by Kailin Gow
I smiled as I envisioned the life that had been plotted out for her. She was to attend Arcadia University where she would meet her future husband in the Elite Society. Both would go on to work for the Committee and live in the Diamond Suburb.
“Oh, Sarah. I’m so excited for you.” I finally picked up my little burger and sank my teeth into it.
“I knew you’d be. This is exactly what I wanted. Exactly what I was hoping for.”
“Do you know how lucky you are to receive a Life’s Plan that is just as you wanted it?”
“I know. I never would have thought.”
I turned to Liam who’d sat silently through the exchange, his mammoth burger almost half gone. A wistful smile warmed his face as he looked at me. That look of love that came so often still warmed me just as much as it did on our very first date. He slid his hand around my waist and pulled me closer and I knew where his mind had wandered to; his own Life’s Plan.
He was set to marry a girl he’d known all his life. It could hardly be anyone else but me. Everyone agreed we were the perfect match. He would someday take his dad’s place as Governor of Arcadia, but would start at the Committee. He, too, was slated to live in the luxurious suburb of Diamond.
How many times had he told me his Life’s Plan had to include me? Countless. And every time he did, my heart raced a little faster. Life would indeed be perfect; a beautiful home in an exclusive neighborhood, a loving and gorgeous husband, and my best friend living nearby. What more could I hope for?
I couldn’t resist leaning into him for a warm snuggle. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my forehead and chuckled in that soft way he had when he knew I was feeling amorous.
“Cool it, you guys,” Sarah snapped. “I’m still here, in case you hadn’t noticed. Besides, this is my Life’s Plan we’re happy about, remember? You’ll have your chance in a few weeks, Kama.”
Yes, I wanted to scream. And I hoped I wouldn’t have to wait long. While some people waited weeks, as Sarah had, many got their Life’s Plan within days of their eighteenth. No doubt mine would greatly resemble Sarah’s and Liam’s. We were basically cut from the same cloth, even if our childhoods were slightly different, and our destinies were bound to include one another.
The sensation returned again, drawing my attention away from the table and pulling me out of the diner like a magnet. I looked out the window, looking for the source of my distraction.
Across the street, simply standing there, tall, dark and strangely out of place, was a young man of such intensity, the hair on my arms rose. He was like no other man I’d ever seen, confident, sure and so attractive in his gloom. His fashion sense was from another world, or at the very least from another town.
While the occasional blue jean was seen here and there, most young men of Arcadia wore stylish and elegant slacks. But this intruder dared to wear not only jeans, but black jeans that seemed to have seen their share of battle. Instead of a shirt, he wore a dark leather tunic that added to his mystique and aura of danger.
I was drawn to him in a way I’d never thought possible. It was magnetic. I felt my heart quicken and my pulse race. He was like a warrior straight out of those romantic fantasy novels I’d heard about. Extremely handsome, a bit exotic with his tan skin and jet-black hair. But his sapphire eyes held mine in a gaze that spoke lifetimes.
Kama, the desired one.
My fork stopped midway to my mouth. I froze as the strange and dark voice entered my mind. I glanced at Sarah. Happily chomping on her burger, she had not heard a thing.
Glancing sidelong at Liam, I could see he had not heard anything either.
I have found you, yet again…
What? Me? Who are you? What is this? Where was that voice coming from?
Him.
I forced the coleslaw into my mouth before the others noticed my sudden odd behavior, but I almost choked on it. When I finally managed to swallow it down, I turned to Liam.
“I think I just saw Tula across the street,” I said as I laid down my fork and prepared to rise. “I owe her two dollars, so I’ll run out to give it back to her.”
He stood, and while he looked completely perplexed by my sudden need to leave the diner, he said nothing.
I hurried out and headed in the direction of the mysterious man with raven hair. Breathless before I even began to run across the street, I felt an urgent need to meet this man. But I could see before hitting the curb that he’d already disappeared.
My disappointment surprised me, as if I’d missed something important, something that could change my life. My heart felt heavy as I looked up and down the street. There wasn’t even a trace of him until I arrived at the very spot I’d seen him.
A perfect deep purple orchid. It had to come from him. No orchid of such color grew in Arcadia. It was the only proof I was not completely going nuts. He had been here. I had seen him. This mysterious man with the burning blue eyes was here and knew my name. Who was he?
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