by Daya Daniels
“You are the only agent, Luke, under my command that has surpassed all expectations.” Commander Drago paced the floor while he spoke, running a hand over his beard.
“I don’t understand, sir.”
“In the past, Ascela agents—all of them took on human likenesses, human traits, but none of them were truly human. The Council held meetings centuries ago, we knew that if we were going to succeed in protecting Earth, we needed all agents to adapt.
“That didn’t just mean blend in physically, Luke.
“Did your Evie tell you she loved you?”
I nodded without speaking.
“And you don’t know what that is?”
“No, sir.”
“Yes, you do, Luke. Love is a force of nature. You will lose yourself in it, Luke, if you’re not careful. It is bigger than you are.” He chuckled. “It has no quantifiable mass or energy output.”
I made a loud exhale and remained silent.
“You are in love, Luke. I’ve watched you live in torment since the day Evie left.”
I shut my eyes, taking in his words.
“You can deny it but it’s pointless.” He grinned. “Luke, you’ve become exactly what we need you to be. Do you want to see her again?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ve met with the Council and they’ve made some very interesting decisions.”
Evie
“You’ve been avoiding the subject,” Steven said on the other line as I raced to my car.
It was eleven o’clock in the morning and I was already late for class.
“I haven’t honestly. I’ve just been super busy with assignments, class. It’s just taken up a lot of my time this week.”
“Evie, I gave that ring to you two weeks ago. I expected that you would call me at least, to say something about it. We’ve spoken several times since then and you’ve never mentioned it.”
“I’m sorry.” I scrambled to take my keys out.
He sighed through the phone. “Can I come over later?”
I sat in the driver’s seat, holding the phone to my ear. “Ah, what time?”
“Around ten.”
“How is seven?” I countered.
“Okay.
“I’ll bring dinner. We can watch a movie or something.”
“Okay.”
I started the car and put it in reverse, heading out of the parking lot. I spent some time this morning staring at the ring he’d given me, uncertain how to feel about it. Steven wasn’t the type of guy to skirt around issues. If he wanted you, you knew it, and if he didn’t, well you knew that too.
“Watch it, lady!” a man driving a red Subaru hatchback shouted, when I nearly collided into him.
“Sorry!” I yelled back, pulling out onto East Harmon Avenue.
I needed to focus on the road. Instead, my thoughts kept drifting to how jumbled up my life was. I felt like I was going in every direction, except for forward.
Evie
“Shake Shack.” Steven smiled, shaking a brown paper bag in his hand, while he walked in.
I tensed when he brushed by me, inhaling his freshly showered skin. His dark hair was ruffled and he was dressed casual in a tracksuit and sneakers.
“Burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Strange food for Christmas Eve but what the heck,” he said wrapping his arms around me. “And a movie.” He held up a DVD. “I bought it in case you are wondering.”
Holding my robe closed tightly, I stood over the bag of food that smelled delicious. Steven snatched it up and headed for the den, giving me a smile. Then he placed everything on the coffee table and patted the seat next to him with his hand. Hesitantly, I moved towards the sofa and eased down into the soft leather. Steven unwrapped everything and kicked his long legs up, after he removed his sneakers. Then he grinned, looking over me, when I unwrapped one of the burgers, taking a ravenous bite.
“What?” I asked.
“Aren’t you going to say something, Evie?”
I swallowed the bit of food in my mouth. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I thought you would say yes,” he said, boring into me with his blue eyes.
“I just need a little more time.”
Steven let out a loud sigh and slumped into the back of the sofa.
“What’s the movie?” I asked.
“Chick flick.” He gave me a charming look.
“Really?”
As long as I’d known Steven, he’d always refused to watch anything remotely romantic. I was always being dragged to some action movie with murder, guns, and violence in it. I grabbed the DVD case, noticing that it was Pride and Prejudice. It wasn’t an old one. It was the one with Kiera Knightley in it...my favorite. I tried my best to contain my laugh but I let it out anyways. Steven gave me a handsome smile and pulled me close to him.
“I’m trying to make it impossible for you not to want me,” he whispered, pressing his lips into my hair.
It was almost working.
Steven popped the DVD in and dimmed the lights. Then we relaxed, watching the movie start. Steven’s fingers crawled along the skin on my thighs until they reached close to the line of my panties.
“Steven,” I warned, squirming a little in his lap.
“I’m sorry but I can’t help it. I miss you, Evie.”
Steven shifted behind me, while I squirmed away from the hard-on pushing against the soft fabric of his sweatpants. He settled on his side behind me, draping an arm over my waist. He pressed his nose into my hair, allowing me to hear him inhale the scent of my strands. It was all so familiar. The way he felt. The way he smelled. I took a deep breath, accepting that Steven provided some of the comfort I needed but still I didn’t know if I could take it any further.
“Please say something, Evie. I’m so afraid your silence means no,” he said softly against my neck.
“I just need some time,” I begged, knowing any answer I gave him would have been the wrong one.
“I understand,” he breathed out, raking his fingers through my hair. “You miss him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said in a small voice.
He let out an irritated breath but didn’t speak. He only pulled me closer, embracing me in his strong arms, holding on to me in a way that felt like he would never let me go.
Luke
I guess he slept over…
I groaned biting into my knuckles, while I waited and watched patiently for Steven to exit Evie’s building. It was almost four in the fucking morning and still he hadn’t left yet. Angrily, I clicked out of the screen, attempting to settle my raging thoughts that I knew were irrational.
Evie’s vitals remained stable, so I knew they weren’t fucking. Maybe they were just talking. I wasn’t sure which was worse. It burned to know that she simply enjoyed Steven’s company, if that was the case.
I was drowsy enough to go to bed but I was tired of sleeping alone. I would do anything to stay out of my suite, even if it meant sleeping at my desk on the command deck. The surveillance screens that lined the walls of the massive room displayed pictures of Earth. I missed it. Whenever I was there, it almost made me feel human.
I clicked on some music, listening to a song called Bad Dreams by Keane play. This was a bad fucking dream. I started to drift off to sleep watching the moving pictures on the screen, allowing the music to sink in to my brain. Finally, I shut my eyes.
Evie
Steven left early in the morning with bed head and tired eyes. He was driving straight to Rachel in a few hours to spend Christmas with his parents. I asked him to give me ten days just to think. He promised he wouldn’t pester me for those few days. Then he babbled on something about me never wanting to come over to his place, which I ignored.
My parents had arrived from Florida the night before and were staying just down the street from my apartment. Even though I offered for them to stay with me, they always declined.
“Merry Christmas, honey,” Dad said kissing me on the forehead.
The large Christmas tree stood in the corner of the room. Valentina thought it was a good idea to decorate it pink and silver. It was “Las Vegas style” she said. I was glad to have them both with me over the holiday to stave off some of the loneliness I felt. I slumped on the floor in front of the coffee table, reading the card that my mother had attached to a small gift.
“I know you’re going to say that you’re fine, Evie, but I know you’re not.”
I looked up at my dad, taking in the pitiful look on his face, while he looked me over.
“It’s Christmas, Evie—your favorite holiday of the year. I’ve never seen you like this.”
Salvatore took a long breath, looking at me with his big brown eyes. “I’m worried about you, Evie.”
I only nodded but didn’t respond to his statement.
“Dad, what is at Area 51?”
“If I tell you then I will have to kill you.”
I looked up slowly, meeting my dad’s hard face. Then he grinned and I giggled.
“Do you want the real story or the story the government tells everyone?”
“I guess the real one, Dad,” I whispered.
“I’m kidding,” he said. “It’s a normal research and development place, Evie. I never saw any aliens or alien spacecraft or anything when I was there.
“The existence of Area 51 has been a badly kept secret for decades.” He laughed. “The secrecy has just fueled the imaginations of all the conspiracy theorists and UFO hunters running around here.” Salvatore chuckled.
“Why do you ask, Evie?”
I shrugged. “It was just a question, Dad, no important reason.”
We sat in front of the Christmas tree in the corner of the room, staring at the blinking pink lights in silence. I could tell Salvatore wanted to say something more but he was debating how to.
“Evie, you know I’m not one to pass judgment on anything you do.”
“Yeah, Dad, I know.” I met his eyes again.
A warm hand rested on my shoulder. “Thank you for the money, Evie, but your mom and I really don’t need it.”
“Dad, please,” I said talking over his words. “I want you to have it.”
“Evie,” he said sternly, silencing me.
“I would never pry into your personal life but is everything okay?” he asked with a pained look on his face.
“I mean you disappear to Mexico for four months, and then you come back and you have a fancy new car and you live in this expensive apartment that most twenty-somethings could only dream of and I…” Salvatore searched the ceiling for his words.
“I guess I’m just worried that maybe you’re into something you shouldn’t be, something that’s dangerous or illegal.”
I stifled a loud laugh, covering my mouth with my hand. “Dad?”
He only stared at me awaiting an explanation.
“I’m not a drug dealer, Dad, or a call girl if that’s what you’re asking?” I whispered, saying the words quickly.
He let out a long sigh, seeming relieved. “Well who is paying for all of this, Evie? I mean I know Steven has money but not to fund all of this.” He waved a hand around. “If you were living with him, I guess I wouldn’t think anything of the new car but I know Steven isn’t paying for two fancy Las Vegas Strip apartments.”
“Dad, this has nothing to do with Steven. Everything I have has nothing to do with Steven.”
Salvatore knotted his eyebrows staring at me.
“I met someone else but we kind of broke up I guess you could say?”
“Someone else?” my dad said shaking his head. “Evie, I’m confused.”
I sighed. “I know, Dad. It’s complicated.”
“I thought you and Steven got back together.”
I kept the news of Steven’s marriage proposal to myself. Telling my parents would only have given them false hope about the potential of our relationship.
“No. We are just friends, Dad. It’s just complicated. I would rather not talk about it. I’m sorry.”
“Okay, Evie,” he whispered, touching my shoulder lightly. “As long as everything is okay, I’m happy. You don’t have to tell me any details if you don’t want to. I respect your privacy.”
It was the one thing I loved about Salvatore since I was a teenager. He never hovered and he never pried.
“Gracias,” I said.
“I love when you speak Spanish, Evie. You have such a natural knack for foreign languages, you should take up learning some different ones.”
The statement amused me. If Salvatore really knew how many languages I could speak now, I didn’t think he would make it through lunch without passing out.
“Me too, Dad.”
He passed me a small gift that was wrapped in hideous red and green paper. “This is for you.” He smiled.
I opened the wrapping paper. It was a book called A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking.
“They told me it’s a popular science book, a best seller they told me. I thought you’d like it,” Salvatore said.
“I’ve never read this. Thanks, Dad. I love it,” I said giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Valentina rushed into the living room, holding gifts and wearing a bright red apron that matched her red-stained lips.
My mother always wore makeup indoors, even on days she was supposed to be lounging around. She was always dressed perfectly and never wore pants. Valentina reminded me of the women from the 1950s. She’d always been the perfect house wife. Valentina helped us with our homework, baked cookies and always looked sexy while doing it. My mother truly was one of a kind. If she ever saw me in sweatpants, she would moan as she yanked on the thick material and mutter “basura” which means trash in Spanish. Valentina would tell me repeatedly that sweatpants are the number one cause of divorce in America! So, I always tried my best to buy the cute ones.
“Merry Christmas,” Valentina said, planting a kiss on both of our cheeks.
“I planned dinner tonight, just the three of us.”
“Mom, no. I really do have a lot of school work to get to. You both should go on your own. I’m going to stay here tonight.”
Valentina gave me her best disappointed face but didn’t argue.
“Well we did want to check out the casino in The Venetian,” he said.
They were such party animals at their age. I think they could both outdo me at staying out late. Valentina tapped my dad on the shoulder and he stood up from the sofa, grabbing a pile of gifts from under the Christmas tree.
“Evie, this one is for you.” I smiled taking it from her.
I quickly took the top off the box, looking at the delicate gold bracelet inside. I’d been receiving so much jewelry lately, I wondered if I would have any place to put it all.
“Thank you, Mom.”
“We are so proud of you,” she said as her eyes watered over.
“We’ve always been behind you one hundred percent with no matter what you did. I’m not sure exactly what’s happened with you these last few months but you just seem different. Enrolling back in school, moving to the city, just...everything.
“It’s just all so good for you, Evie. I couldn’t have asked for more for you. I’ve always worried that you would end up alone.” She chuckled. “You are too beautiful to be all alone, Evie.”
“Valentina, para,” Salvatore said. “It’s Christmas and you are turning this into a tear fest.”
“Okay,” Valentina said hopping up and scurrying to the kitchen. “Let’s eat,” she called out to us behind her.
I’d prepared traditional Christmas food the night before and Valentina cooked a few specialty items later in the morning when she came over. We had tamales with turkey, which was one of my favorite recipes that she always made when I was growing up. Valentina decorated the dining room table just a little with a deep red tablecloth and some gold Christmas crackers. We spent the afternoon talking abo
ut my time in school and how they were enjoying being in Florida. I missed them all the time. It was nice to have them here with me, even if it was just for a little while.
Evie
Tonight was the opening of the Russos’ new restaurant Flora in the Bellagio hotel. I was invited to attend since I was one of their biggest investors. The three of us had also become good friends in the last few months.
The design of the new place was incredible. It was a sprawling two-story atrium with a modern glass interior. There were fresh roses scattered throughout the restaurant and original artwork. Teardrop ambient lighting hung from the ceiling. The place was breathtaking.
The food was Mediterranean-themed. Dana had asked for my opinion particularly on the seafood fettuccini, which I thought was to die for after tasting it. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony and a food tasting. Flora was highlighted in the Las Vegas Sun as being one of the hottest new restaurants. I couldn’t wait to read the reviews of the food that would come in another week. There was plenty of champagne to go around to celebrate. Tonight, I decided to have one too many glasses.
As the opening was winding down, I moved to the bathroom to freshen up my makeup in the ladies’ room. I looked pretty tonight, wearing a hot glittery gold dress that hugged my curves perfectly and dainty heels in the same color. I had to remind myself that it was also New Year’s Eve.
“Congratulations!” I said hugging the Russos. “This place is amazing.”
“We have you to thank, Evie,” Dana said.
I gave her a small smile. The Russos were the ones who actually put in all of the work. I was only an investor. Staring at my watch, I realized it was only a half hour away from midnight. I wanted to see Steven. He texted me daily and I spoke to him almost every night before going to sleep still, even though we agreed on a ten-day hiatus from communication. I didn’t trust myself going to his place sober. It probably wasn’t any better going there drunk.
Thousands of people lined the Las Vegas Strip tonight, for the midnight countdown. Fiddling with my phone, I dialed Steven’s number only to get his voicemail. I headed down to the hotel lobby, jumping in a taxi with another couple going in the same direction. When I finally made it to the front of the Palms Place, my heart was pounding. I had ten minutes left to get upstairs. I took the elevator after the security guard tried dialing Steven’s apartment nearly six times with no answer. I lied and said I was his girlfriend, so he let me up. Hopping into the private elevator, it moved quickly to the top floor. When it reached Steven’s floor, I jumped out and sprinted to his front door, holding the engagement ring he’d given me in my hand.