Fear.
Julian was familiar with that word but never submitted to it. All he went through from his years as a kid till the present hardened him and thought him how to deal with fear. He had seen all sort of horror films. He had read all sort of horror books. Horror and thriller were basically his field of enjoyment. But yet as he sat across the beautiful parapsychologist, he couldn't focus on anything at all. Despite the cool air that wafted around the restaurant, he was sweating. His movements were jittery as his fingers kept drumming on the table. His eyes darted left to right at intervals. Earlier that day, he had taken permission to close from work early. He barely had the chance to speak to Nancy throughout. Even if he did, he wouldn't know how to explain his actions the previous day. He knew Nancy had her own disturbing thoughts: Cheryl. As nice as she was, adding his problem to hers wasn't a logical thing to do. Besides, the solution was sitting in front of him. Literally.
"Julian." Loretta called out to him.
She was dressed in a purple strapless gown that revealed a great proportion of her chest. Her red hair was tied upwards neatly in a bun. There was no makeup on her face. She didn't need any to be precise. Her natural beauty was enough to turn heads her way as she walked into the restaurant earlier with Julian. If Julian's mind wasn't disoriented at the moment, he would have noticed too.
"Julian." She reached out and placed her hand over his.
"Yes." He answered.
"I need you to calm down," She squeezed his hand softly. "Put your mind at ease."
Julian shut his eyes tight and breathed deeply. Opening his eyes seconds later, he stared at her.
"I'm fine." He said calmly.
"Good." She smiled, letting go of his hand. "That's a good start. Now may I know why this meeting was shifted to an earlier date?"
A deep furrow appeared on Julian's forehead as his eyes narrowed.
"I saw something yesterday." He said.
"The tattoo again?" She asked, tilting her head sideways.
He shook his head.
"No. I saw—"
"Excuse me, sir, ma'am, " Julian was cut off by the waiter who arrived at their table. "Your food. Sorry for the delay."
The waiter placed their food on the table along with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Bowing slightly, he left. Julian had ordered grilled fish and mashed potatoes while Loretta opted for roasted beef with salad.
"So," She picked up her knife and sliced a part of the beef "You were saying?"
"I saw something," He said. "A figure to be precise."
"Figure?" She said after swallowing a mouthful.
"Yes. I saw it yesterday. It was so abnormal and distorted. There was nothing that could classify it as human. It was so burnt and had long nails." A shiver went through his spine at the last sentence.
Loretta opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. She twirled her finger along the rim of the glass, staring intently into it.
"And again, you were the only one who saw it?" She asked, not looking at him.
"Yes." He nodded.
For a while, Loretta said nothing her hands still busy with the glass. Julian gave her an inquisitive look, wondering why she found the glass of wine interesting at the moment. Was that her method of getting a solution? She stopped abruptly and picked up the glass, taking a sip. She then turned to him, giving him a blank look.
"When was the last time you watched a horror movie?" She asked.
Julian was surprised. She took all the time in the world and that was what she could ask?
"Last week." He replied.
She paused again and shut her eyes. Julian began to get very angry and impatient. He ground his jaw and clenched his fists until his knuckles became white. Why was she behaving strangely? To be honest, he should have expected this kind of behavior after he met her the first time.
"You need to abstain from watching anything horror for a week." She opened her eyes.
"That's it?" Julian nearly cried out. "That's your solution? Is this a joke?"
"No Julian, " Loretta replied, all trace of humor absent in her voice "I'm as serious as death right. Now there's something I need to clarify. I want to ask you a question and I want you to be perfectly honest with me."
Despite his upset demeanor, Julian nodded.
"The first time you saw that tattoo, " She said, leaning back into her seat. "Did anything strange happen that day?"
Julian stared upwards as he thought back to that fateful day.
"Yes," He said. "It rained heavily but it stopped all of a sudden."
"Only that?"
"Yes."
Loretta stared at him with a thoughtful expression. After a while, she smiled.
"I guess I was right after all, " She said. "Your problem is a solvable one."
"How?"
"By doing what I said earlier."
"You mean staying away from horror movies for a while?"
She nodded.
"Look, I know it sounds ludicrous," She said, noticing the look of doubt on his face. "But you have to trust me. The time you watched horror movies, the day you first saw the tattoo, coupled with the rain and now this strange figure you saw is not a mere coincidence. There's something linked between all of them. Right now, your mind should be calm and devoid of anything fear."
Julian pondered over her statement. It sounded like a load of balderdash. Horror movies were the cause of his current predicament? That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life. But right now, he had no choice but to trust her. This was her field. He never believed in the paranormal and yet there he was, facing it. He didn't have a choice.
"Alright." He said.
He opened the bottle of wine and poured a glass for himself.
"I'll give it a try." He added.
It was just one week. What was the worst that could happen?
"Excellent!" Loretta grinned, raising her glass towards him. "Cheers?"
He stared inquisitively at her. Her smile did not waver. He shrugged.
"Cheers." He said.
They clinked their glasses together.
----------------------------
The cold air hit Julian's face as soon as he stepped into the apartment. Loretta's apartment. He couldn't fathom how she was able to convince him to stop by at her place after their date. She said there was something important she still needed to teach him. An additional technique to use to calm his nerves. He didn't understand why he needed that as she had already given him the solution.
"Make yourself comfortable," Loretta gestured to a seat. "I'll be right back."
She made her exit soon after. Julian reclined on sofa and observed her living room. It was quite lush. It seemed she had an affinity for purple. The rug on the ground was purple. The glass table in front of him was purple. Even a part of the living room was painted purple. Before he could think of his next action, footsteps were heard, and Loretta soon reappeared. Julian swallowed as he saw her change of attire. She was wearing a plain white T shirt which seemed too large for her with purple shorts that barely passed her thighs. Staring downwards, Julian discovered her toenails were painted purple. She held a bottle of whisky under her arm while her opposite hand held two small glasses. With a smile on her face which he couldn't explain, she sauntered towards him and sat beside him. She placed the whiskey on the table and set the glasses.
"Want a shot?" She tilted her head sideways at him.
"Sorry, I don't drink." He declined.
"Really? " Her nose scrunched up as her face showed confusion. "But you drank wine earlier."
"Non-alcoholic wine. Fruit wine to be exact." He clarified.
He suddenly felt uncomfortable at her close proximity, despite the alluring scent of her perfume.
"Miss Torres." He cleared his throat.
She frowned.
"Sorry," He blinked and shook his head. "Loretta."
She smiled.
"Why am I here again?" He asked.
"Isn't it obvious? " She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have a girlfriend? "
Julian blanched as he caught the look in her eyes after that question. She was now in his personal space and slung an arm around him.
"No." He replied.
"Have you ever been in a relationship?" She asked again.
Julian was perplexed at this state. Why all the sudden questions? Was this an interrogation of his personal and private life?
"No, I haven't." He replied.
He shifted backwards but she only leaned in closer, maintaining the small distance.
"Loretta, I think—" He began.
"Don't speak," She whispered, silencing him with her index finger to his lips. " Just let this happen. I'm trying to help you."
Whatever statement he wanted to make next was interrupted as she claimed his lips. Julian was immobile with shock as he experienced his first ever kiss. It wasn't for long as he relaxed and kissed her back. All reasoning left his head and he tugged at the bottom of her shirt. Getting the message, she gripped her shirt and raised it up. Julian opened his eyes as they kept their lips in contact. It was at that moment that he saw it. A purple cobra tattoo at her torso beside her navel. He couldn't explain it as the sight of the serpent made him easy. Something about this felt wrong. He quickly pulled away from her.
"I'm sorry," He quickly stood up. "We barely know each other. It doesn't feel right."
He ran a hand over his dark hair and looked around, avoiding her gaze. When he managed to look at her, he saw a strange expression on her face. Her eyes were focused squarely on him and there was a coy smile on her red lips.
"It's okay, Julian," She smiled. "I understand perfectly."
She stood up and walked towards him. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she whispered.
"Have a good night. Don't forget to try my method."
She nodded towards the door. Julian stared at the door and back at her.
"Good night. " She repeated. Julian noticed her smile faltering a little. The atmosphere suddenly felt different.
"Good night. " He mumbled.
Before he closed her door behind him as he left, the last thing he saw was a blank look on her face.