by Paige Watson
“You don’t deserve him.” Her face was as red as the nightgown she had on.
“I know,” I said, looking at her. In an instant, her hand was soaring through the air, aiming for me. Before her hand struck me; I caught her wrist. Her hand stopped midair and I tightened my grasp. “Don’t do that,” I said, returning her glare. I threw her arm away from me and watched as she walked back to Conrad.
“You’ll get hurt again, and it will be because of her.”
“You don’t know that,” he said.
“Yes I do. He’ll kill you again so he can take her back.”
“I’d willingly go with Aden before I’d let him kill Conrad again,” I said.
“For his sake, I hope so.” She stormed out of the room without saying another word and slammed the door behind her. Conrad and I stood motionless in the wake of her outburst. I opened my mouth to speak, but I had no idea what to say. There wasn’t an appropriate way to express what we had just experienced.
“I’m sorry,” he said, as he walked to me.
“If anyone should be sorry, it should be me.”
“No, I shouldn’t have led her on like that.”
“Why did you go to her as soon as I told you I didn’t want to be with you?”
“I was hurt, and I do care for her. I’ve always known how she felt about me and I always felt guilty I never felt the same about her.” He picked the glasses up and took them to the dresser. “I also figured if you saw the two of us together, you’d realize you didn’t want me to be with her. I hoped it would make you realize you still wanted to be with me.”
“I never stopped wanting to be with you.” I put my arms around his neck, hugging my body to his.
His lips barely grazed my neck. “That makes two times we’ve been interrupted.” His breath tickled my neck as he spoke. “Just so you know, next time I won’t be stopping for anything.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I don’t care if someone is standing in the room, or an explosion goes off; I’m not stopping.”
“Good. I don’t want you to.” He planted a tender kiss on my lips. “I guess I better go back to my room.”
“Do you have to?”
“I probably should. Although I don’t think it matters, because Helen will still hate me no matter what I do.”
“Then stay.” I held on to him as he swept me up and carried me over to the bed. I waited for him to lie next to me before pulling up the covers. “Evey?” He looked down at me, and I lifted my head from his chest so I could see him.
“Yeah?”
“Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, smiling at him. “When you came back into my life a few days ago, it was like I came alive. The way you make me feel is unlike anything I’ve ever known.”
“I know what you mean.” My body tingled as he kissed me. “Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” I leaned on my elbow so I could get a better look at him.
“I know that we have is different than what you had with Aden, and I know you love me more, but I just wanted to ask why. You know, other than my lack of cruelty and homicidal tendencies.”
His eyes studied my face as he waited for an answer. “When I was with him, I did care for him, but I never felt free. Part of me always felt like I had to be with him, that I had no other choice than to be his for forever; but that changed when I met you.” My fingertips stroked the line of his jaw. “The way you love me is so intense and beautiful. You savor every moment we have together, and when you touch me, I never want you to stop.”
“I value every moment with you because there hasn’t always been a guarantee I’ll be allowed to have more time with you,” he said.
“I know, but I’ll always do everything within my power to make sure we have more time together.”
“Good,” he smiled. “And I think you were just talking about how good of a lover I am, a minute ago,” he said, looking utterly mischievous.
My cheeks burned as he waited for me to answer, and I knew my skin had to be the same color as my hair. “All I can recall, is the memory of the night we shared before you were executed, but I have to say, my memory sure didn’t leave me unsatisfied.”
“That’s because I’ve never left you unsatisfied.” His hand slipped under my nightgown, making contact with my back. “And you won’t have to rely on your memories much longer.”
“I sure hope not,” I replied in a suggestive tone. “I hate to bring this up, because it might make you mad, but were you scared right before Aden had you—”
“Killed?”
I nodded my head. I was horrible to bring up such a painful memory but I felt I needed to share in his pain.
“It wasn’t that bad. I looked at you right before it happened, and seeing you made me happy,” he said, rubbing my back. “I also managed to piss Aden off when Donovan and he came to get me from the dungeons. I wish you could have seen his face. It was priceless.” He shook his head with laughter.
“What did you say to him?”
“I simply told him, that while he was busy planning my execution, I was busy making love to his wife.”
“You said what?” I looked at him in disbelief.
“And I told him he was too late in cutting out my eyes and slicing off my hands, because they’d already discovered the entirety of your body.”
I stifled a laugh. “I’m sure he didn’t like that at all.”
“No,” he grinned. “He certainly didn’t.”
I awoke the next morning to a stream of light from the window, illuminating the room. It danced off the dark and shiny wood of the floor. Conrad was still asleep and I carefully rolled out of bed so I didn’t disturb him. I walked back to my room and checked on Caroline. She was still asleep too. I closed the door quietly and made my way down to the kitchen. I started looking through the cabinets in search of a large tray. I found a silver one and set it on the counter top. I retrieved two bowls from another cabinet and filled each of them with cereal and cold milk. I poured two glasses of orange juice and carried the tray back up to Conrad’s room. He roused when I shut the door with my foot.
“Hi,” he said, sitting up and stretching out his arms.
“Hi.”
“What is that?” His eyes focused on the tray I was holding.
“Oh, I brought up some breakfast for us.”
“Breakfast in bed? How did I get so lucky?”
“It’s just cereal,” I said, setting the tray on the small trunk beside the bed.
“It’s still very nice,” he said, jerking me on top of him. “Although I think I would rather have you for breakfast.” His implications were unmistakable, and I blushed.
“We better eat before the cereal gets soggy.” I handed him a bowl and picked up the other for myself, before joining him on the bed. “What’s the Head of the Concilium like?”
He finished chewing a bite of cereal before answering. “Well he’s probably more like what you would expect a consiliarius to be. He’s much more methodical than Noah, and he isn’t happy when the orders of the Concilium are disobeyed.”
“So, I’m guessing you aren’t one of his favorite people?”
“Not by a long shot,” he laughed.
“Helen said he respects me. Is that true?”
“I think the Caput has always been somewhat enamored with you.”
“Caput?”
“It means head. It’s what we all call him, if you address him in person.”
“That’s good to know, but why would he be enamored with me? I’m just a girl.”
“As much as you would like to believe you’re just a girl; that isn’t the case. You were the first woman; you are the ultimate representation of femininity. It’s hard for any man to ignore your presence.”
“Oh, kind of makes me sound like a witch or something, like I can just cast spells over people.”
“It’s not like that, but it will co
me in handy if we ever need the Concilium’s support for anything.”
I thought about what he said for a second before I answered him. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Maybe that’s why you care about me so much,” I said, watching him eat. “Maybe I’ve bewitched you.”
“If you have, you’ll never hear me complain.”
“I don’t think that’s the case though,” I said, finishing off my breakfast and setting down the empty bowl.
“And why is that?”
“Because you’ve bewitched me too.”
He finished off his glass of orange juice and I set our bowls back on the tray. I made the bed while he used the bathroom.
“You don’t have to clean my room,” he said. He was standing in the doorway with nothing but a towel on. The lines that stretched from the bottom of his abs to his pelvic bone looked as if they were chiseled into his skin.
“I don’t mind,” I said, adjusting the pillows.
“You can talk to me while I take a shower.”
“Ok.” I followed him into the bathroom and sat on the counter between the double sinks. I combed my fingers through my hair and smoothed it over my shoulders. Conrad watched me as he waited for the water to heat up. “You’re staring.”
“I know,” he said. “When you look at something beautiful, do you not feel an inclination to stop and admire it?”
“I suppose so,” I smiled.
Steam billowed from the shower behind him. He reached his hand behind the green and brown curtain to test the water. Without warning, he dropped the white towel that had been wrapped around his waist. I tried to look away from his naked body, but to no avail.
“Who’s the one that’s staring now?” His characteristically devilish grin was plastered across his face.
“Does it feel warm in here to you? I think all the steam from the shower made it a little warmer,” I rambled. I started fanning myself with my hand, but my eyes were still fixed on him. He laughed for a minute and disappeared behind the shower curtain. It took me a minute to recover some semblance of self-control. “So what are some things we enjoyed doing together?”
“Well, considering the last time we dated was 1926; I’d have to say most of those things have changed. “
“Oh yeah,” I replied. “It almost feels like we’ve never stopped being together.”
“If that had been possible, we wouldn’t have.” The sound of flowing water was therapeutic; I began to imagine what was happening behind the curtain. “Although, I did manage to see you a few times.”
“That had to be hard on you.” It had to be painful to know the person you loved couldn’t remember who you were. After everything he had to endure over the centuries in order to be with me, it was hard to fathom that he would still want me. A lesser man would have left a long time ago.
“It was hard, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. Plus I did get to see you in a poodle skirt.”
“What?”
“You worked in a diner in 1954 and I stopped in for lunch one day. I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it,” he said, stepping out of the shower. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“And did you talk to me?”
“Yeah and you even gave me a kiss on the cheek.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked to where I was sitting. Beads of water rolled down his golden skin.
“I kissed you?”
“Well, there was a guy harassing you and he was being an ass. So I took him outside and knocked him out,” he said with a smile. “You gave me a free milkshake and a kiss in return.”
“Has there ever been a time when you haven’t been my knight in shining armor?”
“As a matter of fact, no.” He inched closer to me and traced his fingers around my knees. “You’re a very high maintenance woman.”
“I can’t help it if people are constantly after me” I protested.
“I wasn’t complaining, Evey.”
I bent to him, being careful to keep enough distance so our lips didn’t quite touch. “I should go check on Caroline.”
“Do you have to?”
“I’ll be just across the hall,” I smiled. He backed up, allowing me to jump off the vanity, and I strode through his room, back to mine. Caroline stirred from her sleep as I shut the door to my room.
“Hey, were you out all night?” She let out a deep yawn and sat up.
“Yeah, I went to talk to Conrad.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And was his bed comfy?”
“Caroline!”
“It’s a question! Inquiring minds want to know,” she laughed. “Not to mention, the way the two of you are when around each other; it’s like watching a steamy soap opera.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I smirked.
“Oh please. The looks you give one another would make a nun blush.”
“Really?”
“I’d be lying if I said no one noticed it.” I sat on the bed beside her and we laughed in unison. “Did you know Noah was the one who got Conrad made into a secundae?”
“Yeah, Conrad told me,” I smiled. “Did he tell you why?”
“He said the devotion the two of you have for one another doesn’t come along very often and it shouldn’t be wasted because of Aden’s jealousy.”
“That was nice of him to say,” I said, lying back on a pillow.
“I think he felt just like your mom, dad, Mickey, and Kit. They were all rooting for you and Conrad to end up together.”
“Yeah, the only reason he tried to be with Helen was because I told him to,” I said, staring at the clouds above me. “And he thought if I saw them together it would make me realize I don’t want him to be with her.
“Lucky for him; he was right.”
“It’s been hard for him though. To be in love with me when I didn’t even know who he was. I can’t imagine what that had to be like.” I looked over at Caroline and saw she was staring at the ceiling too. “He was also supposed to marry Helen before he met me. Their fathers had set up an arranged marriage for them.”
“Oh,” she answered. “That is a long time to be in love with someone, who isn’t in love with you.”
“I have to admit, her hatred of me isn’t completely unjustified.”
“You can’t help who you love.”
“I guess you’re right,” I said with a sigh.
“Of course I am,” she said, jumping up from the bed. “Come on, let’s get ready. We have a long day ahead of us.”
“Don’t remind me. We’re flying to New York,” I said, rolling off the bed. “I really don’t like to fly.”
I showered and dried my hair first and fixed my makeup while Caroline was in the shower. All our clothes and makeup were mixed together in one big mess. We’d have to clean up a little before we left.
“So are you going to sit by Noah on the plane?” I couldn’t resist teasing her, especially since she had done her fair share of teasing me about Conrad.
“Oh please,” she said as she stepped out of the shower. “I’m sure he has to sit with his secundae, or in some special chair.” She tightened the light blue towel around her body, as she came to stand by me in front of the mirror. I waited for my mascara to dry, as she squeezed the water out of her hair. She let the golden strands hang around her face in tousled waves. I pulled on my cream skirt and a maroon sweater before returning to the bathroom. I readjusted my necklace, setting the clasp behind my neck. I had just started to drag a comb through my curls when a soft knock sounded at the door. We looked at each other, unsure of which room the knock had come from. A second knock told us someone was outside Caroline’s door.
“Who is it?” Her voice called out from the doorway of the bathroom. I stood next to her, waiting for an answer.
“It’s me, Noah.”
“Come in!” Caroline turned to scowl at me as I answered for her.
“Evey!”
“What?” I tried to sound as
innocent as possible, but despite my efforts, I started to snicker.
“I’m wearing a towel!”
“Well, I guess you better keep one hand free to hold it up,” I said. She swatted at me, but I managed to duck out of her reach. I ran back into the bathroom and stood behind the door so I could listen. The door creaked as he opened it, and I could see Caroline standing by the bed through the crack in the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him before setting eyes on her.
“Oh,” he blushed. “I didn’t realize you were indisposed.”
“It’s just a towel,” she said, taking a step to him. “It’s not like I’m naked,” she laughed. He tugged at the collar of his white button up shirt uncomfortably and I could tell being around Caroline made him nervous. His blonde hair was only a shade lighter than hers and every hair on his head seemed to lay just right. He inched closer to her, so they were almost touching.
“Is there anything you need?” His hand barely made contact with the side of her cheek.
“Is that an offer, or a question?” I watched as color flooded his cheeks again.
“Uh—”
“I’m teasing you,” she said with a grin. “I have everything I need, but thanks for asking.”
“Good, that’s really good. I just wanted to be sure.” He said, tucking the bottom of his shirt back into his brown slacks.
“When will we be leaving for New York?”
“In two hours the plane should be ready to take us. The gas tank has to be filled and a final inspection has to be completed before it can fly.”
“Ok. I guess I better finish getting ready and pack up all my stuff,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said, staring at her. “That would be good.” They stood in silence as he continued to watch her.
“Noah?”
“Yes?” His voice was so low that I barely heard him.
“Were you planning on staying while I changed?” Her hands were on either hip as she waited for him to answer.
“Yes,” he said with a dazed expression on his face. Realizing what he had said; the color quickly faded from his cheeks. “I mean, what?”
Caroline laughed and I had to slap my own hand over my mouth to keep from erupting in laughter. “I do admire your honesty, but seeing as how you haven’t asked me on a date yet, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside while I finish getting ready.”