When the black circle completed its journey, the majority of the sun was already hidden behind the horizon. Still, its last rays managed to bring the world back to life; the air warmed again.
‘That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever experienced,’ Amari whispered when all they could see was pink glow stretching across the sky, marking the spot where the sun had hidden. ‘Thank you.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ Daniel whispered back, the side of his face pressed against her temple.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Amari raised herself on her elbow and watched Daniel sleep. It was long before dawn and they hadn’t gone to bed until well past midnight, but she woke early and wasn’t able to get back to sleep again. And yet, despite a busy day ahead, she was glad to be awake. It gave her time to embrace once again what was happening in her life.
Her and Daniel had been together for nearly five months now, although it felt like an eternity. When she thought back and remembered their first night together in Tokyo, she couldn’t believe it had not been years ago, rather than months. Was it possible that they did all of the things that they did, in five short months? Working full time at the same time? Clearly that was what happened, but it was too overwhelming to believe.
They have been inseparable. They did things that had been on her list for years but that she’d always put off. They did things she never knew she’d dare trying. And they did things that she’d never even heard of. With the picnic in Tokyo, Daniel started to show her how to enjoy life and he had never stopped since.
In every country and every city the band played a concert, Daniel planned something special for the two of them to do after their work was finished. They dived in the Philippines and Malaysia; they rubbed shoulders with wild orangutans in Indonesia; they saw the Taj Mahal in India and it was just as he’d described it: a wonder of the world, one of the few made by human hand. He took her to Tibet and Nepal where they skied on the glaciers. The more Amaranthine thought of all the things he showed her in the last five months, the more she couldn’t get over the fact that she didn’t do any of them before. For over sixty years, she just lived to work.
Today would be another day when she felt happy. Her and Daniel would have breakfast together, see to the organization of another Carpe Diem’s concert, be there to make sure all went smoothly, and handle the media the next day. Then another concert before packing up to move to another city. In between the cities, however, they had enough time for their excursions.
Thailand would be the same and Amari couldn’t wait to find out what new attractions Daniel had planned for them. She knew there were some great diving spots there, as well as some amazing food and unique wildlife. At first she just allowed Daniel to take her places without knowing what she was going to see and do, but soon she started doing her own research and finding out little romantic spots they could explore together. She wanted to be able to return the favor, although it was extremely hard for her to keep it a surprise, because she had to rely on Daniel to get them to all those fascinating, remote spots; there was no local hovermobile traffic control system here apart from city centers and if Daniel didn’t have a pilot’s license, they would have had to use ground transport, which with their time limitations would make visiting most places impossible. She only now did realize what freedom and independence came with the skill of manual steering. Once petrified of it, she now vowed to herself to get a license as soon as Carpe Diem’s tour was over and they were both stationed in New York again.
The things they shared brought them closer together than years of going out and partying in New York ever could. At work, they finished each other’s sentences. Amari sometimes wondered if anyone noticed their relationship, but it didn’t really matter. They only spoke about it once and both agreed that they didn’t care. After all, they did their jobs – better than ever, actually – so their personal lives were nobody else’s business.
Daniel stirred and opened one eye. He looked up at her and smiled.
‘Is it still early?’ he whispered.
‘Yes, it is,’ she murmured back.
‘Can’t you sleep?’
‘I can,’ she kissed him. ‘But when I woke up and saw you, I wanted to stay awake. You looked so peaceful.’
‘I had a nice dream,’ he said. ‘Me and you were flying like birds, wing to wing.’
‘Sounds great,’ she smiled. ‘Do you want to know what I dreamt about?’
‘Sure.’
‘That you cuddled me and made love to me in Thailand,’ she whispered.
‘Mmmm. I believe it’s in my power to make that dream come true. Right this minute, as a matter of fact.’
They were one of the first people in the restaurant that morning and got a table by the window. Bangkok stretched beneath, bathed in the morning sun. They sat in silence and admired it, waiting for their order.
‘The early bird, as usual,’ a voice resounded behind them. They both turned to see a freckly face surrounded by a curtain of long, straight hair the color of copper. ‘You are so predictable, bro.’
‘Lyndsay!’ Daniel jumped to his feet and gave the girl a big hug. ‘How did you find me?’
‘I put my stalking skills into some good use, what do you think?’ the girl laughed. ‘Thought you’d be delighted. Haven’t seen you in donkeys.’
‘I know. I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Been busy at work.’
‘I bet,’ the girl chuckled, ‘flying around the world with the most famous rock band of the century! You’d better get me a ticket to the concert here or you’re not my brother anymore.’
‘Of course I’ll get you a ticket,’ he said. ‘But first let me introduce you to my partner. This is Amari. Amari, this is my baby sister, Lyndsay.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Amaranthine stretched out her hand and smiled. ‘Would you like to join us for breakfast?’
‘You bet,’ Lyndsay shook Amari’s hand. ‘Thanks, and nice to meet you, too. Did you say you were… partners?’
‘We work together,’ Amari explained while Daniel pulled a chair for his sister from another table. ‘We cover Carpe Diem’s PR and marketing.’
‘Oh, cool,’ Lyndsay said, sitting down and helping herself to some juice. ‘I’ve heard my big bro hooked up with some big-ass Immortal agency from New York to teach the Immortals what good music is. But it’s nice to see he gets to work with some decent Mortals as well.’
As Amari glanced at Daniel, she saw panic in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but she was faster.
‘Actually, I’m an Immortal,’ she said with a smile. ‘But no offence taken. Not long ago I didn’t have the best opinion of the Mortals, either. Fortunately, your brother managed to change that.’
‘Holy shit,’ Lyndsay gasped, ‘but your name… it sounds kinda mortal. I thought it was Marie. I’m sorry.’
‘Like I said,’ Amari smiled again. ‘No offence taken. My full name is Amaranthine, Amari for short. Now let’s order you some breakfast, shall we?’
Daniel waved down the waiter and ordered for his sister. She still didn’t dare look up at Amaranthine.
‘So how are everyone back home?’ Daniel asked.
‘They’re all cool,’ the girl finally decided to try and act normal. ‘Susan’s due in a couple of months, shortly before Christmas.’
‘Oh, of course,’ Daniel said. ‘My bigger younger sister is expecting her second baby,’ he explained to Amaranthine.
‘Oh, yes, you mentioned it,’ she said. ‘So how is she feeling?’
Lindsay was clearly shocked by the question.
‘She’s fine,’ she uttered. ‘Though she puked like a cat every morning for the first two months and she’s as heavy as a mammoth.’
There was an awkward moment of silence. Amari looked at Daniel’s face. She saw the same panicky expression as at his sister’s opening faux pas.
Ok, this is going to be far too awkward for both of us, Amari thought. She made up her mind immediately.
; Her idatron flashed.
‘I’m sorry, this is an important call,’ she said, pretending to be taking in a mental signal.
‘I’m afraid I can’t stay for breakfast,’ she said. ‘There is something important that requires my attention. I’ll see at the meeting, Daniel.’
‘Do you need me on this?’ he asked.
‘No, it’s just Elixir Vitae Communications, Nectar needs some figures. Nice meeting you, Lyndsay, I’ll see you at the concert. Enjoy your breakfast.’
‘Thanks a lot.’ Lyndsay murmured again, but Amari couldn’t help noticing the sigh of relief that came out at the same time.
‘What the fuck is Elixir Vitae Communications?’ Lyndsay exploded as soon as Amaranthine disappeared, stressing each word with mocking exaggeration. ‘And what sort of name is Nectar?’
‘It’s her agency and her boss,’ Daniel explained patiently. ‘The best PR agency in the whole of the US, actually, and probably in the world, just so you know.’
‘The one you hooked up with?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t know how you handle this, bro,’ Lyndsay said.
‘Handle what, exactly?’
‘Their bullshit, what do you think?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know, her asking about Susan like she cared about pregnant women. What does she know about having babies?’
‘Probably as much as you do,’ Daniel pointed out without malice.
‘What’s your problem? Why are you defending her?’
‘Look, she was trying to be nice. Make a conversation. People do that, you know? Immortals, too. Why are you judging her, without knowing anything about her?’
‘I know she’s immortal, what else do I need to know? They are all the same.’
‘You liked her when you first met her,’ Daniel reminded. ‘Right up to the point you found out she wasn’t a Mortal. Don’t you think people deserve a chance before they are written off? I happen to know her much better than you and I can tell you now she is a decent person. I’ve worked with her for over six months and she’s been great.’
Lyndsay sighed.
‘Fuck, have you got a crush on her or something?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, sis. She’s my business associate. I’d appreciate if you remembered that the next time you speak to her.’
‘Ok, I’m sorry, ok? I just know how much shit we get from them. It’s hard not to think of them all as assholes.’
‘Well, please try.’
‘Ok. But only because it’s for you, big bro.’
Amaranthine made her way back to the hotel room. Her own room, the one she had rented out under her name but didn’t spend a minute in it until now. Her and Daniel did it everywhere they stayed – reserve two hotel rooms but stay in only one. It was their routine, their way of keeping their relationship officially professional. Even if they didn’t care about people guessing that there was something going on between them, they weren’t quite ready to make it official, either. Until now, Amari hadn’t given it much thought, she was too busy enjoying her time with Daniel and juggling work and their relationship. But meeting Lyndsay was a strange wake up call.
The topic of his family came up then and again in various conversations, so she knew that apart from his brother Gerry, he had two sisters and a little niece. He never spoke about them at length, but it was obvious he was close to them. She never met any of them apart from Gerry, and she didn’t expect to, either. The way she saw it, they belonged to a different world, a world Daniel occasionally visited on his own, but he always came back to her and that was his real life. For her, he was a part of her world, the world of Immortals, even if he wasn’t biologically immortal. His biological status didn’t matter at the moment, the moment they lived in. She knew that one day they’d have to face it, discuss it, make a decision. But all she wanted now was to delay this moment as long as possible. For once in her life she allowed herself to be spontaneous, to feel real emotions, to trust someone entirely and completely, and not restrict her desires in any way. Daniel brought out the whole new side of her that she’d kept hidden all her life, or maybe didn’t even know she had. Until the day he came and saved her life, giving her another chance to live it to the full. She took that chance and even if she knew deep inside that their relationship could only last so long, she refused to think about it and they never discussed it. They avoided the topic so carefully that they almost managed to convince themselves that it didn’t exist.
But now it was brutally catching up on them, and Amari knew that the time of denial was coming to an end. They can’t go on like this forever, without acknowledging and facing the inevitable truth.
The truth that the life choices they made and the values behind them were so fundamentally different that they could never be together. She knew he wanted children, something she considered unthinkable. To bring a new life into this planet and take full responsibility for it? Responsibility for the whole other being, at the same time giving up her own life and condemning herself to ageing and, ultimately, death? It was beyond her imagination. Not to mention she would never violate her father’s will.
Why, oh why did his sister have to come and force them to think about the differences between them? Why couldn’t they have more time together to just enjoy each other’s company?
Eiko’s mental signal snapped her out of her reverie. It was time to go to the meeting, which, to make things worse, she had to chair. She quickly went over to Daniel’s room, gathered her things and dumped them on the bed back in her own room.
She went back again, making sure that any evidence of her staying there with Daniel was erased.
Giving the team the outline of the south-east Asian leg of the tour, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him for longer than a quick glimpse while she spoke, for the fear of her face revealing her feelings. He was late and sat further from her, which was unusual. It felt like he was looking at her, but every time her eyes landed on him, his gaze was away. He didn’t ask any questions and didn’t add any details to what she talked about. She wished everyone would leave the room so they could be alone, but she knew that it would only make things worse; what they needed to discuss was going to take more than a few minutes, and emotions were inevitable. Worst of all, she didn’t feel ready for that conversation.
With all her will, she managed to get through all of the points on her list, although she cropped the explanations to a bare minimum. The team, used to her detailed briefings, seemed surprised by her concise manner this morning and asked more questions than usual, so her trying to shorten the meeting had the opposite effect, and the longer it went on, the more impatient she became. Although she managed to stay professional, she had a notion that the team sensed something was off about her.
When it was finally over and everyone cleared, Daniel came over to her, but they had to stay on guard; damn conference room had glass walls and half the team were still outside, discussing something in a tight circle.
‘I’m sorry about this morning,’ he said. ‘Lyndsay has no filter, it’s gotten her into trouble all her life.’
‘You don’t have to apologize,’ Amari replied, not looking at him. ‘She’s right about Immortals. I was like most of them until recently, remember?’
‘That does not justify assumptions and being judgmental,’ Daniel said. ‘I had a talk with her and she knows she was wrong.’
‘That wasn’t necessary, she already apologized to me. Let’s forget about it.’
‘Thanks for being so understanding,’ he said after a moment of silence. ‘Look, I’m going to have to look after her a little these next two days, show her around and keep an eye on her so she doesn’t get herself into some trouble. I hope you don’t mind.’
‘Of course not,’ she attempted a smile. ‘She’s your sister, you should look after her. You never see your family, they must be missing you.’
‘Thanks, Amari,’ he said, still trying to catch her gaze. ‘But if
you need me for anything, please let me know. Work comes first.’
‘Of course, don’t worry,’ she said. ‘But I’m sure I can handle it for a couple of days. We’ve planned it all well, so unless there is a major emergency, everything should go smoothly.’
‘Ok,’ he said. ‘Thanks again. I’ll see you tonight at the concert.’
‘Yeah, see you there,’ she said, still averting her eyes and not looking at him.
She spent the afternoon in her room working, but didn’t get much done. The room, although almost identical to the one they stayed in together, felt strange and unfriendly. Empty.
She couldn’t smell Daniel’s cologne in the air, his belongings were nowhere to be seen. His absence, after so many afternoons spent together, was unbearable. When she tried to forget about him and focus on work, she caught herself opening her mouth to consult her ideas with him. She knew she could do the job on her own, but she didn’t want to. Suddenly everything she used to do on her own before he came into her life, and which she best enjoyed doing by herself, seemed mundane and difficult without him around.
There was also a strange feeling of being replaced, which she knew was ridiculous, but couldn’t help. If it wasn’t for his sister, Daniel would be with her right now, making love, working or sightseeing, like he did for the last five months almost every day. Instead, he was sightseeing with his sister; it was her who sat in the passenger seat of his hovermobile, enjoyed his stories and jokes, and shared meals with him. Amaranthine understood that the nature of his relationship with Lyndsay was completely different from theirs, and remembered that he’d known his sister for over twenty years, not nine months, so she had every right to claim some of his time; they were family. She understood it on the rational level, but emotionally, she constantly had to fight the feeling of jealousy, which kept creeping back in. She wasn’t prepared for having to share Daniel with someone and wasn’t used to her boyfriends having families and commitments; they were all just like her – immortal, single and unrestricted by anyone else’s needs.
She couldn’t figure out how important his family really was for him; what would happen, for example, if they found out about their relationship and disapproved of it? Would he break up with her? Would he sacrifice their happiness for the sake of his family’s satisfaction? Was that the reason he hadn’t told them yet about his new girlfriend? They both wanted to keep it a secret at work, but what if he had this extra motivation and he never mentioned it to her? That would mean that his family was his priority and he valued them more than her…
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