Destiny (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

But I didn’t know what to say either. And I knew that if I said something stupid right now I’d risk spoiling everything. He could still change his mind.

I pulled my gaze away from him, and started walking home again. We walked along in silence for a few blocks, and when he spoke it startled me.

‘I’ve never met anyone like you before. You … laugh at me. In a good way,’ he said.

‘Do I? I mean … yeah, well … I guess so …’ I replied, not knowing whether to take his words as a compliment or not.

‘You do … and it’s just what I need. I know I can be rather … serious … and maybe even a bit intimidating at times.’

‘Intimidating? No … well, maybe … I mean … yeah, you seem to be very serious … and you … frown a lot.’

‘Maybe it’s the frown … but I know some women … girls … find me … scary,’ he said, now turning to look at me with a question on his face.

I thought hard about it … scary? There wasn’t anything about him that frightened me, and I found it hard to believe anyone could describe him as scary. But then again, those intense eyes of his … and that frown … maybe that could be mistaken by some … maybe some might even find him … sinister? No … not that, but something.

‘Well, you don’t scare me … and I don’t mean to laugh at you … it just a way of, you know … breaking the tension.’

‘I’m glad that I don’t scare you. I do need to chill sometimes … try to be a bit more like Tom. He’s so not like me … he always enjoys himself … lives for the moment, as they say. I wish I could be more like him, but I have trouble … letting go … of things.’

His confession made me feel like a real jerk. The man was in pain for some reason, and I’d been giving him a hard time, thinking it was all because he didn’t like me. Maybe, possibly, it had nothing to do with me.

‘You’re not scary, Sam. You do seem a bit … sad … sometimes, but we all go through rough times. If there’s anything you want to talk about … well, I can be a good listener.’

He didn’t reply. We just walked on in silence and before I knew it, we were at the apartment.

‘Do you want to come up?’ I asked, hoping for the chance to spend more time with him.

‘No, thank you, not this time. There are a couple things I need to do tonight. Maybe another time?’

So … he wanted there to be another time. That was promising.

And then he did what I would never have expected … not in a million years. He put his hands on each side of my face, stared into my eyes, leaned forward, and kissed me. It was the most gentle of kisses, like little butterfly wings barely touching my lips. But it was enough to send electric shocks right through the core of me.

‘Good night, Lili,’ was all he said before he disappeared into the darkness.

~~***~~

That night I wrote a long email to Mom and Raye, apologising for not writing every day like I’d said I would. I told them about my new job, and about the day I’d spent shopping with Debs. I told them about Claire, and how nice it was to have a friend my own age.

What I didn’t tell them about was Sam. I couldn’t. There were no words to describe the way I felt about him. There was confusion and attraction and electricity all rolled up into one. And then there was that unexpected kiss. And of course there was the weekend we were about to have in Sydney. No, I wasn’t telling them any of that.

~ C
HAPTER
F
IVE
~

We arrived just before noon, and although it was overcast, it wasn’t as cold as Melbourne.

It was a short taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, and we got there way too early to check into the room, so we left our bags at the reception desk and headed down to Circular Quay—to the ferry terminal.

Claire couldn’t wait to get me onto the Manly Ferry. She’d talked about it the whole way up on the plane. As soon as we were on board she grabbed my hand and dragged me along the top deck as far forward as we could go. We perched ourselves there, and as the ferry pulled away from the dock I could see why she wanted this spot.

I stared in awe at the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I mean, I’d seen them on TV on New Year’s Eve, and in movies, but they’d always seemed like they were a million miles away. Now here I was, and there was no doubt that I was somewhere special. And just as that thought entered my mind, the sun came out from behind the clouds, and the water turned from grey to blue, and Sydney Harbour sparkled.

‘Hey,’ said Claire, ‘let’s lean over as far as we can, then I’ll pretend I’m falling and give those boys a scare.’

I wasn’t sure if my tears were from the salty wind or the crazy uncontrollable laughter, but it was more fun than I’d had in ages. There we were, like Jack and Rose on the deck of the Titanic. Tom and Sam wouldn’t come near us, but they seemed to be having a good laugh too-–I just wasn’t sure if it was with us, or at us.

When the ferry landed, we disembarked and walked along a boardwalk past tourist shops, down to Manly Beach. From there, we turned right and followed a scenic walk to a small cove called Shelley Beach. There was a cliff at the opposite end, with what appeared to be some sort of park at the top. But on our side of the cove we spotted a café.

The little cove reminded me of home and for the first time since I’d arrived in Australia I felt the slightest pang of homesickness. But it was only momentary, and was completely forgotten as soon as Sam spoke.

‘Feel like a swim?’ he teased. Although it wasn’t a bad day for the time of year, it was still winter.

‘Ah, yeah, right Sam … as if,’ said Claire, smirking.

‘Well, why don’t you girls go get yourselves a coffee or something, and let us go for a dip on our own then.’

I was pretty sure he was kidding, but thought I’d play along. ‘Ok, sure thing. Come on Claire, I could do with some coffee, and maybe even a slice of cake.’

As Claire and I walked toward the little café I turned, expecting Sam and Tom to be right behind us, but I could see them making their way down to the water’s edge. They slipped off their clothes and even from a distance it looked like they were wearing board shorts.

‘Guess he wasn’t kidding,’ I said as we ordered coffees and a couple of pieces of cake to share.

‘Isn’t this the best,’ said Claire, blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. ‘I mean, who’d have thought … Like, two weeks ago you were in California. And now, here we are, with wonderful men who are infatuated with us, on a romantic weekend in Sydney.’

‘I’m not so sure about the infatuation part, but yeah, it’s pretty awesome. I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake.’

The coffee was strong and hot, and the cakes were simply scrumptious. I hadn’t realised I was hungry, but once I started eating I couldn’t stop.

‘So, aren’t you glad I took you to the market that day? It’s funny, I’d barely noticed Sam before—but he’s nice, and he seems to really like you.’

‘Yes, he is nice.’ I didn’t want to jinx myself by saying any more. The weekend had gotten off to such a good start—I wanted it to keep going that way.

It seemed like a lot of time had passed when the boys eventually returned. Their hair was dripping wet, and even so, Sam looked more relaxed than I’d seen him since we’d met.

‘So … did you enjoy your swim?’ Claire asked, as they took seats at the table. ‘We’ve eaten all the cakes, sorry. You took too long.’

‘The swim was excellent—you should’ve joined us. And no worries about the cakes, we had a big breakfast before we left this morning, so we’re fine,’ Tom replied, speaking for the both of them.

Sam looked at me, and smiled. Then he took my hand under the table and placed it in his lap between his hands. His were still frozen from the cold swim, but they made my whole body tingle like a million volts of electricity shooting through me. It took a huge effort to remember to breathe.

~~***~~

Our suite was like nothing I’d ever seen—except in a movie I suppose. The main room was as big as the living room in any house, with a sofa and two chairs facing a large flat screen television, a desk and a round dining table set for four, complete with a white tablecloth and a large bowl of fresh fruit in the middle. The windows faced Circular Quay, and I was sure I could see the same ferry we’d been on earlier heading back over to Manly. There were two doors off this main room and I guessed those would be the bedrooms. I’d dreaded this moment—when we’d decide who got what room. But Claire saved me further anxiety when she opened the door to the room on the right.

‘This one will be ours,’ she said as she pulled me into the room with her. Letting go of my hand, she flopped onto one of the beds, flat on her back, laughing as she said, ‘I love this room!’

~~***~~

A few hours and several kilometres of walking later, we found a little Italian place where we ordered a couple of large pizzas and a big bowl of salad to share. Although I’d been told pizza was perfect man food, both Tom and Sam just picked at it. Claire and I, on the other hand, devoured more than our share.

After dinner, we walked over to The Rocks, an old part of the city with lots of interesting shops. We went into the open ones and looked through the windows of those that weren’t. Most of the time, Tom and Claire walked ahead of us; Tom had his arm casually draped around Claire’s shoulders. Every now and then he’d lean into her possessively and whisper something into her ear. I couldn’t help but think what a cute couple they made, but doubted if anyone looking at me and Sam would think the same thing.

Sam didn’t have his arm around my shoulders, and he didn’t whisper anything into my ears, but he was definitely more relaxed. Maybe it was something about Sydney. I couldn’t explain it, but it was like he was a different person. It was nearly impossible to believe this relaxed, friendly man was the same one who had stammered about not ‘mixing’ with people just a few days ago. Was I going nuts? Or was he? Whatever it was, I was enjoying every moment, and wishing that the short weekend didn’t have to come to an end tomorrow.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly eleven o’clock, but I was still way too excited to feel tired. Claire must have felt the same way, because as we walked through the door, she grabbed Tom’s hand, and started to giggle.

‘Tom, there’s something I need you to help me with,’ she said, leading him into our room. Then she gave me an apologetic smile as she closed the door behind her.

Sam shook his head, and made a noise that was close to a laugh. Then he sat down, pointing at the sofa and indicating for me to sit beside him.

I plunked down and crossed my legs, and flinched slightly as my knee touched the side of his leg. But it was okay—actually, it was more than okay. It felt wonderful and exciting and … natural. It was like all the awkwardness between us dissolved and he was as happy in my presence as I was in his.

Then, just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Claire screamed.

~ C
HAPTER
S
IX
~

Sometimes, when something bad happens, time seems to slow to a crawl.

Like that time I was running to visit my friend who lived down the street. I was only about ten at the time, but it seemed like it was yesterday. I remember exactly how it felt as I ran down that street toward her house. And how, when I was only part way there, I stepped on an acorn and my foot rolled out from under me. As I fell, the pavement got closer and closer to my face—in horrible slow-motion. I hit the ground with my hands stretched out in front of me, scraping the skin off both palms. They barely bled but man they hurt like crazy.

Yes, I could replay that memory like a slow-motion movie in my head even now—years later.

But this … well, this wasn’t like that.

What happened next was like a series of still photos. Tom flew out of the bedroom in a blur, but stopped just long enough for the image of his face to be burnt into my mind. His eyes were no longer soft brown, but were instead a glowing red, and his normally tanned complexion was now pallid grey. But what really stood out was the blood that ran down from the corner of his mouth.

Then I heard Sam’s voice—loud and harsh. ‘Go!’

Tom was gone and I heard the door slam.

I closed my eyes for no more than a long blink—it couldn’t have been more than a second—but when I opened them, Sam was in the bedroom, bending over Claire. Was he doing something to her neck? She was so still.

I ran to the doorway but stopped short of going in. I couldn’t draw a breath to scream or talk. I just stood there, frozen.

And then Sam was beside me, and Claire was still on the bed. She looked … peaceful.

When I turned to Sam I could see that he was staring at me intensely—like he was searching for something. When he spoke, his voice was deep and calm.

‘She’s fine. She fainted, that’s all. It’s just a scrape; she’ll be fine in the morning and won’t remember a thing.’

‘What just happened, Sam? Did Tom hurt her? What did he do? Why did you tell him to go? Is Claire ok? Should we get her to a doctor?’

Sam sighed. ‘Let’s sit down in the other room. Claire’s fine, she just needs to rest.’

He put his hands on my shoulders, barely touching me, and turned me toward the living room before reaching back to close Claire’s door.

The next thing I knew I was seated on the sofa and Sam was kneeling on the floor in front of me. He slowly brought his hands onto my knees and stared at me, searching my eyes. The look on his face suggested he was looking for forgiveness—but from what? He hadn’t done anything, had he?

‘I don’t know how much I can tell you, Lili. I don’t know how much you’ll want to hear.’

I tore my gaze away from him, looking back toward the closed door to Claire’s room. I shook my head hoping to clear it.

‘What do you mean “how much I’ll want to hear”? I want to hear everything.
What just happened?’
I shouted, suddenly feeling like I was on the verge of hysteria.

Sam reached up and gently touched my face, turning it back toward him. Then he took my hands in his. His hands were ice cold. When I met his gaze, I could once again feel that sensation of being pulled into a black hole, only this time it comforted me—I could actually feel my heart rate slowing.