Love Never Dies

by Loren Lockner

  “Let me show you the rest of the place,” said Paul eagerly, afraid his prospective roommate might vanish because of the so obvious lack of furniture. Seth followed him into the beautifully modern kitchen with its double oven, center island, and walk-in pantry; the lovely empty dining room; and finally, the echoing living area with its massive fireplace and lovely timbered ceiling. Paul even showed him the hall closet and guest bathroom.

  “So the furniture is coming in stages,” observed Seth. “You know, I have a few additional pieces just sitting in storage. Would you mind if I brought a dining room table, a few chairs, and some miscellaneous pieces until your other furniture arrives?” His handsome face remained serious, never once reflecting the humor of the moment.

  Paul cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly pink. “Furniture would be appreciated.”

  “Then I’ll move in this weekend.” The two men shook on it and as Seth retrieved his checkbook from his briefcase to write Paul a deposit, Julia decided it was high time to leave.

  “I’ve got to go,” said Julia suddenly. “I’ll see you tomorrow Paul.” She placed an arm around her brother and kissed him soundly on the cheek.

  “Give me a call later,” said Paul, so obviously relieved by his incredible luck that Julia found it hard not to laugh.

  “Of course.” Julia nodded a head to the professionally dressed Seth, once again acutely aware of her sloppy but comfortable attire. “It was very nice meeting you Mr. Hayes. I hope you enjoy living here with Paul.” Her brother walked her to the door and she whispered under her breath for only him to hear. “You lucked out you this time Pauli! See if you can get him to sign a year lease.”

  With that she departed as quickly as decently possible. As she hurried out to her aging Taurus she determined that she’d have to visit her brother again very soon with some sort of housewarming gift. Next time, his new roommate Seth Hayes, would catch her in something much more stylish than discarded gym wear and bare feet.

  

  Seth Hayes remained true to his word and moved in within forty-eight hours, bringing with him a lovely dining room table and six chairs in beautiful mahogany with a matching sideboard, as well as a large and ornate mirror, which he and Paul hung in the living room. He also supplied two dark brown recliners, an overstuffed rust-colored leather sofa, and an incredible ornately carved grandfather clock. His generosity also included a unique Indonesian end table, a glass and oak coffee table, a full set of copper cookware, a coat rack, and Paul’s favorite items; two large beautiful and worn Persian rugs, one which he spread under the dining room table and the other before the comfortable leather sofa. Its muted red designs complimented the couch and the room, and suddenly the condo had gone from bare and echoing to warm and homey.

  Seth furnished his own bedroom with a beautiful mahogany bedroom set whose high four-poster king-sized bed dominated the lovely room. A matching dresser and chest of drawers hugged the left-hand side wall and a huge entertainment center, upon which rested a gigantic TV, DVD player, and stereo system, set near the alcove by the window. Seth used the comfortably sized nook as an office and placed a large ebony desk near the French doors. He set up his own computer and promised to wait patiently for the new telephone line. Best yet, his check for the first and last months rent, as well as a hefty deposit, had already cleared the bank. Paul could now afford to pay the mortgage and eat!

  On Monday night Angie and Julia put in an appearance. The dark-haired Angie strolled around the condo in justified amazement at its incredible transformation.

  “This place is absolutely stunning,” she said after kissing her lover and admiring the Indonesian table with its delicately curved legs and intricate carvings of exotic birds.

  “It is indeed,” said Julia, gazing first at the beautiful mirror and secondly at the healthy philodendron resting on the end table near the tall coat rack.

  “So where’s your new roommate?” she asked her brother, who sniffed the air appreciatively before answering. His sister smelled very nice indeed.

  “Not home from work yet.”

  “So what’s he like?” asked Julia, as nonchalantly as possible.

  “Ah ha, so you are interested!”

  “I never said I was interested; I just wondered if he’s working out that’s all.”

  “Oh, he is,” said Paul grinning. It wasn’t often he’d seen his sister so dolled up or so inquisitive about a member of the opposite sex. “He seems to be the quiet sort. I don’t hear much from him because he rises early each morning. Seth takes an early morning jog, eats yogurt and fruit for breakfast, dresses to the nines for work, and takes his very expensive briefcase along with him with little or no fuss. He’s not very chatty, but when he asks a question, I get the feeling he actually listens to the answer. He’s not a very smiley man if I do say so myself, but his money’s good and the place looks great. Best yet, do you know what he can do?”

  “What?” asked Angie, placing an arm around Paul’s slim waist, delighted her boyfriend appeared so thrilled.

  “He can cook! He asked me yesterday morning if I’d like him to whip something up for dinner, and lo and behold when I came back, he’d made this incredible lasagna with a tossed green salad and garlic bread. I didn’t even know he’d gone to the market. I had leftovers today at work and it was absolutely wonderful. There’s still some in the refrigerator; would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “Maybe his culinary skills will rub off on you,” said Julia, always amused by her brother’s hopeless attempts at cooking, as she helped her brother and Angie set the table for dinner. Within minutes Seth arrived, appearing slightly put off at the slight of the two girls. Angie ogled the tall man dressed impeccably in a slim black suit with wide lapels.

  Paul growled irritably. “This is my girlfriend Angie Carter and my sister’s roommate. You, of course, met Julia the other day. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m serving up the rest of the lasagna you baked last night.”

  Seth, strangely disconcerted, glanced from one young woman to the other. Angie gave him a big smile, the pretty dimple in the middle of her chin reflecting her sunny disposition and open nature. Dark-haired and more endowed than Julia, she possessed an attractive smattering of freckles across her nose. Angie had been Paul’s girlfriend for over two years and an acquaintance of Julia for nearly five. A devout Catholic, she had adamantly refused to move in with Paul, much to both sets of parents’ relief. Seth’s steel gray eyes studied Julia’s.

  “I didn’t realize you were Paul’s sister,” he stated quietly. “I thought you were his girlfriend.”

  “Nah,” said Paul, sidling up to his sister and giving her an affectionate punch on the arm, “she’s my little sister.”

  “Oh give it a break Paul,” scolded Angie. “She’s only four minutes younger than you.”

  “Twins,” verified Seth softly, a strange expression flitting over his handsome face as he examined them both closely. “Yes, I do believe I see a family resemblance. Twins are an amazing phenomenon and they run in my family as well.” He didn’t expound on his quiet comment and later, when it was far too late, Julia was going to wish she’d queried Seth more about the twin situation in his family.

  Twenty minutes later they sat at the beautiful mahogany table in the newly furnished dining room devouring Seth’s delicious lasagna.

  “So he can cook too,” chortled Angie, smiling happily at Seth who for one had barely touched his food. He seemed rather distant and didn’t contribute to the merriment of the trio at the table.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” stated Paul a few minutes later. “Tough day at the office?”

  “You might say that,” agreed Seth. A man of few words, there clearly existed an overlying aloofness he appeared determined to maintain. Seth put up with the forced company of Angie and Julia, but when the first opportunity arose, he retreated to his room after taking his plate into the kitchen and placing it inside the dishwasher.

  “I’m sorry, but I have
some paperwork to do. It was very nice meeting you Angie and you again Julia,” he said softly before fading into the dim light of the hall and shutting his bedroom door.

  “I’ll help you with the dishes Paul,” said Angie, following her boyfriend into the kitchen.

  Julia picked up her utensils and plate, feeling vaguely disappointed. She had consciously made herself more presentable this evening, donning sea foam green pants and a matching top and brushing her hair until it shone before fastening it back with a pretty pearl-beaded clip. She had even filed her finger and toe nails, painting them a subtle pink, but it hadn’t made any sort of impression on the aloof young architect so she tossed her head dismissively. He might possess the most incredible eyes she’d ever seen, but he didn’t appear in the least interested so she might as well not waste her time.

  It was probably better in the long run since she was subject to popping in on her brother unexpectedly, and if there wasn’t any attraction between them her constant visits to her brother would be much less awkward. So Julia tried, and nearly succeeded, to put Seth out of her mind.

  The next few times she arrived at her brother’s condo Seth was home. A reserved man, he never joined in their conversation, often removing himself to his room within a few minutes to do paperwork, or whatever it was he did there. Twice she heard noise coming from his room; once in the haunting lilt of classical music and the other as canned laughter from a nightly sitcom. Seth never made apologies for his behavior or tried to be more sociable; he simply remained distant. His strange behavior caused Julia to wonder if he’d suffered some sort of personal loss, but she decided not to waste any more time speculating upon his anti-social behavior, which was easier said than done.

  For Paul, he was the perfect roommate; quiet, responsible, and neat. If Paul noticed his sister’s begrudging attraction to the aloof man, he never commented on it, instead focusing his attention upon upgrading his condominium. Angie often visited the condo and Seth seemed more inclined to talk to her, often querying Angie about her hectic job as a pediatric nurse at the Santa Barbara Community Hospital.

  Angie told him all about her little patients and how they dealt with life and disease and Julia could hear the depth of his compassion in his beautiful melodic voice. In contrast, Seth neither asked Julia anything about her work as a teacher, nor ever commented upon the warm relationship she maintained with her brother or parents who often visited the condominium as well. It was as if her lifestyle and career were too dull to warrant even a polite question from him and her unbidden attraction to the tall, dark-haired man almost turned into a form of hostility.

  Julia’s father, much to Julia’s chagrin, became casual friends with Seth. Several times Seth shared with Jim Morris some of his blueprints for a local duplex development he was currently working on for Lenny Glickstern. Her dad mentioned him once again as Julia sat at a late night supper with her parents after a back-to-school night. It was mid-November and the weather had turned chilly, raining dismally over the past three nights and dampening her normally upbeat spirits.

  “I believe Paul’s roommate Seth is one of the best architects I’ve ever met,” observed Jim Morris.

  Julia picked at her broccoli and cheese stuffed baked potato disinterestedly. “Is he now?” she asked exasperatedly.

  “Yes. He seems to have a real grasp of how to blend multiple building styles, but never disrupt the Mediterranean and Spanish red-tiled standard that has exemplified our city all these years.”

  Santa Barbara was indeed a lovely old town, originally built around the mission developed by Father Jun’pero Serra and still hosting one of the most famous missions in California. That, coupled with the fact Santa Barbara was a huge university town boasting an extremely lovely beach, made it an enchanting place to reside. Though a bit pricey, Julia balanced that against her evening jogs on the beach, the vibrant night life available from a city that catered to the university students, and the close proximity to her family. Right now, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  “Seth’s voice is so unusual, not quite northeastern or Canadian. He told me he hailed from upstate New York, but his accent doesn’t quite ring true and I suspect he’s traveled a great deal. Have you gotten to know him well?” her father asked, as he cut a slice off his rare steak. Jim had managed to coax his wife Helen into giving him steak even though he was supposed to be watching his cholesterol.

  “No, I’ve only seen him a few times and he seems very quiet and distant. I don’t think he likes me much at all.”

  “Really?” asked her father, cocking his head at Julia’s mother. “He’s queried me all about what you were teaching, that sort of thing you know.”

  “That’s right,” asserted Helen. “The last time I visited Paul, he probably asked at least twenty questions regarding you. What you taught, the age group, where you’d gone to university. He seemed very interested indeed. In fact it sounded like you guys were great friends. You know,” said her mother, crinkling her sharp green eyes. “You could do a whole lot worse.”

  Julia frowned at her mother’s red hair. “You can quit your matchmaking, Mom. First of all he’s not interested and second, remember what happened when I dated Tim Stevens? I certainly don’t want a repeat of that situation, so I’ll pick my own boyfriends thank you very much.”

  Tim Stevens had been one of Paul’s best friends since high school and currently served as a manager of one of the Rite-On Drugstores downtown. He was well–to-do, tall, and slightly balding. He came across as one of the sweetest men Julia had ever met; sweetest and most boring, until he’d started groping her in his fancy car and wouldn’t take no for an answer. To her, Tim was like some sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character; sweet to her family and a monster to her.

  Julia had gone out with him many times at the encouragement of both her brother and parents, who’d been acquainted with his family for years. After one particularly hideous evening where she’d actually been forced to punch him the mouth to get him to back off, Julia vowed she’d never date anyone her parents or brother set her up with again, no matter how well-meaning they were. She realized how a man appears to his buddies and her parents, isn’t always a guarantee he’ll treat a woman with respect.

  Now, because she was attracted to Seth herself and her father spoke so highly of him, Julia felt doubly on guard. It irked her that the young architect always ignored her, which compelled Julia to say something nasty about him.

  “He seems very egotistical and stuck up; not my type at all.”

  Her father observed her shrewdly and set down his knife and fork while Helen Morris made a show of adding more seasoning salt to her baked potato. “I wasn’t asking you to go out with him Julia. I just thought that maybe you were friends or something since he’s obviously so interested in your routine. It was my mistake sweetie, thinking there might be something more there. I promise I won’t bring him up again,” he stated, and moved on to other subjects.

  Later, however, when she had time to think about it, her father’s words disturbed her. Just why did Seth avoid her every time he saw her, but later pump her parents with questions about her life? Could he be interested in her after all? She made up her mind then and there to figure out what made Seth tick, if it killed her.

  The Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday Julia knocked on her brother’s door and he opened it with a wide grin before appearing sheepish.

  “Oh hi Sis,” he said awkwardly. “You are, um, coming for a visit?”

  “Well yes. I thought I’d pop in for a few minutes if you don’t mind. I want to talk to you about Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Dad’s and what you’re supposed to bring. Are you busy or something?”

  “No, not at all,” said her brother and let her in. He seemed tense and out of sorts and as she followed him into the beautiful living room Julia observed Tim Stevens sitting upon the couch. He flashed his wide toothy grin and Julia felt her heart sink.

  “Long time no see,” chirped Tim. �
��Just where have you been keeping yourself Julia? I’ve missed your beautiful face Sweetheart.”

  Paul beamed as Julia winced. She’d never informed her brother about Tim’s inappropriate advances so Paul smiled delightedly, still hoping Tim and Julia would make the perfect match.

  “Been working,” said Julia evasively. “How’s everything going at Rite-On Drugstore?”

  “Great. We’re opening another store real soon in Montecito. I may have to go over there and train the new manager. It’s quite a position of responsibility you know,” he boasted.

  “I can imagine.”

  Tim’s eyes focused upon the front of her peach blouse and Julia squirmed. “Anyway, maybe you’d like to check out the new store sometime? It’s near the golf course and because of the large retirement community we cater to retirees. We have a larger than usual pharmacy, as well as lots of additional foodstuffs just to help the seniors in case they don’t want to run to the market for the milk or whatnot.”

  Julia pretended interest and settled across from him in one of the coffee brown recliners Seth had added to the room. The chair was comfortable and warm on this chilly day and her brother had lit a fire in the brick fireplace, infusing the condominium with warmth and hospitality. Paul had added a few paintings of rustic mountain scenes and a beautifully framed photograph of her deceased great-grandmother and grandfather who’d arrived in San Francisco by wagon over 110 years ago.

  “Can you stay for dinner Julia?” asked Paul exuberantly, warming to his role as matchmaker.

  “Uh, well, I’m not sure Paul. Since it’s so dismal and rainy, I’d better hurry home before it gets too dark.”

  “Ah come on. It’s going to be simple, just tacos, and then you won’t have to cook and eat a meal all by your lonesome. Say you’ll stay?”

  “Oh alright,” relented Julia. She’d secretly hoped to see Seth, determined to get a handle on the mysterious man she was so reluctantly attracted to. “Is Seth here?”

  “Nope, hasn’t showed up,” answered Paul. “I’ll just trot to the kitchen now and start getting the tacos ready. Maybe you and Tim can set the table?”