Cast & Fall (25 page)

As
I tried to process his expression and waited for him to say a word,
he stood up extending his hand to hold mine. “Not here,”
he murmured.

“
Come
with me, I want to show you something.” My feet automatically
obeyed like
magnet.
I gave my right hand and he took it firmly and gently. My feet
followed him to the door out to the parking lot as we passed by two
men intently chattering while drinking coffee; they gave us blank
stares as we passed their table.

The
paved cobblestone walkway seemed to glide off from under us, as we
swiftly headed out to his black truck. He opened the passenger door.
I sat and put my seat belt on. He went around to the driver’s
side. As soon as he got in and closed the door, he turned the key and
the engine roared. The truck rolled slowly. Then, we were—flying.

The
car became quickly filled with his intoxicating scent, making me
dizzy. I couldn‘t think clearly. For the briefest of moments, I
allowed myself to drown in the exhilaration. I couldn’t quite
remember much of anything, except that it was late afternoon and we
were both quiet on the way to wherever we were going.

When
I realized the car accelerated to a speed I have never experienced
before, I automatically stiffened in my seat, almost getting sick.
The thought of an impending doom hovered in my head, caught in my
throat.
How
fast are we going?
I
had
a
major
accident once and I wouldn’t want a repeat—that can’t
be 110!
.
. .
Is
it?

He
suddenly locked his eyes on me. He must have realized I was on a
brink of a full heart attack. “I’m sorry. Did you prefer
I drive slower?” he released the pedals automatically.

“
Y…E…S!”
I yelled—
Is
that even a question. Driving 90 is completely illegal, 110 is death!
.
. .
now
where’s my heart?...oh right. It got tossed in the—back!

I
adjusted and readjusted myself in my seat and glanced outside the
window, still trying to slow down my heartbeat.

Very
bad driver?—check! I wondered what other dangerous things he’d
been hiding?
We
were driving much slower this time but I still couldn’t find a
way to settle my nerves.
“
Do
you mind If I open the windows?” he asked casually at probably
realizing the intensity of my response to the scent that filled the
air.

“
No,
I don‘t mind,” I whispered. He slowly opened the windows,
letting the cool breeze in. It was a little chilly now. Extending his
right hand to the back seat, he pulled a black Levis jacket and
handed it to me.

“
Thanks,”
I mumbled under my breath. I placed the jacket on my shoulders,
letting the arms drape to the side. The drive was a good half hour.
But I think we got there in fifteen. The truck rolled slower.
“
Here
we are.” He cut off the engine and docked a few yards from us,
along a stretch of a wooden path, I could easily make out a few rows
of boats and yachts and the crisp glimmer of the ocean.

He
untangled his seat belt and came out of his side. He opened my door
and extended his right hand. I took it eagerly. I felt the warmth of
his skin against my now too cold, almost freezing hand. Our hairs
bristled in the wind. He flashed a soft smile in my direction as he
gently pushed the door handle. I still had the jacket draped on my
shoulders, but Tristan anchored his left arm around me as we walked
along the dock, toward a striking and very white, tri-deck vessel.

I
can’t believe he took me in his boat
…
or
is it a yacht?

As
I assessed it longer, I noticed the written word, ‘
Amaranthine'
on
it's side.
It
was the most beautiful boat I had ever seen and no doubt very
expensive. It was at least a hundred feet long.

“
Is
it yours?” I asked wide-eyed, as I continually admired it’s
glossy white paint and very intricate details as it floated on blue
waters.
“
Yes,”
he said in a flat voice. I wondered briefly how his paycheck could
afford such a luxurious yacht.
No…there’s
no
way his paycheck could afford this yacht.

“
If
you can afford boats like these…why do you work at the
restaurant?” I kept my tone light. He looked at me and smiled.
That was his answer.

“
So
you’re not going to tell me?” my voice sounded
disappointed.

“
It’s
sort of a long story…I’ll tell you later.”
What?…why
can’t you give me short answers like…well,
Katheryna…because my family is wealthy or I won the lottery or
maybe because I saved up for a while…oh no, maybe it’s a
long story because…he’s doing something
illegal—something dangerous.

He
took my hand as we clambered our way up, then with both hands and to
my surprise, he grabbed my waste and with no effort carried me to the
ledge. My feet wobbled a little but Tristan steadied my footing. As
soon as my feet were planted securely, we slowly made our way into
the bottom cabin. I came down admiring the inside—all polished
wood and details
—
sleek
and modern.

“
This
is really yours, right?” I had to confirm. I’m really not
about to risk my future for some—
breaking-and-entering-juvenile-shit!

“
You’re
mad?” he asked sternly.

“
No.”
Why’d you ask? my throat was suddenly dry. My heart was
thumping loudly.

He
chuckled. “No reason.” Just then, he walked further and
opened a drawer and pulled out some papers. He handed them to me.
“
You
drew these?” I asked in admiration. They were sketches of
several beautiful landscaping. They almost looked like black and
white photographs. “These are beyond amazing.” my voice
in awe.

“
You
can keep them if you want,” he offered.

“
Oh,
no…I couldn’t.”

“
Please…I
really want you to have them,” his eyes, smoldering.

“
O…kay…thanks.
This is really amazing work. You could do this as a career, you
know.” He smiled distant.

“
I’ll
keep that in mind.”

I
didn’t know how long we’ve been there but I suddenly
noticed it was dusk.

“
Will
you come out to the main deck with me?” I didn’t know
what to say. A momentary flick of reality dawned on me and all of a
sudden I was terrified.

Have
I been this stupid as to go with a stranger who intensely hated me
not too long ago and go on a boat at night. Did Steve forget to warn
me about putting myself in situations that I knew carried some risks
or did I not heed any of them, including the one from the hospital.
Why was I not scared before?…what was I thinking?…that
below the deck is safer than the upper deck! Clearly if he was to
harm me, he could do it here and then drag my lifeless body up on
deck and toss them out to sea…

I
tried to fake the fear in my eyes and tried to suppress the simmering
panic within me, but it seemed, he had already read it in my
expression.

“
Trust
me, it will be okay,” he said as he grabbed my left hand and
guided us up on deck. The water was dark like an abyss
—
never
ending. I was still afraid. Dark water is not something I can ever
get used to. Since I was a child, dark things scared me
—
dark
places, dark water, dark shadows. “Don’t be afraid I have
you and I will never leave.” The last part he said so softly, I
barely heard the words.

“
Come
sail with me!…we will come right back.” His magnetic
eyes and sizzling smile was irresistible. Although, no words came out
of my mouth, and despite a trace of hesitation, I gave no protest to
the idea. Up until now, I was still clueless to the clashing emotions
I felt for him. It was irrational. Illogical. I feared him and felt
safe around him almost at the same time…and I found myself too
drawn to him. He led
us
up to a small encased room which housed all sorts of switches. I
couldn’t concentrate on the names, the only one that stood out
was the word,
helm.
Suddenly,
the boat’s engine sputtered and we began moving and we slowly
drifted away from shore. Not even a minute passed before…
“
Come,
let’s go back to the main deck.”

“
Are
you sure, we don’t need to be here to steer this thing?”

“
It’ll
be fine,” he smiled. His voice was reassuring. Still, the
expanse of the ocean terrified me. I wasn’t entirely sure why
the dark ocean was so much more terrifying when just hours ago, it
was the same sparkly blue water—
beautiful
and breathtaking
.

Out
in the water, It looked like the darkness went on forever as it met
the sky. I breathed in expectation of clean refreshing air. It was
just as I had imagined
—
soothing,
but yet it felt like it could swallow the ship whole. He stared into
my eyes as I met his. His eyes were a darker shade of gray, a deep
gray like the ocean at midnight. The light in his eyes were almost
gone. How strange.

The
wind blew his hair, making his sexy messy hair, wilder than ever. As
our eyes locked, I can feel my body drawing toward him, the pull felt
strong and I was too weak to resist. “Katheryna, he said my
name like a whisper. He leaned closer. Our bodies inches apart. I
breathed the heavenly scent coming off of him, making my head spin.
My heart was pounding.

I
waited. Suddenly, he pushed me away gently, closing his eyes as if he
was trying to catch his breath. A brief confusion passed my mind. He
exhaled and a deep sigh followed. He opened his eyes and a half smile
passed his crooked lips.

“
Why
don’t we talk!” He smiled briefly before his left hand
grabbed mine, leading us to the ledge even closer. I hesitated,
feeling a strong tug of war in my thoughts. My feet couldn’t
move. Then a sudden gush of courage overflowed and my reservations
began to disappear. I held on to the ledge as I peeked below, seeing
the dark layers of water. My fear vanished. A spread of calm washed
over me. I felt amazingly carefree.

“
Katheryna,
I don’t want you to ever be afraid…don‘t be afraid
of me.” The words were distinct….separate…so
unexpected. I whirl of questions spun in my head.
Why
is my reaction to him such a mystery? Why am I attracted to him in a
way I have never been to anyone before
?
Whatever reservations I had before seemed to have completely
vanished in that moment.

“
You
know I was afraid of you when we first met,” he stated
casually. What
?
that sounded like a line
.
I decided to keep silent. I wanted to know more and keeping my
questions and comments to myself for now was the only way to unlock
the mysteries of him. Though, a word was caught in my
thoughts—him…afraid? The words all seemed familiar
enough but those words together had completely thrown me off. I went
back to recalling our first meeting—the one at the café,
when I slammed into him and those eyes, the cold and heat and the
strange feeling of déjà vu. I couldn’t imagine
him being afraid then.

“
That’s
why I was so rude that day at the café…it’s not
everyday I meet someone that I’m completely attracted to.”
Attracted
to?
The
words floated in my head—unable to attach them from my previous
encounters with him and even when his words came out so clearly, I
still questioned whether I heard it right.
Was
this part of the personal problem he mentioned before?

“
So,
you’re rude to someone you’re attracted to?” I
repeated his words for
confirmation.
I needed to know what he meant. But I had to finally ask. I was still
very
much lost.
That
statement definitely did not make sense.

“
Well,
in this case, it’s a good thing—for your sake,” he
said without the slightest
hint
of humor in his voice. It was hard keeping up with Tristan’s
convoluted confessions. As if he was answering a question just enough
to send me back to the whirl of questions that has now just popped up
in my head again.