Lina 19
After a thirty minute impromptu detour, we were finally heading to Ever After. While Telor did beat me at ring toss, he also won me a choker and bracelet playing three-card Monte—he was scary good at it—so I guess I had to forgive him. He was being so playful today, I didn’t want to think too much on it and jinx myself.
“Thanks for talking me into going,” I said shyly, leaning my head down so my hair covered my blushing cheeks. “I had a lot of fun.”
He gave me a crooked smile, and said, “My pleasure.”
Telor grabbed my hand and pulled me roughly to his side. Our bodies were flush and my breath stopped.
“Trash can,” he said in my ear, nodding to the metal basket that I had almost walked into. “Are you always this clumsy?”
“Only lately,” I responded. “That trashcan came out of nowhere.”
“Obviously.” The remark would have been condescending if he weren’t smiling playfully. Reluctantly, it seemed, he released my hand and put a couple of feet between us.
Reflexively, my fingers busied themselves fiddling with the hemp choker around my neck. It was dark gray and had small inlaid beads. It wasn’t the same as my ring, but it had the same effect—it calmed and centered me. Maybe my ring was not as special as I’d thought it was.
I shook the bracelet down to my wrist. I wasn’t used to wearing something on my wrist. The only jewelry I ever wore was my necklace. An idea came to me, and I loosened it. Taking Telor’s hand, I slipped it on him. He raised his eyebrows at me.
“So you have something to show for your awesome three-card Monte skills,” I said, nervously. This whole morning was taking on an awkward first date feel. This was one of the reasons I was glad I didn’t date. I wasn’t good at it. Especially now, with Telor. His hot and cold attitude was hard to gauge. I was on the up and up today, but what about tomorrow? Hell, what about in an hour when we got back to work? “And thank you for the necklace.”
“I noticed you reach for your throat a lot,” he commented. How much did he watch me?
“I lost my necklace,” I said. “I’ve searched everywhere, it’s just gone. Fiddling with it has always been sort of a nervous habit. Before the necklace, it was my hair.”
“Are you nervous around me?” he asked, as he opened the door, his gaze locking with mine.
“No,” I lied. From the smug look on his face, he was not buying it either.
He put his hand on the small of my back and led me through the store. I wasn’t usually a touchy-feely type of person, but his hand was familiar and exhilarating. My stomach was doing all kinds of flips and turns, and I thought I might implode at any moment. He seemed to be perfectly at ease with it as well, his thumb moving up and down in steady strokes.
“Hello?” I said, stopping at the desk in the back and ringing the bell.
A middle-aged man with graying brown hair walked out of the office.
“You must be from the museum,” he said and shook my hand. “I’m David.”
“I’m Lina, this is Telor,” I said, and he shook Telor’s hand as well.
“Very good. I’ll get my wife out here to sign your paperwork,” he said to me, and then to Telor, “You think you can help an old man carry some boxes?”
“Of course, sir,” Telor said, and bent his head so his mouth was only inches from my ear. “Come find me when you’re done?”
I nodded as he followed David to a side door. A small thrill ran through me at the continued kindness in Telor’s attitude.
I scanned the glass cases against the wall. I loved antiques. It could be the history nerd in me, but I found the stories attached to each object fascinating. Scanning each shelf, I saw what looked like a framed map of Paris, Kentucky. An older one, from the looks of it, as some streets were not listed. It would make a perfect birthday present for Seline. She had one almost exactly like it for the other surrounding cities of Saebo.
“See anything you like?” a woman asked. I hadn’t even noticed that she had come out of the office.
“Oh, hi,” I said, holding my hand out to shake hers. “I’m Lina.”
“Bridgette,” she said, giving me a firm shake. “Were you interested in the map?”
“What? Oh, yes. It would make a perfect birthday present for my boss.”
She showed me the price tag, and I nodded. As she was ringing it up, Telor and David came back.
“Here you go, hon—” She stopped dead in her tracks. Coins went crashing to the counter, and Bridgette turned white as a sheet, like she’d seen a ghost. Telor was frozen as well, but recovered first, and started picking up the change from the counter. “I’m so sorry,” she finally said, breathlessly. Flustered, she reached for the remaining coins, giving his hands a wide berth. “You look so much like someone I used to know.”
“I thought the same thing,” I said, mostly to myself. There was a feeling in my gut that I was not entirely comfortable with. Dozens of bricks had fallen from the wall I’d been trying to break down, and I could see the light shining through from the other side. I’d bet I could blow on it, and it would fall to pieces, if only I could get close enough.
“I just have one of those faces,” he replied, only his accent was completely gone. He was hiding something. From her or me? Possibly both of us. “Catalina, I want to show you something before we leave.” He took my bag and the paperwork from her and led me out the back door.
“What was that about?” I asked him.
At first he didn’t answer, just shrugged.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said, and ushered me to a staircase at the back of the building.
The staircase led to the roof. This high up, the cold wind was stronger than it was on the ground. Telor led me to the far side and positioned me so I was standing directly in front of him, and whispered, “Look,” in my ear.
Goosebumps broke out across my neck and down my back and arms.
It was a truly beautiful sight, a person could see for miles. The building was not high, but it was the highest in this small town. Paris faded into houses then to small groves of trees, growing into large wooded areas and ending with vast fields of various crops. You could barely see the city from here. Paris seemed to be tucked away with its own natural bumpers, shielding it from the hustle of the city. It reminded me of why I loved Kentucky so much.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, turning so I could look at Telor. It took a little extra effort not to throw my arms around him. “Thank you so much. I needed that. It’s like you can read my mind.”
“Now, that, I think, would be the highlight of my year,” he said, taking a step toward me. His smile was mischievous, and his eyes were full of desire. “Your eyes are beautiful.”
I could have been wrong, but I was pretty sure he was flirting with me. Which didn’t make a whole lot of sense, since he didn’t even like me half the time. Today’s dreamlike quality was becoming surreal quickly. Caught in the moment, I stood silent as his eyes devoured me. The feeling deliciously tangible. He took another step forward, barely inches separated us now. Him being this close made it impossible to form any type of coherent thought. I needed space. I needed to think. Picking up one protesting foot, I took a step backward, away from him.
My calves bumped against the low barrier of the roof, and I lost my balance. I slipped backward, toppling over the edge. A terrified scream erupted from my throat, and I instinctively reached up to try to catch myself, and instead of seeing the wall like I should, I saw his eyes, his glasses gone. His mesmerizing eyes that mirrored my fear exactly. Deja vu shoved me straight through that pesky wall, and it crumbled to the ground in a heaping pile of rubble.
Memories that were lost to me filled my mind in a frenzy. Telor kneeling beside me in the snow, caressing my head and singing in my ear. Hearing Telor’s voice, seeing Telor and Cheyenne in Oasis, Cariad, sweet kisses on my forehead while I was sleeping, sleeping in the backyard, a large sterile looking apartment, and a motorcycle.
But most of all, I felt. I felt things that weren’t mine. An overwhelming sense of wanting—no, needing. The sense of rightness at an elemental, soul-serving level. Pure, raw determination.
I was brought back to the now by frantic whispering in my ear. Flashbacks faded and I could see again. I was sitting in Telor’s lap, his arms were wrapped around me, and he was rocking me back and forth, whispering words I didn't know in my ear. I didn’t recognize the language, but I could tell that he was worried. Beyond worried, he was terrified. His heart was beating frantically against my ear, and I could feel it as well as hear it. It matched the same fast rhythm of my own heart.
I should have been afraid. I should have been scared out of my mind. I should have run as far away as I could. But I couldn’t. The very core of my being wouldn’t let me. And I didn’t want to. I wanted…I needed this. My soul was feeling things my brain was scared to believe—that there was something going on here that we weren’t responsible for.
Telor’s anxious whispers became broken and desperate, and I didn’t think he’d realized I was awake yet. “God, please be okay. I’ll do anything, let her be okay,” he chanted.
“I’m okay,” I tried to say, taking one of his hands, but it came out as a hoarse whisper.
“Oh, thank God.” He took my face in his hands, looking me over, searching for any visible injuries.
His tense body relaxed slightly as he satisfied himself with the fact that I was indeed not dead. Then he shut off. The softness that had been in his eyes all day, the playful demeanor—all of it just stopped. In one swift blow, he went from the man I saw in my visions to the man I met three weeks ago. From fire to ice.