Beautiful Music (3 page)

“I do not sleep with him! I’m keeping something scared for him, at least.”Rahab protested, her anger rising, at Alaric’s sudden accusations when she had done nothing wrong.

He nearly shoved her away, his voice rising with each word.

“You live up to your biblical reference .You have spent 3 nights out until 7am with him, and asleep at every other daytime chance.”

“Sleeping with him, literally, maybe. Don’t assume what you don’t know about Alaric!” She snapped.

“I know enough.” He rose, gathering up his papers. “Or do you think Mary just came out of thin air? I know what young love does.”

“Or young lust!” The second it came out of her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. How dare she say that, after all Alaric and the Madame had been through, and they were still together through it. Young lust had led her to share Alaric’s bed one night, but that was the past…they were friends… “Alaric…I’m sorry.”

He practically trembled with anger, trying not to scream at her. His lungs were powerful indeed, but he would not lose his composure over this…this…

“CHILD!” He threw down his folder. “That’s what you are, Rahab, a immature child with no sense of life. Get out, whore.”

“Don’t call me a whore!” She dug her heels into the ground, instinctually.

“Why not? You sleep with your man out of wedlock, what more do you have to offer him? And you’ve lain in my arms.”

“You asked me to!” Her voice rose high.

“You wanted to!”

“Alaric, you’ve held more women in your bed then I’ve even spoken to men. I don’t know how you do it with…”

He clenched his fist, turning away. 

“With what, Rahab? A face like this?”

“A lifestyle like this!” She spat. “ Getting to  trust a ghost and bringing them down here…Gods, Alaric, do you think I’m shallow enough to insult you like that? I don’t care, we’ve been over this.”

“But you do care, Rahab. You protest too much. You pity me, thinking you can make the world better be being with me. You think the world owes me…Maybe it does, Rahab, but it doesn’t owe me YOU!”

***

He watched them from afar in the next month to come, watched them in the shadows, like the Recluse he was, and once again, no one noticed. Memorized that it made her still…

“The most beautiful thing to cross my path.” He whispered. He was above physical beauty of course, knew that only the beauty of a soul made a difference, which she had.  But watching Rahab dance showed him the missing part of beauty he had never really had; the realization that he was going to be alone forever, because he had pushed away the one person who had loved him by choice, and not by force.

Little did he know Rahab  was watching him too, every move he made, every flash of light, her heart exploding with pain and love as she watched the broken soul. They had to find a way to make this work, they had to. For she would die if they did not. Love conquered all.

THE END