Ebony
Shelley had come up with the most amazing idea. An online boutique. I could dress people around the globe! Any doubts I’d had were answered when Charlene had told me to ‘Go for it’. I was still finding it strange talking to a newborn but then again my whole life had been one strange occurrence after another.
Feeling in a buoyant mood, I decided that even the moronic Henry wasn’t going to spoil my vibe and I would be amazingly nice to him all afternoon. I needed to make an effort for Shelley and Theo’s sake, and well, what was more annoying than someone you didn’t like being nice to you? Also, it might stop Shelley calling a House Meeting which would be extremely embarrassing.
I immediately made him a large mug of tea and walked up the stairs with it, having made sure there was nothing about the mug for him to find offensive. It was large, plain, and white, though no doubt he’d take it as a reference to his skin colour or say I was insinuating he was plain. The word fucktard came into my head and I giggled. Being around Kim and the girls had rubbed off on me a little after all.
I knocked on the door of the room I could hear him moving around in. The smell of fresh paint hung in the air, making me cough slightly.
Henry opened the door.
“Yeah?”
“I brought you a mug of tea.”
He eyed it suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because I just made hot drinks and thought you might like one.” I smiled at him.
“What have you put in it?”
“One sugar and some milk, just how you said you took it.” Oh I was enjoying this a little too much.
“Oh-kay, well… thanks.” He said, just as a vision of him tripping over a paint pot came to me.
“Oh my God, can you stop that thing with your eyes. It’s so weird.” He complained, stepping backwards towards the paint pot.
I dashed to it, moving it out of his path and stood up smiling again.
“That’s what my visions showed me was going to happen. You’re very welcome for the rescue.”
“It’s nothing to do with bloody visions. I was only not looking where I was going because you went all weird again. Have you been to see a psychiatrist at all?”
I smiled brightly at him again.
“Well do enjoy your tea,” I said. “I’ll bring you another mug on the hour as I’m around for the rest of the afternoon.”
I left the room highly amused at his confused expression.
Valentine’s Day arrived, and I was on my way to the living room when my phone rang.
Lucy’s voice echoed down the line. “Hey, Ebony. I have a hot date for you tonight. His name is Alexander and he’s a vicar. Can you meet him at his Parish at eight pm? He’s going to take you to a dinner and dance.”
“Sounds fantastic. Tell him I’ll see him at eight.” I ended the call.
Henry had just walked through the door. “You actually have a date tonight?”
“I do.” I smiled.
“That’s why you were nice to me yesterday. You’re getting some. Now all becomes clear.”
“Henry Marston. I have yet to have a date with the gentleman, and he’s a vicar, so I am sure there will be none of me ‘getting some’ as you so succinctly put it. However it will be lovely to get out for the evening and enjoy some hopefully pleasant company.”
“A vicar? Sounds positively riotous.”
I lowered my voice. “As for why I was nice to you yesterday, well, Shelley had spoken to me in the car and stated that if we continued to argue she was going to call a house meeting. Now I don’t want that, so I figure why don’t we just call a truce for however long I have to stay here to watch Charlene and you have to be here to decorate? I don’t mind making you the occasional hot drink, if in turn you could stop calling my having visions weird.”
“But it is weird.”
“To you, yes. To me, well I’ve been having them for years so it's as natural to me as breathing. Now when they were so painful they drove me to vodka and my bed it was more of a curse at times than a blessing, but at the moment I’m managing them fine which is putting me in a much better frame of mind. I want to enjoy myself while I can, Henry. Life’s short. Hence tonight I shall be waltzed around by a vicar at a dinner and dance, instead of being laid in bed with a migraine.”
“Jax has had a couple of migraines at times. I know they suck. Yes, let’s call a truce.” He held his hand out and I took it in my own.
It was warm.
It was strong.
It made goose bumps go up my spine.
Casually, I moved my hand away. I could tell he was staring at me.
Then it happened again. My sight went dark until a vision came at me. Only this time I felt my arm be grasped, and myself be steered and lowered. I was aware of the couch underneath my bottom.
As I came around from the vision Henry was looking at me. This time with concern in his eyes.
“Are you alright, Ebony? I really think you should see a doctor. It could be some form of epilepsy.”
“Is my handbag nearby?” I asked. He moved to the hallway and returned with it. A smirk tugged at my lips.
“What?”
“It’s just you’re all dark vested and muscly and carrying my pale blue handbag. It’s funny.”
He quirked a brow and passed it to me.
Rummaging inside, I pulled out my phone.
“Hey, Lucy. Yeah, it’s me. Cancel that date. I just had a vision of him with his lead chorister. Yeah, a man. I’m no one’s beard. You might want to ask him his application questions again regarding his requirements. Yes, I can hold.”
Lucy started clattering keyboard keys, and I heard her make a call on another line.
“Okay, so now you are meeting a Jasper Monroe. He’ll meet you at Hanif’s at eight-thirty.”
“Hanif’s, eight-thirty, Jasper Monroe. What does he do?”
“He’s a chef.”
“A chef! Oh fantastic. Hopefully this will lead on to him cooking me dinner.” I exclaimed. “Thanks, Lucy.”
“You have another date already?” Henry said, looking annoyed.
“Yes, why?”
“No reason, just thinking you probably should rest after your little fit thing.”
“It’s a vision, Henry.” I sat up straight. “There’s more in this world than you’re aware of. Why not try opening your eyes a little more to the world around you? I have visions. Not fits, not delusions, not epilepsy. Visions. I saw your girlfriend dump you and I saw the bird poop on your head. I saw the paint pot whether I caused it or not. Now you can believe me or not, but if I warn you of something and you ignore me, you’ve no one but yourself to blame.”
At that point Mary flounced into the room. “We’ve lots of visitors coming from tomorrow onwards, Ebony. I told them today was Valentines and they could get lost. I’ve got a date you know? The first since I was widowed. A date with a modern man. I can’t wait. He’s coming here at nine. It’s been a century since my last date. If only I could get changed.” She looked down at her cotton dress. Henry was turned towards me eye-rolling when she disappeared.
“A century. Likes to exaggerate does Mary, doesn’t she? And why does she wear the same thing every day?”
“Open. Your. Eyes.” I said to him again. Then I excused myself and left the room.
Dressing to impress, I put on a black fitted wrap dress and tongued my black hair into ringlets. A blue neon eyeliner made my eyes stand out, assisted by lashings of mascara. I added a bright red lip and I was ready to go.
“You look lovely.” Shelley said as she stood in the hallway rocking Charlene.
I can’t wait until I can rock some Louboutins instead of frikkin bootees.
I tickled Charlene’s chin. “See you later and I promise when you’re older I will make sure your clothes are on point.”
“Hey, what’s wrong with what she has on now?” Shelley protested.
A my daddys’ my hero top and the apostrophe is in the wrong place. Please tell her it makes it look like I have lots of daddies.
“You might want to take a closer look at that top.” I nodded towards it. I couldn’t make Charlene grow any quicker but I could help her mother’s wardrobe choices.
“Oh shoot. I took her to the supermarket in that an hour ago. Huh, I thought people were looking at me strangely.”
I arrived at the restaurant just before eight-thirty and was greeted by Rav.
“Has Shelley forgiven me for the bodyguard stuff yet? What did she say to Theo?”
“You’re safe. She told Theo she was pleased he cared enough to send a bodyguard around after her.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Then she held him up in the corner of the room with her webs and starved him of blood.”
“Oh my God, he’ll kill me.”
“Ah, I was just messing with you, Rav.” I laughed. “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“Ebony!” Rav smirked. “I’m seeing a whole other side to you. So, do you have a reservation because it's the night of lurve.”
“I do. I am meeting a Jasper Monroe.”
Rav did a theatrical bow. “Please, my lady, this way.”
I took a seat and ordered a glass of champagne. What the hell? It was Valentine’s Day. I had a hot date due to arrive any minute and no painful visions. What more of an excuse did I need to celebrate?
Then fucktard walked in with a blonde. Of all the places to come he had to bring his date here. He knew this was where I was coming. Why didn’t he change his own plans, or tell me he was coming here so I could have changed mine? I left the table and rushed to the Ladies bathroom. Hopefully by the time I returned my date would have arrived.
I poked my head out of the doorway. There was still no one at my table. I could see Henry looking around. He looked near where I was so I quickly shot back into the bathroom.
Five minutes later, I did the same again, to find Henry walking towards the toilets. I still had no date at my table.
Oh hell’s bells. I was going to have to hide again.
A loud knocking came on the outside of the door. I ignored it. It couldn’t be him surely? Then I heard Rav’s voice. “Ebony. Ebony are you alright in there?”
Goddamn him.
I walked to the bathroom door and opened it. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Rav. I was just reapplying some make-up.”
“Oh. It’s just you’d been a while so I wanted to make sure you hadn’t fainted with one of your visions or passed out drunk on vodka, or maybe got a stomach upset…”
“Well, like I said, I’m fine.”
“Right, well, are you going to stay and eat because it doesn’t look like your date’s arriving and my bosses are saying they could re-book the table twenty times over tonight.”
It was then I noticed that the door to the men’s was ajar, and it didn’t take me too long to work out that my conversation was being listened in on.
“My date cancelled actually, Rav. He called me while I was in the bathroom. He’s a top chef, and a well known pop star—whose name I couldn’t possibly divulge—offered him an obscene amount of money to cook for her and her date this evening. And he was willing to cancel this, for me. Of course I said no, you mustn’t. I am a modern woman and it’s fine if the man needs to work. I am perfectly capable of eating a meal on my own. So, if you’ll give me another minute to finish applying my mascara, I shall order my food. Thank you, Rav darling, though, for coming to check I was okay.”
I closed the door and leaned back against the cold tiles and then I quickly moved away because God only knew what got coated down bathroom walls. I stared at myself in the mirror.
You can do this.
You are strong.
Another vision blew across me. This time of Henry getting his penis stuck in his zipper. I could have done without the visual but it still made me feel better.
Looked like I wasn’t the only one who was going to find dating painful tonight.
And stay and eat alone was exactly what I did. I ordered another glass of champagne, along with the pickle tray, a starter, and a main.
Henry walked back to his seat. Thankfully his back was towards me. I watched the blonde’s face. She kept smiling at him but it didn’t meet her eyes. She wasn’t into him. Oh well, I guess as long as he ‘got some’ as he termed it, he wouldn’t be too bothered. I sat ramrod straight and savoured every morsel of my delicious meal while all around me Valentine’s Day things happened. A violinist came. He went to pass my table, but I stopped him and made him play. A woman walked around with red roses. She dropped one on my table and said it was from a secret admirer. I guessed Rav had given her the sad tale of my being the only singleton in Hanif’s on Valentine’s Day.
My meal eaten, I paid the bill and got up to leave.
Rav assisted me into my coat. “Thanks for the rose, Rav.” I picked it up.
“It’s not from me, Ebony.” He said. “Oh, I’ve someone else wanting to pay their bill. Take care and I’ll see you again soon.”
I walked out of the restaurant and headed down towards the sea front. Maybe my mind had been playing tricks on me with the whole wedding business? I had just suffered from the spell blocking my visions. It must have been some after effect. Perhaps I just wasn’t destined for love?
“Ebony. Wait up.”
“Oh God.” I muttered as I saw Henry rushing in my direction. I ducked into a side street to try to give him the slip. Right now, I didn’t need his pity, and he needed to get back to his date, although I guessed that now he was on his way here I should warn him about his zipper.
“Are you trying to get attacked, going down dark alleys? Why are you trying to avoid me when I know damn well you saw me?”
“Henry, get back to your date. Oh and I need to warn you-”
Before I knew what was happening Henry had pushed me back against the wall and crushed his lips to mine. A thousand thoughts hit me all at once.
What the actual fuck?
Get off me.
What about your date?
Oh his body is crushing mine.
His chest is rock hard.
That’s not all that’s rock hard.
His lips are hot.
He’s a great kisser.
Like my brain had left the building, I found myself returning the kiss hard. Henry’s hands traveled down the V of the neck of my dress, trailing across a breast and teasing my nipple.
I could feel his hardness pressing against me and I had the most random thoughts. I was living life right? Perhaps I should totally ‘get some’ outdoors, right now!
“I want you, Henry. Now. Here.”
His hands traveled to his zipper.
Oh God no. Was that what I’d seen?
“Henry. No.” I yelled. “Don’t.”
He backed away like I’d slapped him. “I knew it. Decided I’m not good enough for you, have you? Forget it. I’m an idiot.”
“No, no, let me explain.”
“Save it.” He said. “I hate bloody Valentine’s Day. Now get a cab home before you’re attacked, although it pains me to give a shit.”
He walked away and all I could do was watch as he went out of sight.