by Kody Boye
Could, he wondered, he bring Katarina closer if he let his attraction show a little more?
At that particular moment, he wished he had his father, or at least a married or experienced friend who could teach him how to express intimacy. For that he questioned whether or not the plan formulating in his brain would work.
Upon that notice, Nova closed his eyes.
“Oh God,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, near where no more than a few hundred feet above the roof the pristine-blue sky lay. “Please have mercy on me.”
He closed his eyes and breathed in the clean air.
Tomorrow, he thought. I’ll know more.
The following afternoon, he stood on the road that led up to the three-story mansion kicking dirt from his heels and waiting for Katarina to arrive. Anxious for her presence and even more unsure of himself, he desperately attempted to peeled dried mud and dirt from a shirt that was dirty beyond compare in an attempt to make himself more presentable, but in that moment—when he found himself almost unable to relax—he began to take into consideration the fact that surely this young woman would know of his financial situation were she to look upon him.
Where could she be, he thought, if not inside?
Quite possibly she was preparing herself for the day’s excursion. Putting on her clothes, her rings, her necklace, her shoes that looked to have been polished with the spit of the Gods and arranging her hair back into a fine, almost-cordial bun—these were the things that surely a woman of her caliber would have done were she to go on something that could be considered a romantic outing, but who was he to wonder or worry if her progress was slower than his own?
She just hasn’t realized that I’m here yet, he thought. That’s all.
He could afford to wait just a little while longer. He had, of course, not been here for too awfully long.
Convinced that time would not be of the essence in such a particular moment, Nova continued to pace, his eyes scanning the area with the veracity of which he imagined wolves or other vicious creatures much have over their prey. Roses, in shades of reds and magentas, lined the path leading up to the house, while the mansion itself boasted nondescript white paneling as if the home had been stained white itself.
Were he to have looked any closer, he imagined that he would have seen Katarina preparing for their outing. However, since the curtains of ivory and flesh shrouded his view from the mayor’s secret life, he had absolutely no idea who or what could have possibly been behind those windows.
If he had but one look, maybe then he wouldn’t feel so nervous.
Patience is a virtue, his father had once said.
If it were such a virtue, then why did he feel as though his heart was ready to burst from his chest?
Overhead, the sun began to pass over the sky, shrouded by clouds that threatened to produce rain.
Nova sighed.
How much longer would it take for her to come outside?
When the sun overhead reached halfway across the sky, he decided, with sadness in his heart, that she would not be coming today.
She’d decided not to walk today—not to, in the least, be seen by a man of such common betrayals.
It took but a moment for him to realize something.
She’d given him a pity handout—nothing more than that.
Turning, he began to make his way down the path and toward the village he called home, all the while dreading the fact that he had come all this way simply to be turned away without so much more than a word in response.
Just as he was beginning to think not a thing would happen to reveal light onto his situation, he heard the stamp of running feet on the road behind him.
“Wait!” someone called.
Nova turned just in time to see an older man approaching the wrought-iron gate, his pace ragged and his breath faint in and out of his chest.
It took but a moment for him to realize that he was facing the mayor of Bohren.
“I’m sorry,” Mayor Ketrak panted, setting a hand on his chest as if to still his frantically-beating heart. “You wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Eternity, would you?”
“Yes,” Nova said. “I am. I’m sorry I was on your property, sir. I was just interested in the flow—”
“My daughter said that she had plans of meeting you. I would’ve come sooner, but I only just realized a man was supposed to meet her.”
At this, Nova swallowed a lump in his throat that seemed to grow progressively worse by the moment. The man appeared friendly enough, but that didn’t mean he had intention of letting him slide without some form of humiliation.
All I did was take your daughter home.
As if given a life of its own, the lump swelled in his throat.
Oh, no.
Had he associated himself with a girl younger than himself? He couldn’t have. She looked to be his age, maybe even a bit older. Maybe—
“Nova?”
“Yes?” he asked, almost on instinct. He swallowed the second lump and straightened his posture. “Sir, I’m sorry, I had no right to—”
“Oh no,” Ketrak laughed, sliding a hand through the iron fence to clap his shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about, my friend. I appreciate you bringing my daughter home. I’ve told her not to go out on her own, but you know girls—they never listen to what their fathers have to say.”
“I didn’t want her to get hurt,” Nova said. “Especially since she wandered onto my property. I felt like she was my responsibility.”
“Well, she isn’t, but I thank you regardless.”
Ketrak smiled and squeezed the shoulder he’d placed his hand on no more than a few moments beforehand. The man still hadn’t revealed his reason for coming out.
“Sir,” Nova began, “if I can ask, what reason did you come out here for?”
He dare not ask if Katarina still had plans on coming out with him.
“My daughter’s fallen ill,” Ketrak frowned. “She wanted me to tell you that she won’t be going on her walk today.”
“Oh.” This time, it was Nova’s turn to frown. “I’m sorry, sir—I hope I didn’t give her anything.”
“You couldn’t have. She just came down with it this morning. There’s nothing to apologize for.” Ketrak paused. He turned to glance at the front door, then at the chains snarled around the gate. “Say… would you like to come inside?”
“I couldn’t possibly—”
“Please, do. I know it’s not much, but I just made lunch. Come, join me.”
“Mister Mayor, I—”
Before Nova could finish, the mayor of Bohren secured from his belt a series of keys which he used to unchain the gate. Shortly thereafter, he took Nova by the wrist and began to drag him up the road.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” the man asked, gesturing to the flowers that lined both sides of the road. “My daughter chose the roses herself. They’re her favorite.”
“You’re beautiful,” Nova agreed. “I mean, your property—it’s quite breathtaking.”
“Thank you. I’ve had some hard work put into it. My daughter, though, she planted all the trees and flowers when she was younger.” The mayor glanced at Nova out of the corner of his eye. ”How old are you, Mister Eternity?”
“Seventeen,” he said. “My intentions with your daughter, sir—I’ll stay away from her if you like.”
“I understand your concern, but you have nothing to worry about. My daughter is only a year younger than yourself.”
“I’m not a pervert. I mean…” Nova stopped in place. Ketrak did as well. “I mean, I do like your daughter, sir, but I’ll stay away if you don’t want her to be with an older man.”
“I’d prefer him be with a man than no man. Most of the young women in the village are married off when they’re thirteen, fourteen even. I just want her to find someone she feels comfortable with.”
“Yes sir. I understand.”
“And,” Ketrak continued, “she seems quite comfortable around you.”
Nova must’ve blushed, since Ketrak laughed and slapped his arm.
“I’m sorry,” Nova said, reaching up to rub his neck. “I’ve never pursued anything like this before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Ketrak smiled, then nodded, gesturing toward the house. “Come. I’ll feed you lunch.”
After they ate a fine meal of freshly-killed venison, vegetable soup and bread, Nova and Ketrak sat at the long table no more than a seat apart, reminiscing over the past days and how the work in the fields seemed to be going perfectly fine despite the awe-inspiring temperatures.
“Thank you for the meal,” Nova said, propping his spoon against the bowl and leaning back in his seat. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” Ketrak set a hand on Nova’s arm. “I’d let you see my daughter, but I don’t want you catching what she has.”
“She needs her rest,” Nova agreed.
“Of course. I’ll give her your regards.”
Standing, Nova shook the man’s hand and started walking to the door, but stopped when he felt Ketrak grab on to the back of his shirt.
“Come around again sometime,” the mayor said. “I’d be more than happy to have you here.”
“I can’t intrude on your personal life, sir.”
“You’re not intruding if I invite you, now are you?”
“I… I guess not.”
“See, then?”
Nova nodded. “I understand.”
“All right then. Come over whenever you’re bored or aren’t working. I’ve got an extra room that I reserve for guests. You’re more than welcome to sleep here.”
“Thank you,” Nova said, once more starting for the door. “Please tell Katarina I care for her health more than some walk.”
“I’ll be sure to, Nova. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, sir.”
Days later, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Nova went to see Katarina.
Since recovering from what she had described as a ‘small cold’ that had left her bedridden despite her strength and overall good health, they’d spent a fair amount of time together walking the town and the surrounding areas, though it became apparent rather quickly that the townspeople thought this spectacle mystifying and therefore completely out of the norm. Several times, whilst walking through the streets, the commoners would stop from their place in chopping wood, hanging laundry or tending to pets and children to watch them with eyes unsure and completely stupefied, though each and every time this happened Nova pushed the feelings aside and continued along the way. However, despite all this unsurety, and despite the fact that in his heart Nova felt as though something more sinister was taking place within the hearts and minds of those around him, he couldn’t help but wonder just what they thought of the two of them.
“Nova,” Katarina said, stirring him from thought.
Nova turned, a frown crossed over his face. She’d said nothing since they stopped at the top of a nearby hill, looking down at the town and the people within it who appeared to be nothing more than ants surrounding their hill. “Yes?” he decided to ask.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“You haven’t said anything.”
Neither have you.
He chose not to repeat his thought for fear of insulting the young woman. Instead, he smiled, set his hand over hers, then drew closer so the distance between them would seem less and more intimate. “I was just thinking,” he said.
“About?”
“You.”
When he realized the severity of his words, he swallowed a lump in his throat and turned his head away. Shortly thereafter, Katarina turned her head down to reveal the scarlet that now lined her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” he frowned. “I didn’t mean—”
“No. It’s all right.” She looked up and smiled. “I was thinking about you too. You’re a very nice man.”
“Thank you. I’ve tried to treat you well.”
“You do,” she said, looking down at the town and crossing her hands over her stomach. “I appreciate you doing this for me.”
“I like spending time with you.”
“I do too.”
For the first time since he’d began seeing her, Nova set his arm across her shoulders and drew her in close. “Is this ok?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
After she leaned and adjust herself against his chest, both she and Nova watched the sun’s glowing rays slowly fading on the distant horizon, marking across the world its passage over a full, complete day in which darkness seemed never capable of swallowing the light that seemed to rule both their lives.
“Nova?” she asked.
“I’m here,” he whispered.
She said nothing further.
She just wanted to know I was here, he thought, closing his eyes. That’s all she wanted to know.
He tightened his grip around her body and thought of all that could come from this.
Love was in the air.
It could have consumed him, were it a creature of blood and life—a dragon, mythical and dead, returning from the grave to haunt his spirit and devour his heart; a Harpie, young and wild, freshly-born and ready to tear into the world; a monstrous sea creature, lurking beneath the deep, ready to swallow the world whole. These were the things this feeling was made and created of, and it seemed in but that moment, on the last day of spring, that as Nova walked through town and toward Ketrak’s house, he would be engulfed by the very thing that plagued his conscience and ruled his heart.
He’ll come, Nova thought, standing on the stoop of the very house where the woman he loved lived and ate and slept. He just needs to get up.
The moment he finished his thought, a series of scrapes and clicks sounded from behind the door before it opened, revealing the very well-dressed mayor in hues of purple and blue. “Get in here!” the man said, pulling Nova into the house by the shirtsleeve. “It’s too cold to be outside!”
“It’s not that cold,” Nova smiled, trying to still his chattering teeth.
“Sadly, you’re wrong, young man. Come, sit with me.”
Ketrak led him into the sitting room. There, the mayor gestured Nova to seat himself in one of the fine, leather-and-plush chairs and turned his attention to the mantle—where, beneath its stone face, a fire lay brimming, trapped and displayed behind an iron fence.
“You need a coat, or some kind of long shirt,” Ketrak mused, turning his attention from the fireplace to Nova, where his eyes wandered his body until they eventually fell back to his face. “Do you have any spare clothes, Nova, or do you just go around wearing those all the time?”
Nova made no attempt to hide the sigh or nod that followed. “Yes,” he said, as humbly as he possibly could. “Well, no—I don’t have clothes, but yes, I wear this shirt and these pants every day. That doesn’t mean I don’t wash them though.”
“Nova.”
Nova turned his head up to find that, in the mayor’s eyes, a demon lay resting—curled, sad, confused and injured, licking its wounds and looking upon him for any and all sources of sympathy. “What?” Nova frowned, unsure what to think of the look or the feelings that lay behind it.
“I’ve been your friend for months and you haven’t even mentioned this.”
“I’ve always been poor, sir. Me and my father both. You don’t have to worry about me. I manage.”
“I don’t think it’s acceptable.”
“Neither do I, but I’m not the only one living on their spare change here.”
Ketrak nodded, but made no move to continue the train of thought that Nova had begun. Instead, his expression changed, as though scrutinizing the situation like any man would. A short moment later, he closed his eyes, tilted his head back, then revealed an unshaven neck, one of which seemed to have come out of arrogance rather than any form of laziness.
Is something wrong? Nova thought, frowning, readjusting his posit
ion in his seat.
“My daughter’s very fond of you,” the mayor said, not bothering to look back at Nova as he turned his head down and allowed his eyes to fall to the fireplace. “I hope you’re aware of that.”
“I am.”
“And are you as fond of her?”
“I…” Nova took a deep breath. Though the mayor’s question seemed innocent enough, he couldn’t help but wonder if the question was, in fact, a trick, one of which used to reveal his emotions and just whether or not his intentions were true.
Do I say it, he thought, or do I stay silent?
Either way, the mayor would question him, so with thick, unconstitutional confidence, he took a deep breath and said, “Yes sir. I am.”
“You’re being honest then? You have feelings for her as well?”
“You should know I do.”
“I do,” Ketrak chuckled. This time, however, he turned his head and faced Nova directly. “I know it’s only been a few months, but…”
When the man trailed off and left the remainder of his sentence to the imagination, Nova frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, not sure what to say or do in response. The mayor had never been one to leave statements unfinished or sentences up in the air, so for him to do this seemed miraculous, even heavenly in a way.
What was he going to say?
Not wanting to wait any longer than absolutely necessary, Nova leaned forward and braced his hands against his knees. “What, sir?”