Thirty Five

"Bradley!" I called as soon as I laid my eyes on him. It was really unfortunate that my eyes watered as relief washed over me.

I turned my gaze toward the back lawn, beckoning to Bradley as I ducked under the window, searching for his car. It was a minute after nine at night. A light constant tap on my window woke me up.

Now Bradley stood under the tree in the backyard looking so human with a stone in his left hand.

"You came!" I shouted, unable to hide my enthusiasm.

"I believe you owe me a dance." Bradley said smiling brightly in the starless night.

“I…um.”

“Shall we?” he was suddenly holding a single blue rose in his hand.

“Okay.” I said while I locked the door from the inside and flicked off the light.

"I’m sorry about today." Bradley laughed at my startled face.

"How did you get up here so fast?” my voice was sceptical

He smiled. “You’ll see.”

I blinked dazzled.

He handed me the rose.

I blushed as I placed it on my desk.

“Ready?”

“Where are you taking me?”

“That’ll be ruining the surprise, now, wouldn’t it?” He winked. “It’s time I showed you why we don’t eat human food – besides the obvious – the reason we don’t touch salt. He motioned to his back with his hand.

“What?”

“Climb on,.” he said. “We don’t have all night.”

I clung to his back and held on tightly.

Suddenly I felt a sharp breeze on my exposed skin and shivered; when I looked down we were floating in the air, a strange glowing orange light wrapping us in a bubble.

I shivered and gripped Bradley around the neck tighter.

He laughed.

“Are we flying?” I asked? “Can those people see us?”

“No and no.” he said, I could hear a smile in his voice.

“I must be dreaming.”

“You’re not that innovative, Beth.”

I rolled my eyes.

He sighed. “I can teleport.”

I cringed.

Before I could ask my next question he was placing me down, the exhilarating aura disappearing along with his warmth.

“W-o-w.” I sighed. The cave was breath-taking; the stream outside the opening of the fissure glowed under the moonlight, the fireplace sparkling and crackling orange and red illuminating the cave in a dark glow. I held my breath.

"I hope you like it." His dark eyes flashed up to me again, their expression unreadable.

"No, it's great. “I grinned.

"Mm,” Bradley scowled and ducked his head while I fought back a sigh. “Are you hungry?" he asked, turning toward the blanket laid out on the floor.

“All this for me?" I asked. “I can’t possibly eat all this.”

"You’ll eat what you can." Bradley called over his shoulder as my eyes wondered around the cave; I couldn’t believe something so simple could be so beautiful. “Come here.” He said motioning with his index finger. He sat cross legged at the blanket.

He glanced up at me then, with a scornful smirk, and I stifled a gasp. His black shirt was long-sleeved, and he wore it unbuttoned, so that the sleek tan skin of his throat flowed incessant over the granite curve of his torso, his immaculate skin no longer solely veiled beneath a jacket. There was possibly no way this magnificent being could be my life-mate, I realised with a painful surge of anguish.

He stared at me, puzzled by my grief-stricken face.

“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked, his voice filled with pain and worry.

I shook my head.

"What's wrong?" he asked his placid voice surprisingly low.

"I’m sorry for what I did this morning.” I said.

“I behaved like a jerk.” He said. “I’m the one who should apologise.” He smiled my favourite crooked smiled. “Forgive me.” He added.

I nodded. It was hard to deny him anything.

“Come.” He said.

I didn't hesitate this time, walking to his side quickly and talking his outstretched hand. He was still grinning brilliantly at me, momentarily I forgot how to breathe and my heart forgot how to beat. He was viciously perfect. Looking at him I couldn’t see anything that could be improved upon.

I sat down slowly crossing my legs under me, never once taking my eyes off of him. He was still smiling, his eyes were cagey.

“I see we have some salt.” I said hopefully.

His smile disappeared and he sighed nervously.

I leaned towards him and he stilled: his breathing ceased. He had never looked more perfect.

I blinked. “Ow.”

He was perfectly still, as still as a statue. “Bradley?” I was worried.

He gulped.

I breathe a nervous sigh and took his hand in mine. “Can I?”

He nodded. He was just as nervous as I was as I slowly slipped the glove off his hand.

His eyes closed the second I had a pinch of salt in my hand. I sprinkled the salt over his hand and gasped.

Bradley was astonishing. I couldn’t be sure if I wasn’t simply dreaming, although I’d been sprinkling salt over his hands all night along, the sight was still surreal. Whenever a grain of salt landed on the smoothness of his tan skin, sparks literally flew, like fireworks in the middle of the night. He sat perfectly still in the blanket, his lids were shut, though they would flicker open every few seconds and watch me for something less than a second but his gaze never failed to make my heart flutter hopelessly. His perfect skin seemed to glow for a second before the grains would fly in a wonder of orange, pink, blue, green, red, and violet, the colours blending together before exploding in vapour that shimmered like fairy dust.

Every few seconds his lips would curl up at the edges as if he was practising a perfect smile, but they would freeze again into a thin line. When I asked, he said, it tickled when the salt touched his skin.

It would have been easy to let myself go, to let myself get lost in the moment, to smile whenever his lips twitched but I stared unblinking, unwilling to remove my eyes off his bewildering radiance. As if the salt wasn’t torture enough, the moonlight danced gloriously over his perfect features. It was getting harder to convince the small part of my brain that believed he was real, that he was created just for me, that I had the missing half of his soul.

Hesitantly I reached out with my hand to catch the glittering dust in my palm, thinking they would disappear, instead the glitter landed and tickled on my palm, shimmered for a second before disappearing into thin air. I marvelled at the phenomenal sensation. It was so foreign to me. When I looked up again, his eyes were open, watching me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. I wondered if he had any idea how charming his voice was.

"Fine. How are you feeling?

"No words can come close to how I feel whenever I’m next to you." His smile was blinding.

"Can I ask where we are?"

He grinned. “I usually come here when I want to be alone.” He shook his head. “I used to come here when I wanted to be alone.”

“You don’t want to be alone?”

“Not since I met you.” He said. “I never want to be away from you.” He sighed. “When I’m away from you I feel deficient.”

“Glad to know I’m not the only one.” I said returning his grin.

Victor was suddenly standing behind Bradley. His brown slick silky hair pushed backwards as though he was advertising a hair product, his innocent face flushed as though he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. His lean but muscular frame was poised and elevated as he smiled apologetically at me.

“Victor.” Bradley greeted without opening his eyes.

“Bradley.” His voice was impossibly low and deep as though he drunk a lot of dairy. It was attractive, trained to lure prey.

“Elizabeth, Victor and my impossible maddening cousin Zane – Zane, Elizabeth. He introduced us, gesturing casually over my shoulder with his hand, his lips pressed in a thin line. He still hadn't opened his eyes. I guessed he could sense their souls.

I followed his graceful movements to see Zane staring at me with awe, I dropped my gaze. She must’ve been six, she was adorable, her eyes a warm brown.

“Sorry man.” Victor mumbled throatily, his voice apologetic. “She was getting on mom’s nerves. You know how she gets when she’s excited. The house is stinking with her aura.”

Bradley hissed and opened his eyes to glare at his cousin.

She rolled her eyes at Bradley, scowling at him. When her gaze turned back to me, admiration replaced her glare. "Hello, Beth." Her soprano voice was cheery and her smile contagious. "I meet you at last." When she said this she glared at the both of her cousin brothers.

She was waiting for me to answer. I knew I had to say something but I felt giddy, as though I could crawl out of my skin.

Bradley flashed a dark look at her. “Lower your waves.”

I frowned. Was she doing this?

“Oh.” She mumbled. And then suddenly the feeling disappeared. “Sorry.”