”I’m sorry I talk so much,” she apologized, feeling embarrassed at telling him so much about herself. She feared he must be bored out of his mind by now. ”I’m not usually this talkative. It’s just so easy to talk to you - I feel strangely at ease with you,” she confessed, blushing a little.
He smiled down at her.
”I’m so glad you feel that way, because I feel the same. But I should be the one apologizing for being so nosy! I’m not usually this curious, I promise,” he said. ”I just can’t seem to help it with you, Olivia.”
Hearing him say her name sent a thrill through her. Everything about him was so beautiful; his voice, his thoughts, the way he looked… He was like an angel suddenly descended to walk the streets of Stockholm. Oh, she had to get a grip on herself - she was being so pathetically melodramatic today.
As the sun was setting, throwing pink and gold tints on the remaining clouds, they finally arrived at Bondeska Palatset. She invited him to sit down on the massive stone stairs leading up to it.
”Where are we now?” he asked her, sitting down so close to her she could feel the heat from his body against her right side. It made her tingle all over in unfamiliar ways.
”This is an old palace, Bondeska Palatset,” she explained. ”Nowadays it’s the seat of the Swedish Supreme Court, but originally it was the residence of the Bonde family, hence the name. For many years, after that family couldn’t afford to live here anymore, the city used it as the town hall.” She glanced at him - it was so hard to contain herself. If she hadn’t tried so hard not to, she’d be staring like a fool at him the whole time and make him uncomfortable. She forced herself to look out onto the courtyard instead.
”I’m going to tell you the tragic tale of Axel von Fersen’s demise, now,” she said. ”If you want me to. It is a gruesome story, so if you don’t want to hear it, that’s okay.”
”No, I do want to hear it. Please, go ahead,” he said, resting his eyes on her mouth.
She blushed a little and hoped he would think it was from the cold. She returned her gaze to the cobble stones in front of them and began telling the story.
”On these very steps, more than two hundred years ago, a very accomplished and handsome nobleman named Axel von Fersen, was brutally beaten to death by an out of control mob.”
She met his gaze to gauge his reaction.
”How horrific. Poor guy. What on earth had he done to deserve such a fate?”
”Well, I’m not sure he had done anything to deserve such a death, although the mob certainly believed he had.”
”You see,” she continued, ”he was a very proud man. Arrogant some might say. Maybe he had reason to be, at least to a certain degree. He had accomplished a lot in his life so far. He was an army officer, highly thought of in the military. At various points in his career he worked for the Swedes, the French and even for the Americans, during the Revolutionary War.”
”Really?” Nate said, sounding surprise. ”The man did get around quite a bit, didn’t he?”
”Yes, he did, ”she said, smiling at him. ”He fought alongside George Washington against the British and was commended for his bravery at the battle of Yorktown.”
”Impressive,” he said, his eyes still lingering on her face.
”Anyway, he was a good soldier, and highly thought of during his lifetime. But he also made a lot of enemies, perhaps due to jealousy, or perhaps because of his own arrogant demeanor. When he was killed he had returned home to Sweden and had been appointed the Marshal of the realm. As such it was his duty to accompany the casket with the remains of the Swedish Crown Prince, who had died very suddenly that summer, on its funeral procession through the city. Apparently the Crown Prince had had a stroke and fell off his horse, but at the time there was a lot of political turmoil in Sweden and people assumed he had been murdered. Poisoned or some such thing.”
”Did the people think Axel had something to do with his death?”
”How did you know?” she asked, surprised.
He shrugged.
”I don’t know, it just seemed like a strong enough reason for the crowd to want to kill him.”
”Yes,” she agreed. She shivered as she pictured what it must have been like for von Fersen to get caught in the angry mob all those years ago. ”He knew what he was being accused of, and he knew that the sentiments in the city that day were volatile, but still he insisted on carrying out his duties. He knew he was innocent and I guess he assumed the truth of that belief would protect him from the people’s wrath.”
”A very dangerous assumption,” Nate said quietly.
”Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around her knees, ”but sort of beautiful too, don’t you think?” She looked at him.
”’The truth shall set you free’?”
She nodded, wondering what kind of riches of emotion he hid behind those luminous eyes.
”Yes, that is a beautiful notion,” he agreed and looked out at the cobbled courtyard.
”He was wrong, of course. He might have escaped with his life, I guess, but events seemed to conspire against him.”
”How so?”
”Well, for one thing, the city was handing out free brandy to everyone that day, so the crowds were getting really drunk by the time the procession passed through the city. Also, for some reason, someone had ordered the soldiers who stood guard along the route that day to load their rifles with blanks. Although, even if they had been using live ammunition, it probably wouldn’t have saved von Fersen.”
”Why not?”
”Because, according to reports from eyewitnesses, the soldiers refused to step in and help him once the beating started. Maybe they were afraid for their own lives. Or maybe they believed he was guilty of the accusations.”
”Fate really didn’t deal him much of a hand that day, did it?” Nate said, pensively.
”No,” she agreed. ”As his ceremonial carriage - with the family crest on the side and von Fersen inside, clearly visible through the huge glass windows - drove through the streets, people started throwing rocks at it. At first he tried to ignore the angry crowd outside. But when a rock hit von Fersen in the head, and he started bleeding, a member of his entourage decided they should try to make a run for it.”
”They didn’t succeed, I’m guessing?” Nate rested his hands on his knees, his voice quiet.
”At first it looked like they might be able to escape. They hid in a pub, but were soon forced to leave by the riled up patrons inside. So then they headed for this palace. His friend hoped to get him inside, away from the angry masses. But in the violent frenzy on the streets, with people trying to hit von Fersen left and right, his friend lost hold of him. They were separated by the mob. He was lynched to death right here. They say his ghost still haunts one of the houses here in the Old Town.”
She fell quiet and a soft shudder ran down her spine.
He looked at her.
”That’s horrible. What an awful way to die. The horror he must have felt as he realized what they were going to do to him. That there was no escape…” his voice trailed off.
”Yes,” she whispered. She cleared her voice. ”You know, when he was young and at the royal court in France, he was a favorite of the Queen, Marie Antoinette. Rumors had it they were lovers. And perhaps he really was in love with her, because in 1792, during the height of the revolution, he tried to arrange an escape for her, and the King, and their children. But their carriage was stopped and searched in a small village only an hour or so from Versailles. They were all captured by the revolutionaries and imprisoned.”
”What a tragedy. He couldn’t save the woman he loved, and then, years later, he himself was falsely accused and murdered, by an out of control mob.”
Suddenly she felt really stupid for having told him this loathsome tale. What must he think of her?
”I’m sorry,” she said, ”I shouldn’t have told you that story. You must think I’m really morbid.”
”No, no, I wanted
to hear it. I feel such empathy for Axel. There are few things more terrifying than large, over-excited crowds.”
”Yes, I think so.” She looked at him. ”I’ve never felt comfortable in large crowds. I’m always anticipating that one thing that might turn it into a menacing frenzy.”
”You do? Has that ever happened to you?” he asked, concern coloring his tone.
”No, no never. I just have a very active imagination.” She smiled apologetically. ”Plus I really don’t like it when people lose control of themselves.”
He looked thoughtful.
”Most people seem to thrive on the kind of energy released in crowds like that. But I’ve seen enough to have a healthy respect for that kind of energy.” He seemed lost in some unpleasant memories. ”There have been a few times in my life when I have been surrounded by really large, over-excited crowds, and it genuinely frightened me. There’s a collective madness, that can grip a crowd under certain circumstances, that truly terrifies me.”
”Like at rock concerts or something?”
”Yeah, like Beatle-mania.” He suddenly looked like he was afraid he’d said too much. He abruptly changed the subject.
”So, where do you live?”
”I live in Kista, a suburb north of town. It’s a twenty minute subway ride from here. Which reminds me, I need to get home to my brothers and get dinner ready.” She rose to her feet, brushing off the back of her coat as she stood.
He stood up next to her. He suddenly looked bereft, a silent yearning in his gaze as he looked at her. She shamelessly inhaled his beauty with her eyes, memorizing every last one of the magnificent details of his face in the dimming light.
”How long will you stay in Stockholm?” she asked, the ache in her chest building with each breath.
”I leave in the morning. I have to get back for some,” he hesitated, ”some business meetings.” He looked down at her, a hunger in his eyes she longed to satisfy, if she only knew how.
”Olivia, I can’t stand for this day to be over. These past few hours have been some of the best of my life. I really want to repay you somehow. Is there any way you would let me take you out to dinner tonight?”
She felt lightheaded, melting into his gaze again. How could she say no? If there was any way at all that she could have just a few more hours with him, she had to take the chance. But her brothers were expecting her home soon and she knew she could never let them down. Even though they were old enough, and capable enough, to fend for themselves for one night, she still needed to go home and check on them and explain where she would be.
”I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said and watched as his face lit up with joy. ”But I have to go home first, and check on my little brothers.”
”Of course.”
”If you tell me which restaurant you want to go to, I can meet you there in a few hours?”
”I’d much rather come and pick you up at home, if that’s okay with you?” He smiled sheepishly at her. ”I’m a little old-fashioned, I’m afraid.”
”That’s okay. Old-fashioned is great,” she smiled back, buzzing with happiness at the prospect of an entire evening with him. ”But how will you find the way?”
”I’ll take a cab. If you just give me your address, and maybe your phone number, in case I get lost on the way over.” He was teasing her again.
”Sure.” She felt dizzy, intoxicated by his sexy scent. He was standing so close to her - it was like a magnet pulling them together.
They exchanged numbers and she gave him her address, and the code for her apartment building. Then he walked her to the nearest subway station. He followed her all the way down to the platform, and stood there waiting with her for the train. It was so hard to say goodbye to him, that she didn’t dare think about what it would feel like tomorrow, when he would be gone for good.
As they stood there, waiting for the train to arrive, he reached up with his hand and, very gently, he touched her cheek. Her heart skipped a beat. She found herself wishing intensely that she could freeze that exact moment in time and stay in it forever. Just the two of them, and the exquisite pleasure of his touch.
But, of course, the train arrived then, and the spell was broken. He dropped his hand to his side and said goodbye, and she turned and entered the train. She felt her skin tingle from the touch of his fingers, and she suddenly felt strangely weak in the knees. Gratefully, she spotted an empty seat, and let herself collapse into it.
When she looked up, the train had already left the station. For a second she panicked, suddenly convinced she would never see him again. Perhaps he wasn’t real at all? Perhaps she had just imagined this whole afternoon; a daydream taken too far.
But then her phone sounded in her pocket. She had gotten a text message. She pulled out the phone and felt her pulse quicken as she saw the number. It was from Nate.
Really don’t like saying goodbye to you. Feels like an eternity until tonight. N.
She smiled tenderly at the phone and tried to think of a smart reply but failed. She would just have to settle for honesty then. She’d never been any good at playing hard to get anyway, her heart perpetually sewn onto her sleeve. She replied:
I know. Counting the minutes…
The answer came back within a few seconds.
That’s it, I’m getting in a cab right now!
She answered in a hurry.
No! I need time to get changed first!
Then she sent another one right away,
Maybe hurry just a little…
Ok then. I’ll try not to hurry too much…
She couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.
Chapter 3
On his way to Kista that night, Nate thought of the strange turn his life had taken that day. He’d never believed in love at first sight but damn it, there was something very special about Olivia. The moment he looked into her dark blue eyes that morning something happened that had never happened to him before. Something very powerful. Something he couldn’t shake. He was smitten with this girl, utterly mesmerized. She filled every cell of his being. He was incapable of thinking of anything but her. He felt like a fool, stumbling around with a huge grin on his face, bumping into strangers on the street, until he could finally get in the cab to come for her. He couldn’t understand what was the matter with him. He was a jaded twenty-seven year old man; he’d been around the block a few times already. He’d worked with some of the most beautiful women in the world, and was used to being propositioned by attractive girls everywhere he went. But, although he loved women, and wasn’t shy about getting what he wanted when he met someone he felt attracted to, he had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted this girl. He couldn’t put words to the emotions swirling inside him. He just knew she made him feel weaker, and at the same time stronger, than he ever had in his life. Just one look from her was enough to make him want to worship at her feet. It was insane. It was pathetic. It was inevitable; there was nothing he could do about it. If he was completely honest with himself, there wasn’t anything he wanted to do about it, other than enjoy every last second of this precious evening with her. He wouldn’t think of tomorrow, of the inescapable end to this magical meeting. Tomorrow he would go back to his real life, and he would cherish the memories of the mesmerizing goddess he’d been lucky enough to spend a day with.
He had chosen a profession that in many ways was outlandish. The world he was forced to inhabit every now and then, when he was promoting one of his projects, was truly bizarre and deeply cynical. It was all about the money, about public perception, media spin and the never-ending fight, among the fiercest competition in the world, to stay on top. It was exhausting and inanely boring at the same time. But the rewards were immense. He could do without the fame and he wasn’t in it for the money. But the intrusion into his personal life - which was the highest price he had had to pay so far - was worth it when he was given the opportunity to pour his heart and soul into a project he believed in, and felt compelled to
bring to life.
Ever since he fell in love with the art form as a young boy, he’d thought of nothing much else than making it in the business. It had been his one overshadowing ambition for so long, sometimes he felt as though he didn’t know who he was outside of his professional role.
But today, this beautiful, disarmingly sincere girl, with her iridescent soul and enchanting thoughts, had shocked him awake - as if he was Sleeping Beauty being kissed back to life. He suddenly felt alive, burning with emotions he’d never felt before. He felt fear in a way he never had before. A fear he wasn’t quite ready to articulate yet. He just knew that he was intensely grateful that she had agreed to go out with him tonight. Tonight he would push every thought of the future far from his mind and be fully, completely present. He would savor every single second with this wondrous creature fate had somehow seen fit to put in his path.
He didn’t understand how it was possible, with the very high profile he had right now all over the world, that she didn’t seem to recognize him. Or maybe she knew who he was but didn’t care. Thinking about it, he felt oddly certain that she was unaware of his public persona, and had reacted to him as she would to just another human being. That was an experience he hadn’t had with a stranger in the last four years. Even if she was just acting oblivious, which he found hard to believe - she seemed so genuine - he was still grateful for the experience of being nothing more than a man who met a woman he felt very attracted to, and could have a normal, human interaction with. It was refreshing to not have to hide himself, either figuratively or physically. Because he didn’t feel as if she was after a piece of him - like a trophy to hang on her wall, or profit from in some way - he could relax around her. It made him feel so alive and invigorated. He felt free to just be himself, and enjoy her lovely company. To give free reins to the enormous need he felt for her. Everything about her - the innocent beauty of her face; the soft swell of her breasts and hips beneath her uniform; the way her eyes lit up when she teased him or when she talked about books; the quiet compassion she’d shown the homeless man selling papers outside the subway station as she’d bought a paper and exchanged a few words with him - drew him to her with a magnetic force. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He longed to protect her and possess her with a fierceness that shook him to his core. He had never wanted anyone the way he wanted her. And yet he knew he most likely would never have her; there was no time. They had only this evening left together. And then he would return to his own world - a world so alien to hers, he was sure they would never be able to co-exist. She simply wasn’t meant for him, she was meant for some other lucky bastard. The mere thought, of another man holding her, loving her, waking up next to her every morning, was like the twist of a knife to his gut. He pushed the thought away. He refused to think of that tonight.
Destined for the Star (Starstruck) Page 3