by Bess McBride
“Do I know you?” I called in an unsteady voice. It seemed, though, as if my words were taken by the wind. Who was this man? And how did he know my name?
He moved away from the tree with a tentative step. His clothing was formal—a dark suit and white shirt—as if he had just been to a funeral. I hadn’t remembered seeing a canopy for a funeral on the grounds, but I wasn’t about to take my eyes off the stranger for one instant to confirm that suspicion.
I thought I saw a flash of white teeth from under his dark mustache, but he was still some distance away. Golden highlights in his chestnut hair caught the sunlight, and my mouth dropped open. He was undoubtedly one of the most handsome men I had ever seen in my life. My stomach rolled over at the sight of him, though not exclusively with admiration of his good looks. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I put my hand to my mouth as if to hold back the morning’s breakfast...if I’d had any.
For here—in the flesh—was the man of my dreams. Not just any dreams. More specifically, my dreams of the previous evening. Yet I couldn’t for the life of me remember ever seeing him before until this moment.
“Be careful what you wish for,” I muttered behind the hand that covered my convulsing mouth.
“Molly, do not be frightened. I can see that you are. I do not want to scare you.” He took another step forward and held his hands up palms out...as if to show me he wasn’t armed, I thought hysterically, or to calm me down. Either way, it wasn’t working.
I threw a hurried glance over my shoulder to locate the car. It was so, so far away across the cemetery. I swung my head around to face the “man of my dreams” once again. I put my hands out as he did, but as a defensive gesture to keep him from continuing to approach me. He stopped at once and dropped his hands to his sides. He was still about thirty feet away, and I couldn’t see the color of his eyes. Somehow, that knowledge seemed important to me.
“Look,” I began to rattle. “Something is seriously wrong here. I don’t know you. I think I’ve seen you before, and I don’t know where. Well, actually, I do know where, but that doesn’t count, and I don’t think I know you...at all. So...” I ran out of voice for my incoherent thoughts.
His shoulders lifted and fell as if he took a deep breath. He put his hands behind his back and tilted his head to the side. Another charismatic flash of teeth threatened to disarm me.
“Molly, I can see that you are frightened—” he began, but I cut him off.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?” My voice continued to betray my anxiety, and I took yet another step back.
He held out a pleading hand, palm up.
“Wait, Molly, do not leave. Please let me talk to you. I do not mean to frighten you.”
He took another step forward.
“Well, you’re doing a good job of it. This is a cemetery, for Pete’s sake. Why wouldn’t I be terrified of some strange man calling my name?” I was helpless against the nervous babble of words erupting from my mouth. “Stop right there and tell me how you know my name. Were you here yesterday? I heard a voice here yesterday. Did you hear my sister call me? Is that how you know my name?” I lowered my voice and shook my head. “Did I see you yesterday? How could I have dream—” I stopped abruptly and stared at him.
He cocked his head in my direction with what seemed like a frown on his face, but I couldn’t see his expression clearly across the expanse of the cemetery lawn. He took another step forward. I suspected that he couldn’t hear me. The leaves in the trees rustled loudly in the wind. I thrust out my hand in the universal signal for stop, and he stilled.
I scanned the cemetery quickly again, wishing someone else were there with us. I couldn’t calm the rapid beating of my heart or the anxiety which robbed me of air. I was too far from the car to make a run for it, and I found myself remarkably reluctant to do so at any rate.
Who was this man? What should I do? There was no way I was leaving without some answers. No way.
I gritted my teeth and took several hesitant steps forward to make myself heard.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?” I repeated in a louder voice, albeit with that irritating squeak.
“Do you want me to shout over the wind...or shall I approach?”
A shiver ran up my spine at his words—a shiver of anticipation, I realized, co-mingled with fear. Irrationally, I wanted him to come to me...a strange man in an isolated cemetery.
I stared at him for a moment—the tanned skin of his handsome face, the impossibly long length of his trousered legs, the chestnut hair which rolled in thick waves away from his face when the wind wasn’t playing with it. And I nodded. Yes, I wanted him to approach me, most definitely.
He moved toward me slowly, obviously aware of how frightened I was, and I had all I could do to keep breathing—though from fear or anticipation, I couldn’t say.
A feminine voice seemed to whisper his name on the wind. Darius. I knew his name was Darius as sure as I knew the wind would always blow on this hill.
“Darius,” I whispered as he came near. The turquoise blue of his eyes mesmerized me, the downward tilt at the corners at once charming and sincere. In some strange way, I trusted him implicitly, without question.
“You are here. You have come back to me,” he murmured as he pulled me into his arms.
I tilted my head back to meet his mouth. Without hesitation, I closed my eyes and leaned into him, knowing his strong arms would steady me as my knees seemed incapable of holding me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck as if I’d been doing it all my life.
“I have missed you so much, my love,” Darius whispered against my lips. I suppressed the sudden ache in my heart and held him tighter. I don’t think I had ever realized that I’d never, ever been in love in my entire life...because I’d always been in love. With Darius. No one had ever come close to touching my heart. And now I knew why.
Darius! I knew that I had loved him and lost him, but I couldn’t remember anything else.
I was vaguely aware of questions that needed to be asked and answered, but at the moment, all I wanted...all I needed was to be in his arms.
His lips caressed mine with a gentleness which spoke of restrained passion. I melted into him, heedless of where I was. He kissed my cheeks, my neck, my ears and my forehead, and I lost myself in his touch, craving the strength of his tall body against mine.
He raised his head to gaze at me for a moment, and I unwrapped my hands from his neck to cup his face. Under the spell of some mysterious force beyond my comprehension, I asked him the obvious.
“How can I be in love with you, Darius? How do I know you?” I could only whisper. “I don’t know if I’ve ever even met you, but I know I love you.”
Darius smiled, even white teeth against the tan skin of his face.
“Because you are the love of my life, Molly,” he said simply. “You always have been. We can never be parted.”
I stretched back in his arms to study his face, the mosaic blue of his eyes holding me captive.
“Were you here yesterday? You called my name, didn’t you? I didn’t see you. Where were you?”
He shook his head, and then he nodded. Dark eyebrows pulled together in an expression of confusion.
“I was here...and yet not, I think.” A slight almost apologetic smile played on his lips.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.” I looked around. “Where were you? Why didn’t you come when I called out?”
“I-I do not understand either, Molly. I came to see you...” He paused and studied my face. “But not here...not like this.”
“I don’t understand,” I repeated again, seemingly incapable of articulate speech. “Were you here or not?”
He raised his head to look around as if in disbelief, then he looked at me again.
“I was here, Molly, but not as you think.”
“What are you talking about? Not as I think?” I surprised myself by grabbing the lapels of his dark jacket to give him a small sha
ke as if he were some beloved, but exasperating lover. He tilted his head and regarded me with glowing blue eyes as he leaned in to kiss my forehead.
“I have missed you so much, Molly.” His tender smile brought tears to my eyes. My dream lover had come to life.
“I do not understand what is happening here. I am afraid to lose you again. I must think. I need time.”
“Time for what? What do you mean?” The warm feel of his arms around me felt safe and secure, yet the loud pounding of my heart reminded me of the bizarre situation I found myself in.
“It had to be you here yesterday,” I continued. “You’re saying the exact same things I heard.”
Darius hesitated and shook his head slowly. He bit a corner of his lower lip for a moment before answering, and my heart skipped a loud beat at the charming boyishness of his gesture.
“I know you have many questions, my love, and I do not have the answers for you. I have many questions myself.”
Part of my besotted mind did have tons of questions. For instance, what was I doing in the arms of a man I had never met...yet loved. Oh, yes, there were plenty of questions. But it seemed as if Darius was short on answers as well. I tried to bring a sense of reality into the situation by asking a more practical question.
“Okay, let’s start with the basics then. The easy stuff. The beginning, I suppose,” I said weakly. “Where do you live, Darius? Do you live in Lilium?” I nodded in the direction of the town. By now, I realized I should have gathered my wits and stepped out of this strange man’s arms, but against my better judgment, I delayed.
He lifted his head to look in the direction of Lilium.
“Yes, I live here. At least...at one time, I lived near here, yes.”
“At one time?” Would this man never give me a simple answer?
“Yes...many years ago, it would seem.”
I shook my head in confusion and ran a fingertip across the line of his firm jaw. Who knew when I would get the chance to touch him again? This dream would have to end soon.
Really, Molly! Feel free to slide out of his arms at any time. This is nuts!
“So, you don’t still live here? Where do you live now?”
He bent to kiss me again. What small shred was left of my common sense told me the kiss was meant to silence my questions, but I didn’t care at the moment. His lips moved against mine with such familiar intimacy that my head swam. When I thought my weak legs would support me no longer, I broke off the kiss. Blue eyes sparkled at me.
A question. I asked him a question. What was it?
“You’re stalling, Darius, aren’t you?” My lips twitched involuntarily. My enigmatic stranger seemed at a loss. I almost felt I had the upper hand...just for a split second. “Where do you live?” I pressed.
He hesitated again and took a deep breath before answering.
“I am not certain. It would seem that I now live here...where you see me.”
I followed his gaze as he scanned the cemetery. A dizzying feeling swept through me and sucked the air from my lungs. He couldn’t be serious! I stiffened in his arms, and with a quick look at my face, Darius slowly lowered his arms to his sides. Sickeningly aware of a sense of loss as he let me go, I backed up a step to stare at him.
“Are you saying you live here? In the cemetery?” I squeaked.
Darius dropped his gaze to the ground, slipped his hands in the pockets of his trousers and shifted on his feet. He inclined his head in assent.
“Perhaps...I am not certain. Perhaps,” he murmured.
My knees wobbled for a moment, and I took another step back...if only to keep my balance. I opened my mouth to speak, but my brain simply would not allow me to come up with a single coherent word. I turned to survey the grounds once again, knowing deep in my soul that he wasn’t as crazy as he sounded.
In fact, he probably wasn’t crazy at all.
Maybe I was.
The sunny day turned suddenly dark and swirled around me. I couldn’t breathe...
****
I heard the comforting sound of a rhythmic beating heart against my ear, and I opened my eyes slowly. I was lying in Darius’s lap where he held me against his chest. His chin must have rested on the top of my head, and I tried to keep my breathing steady to pretend continued unconsciousness, but I could not control the stiffening of my body.
“Molly? Are you awake?” Darius lifted his chin and looked down into my eyes. I straightened quickly and slid out of his lap in an effort to jump up. He dropped his arms to let me go, but a wobble on my part brought him to his feet to steady me.
“You always did faint at the slightest shock, my love. That certainly has not changed over the years. However, the smell of your lovely silky hair has changed to a...fruity fragrance, not the lavender I have always known. That is new. I like it,” he grinned.
I stared at him as if he was insane, and I tried to ignore the warmth in the pit of my stomach when he spoke of my hair or called me his “love.” The man was definitely psychotic—or I was—and I much preferred that it was not I.
He reached for me, and I backed away.
“Stay back,” I thrust out a hand. “I don’t know what I was thinking before, but I don’t know you. I can’t even...I don’t...I just don’t know you. This is nuts.” I scanned the cemetery with wild eyes, looking for help, but no one else was around. I could run, I thought, turning back to throw a wild glance at his face. He bit his lower lip, giving him a crestfallen look that tore at my heart.
“Molly, please.” He reached out a hand toward me again, but I backed further away. My widened eyes must have shown my fear and confusion.
His sigh made me catch my breath. His broad shoulders slumped. I didn’t want to hurt him.
“Molly, please do not be afraid of me. I am not going to harm you. I understand your fear, but it is I, Darius. I love you. You love me. I saw it in your eyes. I felt it on your lips. Please do not run from me.”
I had half-turned away to flee, but his words made me hesitate. I turned back to look at him. He watched me carefully for a moment. I suspected he could see the indecision in my face. But could he also tell how desperate I was to stay with him, though I feared for both his sanity and mine? I hoped not. At the moment, I was pretty sure I was the one with the addled brain.
“I-I...” I struggled for words. “I don’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I kis—I-I don’t know who you are. I don’t even know who I am right now.”
I must have looked as pitiful as I felt because he stepped forward as if to take me in his arms again. I jumped back and put up a hand to ward him off. He stilled and clasped his hands behind his back like a small schoolboy who’d just been lectured. His eyes clouded, and I felt like crying at the sight.
“I do not understand what is happening, either, Molly.” He dropped his head to study the ground for an instant before raising his face to look at me with a troubled expression on his brow. I’m sure my forehead mirrored the same lines of confusion.
“It seems likely that I have memory and you do not. You remembered me for a moment. You remembered my name.” He gave me a hopeful look. “Do you remember anything else?”
I shook my head in mute silence.
Darius sighed. “I do not understand how you have come to be here—in this time. When is this time...exactly? I have been studying the dates on the headstones since yesterday when I first...em...arrived,” he gestured toward the cemetery in general, “and I presume we are in the second millennia?”
I gave him a dubious look but provided the current date. He blinked and raised an unsteady hand to his forehead as if to brush away cobwebs...or confusion.
“It doesn’t seem possible. I buri—” He stopped abruptly and stared hard at me.
“I’m sorry?” I wondered whom it was that he had buried.
Darius shifted his gaze to the ground and shook his head again.
“Nothing,” he murmured. “I meant to say that I do not understand how you can be as yo
u are.” He looked up again and gestured toward me with a tanned hand. “How it is that you can look so young? So many years have passed.” He turned and looked toward the white stone that had caught my attention earlier. “It seems so difficult to believe this was only a meadow once. You must remember that?” He returned his gaze to me, and all I could do was shake my head.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. What years have passed? Where did you come from? And when? You said you ‘arrived’ yesterday? Arrived from where? Are you suggesting that you’re a—a ghost?” My voice rose to a squeak, reminiscent of a mouse.
Darius’s grave expression broke into a grin.
“Don’t smirk at me! Do you think this is funny? Are you nuts? You are nuts, aren’t you? Because if you’re not, then I am!” I jabbed a thumb toward my chest. My cheeks flamed.
Darius sobered his expression and pressed his lips together firmly before clearing his throat.
“By nuts, do you mean crazy?” He shook his head firmly. “No, I do not think I am insane. Neither do I think you are. But for some reason, we have been brought together again, and I, for one, am deeply grateful.”
I shook my head in disbelief. What was he talking about?
“Molly, my love, I do not know what to say. I am at a loss as to how to convince you of something that I do not fully understand myself. I do not believe we are insane, but I am certain that something beyond our control has happened—a miracle that I dare not examine too much lest it disappear.”
That he was miraculously handsome, I could not deny. And that something beyond my control was occurring also seemed too real to dispute. But I had to fight the spell he had apparently cast over me. Because if he hadn’t, why hadn’t I hightailed it out of there at once? I decided to bring the mysticism of the situation under some sort of control. My practical Sara would have known how to handle this situation. But then, this wouldn’t have happened to her at any rate.
“Where do you live?” I remained obsessed with the simple question. One eyebrow raised, I crossed my arms and waited for his answer. Although how he was going to stand there and try to be serious in that museum piece of a suit, even as well tailored to his long and lean figure as it appeared to be, was beyond me.