The Secret Trinity Unearth (11 page)

“I’m glad I chose this costume because tonight must be my lucky night. I did not realize you would be here, let alone that you were speaking to me again,” he said crossing his arms, waiting.

I looked down, “Well…what can I say. I am a sucker for leprechauns.”

I looked him over. He was wearing a top hat with a large four leaf clover glued to the front, a green long sleeve shirt, and a plastic bead necklace that had a pot of gold charm on the end. He looked charming and handsome, an irresistible combination. He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Will you be disappearing at midnight again, like Cinderella? I would just like to prepare myself for Monday.”

I bit my lip, and the guilty pit in my stomach churned. I had been so busy thinking about myself these past months; I tried not to think of how my sudden change of heart had affected Liam.

His expression showed what --panic, fear, sadness, anticipation? -- as he waited for my answer. I couldn’t let my supernatural stalker dictate my life anymore. I had never felt unsafe with Liam, the exact opposite in fact.

“I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. You did nothing wrong, and I would like to be friends. I would give you a hug but I think I would get glitter make-up all over you.” I held my breath, waiting for his reaction.

He sighed, “I’ll brave it,” and he uncrossed his arms pulling me into his chest. My ear rested on his heart and I took a deep breath as he held me. I could have stayed that way for the rest of the night letting the energy blanket me in warmth. Friends don’t typically hug for longer than five seconds, so I reluctantly pulled away.

We went back to the group to find Kayla next to the fireman deep into a flirtatious conversation, and Morgan was occupied with someone as well. I faced Liam and we talked for the rest of the night, catching up. It felt good to have him back in my life. It felt safe.

I wanted to tell him about my stalker and explain everything that had been happening, but something was holding me back. Maybe he could protect me or help me in some way. I kept my mouth shut, though, it all sounded so crazy. I was starting to think I was somehow imagining things, that my strange abilities could be causing mind glitches, creating delusions.

As we said goodnight, Liam made me promise that I would speak to him on Monday. I assured him he had nothing to worry about, and I even offered to buy him breakfast after class as an apology. He agreed and gave me one more lingering hug before parting ways. I still didn’t know if I could be with him, but I did know that I wanted him in my life one way or another.

Chapter 16: Background

I could not wait to have breakfast with Liam. I was practically giddy. We were no longer sitting next to each other in class and I regretted that I had made such a rash decision. He waited for me by the doors and we walked to the café where we had our first breakfast months ago. We sat down at the same table and ordered the same food.

“Well, I had my doubts but you kept your end of the bargain. You should let me buy breakfast, though.” Liam said with a pleased grin.

I shook my head, “No, it’s on me. You are not the one who has been a brat for two months. He crossed his arms. “True,” he said playfully. I wanted to change the subject. I felt guilty enough already.

“Tell me about Ireland. What is it like? Is your family there?” I asked. His grin quickly fell and his jaw clenched in anger. The mood swing surprised me.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly said, not knowing what I did to cause this reaction. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” I tumbled out my words as I looked at him, trying to place his emotion. He recovered and his face turned soft again.

“Ireland is the most wonderful place on earth. The whole isle is covered in rich green beauty. It is magical, like you.” He reached across the round table to stroke my cheek and my stomach swirled.

“Liam,” I said at length, and he dropped his hand.

“Sorry, but your eyes mesmerize me. I have difficulty controlling myself. Why don’t you tell me about your parents?”

“Well my Mom owns a little clothing boutique and my Dad is a lawyer. They are completely different in personality, but they have been married forever so I guess whatever they have going works.” I took a bite of my eggs. They were starting to get cold from sitting there uneaten.

He leaned into the table, “Do you have any siblings?”

I smiled, “I kind of think of Kayla and Morgan as sisters, but no, I am an only child. My parents adopted me when I was a baby,” I shrugged.

His eyes went wide, “That must be difficult to not know your real parents. Mine have both passed away. I don’t remember my mother, but my father was my hero. He died when I was fourteen.”

He lowered his eyes to the table. I tried to keep my composure. Liam was an orphan. Now I understood the reaction when I asked him about his family.

“I…I am so sorry Liam. That is… terrible.” I struggled with the words. I felt an overwhelming sense of compassion for him.

I had a typical, mostly happy childhood, but I did sometimes feel the loss of the family I had never known. It was nothing compared to Liam’s story. Having just a fraction of an idea of what that pain must feel like made me feel sick. I reached out and took his hand not knowing what to say. He kept his eyes down as he spoke.

“I did not mean to put a damper on the mood. It was years ago. I just wanted to share it with you.” He kissed the top of my hand. I almost started to cry but managed to stay strong.

“I am glad you told me,” I breathed out in a shallow voice.

The guilt of abandoning him these past months now overwhelmed me. That must have hurt him on a deeper level than I could have known. I was no better than Doug. I felt disgusted with myself for treating him that way, especially since he had forgiven me so easily.

The rest of breakfast was quiet but I continued to hold Liam’s hand, for his comfort and my own. His touch was warm and soft. I reluctantly unlatched our fingers when we rose from the table.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asked as we approached my building.

“I am going to practice in the dance studio, as usual, after I clean all the mirrors.”

As I said this he turned to face me, “I don’t suppose I could persuade you to skip it and have dinner with me instead, as friends of course.” He grinned, waiting for my response.

I bit my lower lip before I answered continuing toward the door, “I haven’t gone there to clean the mirrors in a while, and my teacher made a comment about me blowing it off last week. They kind of rely on me now. Since I had been cleaning them all semester, the custodian hasn’t touched them. Plus, it is nice to have some private studio time.” I sighed, regretting for the first time that I could not take him up on his offer.

“Okay, another time then. I will see you on Wednesday unless you want to call your Irishmen tomorrow. That is, assuming you kept my number in your phone.” He said, again turning to me when we stopped at the front door.

Not only did I still have his number, but I had looked at “Your Irishman” so many times wanting to call that I had it memorized.

“Yeah I still have it,” I answered quickly and my voice came out uneven. He cupped my right hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Then by all means use it,” he said, pulling my hand to his mouth as he kissed the top causing tingling sparks to pass through my fingers. I watched him walk away. With every step he took watching the distance between us grow, I longed for him more and more.

The rest of the day went by quickly. I could not stop thinking about Liam and how he fit so easily back into my life. It was as if he was meant to be in it all along. I went to the dance studio and got to work on the mirrors trying to take my mind off of him.

When I finished cleaning, I went to the smallest studio, as always. It felt cozy in there and it didn’t have viewing windows like the others. I liked the privacy, especially if I was ever able to let go enough to fly. It had been years since I had, but just in case, I did not want to risk any passerby seeing me.

My mind was too consumed. I was having trouble relaxing. I hadn’t allowed myself to be alone much since the stalker cornered me in the stairwell. After stretching and working on some moves from my modern dance class; I scanned the music on my MP3 player searching for inspiration. I came across the song from my senior recital last May. At my dance academy back home anyone graduating from high school had the opportunity to choreograph their own solo and perform it at the recital.

It felt so long ago. I had just turned eighteen, and I couldn’t wait to come to the city to start fresh, live on my own, and begin to feel like an adult. I had thought maybe I would even come to terms with myself, supernatural and all, except nothing has gone as planned. I had still allowed someone else to dictate my life like I was a little kid under my parent’s roof.

I had chosen to do a lyrical number for my senior solo, a mixture of flowing ballet and jazz intensified by the emotion of powerful music. I used a song called, “Who You Are
”
, which was fitting at the time. It was a song about an emotionally wrecked woman who was confused about her path and struggled to show who she really was inside. It suited me now more than ever, and I felt a surge of bravery as I took a deep breath cleansing the fear from my soul.

I flicked off the light switch on the wall and pushed play. As I slowly strolled to the center of the room, I closed my eyes concentrating on the sound of my heartbeat. The room was dark, and I allowed the red glow emanating from the exit lights to fill me. I took two more deep breaths, waiting for my queue.

I began with a triple pirouette turn letting my thoughts soar out as I spun. I could feel the tension in my muscles starting to melt away as my arms cut through the air. My hair was loose, hitting my face as I turned. My leaps were higher than ever and my movement felt easy and graceful.

As I let the words of the song to sink in, motivating my emotion, I could feel my mind letting go. When the song faded to an end, I faced the back corner of the room concentrating on my now racing heartbeat. I closed my eyes and felt my toes tingle with energy. I was about to fly. I had been waiting for this moment for years. The sensation was working its way up my spine. Weightlessness shimmered through me. Then, the sound of clapping reverberated in the room, and I swear to god, my heart stopped. I spun around throwing my hands to my chest, trying to breathe again.

“Sorry, it’s okay. It’s just me, Ari.” Liam had scared me half to death. I had thought for sure it would be Mr. Black Fire before I turned to face him.

“Wow. That was incredible. I have never seen anyone dance like that!” His warm smile looked bright, even in the dark ruby glow of this room. He was leaning on the door frame and pushed off to walk toward me. I could see us from every angle in the full length mirrors as he walked, and I liked watching the distance between us close.

I couldn’t wait for him to get to me. I started to walk and met him in the center of the studio. He stopped in front of me less than an arm’s length away. Without thinking I put my hand to his chest and my whole body hummed with pleasure. I looked up at him to bask in the wonder of his perfect face. He opened his mouth to speak but I lifted up my free hand covering his lips to keep the silence.

I examined his clean shaven face, so soft and smooth under my fingertips. If he had waited for three more seconds he would have seen me float off the ground, exposing my secret, but for the first time in my life I didn’t care. I wanted to show him every part of me, and soon I would tell him everything. But before I did and he ran away for good, I had to try it, just once. He was searching my eyes, and I answered his silent question without a word.

I went up on my tip toes and moved my hand from his mouth to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. I closed my eyes letting the red glow soak through me as his soft lips touched mine. A tingling rush went through me so inexplicably potent I thought I might float right then and there.

He put his hands on the small of my back, pulling me close until our bodies were touching from head to toe. I wrapped both my arms around his neck, kissing him deeper. He opened his mouth and I could taste the sweet candy of his tongue. As our kisses became more intense he brushed my cheeks with his fingertips and glided them down my curves until he grabbed onto my waist pressing me into him. Butterflies filled me, threatening to burst through completely and fly away.

I arched my head back and he kissed my neck, caressing it gently with his full lips. I found his mouth again and my knees were starting to feel weak. The pleasure was too intense to balance on my toes. I went flat on my feet but he bent down with me keeping his lips connected to mine. He kept bending down with his hands supporting my back as he laid me gently on the wood floor. His body was pushed into mine and I could feel the weight of his athletic frame on top of me. My back pressed hard against the wooden floor as our kisses became more passionate.

I wanted to keep going. I had been imagining this embrace since the day I met Liam. I wanted to hold onto the amazing energy generated by his lips on mine, but I knew if we kept going we wouldn’t be able to stop. I sunk into the shape of his body with one more deep kiss, before I put my hands on his chest and pushed up, separating our lips.

Slightly stunned by our sudden separation he looked at me, breathing heavily on my cheek. Then his eyes flickered understanding my message. He gave me a single soft peck before rolling off of me. He laid there speechless, spread eagle with his back on the floor catching his breath. After a few minutes of silence Liam rolled on his side, propping up his elbow to rest his head in his hand. He slowly scanned my body his face bursting with delight. He looked beyond pleased by this turn of events.

“Aye, now that’s what I call a hello. And here I thought I would have to beg just to persuade you to go out to dinner. Is that how you’re greeting all your friends now?” He quipped. I sat up and crossed my legs giving him a teasing glare.