Flesh and Feathers

by Hylton, Danielle; Fifer, April

  “We can’t stay forever…, but we can stay tonight.” The way he said it made me want to fold myself around him.

  I sat up, pushing him back down to the warm sand. I placed a leg on either side of him and sat down easily on his abdomen. My hands ran the length of his torso and spread out to his arms. My face was within an inch of his when I removed his glasses.

  “What is it that you want from me, Kale?” I was pretty pleased with how seductive my voice sounded.

  “Everything.”

  He kissed me what felt like a thousand times, but I still couldn’t get enough. It was like he was a part of me, breathing my breath in and out. He tilted my head back and kissed what he thought was my perfect neck. He moved his lips down to my collarbone as he slipped the strap of my bathing suit top off my shoulder. I couldn’t contain myself. I circled my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He ran his hands up the sides of my outer thighs. The sand was rough on my skin, but it didn’t matter to me. Kale effortlessly picked me up off the ground while I was still wrapped around him and carried me inside of the house. He couldn’t stand one more minute of waiting; he wanted me as much as I wanted him. He set me down on the cool marble counter, knocking all the items onto the floor. Kissing him heavily, my body begged for more. I ran my fingers through his blonde hair, gripping handfuls when the pleasure got too intense.

  “I have to stop,” he protested as he pulled away from me. He looked down at me and slowly ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back into place.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. “Don’t you want this? Because I do,” I said, not giving him a chance to respond to the first question.

  “I do too… so much more than you can possibly imagine…but…” His voice was strained.

  “But what? Kale, I have never felt this way about anyone in my entire life.” I pulled him back to me and kissed him once more, but as I looked at him, I could tell this conversation was over, and I had lost.

  He tenderly pulled the strap of my bathing suit up onto my shoulder and led me to the couch. He laid down, and I stretched out beside him, laying my head against his chest. His breathing was deep, and my body followed with his movement. This wasn’t what I had planned–but to be honest, it was just as good. Lying here with him was almost perfect.

  “I got you something,” he said.

  “What?” I questioned as I turned my head to look up at him.

  He smiled as he held out a small box that he removed from his pocket. “It is your birthday.”

  I sat up and took it removed it from his hand. Flipping open the tiny jewelry box, I stared in wonder. It was a perfectly cut sapphire bracelet. “It’s so beautiful.”

  I removed the bracelet from its case, handed it to him, and held out my arm so he could put it on me. I curled up on his chest. Even though in the back of my mind I had been disappointed about how things turned out. However, now I was completely content.

  Chapter 4

  Stalker

  The next few days back home was brutal as I readjusted to my normal schedule. I wished that I were still at the beach house with Kale. He was all I could think about. I felt I was in a constant dream-state-of-mind.

  I sat at the kitchen table across from Kale. Relaxed, he sat looking at me.

  “What?” I said grinning.

  “Want to go for a walk?” he asked.

  “Now? Sure,” I said, not really caring what I did as long as he was with me.

  Kale and I walked down the LA streets on the sunniest day imaginable. Kale held one hand while I held a small flower that he had picked on the way in the other. A daisy…, my favorite.

  We were close to Darris Park when a little boy came running up to us, and it appeared as though he had been playing baseball.

  “Hey Mister!” he said, tugging on Kale’s shirt.

  Kale smiled and kneeled down. “What’s going on, Little Man?”

  “Are you a superhero?” the kid asked while looking at Kale wide eyed. The boy hardly reached Kale’s waist in height. His huge brown eyes sparkled, and the baseball cap he wore looked like it had been through quite a few hand-me-downs.

  The little boy was so cute with his thick lisp, and with every word he spoke, spit went flying. “Can you fly?”

  I looked down at Kale and laughed, waiting for his response.

  “I see your playing baseball.” Kale pointed to the other kids.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty good. Want to play? The bigger kids say me and my friends are too little, and won’t let us play with them.”

  “I see,” Kale answered, “I’ll make you a deal…. If you promise to go home and practice there for the next couple of days, then me and my friend, Az, will meet you back here Saturday to play a game.”

  “Okay Mister, I promise.” The little boy tugged at his hat and then ran off to reunite with his friends.

  I looked at Kale, thinking about how the little boy asked if he was a superhero. “Wow, kids are really imaginative, huh?” I guess I understood. Kale was exceptionally tall and towered over most men.

  “He was cute,” I went on, “but I'm really not good at sports so when we do come back, you may want him on your team instead of me.”

  “No need,” Kale said as he changed the subject and went back to holding my hand.

  “What do you mean? We can’t disappoint him. You just promised him,” I sputtered.

  Kale looked at me sweetly. “Don’t worry. He won’t be disappointed.” Even though I didn’t know how he could be so sure, I trusted that Kale knew what he was talking about.

  The next day, I went to work. It was a normal day of running my butt off. We were serving breakfast, which was always the busiest time of the day. Tannah served the best breakfast on this side of LA and probably the west coast. I wouldn’t know. I rarely ate in the mornings, but it sure did smell good.

  I had just set my tray on the counter when I felt the floor began quivering. The motion came harder and faster; glasses fell to the ground shattering into tiny bits. “Earthquake!” I shouted, motioning everyone in the diner to take refuge under nearby tables. Living in California, I was accustomed to earthquakes, and most everyone knew the drill.

  When the tremor was over, Tannah took route around the diner, checking on all the customers who were hesitantly emerging from beneath the tables. “Is everyone okay?” she asked as most people sat back down to finish their meals, but you could always recognize the out-of-towners who were still huddled under their tables long after the incident was over.

  I went about my day, taking orders. I listened to all the different people talk about the earthquake that had happened earlier in the day. They were discussing details of what they were doing, where they were, and whom they were with. It was the day’s gossip.

  As I brought out an order, I overheard a lady talking to her lunch date. She appeared to be in her mid-fifties and was covered from head-to-toe with jewelry that she had obviously collected over the years. Her gray hair was worn cropped close to her head with an abundance of tight curls. “I was at home when it happened,” she said, talking to her neighbor. “I was walking my dog, Charlie; poor little thing couldn’t even pee afterwards.”

  “And did you hear about the old baseball field up the street?” she asked as she sipped her coffee.

  “No, what happened?” her busybody friend asked.

  “What baseball field?” I interrupted.

  “The one at Darris Park, Dear,” she said, looking up at me extremely excited to share her gossip with anyone who was willing to listen. “Apparently, they were doing construction nearby and some of the heavy machinery fell over onto it…, ripped down the fencing, and tore up the field. Thank goodness no kids were hurt,” she added.

  “Poor kids won’t have anywhere to play at all now. It will probably take months to get it cleaned up,” her friend spoke up, still in awe at the whole thing.

  Goose bumps bubbled up on my arms as I thought of our uncanny meeting with the littl
e boy at the ball field. If Kale hadn’t told him to practice at home yesterday, he and his friends might have been there. It was as if he knew it was going to happen.

  That’s absurd; no one can predict an earthquake. I tried to shake off the eerie.

  “Az… Azaleigh,” Tannah hollered, bringing me back to reality.

  “Yeah, Tannah?” I replied.

  “Order’s up,” she said in a way to let me know I was out of time for any more discussions.

  Later when I was locking up, my mind wandered through the earlier conversations of the day. I thought about the earthquake and the little old ladies at the diner. The park occurrence was odd, but there was something more that was bothering me.

  Kale’s behavior was bizarre. He seemed like he was fighting a constant battle inside himself. He would only get so close to me before backing away. This had become a pattern for him, and the more I thought about it, the more it weighed heavy on my mind. I didn’t think he was seeing someone else, but I couldn’t sure. What was it that he was hiding? Something was holding him back, and I decided that I was going to get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

  The next day, I told Kale I was working the night shift, and that it would be late when I got off, and I would be too tired for any company. Surprisingly enough, he believed me. Talk about feeling bad; I hated lying to Kale, but I had to figure out what was going on. When my shift ended at four o’clock, I headed out the door and straight to my apartment.

  I had never stalked anyone before, so I’m sure it was a little ridiculous that my attire consisted of black jeans, a black shirt, and a black baseball cap. That’s what I had seen in the movies so that was what I was going with. I did throw on a gray zip-up jacket, hoping that it would keep me from looking like I was about to rob a bank.

  I decided to sit across the street from the bar where Kale worked. There was a small coffee-stand at the corner on the opposite side of the street. I got a cup of coffee, and a newspaper, then took a seat at one of the umbrella tables outside.

  Peering over the paper, I watched people come in and out of the bar–but overall the traffic was pretty light. This was the most brilliant idea I had ever come up with! I was out here spying on my boyfriend when I would much rather have been with him, but there was still that little twinge of apprehension that kept me glued to my seat. This was more than worry now–it was a mission. I needed to figure out what was going on with Kale and his odd behavior. If I didn’t, I would never really be at peace.

  After two hours of watching old ladies walk their dogs up and down the sidewalk and children flying by on skateboards, I decided to give up for the day. As I stood up, a familiar shape emerged from the doorway of the bar. Ducking back behind my newspaper, I peeked around the corner of it to get a good look at him. Kale was wearing jeans and a white button-up shirt. He held what looked to be mail in his hands, and he shuffled through it reading each piece.

  Then he started to move. He tucked the papers under his arm and walked sure footed down the sidewalk. I scrambled to get up and follow him. This was much harder than I had expected. The streets weren’t busy, but the few people that were out cluttered my vision, and I found it tough to keep sight of him.

  Instinctively, I pulled my baseball cap down tighter on my forehead as if it magically made me invisible.

  A small breeze kicked up, sending blossoms from nearby trees dancing through the air. They filled the city streets with a sweet smell that you could almost taste on the tip of your tongue. Each time the wind would die down; the blossoms would fall to the ground in slow motion, making it look as though it was snowing. It was so miraculous that I found myself distracted by it, and was unable to focus on keeping up with Kale’s pace.

  I centered my attention back on Kale, who was easily weaving in and out of strolling people on the other side of the street. Once we made it to the corner about five blocks away from the coffee-stand, Kale made a sudden turn down a tiny avenue and quickly disappeared.

  I stood on the other side of the street, trapped by cars swiftly passing. I rocked back and forth on my heels, waiting for a break in the busy traffic. My heart started to pound, knowing that if I didn’t move quickly, I would surely lose him for good. At the last minute, a tiny gap appeared, and I started to bolt across. It was definitely a tiny gap; cars screeched to a stop and horns began blaring. A man in a green Cadillac had locked his brakes directly in front of me, and even though his windows were rolled up, I could hear him shouting nasty obscenities over the roar of his engine. I slapped both of my hands down on the hood of his car as I walked past, glaring at him as I went. Astoundingly, this stopped his ranting as he watched me. After I made it past him, I turned back and stuck my tongue out at him. I knew it was childish, but it felt good anyway.

  I made it to the sidewalk and frantically looked around as I headed down the side avenue. Kale was nowhere to be found. At this point, I was completely frustrated and not to mention, exhausted. I stood there for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do next. Going home seemed to be the only option. I would never be able to find Kale at this point. One foot in front of the other, I listlessly walked back in the direction from which I had come.

  It was starting to get later by the minute, and with the darkness came the brilliant light of the moon. It shined down on the sidewalk like a spotlight, leading the way home.

  People still crowded the streets, but, instead of men and women dressed in suits and ties, they wore fashionable club attire and were standing in line at some of the more popular local clubs.

  My dark clothes made it hard for people to see me, causing the hasty pedestrians to bump into me as they rushed past.

  Once I reached my apartment building, I looked up at the ten-story structure. All the windows shown dark, and I expected that the building was pretty empty. Most people were out enjoying the city. The building looked so lonely. I couldn’t bear to go in. I decided I would go sit at the bar and wait for Kale to return–I shouldn’t have tried to follow him. It was stupid of me.

  I approached the bar and peered in the windows to see how busy it was. Who knew how long I was going to have to wait until Kale returned, and I really wasn’t up for a crowded atmosphere.

  When I looked in, I was surprised to see that there was not one person sitting inside. I looked around the room, and just then something caught my eye. I stood paralyzed. Kale was standing behind the counter facing away from me, and I could see a female’s arms locked tightly around his neck. Although I couldn’t see their faces, I could tell it was an extremely intimate moment between the two of them.

  Every muscle in my body went tense, and I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until my lungs begged for air. This didn’t seem real. I started to argue with myself…. There had to be some logical explanation for all of this, although I could think of a single one.

  He lifted her up, setting her on the counter. When he did, her face rose above his shoulder. My mouth closed, and I swallowed the lump that was lodged in my throat. She was more radiant than anyone I had ever seen, and when she tossed her head back to laugh at something clever he must have said, her gorgeous, long, dark hair swept the countertop back and forth. It was Jen.

  My heart was beating so loudly it drowned out the noise of the streets. I inhaled an exaggerated breath that stung my throat, causing my eyes to release tears that had filled them. I was unable to deny all the facts laid out in front of me, and I began to shake with shock and disbelief.

  Jen looked through the window, catching sight of me. Her face paled and became serious and overrun with concern as we made eye contact. I walked a step closer to the window, pressing my hands against it. We held each other’s gaze for a moment, and when I couldn’t take it any longer, I pressed myself away from the glass and back away.

  Jen pushed Kale from her slowly and slid down from the counter, keeping her eyes locked on me, and just like that… I ran…. I ran faster than I had ever run before, and I didn’t look back. I could hear the
bar door fly open and footsteps run out on the sidewalk. I increased my speed, breathing so heavily my lungs hurt. I raced past people, bumping into some and knocking valuables everywhere, but I didn’t stop and only when I was sure that I hadn’t been followed, did I slow to a walk.

  Unknowingly, I had run several blocks before I realized I was in a part of town I had never been, but none of that mattered. I was out of breath, and everything was spinning. Voices on the street were muffled, and my vision was blurry. A voice in my head was screaming at me, telling me I was ignorant of believing that Kale ever really cared for me. What upset me the most was that I knew that voice was right. I knew better. I had pinned hopes and dreams, love, and trust on something that was real only to me, not to him.

  I approached a park bench and sat down. My chest was hurting, and I tried to make myself believe it was from running so hard and not the fact that I was completely devastated. I leaned down, placed my face in my hands, and cried. Tears streaked my cheeks, and I rocked back and forth, hoping to chase out the horrible feeling. I couldn’t be sure if I had sat there for minutes or hours. I pulled my feet up on the bench and wrapped my arms around myself to hold–what felt like–pieces together.

  It took some time to collect myself. I tried to sweep the imagines of Jen and Kale out of my head. Finally, I pulled myself together and walked home.

  Chapter 5

  Broken

  Back at my apartment, I unlocked the door and was about to enter when I heard a creaking sound down the hall.

  “Azaleigh?”

  “Oh hey, Mr. Parker.” I didn’t make eye contact. I was sure I looked quite the mess and didn’t need confirmation of it from him.

  “Honey, are you okay?”

  “Sure, Mr. Parker, just a rough night, that’s all.” To add to my feeling bad already, I remembered I was supposed to have had dinner with him tonight. “I’m really sorry I missed dinner.”