Eva
I tell Vincent, "I'll go pack a bag real fast."
"Do that and then meet me back in the living room," he says. I tell him okay. I go and throw together a quick bag with a few outfits, sneakers, and a swimsuit. I grab my toiletries, too. I put my laptop in the bag, as well, in case I decide to work on the article. Let's face it, I'll work on the article. I don't know how to not work.
I put my bag by the front door and return to the living room, "My bag is by the door," I say.
He looks at me, "You live here, you don't need my permission to put your things anywhere.
"But..."
"Well, I'm not used to this or living with someone either," he says.
"Are we?"
"Doing the right thing? I think we are. I won't leave you, Eva," he says.
I ask, "What if you want to?" Yes, I feel pulled to him, but I don't want him to feel like he has to choose me.
He laughs, "You really have no clue what this is, do you?"
"I guess I don't," I say.
He smirks, "Seeing is believing, I've heard you say."
Now I laugh, "It usually is unless your eyes play tricks on you."
His smirk widens, "But neither of ours does."
I nod, "No, they don't."
He takes my hand and places it on his heart, "See my desire, Eva." I'm pulled into a vision. It's a room I haven't seen before. It's dark and lit by candlelight. Vanilla and Jasmine float in the air. There's music, it's soft, and somewhat hypnotic, but beautiful and soothing. I've heard it somewhere before, but can't remember where. A white canopy hangs from the ceiling and drapes around the bed like a fog concealing all within. I force myself to walk to the bed and part the canopy. I feel nervous. Why the hell do I feel nervous? It's a vision, I never felt anything like this!
What I see shocks me, and I drop the link, "What was that?"
He looks me in the eyes, "Why does it surprise you so?"
"We are from different worlds," I tell him.
He says, "We were, but we share this one now."
Still shocked, "But I felt…"
"Your emotions, your genuine emotions. That's what scares you," he tells me, as he continues to speak, "This goes much deeper than what you had with Kevin. Nothing will replace that because it was genuine, but…"
I admit to him and myself, "He wasn't my destiny."
"No, our pasts brought us to where we are now," he says.
"I…" I start to question, but he stops me.
He puts a finger to my lips, "Look into my eyes, and just speak the first thing that comes to your mind."
He removes his finger as I speak, "I locked the door and threw the key as far as I could. I closed my heart for good." The poem I recited talked about a woman throwing away the key to her heart, only for the man beside her to put the key into her palm. It let her know that he held the key to her heart all along. He pulls me close and kisses me sweetly, "My dear…my light…my girl." He caresses my cheek and I melt into his touch. It's fire, it's ice, it's electric, and I've never felt anything like this. His eyes are mesmerizing, endless, sincere, and full of longing; not longing for a past, but for a future. He just called me his dear, his light, his girl. But he doesn't feel for anyone like that.
"Does this mean…" I start to say.
"Yes," His lips found mine. It's heated and passionate.
We pull away breathlessly, "But..."
He puts his finger to my lips, "Stop! Just listen, I know you have trouble doing so at times, but try." I nod. "I've had lovers, but not this. I feel connected to you, as if I'm bound, as if, without you, I'd cease to exist. You were meant for me, Eva," he declares. I have no words. Kevin said that he couldn't imagine a life without me when he proposed. Vincent wouldn't know that, yet he's saying something similar, but his words feel more powerful. He knows there's no life without me, instead of just imagining one without me in it. He picks me up and carries me off deep into the house. He opens a door.
"The room from my vision," I say. He nods. "But..." I'm so confused right now.
He must assume that I'm confused about his intentions because he says, "We can just lie and rest."
"Um..not what I meant," I told him.
He smiles as he talks, "You saw my desire for you, Eva. You saw a glimpse of the future."
"That's not..."
He says, "It isn't how we thought your powers worked? Yet…"
"Wow!" I am amazed. Did accepting my bond to him grant me this ability?
He grins, "You're amazing, Eva."
"I'm not."
"But you are," he insists, "Time is very slow for those who wait. Very fast for those who are scared. Very long for those who lament. Very short for those who celebrate. But for those who love, time is eternal."
"Shakespeare," I say.
He nods, "Yes, but fitting. I've waited nearly a thousand years for you."
"But you can't," I tell him.
"I can and do. Katie is right, but don't tell her that," he says.
We both laugh at that. I tease, "And just think, you'll be here with her for a few days."
He chuckles, "Don't remind me. I remember you saying, the things you do for those you love."
"Yeah, the night we met," I replied.
He says, "Well, I'm looking after Katie for you."
Shocked, "You don't!"
He smiles, "But I do."
"But!" I am still flabbergasted.
He tells me, "There isn't another way to explain this. I love you, Eva."
"How?"
He chuckles, "Believe me, you don't make it easy." I roll my eyes and huff. "You're cute when you're irritated," he smiles and twinkles, just like his eyes are doing. I blush. "Even cuter when you do that," he says, before kissing me. It's deep and sweet. My hands tunnel into his hair while he strokes my back. He presses his forehead to mine, our gazes never wavering. This moment just feels right, so I unbutton his shirt and he slides my dress off of my shoulders. "Beautiful," he says, as he trails kisses along my jaw and collarbone. His lips feel like butterfly wings, ever so lightly touching my skin. There's something so sensual in this. I slide his shirt off his shoulders. This man is fit. His taut muscles tremble under my touch. He slides my dress the rest of the way down. I now stand naked before him. He picks me up and lays me on the bed. He stands at the foot of the bed, just looking at me. "No painting could ever do you justice, not Olympia, and not even Venus. You outshine the stars and the moon combined! You're exquisite!" he tells me. I look down. "Don't. Look only at me," he commands.
I watch him remove his pants and underwear. Now there is a very naked, sexy man standing before me. I gasp. He's very well endowed. He smirks. I yell, "Hey, out of my head!"
He chuckles as he crawls over me. His lips are just inches from mine, "We can go no further than this, if that's your will." I close the distance between our lips. My hands pull his body close to mine. Flesh on flesh is what I need and want. "What do you want, Eva?" he asks.
"You," I have no doubts now.
He smiles, "I'm yours."
I return the smile, "And I am yours." He slowly enters me inch by inch. Damn, it's been a while since anyone was inside me, especially this intimately. He is slow, methodical, and savoring every second. The pace is like waves gently crashing on the shore. Building slowly, it becomes
intoxicating, so that nothing exists but us. At this moment, we cease to be individuals, we are one. Our hearts sync, our breaths hitch, and we cry out each other's names as we find our release in the dead of night. I have made love before, but that, well, nothing compares to that. Is this what love really feels like? I snuggle into his side after he rolls off of me. He strokes my hair. He says my name and I look into his eyes and say, "I know." I know that he feels this bond as I do. I know that this went beyond sex. I know that, at this moment, our life together begins.
"Don't think, just rest," he says.
"I…I love you, Vincent."
He kisses me, "I love you, Eva." My eyes flutter closed as he strokes my hair. This, this is bliss.