Crossroads (23 page)

I tried to make him feel better. “See,
those evil beings don’t have souls. You’re not like
them.”

He gave a half smile and said, “I see
your point.”

I didn’t believe him; his eyes said
otherwise. I could imagine his guilt for killing who knows how many
alkins. I could also imagine the pain of trusting someone like
Aden, only to discover that he was brainwashing you to do his dirty
work.

“
So Aden can’t just appear
at the Crossroads like I did,” I confirmed.

“
No, but now he is out for
revenge and it doesn’t matter who gets in his way.”

“
Is that why you have that
glowing ring around Halo City?”

“
Yes. That glowing ring
around Halo City is what keeps soulless beings out. You’re very
observant.”

“
It’s not like it’s not
obvious or anything. It just sticks out like a sore thumb. How can
anyone miss it? It glows brighter than the sun.”

Michael laughed. “Yes, it is, but it’s
not as bright as your smile.”

I smiled, flattered by his words, and
looked away shyly.

“
What pleases your eyes?”
he asked.

“
You,” I said without
hesitation.

He smiled. “Besides me, what pleases
your eyes?”

My hands immediately touched the
crystal necklace he gave me. “Butterflies,” I said quickly. I
didn’t know why he was asking me that question.

“
Butterflies it is,
then.”

I gave him a look that questioned his
reply, but he didn’t answer, so I didn’t pursue it. As we continued
to walk, I guessed it was probably almost noon. That would explain
the rumbling sound coming from my stomach. Suddenly he covered my
eyes with his hands. “We’re almost there, and I want to surprise
you, so don’t peek.”

I nodded as he slowly guided me,
directing me with his hands. Although I totally trusted him,
something about walking blindly made me hesitant.

“
Where are you taking me?”
I asked curiously.

“
Shhh…,” he whispered in
my ear. “We’re almost there.”

“
Why are you whispering?”
I asked, whispering back.

“
We don’t want to disturb
them.”

My mind ran rampant trying to figure
out what he wanted to show me.

“
Close your eyes, and keep
them closed,” he demanded as he scooped me off my feet.

I guess I should be used to having him
carry me that way, but it amazed me how effortlessly he did it. I
wasn’t sure, and my mind could have deceived me, but I felt like I
was floating. My sense of smell was out of control. A rich,
pleasant scent was filling the air around me. “Open your eyes,
Claudia.”

It took me a few seconds to readjust
my sight, but it was worth the journey to be here. I was surrounded
by a variety of flowers. The beauty of their colors and the
variations were indescribable. I was amazed by the splendor. I
stared at Michael smiling, and I was speechless.

“
How?”

“
Shhh…”

Now I knew why he was whispering and
hushing me. Gradually he walked away from me, tiptoeing. He started
to brush the tops of the flowers with his hands, and hundreds and
thousands of butterflies fluttered off the ground right in front of
my eyes.

“
Wow!” My whole body
exploded with joy and excitement to see this magnificent sight.
Overwhelmed by their presence, my stomach fluttered right along
with them.

Butterflies of every color, looking as
if they were painted with patches of bold bright reds, oranges,
blues, purples, and yellows, all intertwined, overlapping each
other. As I continued to follow their path, I squinted at the
brilliant sun in the cloudless sky. It blinded me for a split
second, and then I saw that the butterflies were returning,
circling around Michael and me—all of them dancing in the sky. Each
knew its location and position with such precision, never colliding
while reaching higher and higher to form a tunnel.

Countless butterflies, circling around
us, gave me chills as I could feel the air gently flowing from
their wings. It was incredible to experience such beauty of color
and grace so close within reach. Gently Michael embraced me from
behind and extended our arms, which allowed them to brush against
our skin. I giggled as the soft wings tickled us through and
through. Shortly after, they disappeared, moving upward until I
could no longer see them. I turned to face him and looked at him
inquisitively.

He immediately responded as if he
could hear my thoughts, “No, they do not belong in your
world.”

I didn’t ask any more questions about
them because I knew it was his way of showing me how much he cared.
It was a gift, and I wasn’t about to spoil it. He grabbed my hand
and led the way again. “Let’s go. You must be starving.”

“
Not really,” I
lied.

How could I think of food when I was
at a place full of magnificence? Even though I had lied to Michael
and to myself about not being hungry, loud rumbling sounds gave
away the fact that I was starving. He frowned and glared at me for
not telling the truth.

“
Okay…I’m starving,” I
said while rubbing my stomach as it continued to rumble. We
couldn’t help but laugh. As we continued to walk, I had a thought.
“So if I told you that frogs pleased my eyes, I would have had
countless frogs in front of me?”

He chuckled, “You don’t look like the
type of girl who would actually like frogs.”

“
Well, only if one could
turn into a prince,” I said with a smirk.

“
Too bad, princess,
because the only frog you’ll ever see is this one,” he said,
planting a kiss on my forehead.

He led me toward some trees, and I was
happy that I didn’t have to step on the flowers. Instead, there was
a path, one so small that you couldn’t see it from a distance. He
led me under a tree and it was impossible not to appreciate its
beauty. The grandness of the tree and its leaves provided us shade
from the sweltering sun. I was startled by the unusual size of the
leaves. They were quite large, like nothing I had ever seen before.
Michael was watching me, seemingly amused by my delighted reaction.
He pointed to the ground. “Let’s eat.”

In front of me was a blue blanket with
a brown wicker picnic basket on it.

“
How? When?” I
asked.

“
I knew you would be
hungry, so I asked Davin to whip up something to eat. Are you okay
with this?” he asked.

“
Okay with this? This is
perfect,” I said, tugging at him to sit next to me.

The picnic blanket was so soft, and
the aroma bursting around me made me spin out of control with
hunger. I didn’t want to be rude, so I waited patiently for him to
move first. I watched him take a few items from the basket, placing
the containers in front of me.

Wanting to help, I carefully opened
the lids so I wouldn’t look clumsy. Inside the containers were
various dishes: fried rice, Kung Pao chicken, and
vegetables.

“
I can’t believe he cooked
all this, but where?” I asked curiously. I made a mental note to
myself that I should thank him the next time I saw him.

Michael looked amused, trying to hold
back his laughter. I began to wonder what was so funny.

“
It’s called Chinese
takeout,” he finally said, smiling.

I sat frozen, feeling like a huge
dork. I had to redeem myself, but I didn’t know what to say. After
I cleared my throat, I said, “Good choice.” Then it dawned on me
that I didn’t know if he actually ate. “Are you going to eat with
me?” I asked indirectly, hoping he would understand what I was
trying to ask him.

“
I’m not hungry,” he said,
taking a fork and a napkin out of the basket, placing it next to my
plate.

His answer did not satisfy my
curiosity. While I glanced at my plate, I was dying to ask him the
question. I wasn’t sure if he would feel comfortable answering, but
curiosity overwhelmed me; I had to know. I asked hesitantly, “Can
you eat?”

He gave a big grin. “Took you long
enough to ask me.”

“
I…what? I…” I fumbled my
words from his unexpected comment. He knew what I was trying to ask
him, but he was playing games with me. He didn’t let me
finish.

“
Yes, if I wish. But I
wouldn’t starve to death like you if I didn’t.” He winked. “One of
the perks of being who I am.”

I grabbed the fork as gracefully as I
could, and positioned myself to eat like a lady. I didn’t want to
embarrass myself again. He lay on his back, arms behind his neck
and legs crossed. He looked relaxed as he watched me
eat.

“
This is sooo good,” I
said, speaking nervously. He focused his eyes on me more intently,
readjusting to his side, lying there comfortably.

Suddenly, he got up and wiped a bit of
sauce from the corner of my mouth with a napkin. How sweet, I
thought, relishing this kind of attention. After I ate the last
delicious bite, he tapped the blanket next to him, motioning me to
lie down. As we lay, he opened a container that was next to him.
Inside were the biggest strawberries I had ever seen. My eyes
opened with delight, like a child who was given a huge
lollipop.

“
Strawberries are my
favorite fruit,” I said excitedly.

“
I know,” he replied. He
immediately placed one in my mouth. Every bit was amazing, and
every bite was sweet as any other.

After he watched me eat a few, I
seductively brushed a strawberry against his lips. He moved
slightly forward, ready to take a bite, when I pulled it back
playfully. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he gave a loving
smile. I teased him once more, but this time he was too fast for
me. “Delicious,” he said and ate the whole strawberry.

“
You can eat after all,” I
said, giving him a sly smile.

“
Poor Adam. Now I know why
he couldn’t resist taking a bite of the forbidden apple from Eve.
Women are dangerous,” he said and gave me a playful look. Without
warning, he flipped me over onto my back. His hands pinned me down
as he straddled lightly on my hips.

“
Hey, no fair.” I tried to
wiggle myself out of his hold, but it was no use.

“
You’re hot,” he said, out
of the blue.

I blushed at first, but then
understood that he meant the literal meaning of hot. He noticed my
flushed face and the dampness on my body. I didn’t care about the
heat since I was too absorbed in being with him.

“
I’m fine.” I lied again.
“It’s probably the sweats I’m wearing.”

“
You can take it off. I
promise not to look,” he said, teasing me as he released
me.

“
What?” I said.

“
Well, either way, I can
see right through your clothes if I wanted to,” he smiled and
turned.

“
What? Seriously?” Quickly
I placed both of my arms in front of my chest and grabbed the blue
blanket to cover even more. “You’re like Superman or
something?”

“
Superman? Who is
Superman?”

“
Never mind. He’s not
real,” I said, feeling irritated that he didn’t tell me
earlier.

He looked confused. “I guess I didn’t
tell you. Don’t worry. That would be an invasion of privacy, and I
wouldn’t do that to anyone. I can control my vision.” He
blushed.

“
That’s some power,” I
said, wondering what else he was capable of doing.

“
Sometimes I
can’t.”

“
What?”

“
Just kidding. Don’t
worry.”

“
Can you see through
walls?” I asked, fascinated.

“
Yes, but let’s not talk
about it. I know a perfect place to cool off. Here.” He reached for
me, wanting me to get up, but I continued to hold onto the blue
blanket. I didn’t budge.

He reached for me again. “Trust me,”
he said with a serious tone.

When I extended my hand, he grabbed it
and pulled me up. Unexpectedly, he ripped the bottom half of my
sweat pants with his hand. I was surprised how perfectly he cut
them. He did it so fast that I didn’t have time to react. Then he
took off his T-shirt. It was the first time I saw his perfectly
ripped muscular chest. His tight, cut, defined six-pack abs,
flawless in form, and chiseled biceps, were unforgettable. The
sight of him shirtless made my temperature rise. I had to fan
myself with my hands, pretending it was the heat, and not
him.

I felt extremely embarrassed and
looked away. It was hard not to stare. He looked so sexy. It took
some self-control not to throw myself at him.

My eyes glued to the ground and I
said, “Just because you can see mine doesn’t mean I want to see
yours.”

He chuckled. “Here, put this on.” He
grinned as he handed me his T-shirt. “I’ll turn my back. I promise
not to look.”

“
Oh, thanks,” I said,
wanting to kick myself for saying something stupid.

When his back was to me, I asked half
jokingly, “You don’t have eyes behind your head, do you?” I knew
that question was ridiculous, but I asked anyway. After all, I
didn’t know what else he could do.