Almost Lovers (3 page)

In the morning I woke to find Robert still
had not returned home. I let the fuming anger in me subside when I
recalled I had a plan to put in action. I felt bubbles of
excitement as I sprang out of bed.

I had to find something to wear that didn't
scream desperate but was still mouth watering enough to lend Robert
to a polite jealous rage. I hit every shop downtown by lunch and
didn’t find a single thing suitable within my budget. After lunch I
tackled two of the local malls and didn't find anything that made
me look respectable and attractive. It was either respectable or
sluttish but not a balanced combination of both.

I ran out of options and eventually my feet
screamed for mercy. I went home empty handed and decided I should
have shopped my closet to begin with.

I arrived home to find a note on the door. I
realized immediately it couldn't be from Robert. It was in a pretty
envelope and had good penmanship. My name was written in a
beautiful scrawl across the front of the envelope. I took an actual
note card out of the envelope.

Please teach these roses how to be
beautiful. – Sebastian.

I looked around the hallway and saw nothing
but the card. I glanced down the hall at Lydia's apartment and
glared at the sound of music coming from her apartment so early in
the day. What a lush.

I pushed the door of my apartment open to
find my entire living room, kitchen and entry way covered in
bouquet after bouquet of red roses. They were the reddest and most
gorgeous roses I had ever seen. I read the card again and blushed.
Robert had never done anything like this.

I closed the front door and leaned against
it, biting my lip. I felt the flutter again and this time it wasn't
for Robert, clearly. I steeled myself against my emotions, pushing
my hands down in front of me as if it would stop the roses and the
beautiful aroma surrounding me. I tried to remember why I was doing
this. Why was I dating another man, all the while with Robert, and
becoming a cheating wild woman just like Lydia, the snake
herself?

I straightened myself again. I reminded
myself of my purpose as I pushed through the roses and tried to
make a path toward the entry table to set down my keys. I was going
out with Sebastian to make Robert jealous.

I looked around at all of the roses again
and was thrilled at how wonderful this was. It was perfect. I
wouldn't even have to find a dress! Robert would come home, see all
the roses and want to know what was going on. Then Sebastian would
show up, Robert would tell him that I'm spoken for and that he must
leave immediately. Maybe he would even pop the question, ring or no
ring, in the middle of this beautiful field of roses in our
apartment. I snapped out of it when I found that the entry way
table had been taken over by Sebastian's generosity as well.

A large black box sat on the entry table
with a giant red bow. My mouth fell open and I’m sure I gasped a
little. I was nervous as to what I would actually find in the box.
After a moment I ripped open the box and decided I would simply
look at it and send it back to Sebastian. I couldn't encourage him.
I already felt bad technically using him, sweet as he was.

My heart stopped as I saw the black beaded
empire dress in the box. The delicate beading was intricate and
reflected the light beautifully off of each gem. I was certain that
they would be made of plastic but as I ran my hand over each cold
stone I was convinced they were actual crystals, hand applied in
painstaking detail.

I held the dress up and hugged it to myself.
It was perfect. It was gorgeous and elegant, everything a girl
could want in a formal dress that screamed sophistication. I folded
the dress and put it back into the box. I wanted to wear it but it
felt wrong. I spent hours comparing everything in my closet to the
dress Sebastian had sent me but not a single one came close. I
didn't expect anything in my closet would.

The clock kept time and reminded me with
every tick that Robert wasn't yet home. It was the weekend and he
did work all through the weekend but usually he at least stopped in
to shower and eat. The music from down the hall continued to grate
my nerves as I became more and more nervous.

When the clock reached 5 o'clock I felt like
I had waited patiently long enough. I sent Robert a text and asked
him where he was. After a few exchanges I realized Robert was
already at work. He said he had stayed over at a friend's house
after having a few too many drinks.

Of course he would guilt trip me. I didn’t
want him to drive around drunk, did I? But of course he didn’t need
to drive between our apartment and Lydia's. It was just a few quick
paces and a little tap on her door. I felt the anger bubbling up in
me again and all I had was my thoughts, my anger, a room full of
roses and that black box.

I stomped over to that black box at a
quarter to six and lifted the dress out, letting the crystals
sparkle in the living room light.

"Two can play that game," I said.

I stomped around getting ready. I stomped
until I put my heels on and then I clicked determinedly around my
kitchen, pacing. I don't know why I expected Robert to still stop
in. I knew he was at work now. He wouldn't be back until nearly 3
in the morning. My anger faded into nerves as I began to watch the
clock tick closer and closer to 7. I was actually going to go on
this date and Robert didn’t even know to be jealous.

Perhaps I should call the whole thing off. I
fussed with my up-do and took off and reapplied my lipstick about
three times. I looked at myself in the mirror.

"You can do this Prussia," I told my
reflection, "You can pluck heartstrings and get what you want.
Lydia has nothing on you. You have class,"

The knock at the door could only be
Sebastian and I felt like my lunch was going to make a second
appearance today. I double checked my makeup and hair one last time
and shuffled to the door.

I paused and tried to get my thoughts in
order. No turning back. I was going on a date. But I was not dating
Sebastian. With a great amount of regret I was about to use
Sebastian to make Robert a tiny bit jealous and drive him back into
my arms and away from Lydia.

I flung open the door and took a deep breath
just short of a gasp as I saw the spectacular man before me dressed
in a sophisticated and well tailored suit.

"Prussia, you look positively regal," said
Sebastian, leaning in and giving me the lightest kiss on the cheek
I had ever had. He lingered close to me, an intimate distance.

I could smell what I could only imagine was
his cologne though I imagine it could just have been how he
smelled, divine and masculine without effort. He had a single rose
and a small white box. I blushed and looked down, unable to meet
his deep beautiful eyes with their full force.

"Thank you for the roses. They are
beautiful" I said, "And the dress. It's amazing,"

"Much like you, Prussia," he murmured close
to me, "I see you taught the roses well,"

I blushed again but this time I tried my
best to keep eye contact.

"You are," I said, looking at how his hair
fell in soft waves around his face, “such a smooth talker," I tried
to gain a bit of my composure.

"And you are sweeter than any," he said, "A
real angel on earth,"

Sebastian held the small white box out to
me. My throat thumped with my quickened pulse. I had known this man
less than 24 hours and with every lavish gift it seemed that this
was the crescendo. Could it really be that a complete stranger
would sooner ask me to marry him than my own Robert? Could I even
still call him mine if that were true?

I reached out for the box not wanting to see
what I knew it held but needing to know if a stranger would sooner
ask me to marry him than my long time boyfriend. I opened the white
box with a slow and steady hand and as the cover slid off of it I
breathed out a sigh of delight and relief.

"You like it?" asked Sebastian, "I know
women can be so very particular about this sort of thing but I
thought perhaps you would entertain the idea?"

I took the delicate little bottle out of the
box and looked closely at it.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's what every angel needs," said
Sebastian, that smooth voice working me over with every syllable,
"your very own Halo,"

Sure enough the bottle said "Halo" with a
crest of lions and the word "VECNY" below it.

"It's such a tiny little bottle," I said, "I
love little things but I've never seen a bottle this small."

"Perfume," he said, "I thought it would
compliment you perfectly,"

"It smells divine," I mumbled.

"Allow me," said Sebastian.

He took the small bottle and dabbed a few
drops on his large fingers. He pressed his fingers against my pulse
points. He started at my wrists, standing close to me. His touch
worked up into the inside crease of my elbow, then up to my neck
where he rubbed the scent at my jumping pulse.

The trail of fragrance rose up between the
two of us as his hand caressed my throat. But my brain fought back
the chemistry as I realized with every stroke that we were standing
in the hall and if Robert saw us I would have no explanation. If
Lydia saw us, Robert would hear the worst possible version and I
would lose him forever. I looked away from his mesmerizing gaze and
looked down as best I could with the little room there was between
the two of us.

"Have I done something wrong?" he asked. He
took a step away from me then, genuine concern on his face, "I just
thought...the way you looked at me, I thought,"

"I'm stunned," I said, smiling and letting a
laugh out, "You are amazing, handsome, kind...I'm in awe,"

He smiled and it was his turn to look away
with rose colored cheeks.

"I supposed we should go if we want to
arrive in a timely manner," he said, offering his arm.

His demeanor was all gentile and perfect
behavior. I smiled and closed the apartment door. I took his arm
and smiled at him. We both looked down the hall and prepared to go.
That split second that we were both looking at Lydia's door I
wanted so much for her to open it and see us, see me, with another
man. Just so she could run and tell Robert and give him a taste of
his own medicine.

But with each step closer to her apartment,
and the elevator, it became clear she wouldn't be opening the door.
I had to settle for the satisfaction that Robert would find the
roses when he got home. That thought put a smile on my face all the
way to the party. Petty as it was, I was excited for Robert to do
the chasing for once.

"You brought a human to a family gathering?"
Lydia pointed her finger and stabbed it into my pressed shirt and
tie over and over. I had never thought I would have to hold her at
bay with the Queen nearby.

"Lydia, what are you doing here?" I grabbed
her arm and tried to hurry her toward the nearest exit, the front
door.

"Oh no, you're not brushing me off just like
that," said Lydia, wiggling her arm away from me, "How dare you?
How dare you parade a human in my absence, in front of
everyone?"

Her voice carried even when she was calm and
it wouldn't be long until Prussia saw Lydia and her fit. Not ideal,
that's for sure. I had to get her out of there.

"You can't be here, Lydia," I said, "Lower
your voice," I urged her.

"I can go where ever I want and do what I
damn well please," she practically spit the words in my face,
"Perhaps I need to teach this girl a thing or two about the order
of things,"

Lydia tried to push past me to where the
other guests and Prussia were mingling completely unaware. I
renewed my grip on her elbow as delicately but as forcefully as I
could.

"No," I said, whipping her around to face me
and grabbing both of her arms. I pulled her face close to mine,
"You can't go wherever you damn well please, not in this castle,
not anywhere near this castle. They will kill you…for good this
time. And I'll never see you again. How could you come here over
something so stupid?"

"She wouldn't," said Lydia. Her eyes looked
like cat eyes but much more menacing as they followed me.

"You know she would," I said, "And if you go
after Prussia, you'll seal your fate. And you know she'll have me
be the one to seal it,"

I tried to let the gravity of my words sink
in. Her eyes looked back at me for a moment, the sadness and a bit
of confusion flooding them. I watched as she fought the emotion
sweeping across her face. She settled back on anger and fought
against my grip.

"You would let her, you would," she yelled
at me, "She can't, banished or not, not for a human. Humans are
fair game and you and she both knows it,"

"It wouldn't even matter that she banished
you," I said, "And you know that she would make me...Please, just
go."

She yanked away from me and slapped me
across the face. It was hard. She had a lot of experience. My face
stung but I didn’t move, didn’t flinch. I met the anger in her eyes
with my even gaze, not reacting, not wanting to incite her to do
more. I only placed a hand on my cheek after she turned away from
me. Charles opened the door in time for her to storm out.