the roast and rechecked the table.
Two hours later, she packed the food up and placed it in the refrigerator, then blew out the candles, which had melted down. She’d checked her cell phone periodically, but there was no message from Skye. She was avoiding her and Lara couldn’t blame her.
She wondered if there had been signs through the years that she’d missed. Skye had never given her the impression she cared for her in any way other than as a friend. And she’d never seen Skye show interest in any woman. She’d dated through the years, but had never met anyone she seemed to want a permanent relationship with. Lara had just assumed Skye was picky. Had she hidden her feelings so deeply that Lara hadn’t noticed? Or maybe it had always been there just beneath the surface and Lara, focusing on one relationship or another, had never seen it.
Where was Skye right now? Worry began to set in. This wasn’t like her. Or was it? How many nights had she not come home until after Skye had already gone to bed? She chewed her bottom lip. Maybe Skye had a girlfriend. Of course, she wouldn’t have told Lara since she’d been hiding her sexual preference from her all these years.
The thought of Skye in the arms of some woman sent a crushing pain through Lara’s heart. She knew she had no right to feel the way she did. Skye had a right to live her life and, if she had found someone, Lara would just have to accept it and be secure in the knowledge that she and Skye would still maintain their friendship as they always had. She knew that nothing or no one would ever break their deep bond.
At ten o’clock, she wrote a note to Skye telling her that she’d broken off with Ian and needed to talk to her. She propped the note in front of a living room table lamp, which she dimmed to the lowest setting.