Eternal Ever After

by A. C. James

  Arie was the same. He had to hide who he was or be feared and hated. And when people fear or hate, they’re capable of killing that which brings out the worst in them. It’s only human nature.

  The server cleared our dinner and brought two desserts to the table. I eyed the first delectable dish, a raspberry mascarpone with tart yuzu, which the server placed before Arie. Another dessert with a hard manjari chocolate shell, filled with salted caramel on top, the server placed in front of me. It came with frozen malted vanilla and I smelled a hint of coffee. Both dishes made my mouth water. For the first time throughout our entire meal I fully relaxed. A genuine smile formed on my lips while we ate our desserts in a silence that felt almost natural.

  His dark hair had hints of amber depending on how the light hit it. He had the most striking features I’ve ever seen. And he awoke a desire in me that I’d given up on anyone fulfilling other than myself. I’d finally met someone who made me want to do something about it.

  “Holly, I want to show you something.”

  “Do I have a choice in the matter?” I asked sarcastically.

  “No, but I promise that you’ll like it.”

  How could I feel more connected to him than I’d felt connected to anyone in my whole life? I’d only just met him but I felt like he understood me. And that meant everything to me.

  ***

  We headed north on Lincoln Park West beside a tree-lined sidewalk. I could see a fence bordering the Lincoln Park Conservatory on the right. Arie stopped at the traffic signal and I watched distractedly out the window. I smiled at a young couple kissing under the canopy of a large tree in front of the park bench despite the cold. Snow still fell in flakes that wrapped the couple in a semi-private filigree envelope.

  Arie turned right onto West Fullerton Parkway and continued straight at the intersection at North Cannon Drive. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye when I began fidgeting with the fabric of my sweater again. I noticed the direction of his gaze and the irritated look in his eyes. I wondered why he looked like he wanted to throttle me. What could he possibly have against fidgeting?

  Biting my lip compulsively, I stopped twisting my sweater and continued to stare out the window. We passed over a bridge while the scenery zipped by in a blur. He merged onto the highway, heading south. The dark waters of the lake looked serene with its deserted beach front and piers where no one ventured in these cold conditions. Arie pulled off the highway, taking the Grand Avenue exit, bearing left onto Lower North Lake Shore Drive.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “You’ll see. I guarantee you it’s somewhere you’ve never been before.” Arie grinned at me and his mega-white teeth flashed through the darkness.

  “I’ve lived here my whole life. There’s not much I haven’t seen,” I said, shaking my head.

  “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”

  We continued over another bridge. There were boats in a marina across the road on the left and buildings loomed overhead on my right. Arie turned right onto East Wacker Drive and we drove in silence while I tried to sober up. Where is he taking me? Arie merged onto a ramp continuing past the Chicago Riverwalk; its scenic view made me dizzy. He turned left on Columbus Drive and I held my stomach as he found a place to park.

  I stepped out of the car and Arie appeared at my side. His movement held more grace and fluidity than someone human could pull off. His stealthy movements might be unnerving, but I could hack it if I managed not to puke on his boots. I shouldn’t have drunk so much wine. He grinned at me and pulled me to his chest. Arie’s lean arms wrapped around me and he moved me quickly. Suddenly, we stood in front of a small chain café on Randolf Street. It occurred to me at random that they had really good pancakes.

  “How do you do that?”

  “How do I do what?” Arie asked with a smirk.

  “I blinked and we were somewhere else. I’ve never seen someone move so fast.”

  “It’s easy—I simply manipulated the flow of light and time, bending it to my will.”

  “Oh. Right. Like bending time is easy,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.” He tightened his grip on me.

  “No. Why?”

  A current of cold air whooshed around me as we were propelled upward. He landed with cat-like grace on the flat roof of a smaller building in front of One Prudential Plaza. I didn’t have time to panic and wonder whether some passerby noticed or not. No sooner did we land then I felt another blast of cold air. He leaped again, this time landing neatly forty-one stories to its very top. Moving through the air with such speed chilled me, leaving goose bumps on my skin despite wearing a coat. Feeling lightheaded and a little giddy from the drinks we had at dinner, I clung to Arie, trying not to look down.

  “Arie, what if someone saw us?”

  Arie laughed. “Right, like anyone would believe them. That’s like believing in alien abductions or those fake celebrity pictures you see in tabloids.”

  With everything I’d learned lately I was starting to think alien abductions sounded almost plausible, but I didn’t argue my point. “I guess you can’t believe everything you see,” I said with a sigh.

  “I’m glad heights aren’t an issue for you. The view only gets better from here,” he said with a smile. “You’ll love it.”

  I looked up at another building behind us and blanched.

  “You feel okay?”

  “Yeah… Just a little dizzy.” I didn’t want to say nauseous.

  He tightened his grip on me even further and paused on top of the building. When I exhaled I could see my breath on the cold night air. Arie bent his legs, bracing me against him, and then he bounded through the rushing air to the top of Two Illinois Center. Without effort and with infinite grace, he bounced from the flat surface of its rooftop to balance on the spire of Two Prudential Plaza.

  I marveled at how he could balance here with such ease. Looking down, I immediately wished I hadn’t, and gasped at the nine hundred ninety-five foot drop. Closing my eyes, I tried not to picture my mangled body smashed to bits across Stetson Avenue. He looked down at me with a grin that invited mischief while I wrapped myself around him, clinging to his muscled mass even tighter than before.

  “Hold on.”

  “Believe me, you don’t have to tell me that,” I said.

  “Just wait until you see this. It’s better than the stars.”

  Arie sprang into the air and landed atop the white granite skyscraper of the Aon Center. I still clung to him but let go of him abruptly, a little embarrassed that I had wrapped myself around him like a burrito. Then I stepped onto the roof to stand beside him.

  “What do you think?” he asked, beaming at me.

  “I think you’re insane.”

  Arie laughed. “That wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that. Here, take my hand.” He held out his hand and I regarded it with a raised eyebrow. “Trust me,” he said in a voice filled with dazzle.

  Hesitantly, I took his hand, smiling down at our intertwined fingers. He hoisted me toward the edge of the building to show off the remarkable view from all directions.

  “Wow!” I said breathlessly. “This is better than the Skydeck.”

  Facing south I could see Grant Park, to the west stood the Loop, the eastern exposure granted a view of Lake Michigan, and toward the north stood the Magnificent Mile and the Chicago lake shore added to spectacular skyline. The lights of the city replaced the twinkling stars. Its manufactured pattern of light looked almost pretty. A full moon cast light on the snow, creating a reflection that illuminated the night.

  “Yeah. Wow. You’re the first person I’ve brought up here.”

  I glanced sideways at him, all my previous concerns forgotten as I stood with him admiring the spectacular view. Something about sharing this little corner of the world with him, a place he hadn’t shared with anyone else, felt intimate. The idea that he would share it with me drew me to him. “It�
�s stunning.” I peeked over the edge of the building. “I’m not sure about getting down, but it’s incredible. So can I consider tonight a date?”

  “Yes, you may consider this a date.”

  I suppressed a laugh. Arie and the wine gave me childlike delight at standing with him on top of the world. When he produced a boyish smile that curved his mouth I forgot the view. I turned in his arms and looked up at him. He traced a cold finger across my jaw, down my neck, and across my collarbone, barely visible above my suede coat. His touch felt dangerous and exhilarating as we stood on top the skyscraper—it made me shiver. And I wondered what forever would feel like.

  He searched my eyes, not in a human response of drawn-out anticipation before kissing someone. His hesitation seemed to gauge whether I wanted him to kiss me or if I felt fear and revulsion. I didn’t pull away and continued to meet his eyes. Slowly, he lowered his lips to brush against mine. I met his kiss tentatively at first. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck, diving into the kiss with a fierceness that surprised me. It seemed like we’d been here before, but my head hurt just thinking about it. Something about spilt coffee on my living room floor and the two of us in my kitchen.

  Arie deepened the kiss, meeting my embrace with a longing that felt like it had been building up for centuries. All the pent-up longing, waiting, released a surge that raced through my veins. I broke the kiss in breathless wonder. Arie looked down at me and I felt his muscles tense and his expression darkened.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’m fine, but I should take you home.”

  I wondered why he suggested taking me home and at his shift in mood after kissing me. “Thank you for this,” I said, gesturing toward the view of the city skyline, “and for dinner.”

  “Anytime; but I need you to do something for me.”

  “What?” Anything?

  “I need you to forget what just happened. I took you to dinner and we were here but nothing happened. I need you to repeat that.” Arie spoke without breaking eye contact as he dazzled me.

  “Nothing happened…wait, what?”

  “That’s a good girl.”

  Arie wrapped an arm under me picking me up. My head felt fuzzy. Abruptly, he jumped over a thousand feet off the edge of the building with me cradled in his arms.

  I screamed.

  Surely this would be certain death. I saw a small indent in the sidewalk, the only indicator of our jump. Through the fog of wine, I wondered again if anyone had seen us. Arie grinned at me while my heart landed in somewhere in the pit of my stomach.

  CHAPTER 5

  I made my way to the bathroom when I woke up and scowled at the dark circles under my eyes. After my date with Arie I had tossed and turned most of the night. It couldn’t be real. I smiled thinking about being on the rooftop with him but then my head felt funny, almost like a migraine coming on. Wincing in pain, I opened the medicine cabinet to retrieve two aspirin. I suspected that he’d dazzled me to forget something. It made me angry, as I tried to remember and kept hitting a blank wall wrapped in a blanket of pain.

  Coffee—I needed coffee—a jolt of caffeine would fix my headache. I’d down the aspirin with a swig of hot stuff. I went out to the kitchen and a note sat on the countertop next to the coffee pot. It was scrawled in flowery lettering unlike my own.

  Holly,

  As promised I have taken care of your car and disposed of the Bug, an appropriate name really for such a relic. Your new car is parked out front. I’m sure you can figure out which one it is. I thought you might like blue. Sorry, they didn’t have a lighter shade. Enjoy the car and your day.

  Arie

  Unbelievable. So much for setting ground rules. I eyed the set of keys beside the note suspiciously. With a sigh, I grabbed them and headed for the front door. I bought the Beetle because that’s what I could afford at the time. I didn’t give a rat’s ass about its color. Opening the door revealed melting snow on the sidewalk, and the air felt cold without my coat. But when I saw the car parked outside, my mouth dropped open. I can’t accept this, and I don’t even know how to get a hold of him to tell him to take it back.

  A BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe in a pretty tanzanite metallic blue sat in front of the apartment. I read the vanity tag, which had the alphanumeric characters HFC26.

  Running to the car, I pulled the door open, peeking inside. Inhaling the tanned smell of the stunning platinum leather, I saw it had power everything, and heated everything, including the steering wheel. I slid into the driver’s seat, running my hands over the wheel. Pulling an owner’s manual from the glove box, I leafed through the pages. It even featured driving assistance and had applications connecting to Facebook and Twitter. Holy shit! It has night vision for detecting pedestrians. Unreal… I can’t believe he did this!

  Biting my lip, I locked the car and turned to walk back into my apartment, taking the manual with me. His audacity had me grinding my teeth. I slammed the front door behind me, walking briskly through the living room and into the kitchen. While I waited for the smell of freshly brewed coffee, I popped a bagel in the toaster. Heading for the cream cheese in the fridge, my mind still reeled from the gift. I poured myself a cup while the bagel toasted and grimaced; I had made the coffee a little too strong. Still, it felt comforting to do something normal with all the recent events. I downed the aspirin that I’d left on the counter next to the note with a second sip, grateful for the relief that would follow. Then I turned on my laptop on the kitchen table. Sitting cross-legged and sipping coffee, I did an Internet search for the car and came to the BMW website.

  The popping sound of my bagel ejecting interrupted my search. I grabbed a plate and spread enough cream cheese to clog arteries across my bagel. Plopping in front of the laptop with breakfast in hand, I stuffed a large bite in my mouth. Maybe the best way to figure out how much Arie spent would be to build my car on the website with the options it had. While clicking check marks next to features, Mystic jumped on the table, meowing at me.

  “Really? Must you always kife my cream cheese?” I said distractedly.

  Mystic lapped up the cream cheese off my finger and jumped down. He sat at my feet, licking his paw. I scratched him behind his ears, appreciative for the company. After a few calculations I almost spewed a mouth full of coffee all over the keys of my laptop. The car easily cost more than a hundred thousand dollars.

  He didn’t buy me a car.

  He bought me a freaking house. I closed the laptop. A nice soak would be just the thing to calm my nerves. Mrs. Ellis always told me never to accept expensive gifts. Still, part of me smiled at the thought of Arie standing in a dealership, trying to decide what color I would like. On second thought, perhaps he didn’t buy it. Maybe he just dazzled them into handing over the keys. I didn’t know which idea I liked less, him buying it or using his power of persuasion to steal it.

  I walked into my bathroom and turned the water on in the tub. I turned the knob for hot water almost as far as it could go, then added a small amount of cold water. Grabbing a hair tie next to the sink, I used it to throw my hair up, and then poured some lavender chamomile bubble bath into the steaming water. My discarded clothing fell to the floor before I stepped into the scalding warmth that welcomed me.

  Leaning back in the tub, I sighed blissfully, closed my eyes, and placed a warm washcloth over them. Maybe I should call Trina for a ride instead of driving that thing out front. I couldn’t bring myself to call it a gift. It might tempt me to keep it. But knowing how much it cost made me leery to drive the car—I didn’t want to wreck it. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t keep it. When you keep a gift like that, it comes with a hefty price tag.

  If anyone had told me a week ago that I would go on a date with a vampire, I would have laughed. His obvious control issues with coming and going as he pleased and buying exorbitant gifts was just another ridiculous situation I didn’t know what to do with. It was irritating and flattering at the same time.

  Except now I coul
dn’t even change my locks. What would be the point? He’d obviously picked it when he left me the note. The whole thing felt like a bad science fiction comedy, and nobody told me I’d be the extra who gets killed off for no particular reason. Unfortunately, Arie stirred feelings that were impractical and would only hurt me. This could only end badly. I didn’t see any other way. No matter how much I wished it weren’t true.

  Return the car, forget Arie, and walk away.

  Though my better judgment argued its point with convincing clarity, I couldn’t get my mind off our dinner date. Arie was unlike anyone I’d ever known. He understood my visions and didn’t look at me like I was crazy. Lord knows I needed that. I needed to feel like someone got me and accepted the things that I had to hide from everyone else. I felt connected to him and it only made me want him more. Sometimes I felt like he wanted me just as bad. Clearly, he was hiding something, but he didn’t hide it well enough. The telltale signs showed in the pained expression that crossed his face so often.

  Water from the dripping faucet seeped into the tub with a plunking sound. I removed the washcloth from over my eyes, using it to lather with bar soap and shave my armpits. I started shaving my legs. Suddenly, I heard Mystic jump down from a higher surface with a thump. His uncharacteristic hiss startled me and I nicked my shin with the razor. A thin line of blood trailed down my leg. I sat up a little straighter in the tub. The bathroom door sat ajar. Something moved past so fast I couldn’t make out the blurry figure.

  “Hello…?”

  The dripping of the faucet filled the eerie silence and my heartbeat quickened. As I rose out of the water, suds clung to my skin. Grabbing a white towel from the rack on the wall, I wrapped it around myself, stepping out of the tub. Breathe…just breathe. Mystic appeared at my feet, making a strange chirping sound, and it appeared he wanted me to follow him. No one is here but you and the cat. Stop being so scared.