Black (Clashing Colors Book 1) (24 page)

I stepped into the one-bedroom apartment and saw Violet, a friend of ours, walk around with something that was smoking in her hands. It had a peculiar smell.

“How long will it take?” I whispered and retreated to the kitchen, where I pulled myself up on the counter.

Daniel shrugged and opened his fridge, where sodas and beers were lined up. He handed me a Coca-Cola and popped a beer open for himself before he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched the show of Violet doing her thing.

Violet is in her mid-twenties and one of the quirkiest people I know. She’s a psychic or at least she says she is, and apparently it’s made her the black sheep in her family. Sometimes she can be completely sane and almost normal, until she starts talking about spirit guides, angels, crystals, healing stones, and what have you.

It’s not that I don’t believe her, but I also can’t say that I do, so seeing her walk around mumbling blessings and burning that grassy thing looked comical to me.

Luckily it only took a few more minutes and then she was done.

“Oh hey, Black,” she said. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Hey, Violet… how are you.”

“Good.” She walked closer and reached out for my Coke. “You changed.”

I didn’t even think, I just handed her my can. You see, when you’ve been homeless and poor for years you learn to share things, and it’s ingrained in me that we take care of each other. Not that Violet is homeless, but still.

“Yeah, I’m trying out a new look,” I replied.

Violet took a sip and nodded with approval. “I like it.” And then she turned to Daniel. “It’s okay now, I helped him pass on and he crossed over. The sage was just to cleanse out the negativity that lingers. Keep the windows open for a few more hours.”

My glance at Daniel was quizzical, silently asking; what the hell is she babbling about?

“The previous owner killed himself last month, and the reason I got the apartment is because the woman who moved in after him said the place is haunted. She left in the middle of the night completely freaked out,” Daniel explained.

I looked to Violet. “Is the place really haunted?”

“Not any longer. The guy was just confused and lost, but I talked to him and he’s in the light now.” She looked dead serious. “He won’t bother you.” Her last comment was directed at Daniel.

I couldn’t help it; I had to ask her. “Did he tell you his name?”

She turned her head and gave me a glance that felt as if she was looking into my mind.

“You think I’m making it up?”

Noise from screaming kids reached us through the open windows and I turned my head to see a playground close by. Inside the apartment everything was quiet until Violet repeated her question.

“Admit it, you think I’m a fraud,” Violet said calmly.

“I didn’t say that.”

She arched a brow. “Your energy said it for you.”

“I’m sorry… it’s just all a bit strange.”

“Not to me. I’ve never known anything different, but I understand. I’m used to skeptics.”

“So did he tell you his name and how he died?”

“No, and I didn’t ask.”

“Why not?”

“Because he wore his Costco work uniform with a name tag on it that said Kyle, and the big bloody mess on the side of his head told me he shot himself.”

“I didn’t know that,” Daniel muttered.

“Come with me,” Violet walked resolutely toward the bathroom and pointed. When we both stood beside her she said, “See that tile with the lighter lines around it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s where the bullet hit after going through his head. They replaced that tile.”

Daniel wrinkled his nose. “Are you sure he’s gone?”

“Of course. I even cleared out the old grumpy man who was here too.”

“Good thing you’re not superstitious, right?” I told Daniel, who looked slightly pale.

Violet rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me a big tough guy like you is afraid of spirits.”

“No, of course not.” He plumped down on his couch and looked around the room as if to make sure there really weren’t any intruders in his new home.

I figured it was time to change the subject so I told Violet of my art exhibition.

“That’s so cool, Black,” she said. “Can I come to the opening?”

“Of course. It’s tomorrow night at seven.”

“We’ll be there.” She looked at Daniel. “Right?”

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

I tilted my head. “Violet, do you still have your car?”

“Yes, I still have Arion.”

I chuckled, not commenting on the fact that Violet had named her car. “I promised I would drop my paintings off at the gallery today. Do you think you can give me a lift?”

“Sure.” She pulled out her cell phone, and somehow the contrast of the newest IPhone with her old-fashioned looks amused me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Violet in anything but long dresses, preferably dark green and flowery. Today she was wearing brown ankle-high leather boots with a two-inch heel, a simple long green velvet skirt, and a white blouse with lace around her neck. With the way her long brown hair was arranged in a bun on top of her head and a few tendrils falling down, she could have stepped right through a time warp from the eighteen hundreds. 

“Sure, I can give you a ride, but we need to go soon, because I have a reading at six-thirty and I’m never late for my clients.”

I bit my inner lip, conflicted that we would have to go so soon, since it felt as if I’d only just arrived and I wanted to spend time with Daniel.

“How about you, do you need help with anything?” I asked him with eyes glancing around the apartment. From what I could tell he was pretty much settled in. I only spotted a few boxes, but then of course, he doesn’t have a lot of furniture to begin with.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine, and I’ll see you again tomorrow. How are you and Mr. G doing?”

“Fine,” I lied and diverted my eyes to the door. “I’ll tell you some other time,” I said and was already at the door. Daniel is an excellent interrogator, and if he sensed I was upset about something he would try to make me talk, which I wasn’t ready to do just yet.

“Hey, wait up.” Daniel stepped closer and kissed me on my cheek. “Thanks for checking in on me.”

“No problem, and remember to be nice to your neighbors.”

He agreed and gave Violet a hug and a kiss on the cheek too. “Thanks for clearing my place,” he told her.

“No worries – that’s what friends are for, right?”

“Right,” Daniel agreed with a smile.

“Do you want me to swing by tomorrow on my way to Black’s exhibition? I don’t mind giving you a ride.”

Daniel accepted the offer and Violet and I left to find her car. This was my third time driving with Viola and every time I’m floored at the unlikelihood of this car still being on the streets. I’m no expert on cars so I can’t tell you the model or year of Violet’s, but it’s a station wagon with wood paneling that must be way older than my twenty-one years.   

“Can you open the glove compartment?” she said when we got in. “Good, there’s a box… do you see it?”

“Uh-huh,” I said and pulled out a box from Tiffany’s and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she said and opened the box, revealing five different stones, in different sizes and shapes, that she picked up and rubbed in her hands, bowing her head in what looked like a silent prayer. Thirty seconds later she returned the stones to the box and handed it back to me with a soft smile. “Energetic hygiene is very important when you deal with entities. I always make sure I don’t bring work home, so to speak.”

“All right,” was the only thing I could think of to say.

“So where are we picking up your paintings?”

“At my… ehh… boyfriend’s place. He lives by Union Lake.”

Violet whistled and started the engine. “So that explains your new looks.”

“Yeah. He wasn’t a big fan of the Goth look.”

Violet didn’t comment on that but kept up a casual conversation until we got to the apartment.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when she parked. “You just had a major energy shift.”

“Oh… it’s just that we had a fight before I left.”

She looked up at the building. “Do you want me to stay here or go with you?”

“Well, there are five paintings, so I could use your help carrying them.”

“Then let’s go.”

My heart was hammering like a sledgehammer when I stood outside the door, and for a moment I was unsure whether to walk in or ring the bell. I chose the latter, suddenly not sure I was welcome.

When Gabriel opened the door he pinned me with a pissed-off expression. “Glad to see you’re back,” he said but his body language said otherwise.

“This is Violet,” I said and pointed to her. Violet reached out her hand and stepped closer to him. I wish I was that brave, but I could see he was mad at me and I didn’t know what to do about it.

“I’m just giving Black a ride to the gallery with her paintings,” Violet said in her soft melodic voice and didn’t break eye contact with Gabriel.

I didn’t like it. Yeah, my friend was a weirdo and part witch of a sort, but she was more feminine than I could ever be, and the way her beautiful brown eyes looked up at him gave me the chills. What if he preferred her to me?

Gabriel finally broke the intense stare between them and took a step back to let us in.

“You know where the paintings are, Cia,” he said. “Melody is here… she wanted to see you.”

That made me stop in my tracks. His sister Melody had been here before and I had seen her at the brunch too. It seemed that every time she came around she got the worst version of me – and today was not a good day either, with the tension between Gabriel and me.

“Hey, Melody,” I said when I stepped into the living room and saw her.

“Hey, Cia.” Her eyes trailed to Violet. “Oh, that’s nice, are you an actor?”

Violet tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Melody smiled and waved her hand at Violet’s clothes. “Because of the costume… are you doing some sort of historical play?”

Violet looked down at herself and then to Melody again. “No, this is how I dress.”

Melody’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Oh, really? Well, it’s… ehh… lovely.”

“Violet is my friend and we’re just here to pick up my paintings for my art exhibition tomorrow,” I interjected, hoping to move away from the awkwardness.

“You have an exhibition tomorrow?”

I nodded my head.

“Are we invited?” Melody asked. “I love art, and I would love to come and see it.”

“Sure, everyone can come. It’s an open event,” I said.

Melody broke into a wide smile. “Great, then I’ll spread the word.”

“It’s at the Urban Gallery on Pike Street,” Violet added.

“Can I talk with you for a minute?” Gabriel asked me.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, trying to hide how nervous he made me.  

“Then I’ll start carrying the paintings down to my car.” Violet said. “Where are they.”

Gabriel and I brought out the five paintings, which had been standing against the wall in his bedroom.

“Let me give you a hand,” Melody said and while the two women carried down two of my paintings, Gabriel signaled for me to join him in the bedroom.

“What the hell happened?” he asked with his hands on his hips.

“I don’t know.”

“How do you think it makes me feel when you leave me like that?”

I looked down.

“Are you afraid I’m going to cheat on you?” he asked.

Yes… the thought terrifies me
, I wanted to say, but only gave him a shrug.

“Cia, look at me, god damn it, I’m talking to you.”

I raised my eyes to meet his and saw immense frustration. “Talk to me,” he pleaded. “Please don’t shut me out.”

“It just freaked me out to hear you say that you move on when something better comes along,” I finally managed to say.

“But that was the old me. I’m not like that anymore. You got to learn how to stay and talk about things… you can’t just run off when it gets hard.”

We heard footsteps in the living room and I pulled away from him but he grabbed my hand. “Why didn’t you ask
me
for a ride?”

“I have other friends, you know.”

He took a deep intake of air and released it in a breathy sigh. “I never said you didn’t. Will you come home afterwards?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”

Violet and Melody had already picked up two more paintings and left again, so I took the last painting and headed to the elevator.

It didn’t take long before the door opened and Melody stepped out, Violet was still in the elevator and smiled. “We’ve got to hurry, I’m parked in a no parking zone.”

“Okay,” I said and gave Gabriel a last glance before I stepped inside the lift with Violet. He raised his hand as the door slid closed, and the absence of him made me wish I had given him a quick kiss before I left.