(Beckham)
My stomach was in knots. More of the strange images featuring Eva had floated through my head throughout the night. I was old enough, had experienced enough, not to believe in coincidences anymore. I knew these images meant something, that they possibly could be real memories, I just didn't know when they were coming from. Unlike Mason and Damon, I didn't know what I was, only that I seemed to be immortal since I had been hanging out with them for a few hundred years now. The only power I had seemed to exhibit was one of persuasion. It differed from person to person, but for the most part I could convince anyone to do anything I wanted. It even worked on Mason and Damon, although I had made a vow to never use it on them after they had been furious at me after I made them pretend to be chickens once in front of some beautiful nymphs.
I tried to search my memory for any point in time that seemed to be missing, but there didn't seem to be any gaping moments absent that I could find. I knew I could never voluntarily forget someone like Eva so there had to be something more at play. She already felt indispensable to me, like she was a part of my body that I could not live without. I sighed as I walked up the back deck stairs, up to the party. My head ached…and so did my heart. Of course Mason and I would fall in love for the first time in our existence, and it would be with the same woman. We usually didn't even have the same tastes in women. I had never contemplated this being an actual problem. I felt guilty. I already knew that Eva would be worth throwing away eons of friendship to have her, but I hoped that wouldn't be the price.
Vanessa was waiting for me by the back entrance into the party.
"Where were you?" she asked. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
I sighed and pulled a hand through my hair. "Just taking a breather from the party," I answered with what I hoped looked like a nonchalant shrug. "You know how I am about these things."
She nodded. She did know. I had been taking her to these events off and on for at least three years, and she knew I never enjoyed myself. Vanessa looked past me, out to the water. I knew she would see Mason and Eva still out there. She frowned when she did.
"Beckham…you had said you wanted to have a talk with me tonight about us," she said slowly.
I let out a sigh. I had wanted to avoid this conversation. I'm just glad we hadn't had the original talk I had planned at the beginning of the night, before I had met Eva, because then this would have been even worse. "Vanessa…I care about you…" I began.
"Stop, Beckham," she said softly, tears gathering in her eyes. "You were actually going to give us a chance weren't you? But then you met her."
I didn't know what to say, and my silence must have said enough. She put a hand on my face, seeming to be memorizing it. "Vanessa, I still value our friendship immensely. I don't want to lose that." I said meaningfully.
"Beckham. I can't be friends with you anymore, at least not for a long time. It hurts too much. I've been living for the moments I've been able to see you for the last three years. I haven't dated. I haven't even been able to look at another man. Please just do this for me. If you can't love me, please just leave me alone. But I should warn you…a girl like Eva is going to break your heart."
I stared down at her and finally pulled her into a hug, brushing her forehead with my lips. Vanessa had been there for me for all the craziness of my career and had been a good friend. But Eva…I knew with my whole heart that she would eventually become my everything. I would lose everything at the chance to be with her if I had to.
Vanessa stood on her tippy-toes and kissed me on the side of the mouth before turning to leave. Knowing what I needed to do, I pulled Vanessa to me so that she was facing me, and looked in her eyes.
"Vanessa. You are no longer going to have romantic feelings for me, and from this moment on I will not even be a thought to you. You will forget that we were ever friends. You will return to your home and feel at peace."
I didn't want to add the part about forgetting we were ever friends, but I felt that it was safer than running the risk she would continue to want to hang out with me and would fall back in love with me. I watched as Vanessa's pupils dilated.
She looked confused for a moment before shaking her head and looking up at me with confusion.
"Sorry, I must be a little bit drunker than I thought. Hope I didn't bump into you too hard," she said.
"No problem, it's a crowded room in here."
She looked at me for another moment before smiling and saying "Bye!" in a friendly voice. I watched her walk away, a little bit of sadness welling up inside of me at losing such a good friend.
Mason and Eva had just walked up the stairs after Vanessa left. "Ready to go?" I asked them. Mason looked a little upset and Eva looked pensive.
"Let's go," answered Mason gruffly.
We went to find Tommy to say goodbye. He whispered something in Eva's ear that made her blush before Mason pulled her away from him, giving Tommy a clap on the back before walking away. I saluted Tommy and turned to walk away as well.
"Beckham," said Tommy, calling after me.
I turned to look at him in question.
"She's not a girl you let slip away," he said.
For someone who seemed drunk ninety-nine percent of the time, I couldn't deny that he knew what he was talking about. I nodded my head and headed out after Mason and Eva to where the limo waited for us.