Love lines (12 page)

He was waiting for us in the parking lot, leaning on the
hood of my Mercedes.

“Christian, do you think the girls will allow us to help
them choose dresses?” he asked cheerfully.

Usually I would have said something like “
No one had
ever refused your proposals”
, but not today.

“Leave your jokes, Evan. You're too old for them, my
friend. And don’t forget that you're talking about my sister,” I warned.

“If I didn’t know you, Christian, I would say that you
are worried not just about her. What about Vanessa?” screwing up his eyes
suspiciously, he asked.

“I know that you will be
able to
immediately
determine if I am lying, so please save me from this drilling and stop asking
such stupid questions,” I snapped.

“Hey! What's wrong with your mood? Where has the joy of
the morning success gone?”

I didn’t answer, because at this time Eileen and Amanda
came to the car. Amanda, as if accidentally, pushed Eileen to the passenger
door.

“Don’t worry, my brother is a perfect driver,” she said,
“as well as at other things,” she whispered.

Avoiding my gaze, Eileen got into the car. My sister’s
aura told me that the choice of seats wasn’t accidental. Especially after I
caught the glance she gave Evan.

“Good Lord!” I groaned, rolling my eyes in disbelief. If
these two find anything in common, I will hate them both.

Unfortunately their temperaments were more than just
equals. If they merged, there would be something like an explosive mixture. But
if they don’t succeed, I will certainly become a cornerstone for both of them.
God, help me!

I got behind the wheel, started the engine, and the four
of us left.

Feeling the auras of everyone present pretty well, I
could definitely say that Eileen felt the worst of all in our company. Firstly,
because of what happened between us today. Secondly, she still felt
uncomfortable because Amanda caught us. And thirdly, she fully shared my
feelings about Evan’s presence. She knew that all my excitement could only be
described in one word -
jealousy.

Judging by how focused the look on Evan’s face was in
the
reflection of the driver’s mirror, he was trying to understand what
caused these fluctuations of colors in our auras, which he could read even
better than me.

Fortunately the only person, who hadn’t noticed
anything, was Amanda. So she became our salvation, talking non-stop about what
she liked about today's classes.

The closest town was Gloster, so that is where we went.
The town itself wasn’t big, but a huge majority of it was a shopping center,
which was mainly attacked by most of the students of Dever. There you could
find shops, restaurants and even a small cinema.

Knowing my sister’s infinite passion for shopping, I had
no doubt that we would be returning back in the darkness. However, the idea of
spending this time with Eileen, significantly improved my mood. I preferred not
to think about the fact that we won’t be alone.

While Evan and Amanda vividly discussed the upcoming
party, I came to Eileen. She stopped to see some of the cocktail dresses.

“Need help?” I asked. She flinched from the sound of my
voice.

“What do you think about this one?” she asked, pulling
out a pale blue dress, her hands shaking slightly. My attention, however, was
attracted to another one.

“What about this?” I asked, showing her a black dress
with an oval décolletage on the back.

“How did you find it? I have already looked through all
the dresses on this rack, but ever noticed this one.”

“Try it. The size, I think, is yours,” I replied,
imagining her wearing that sexy skinny dress. The thought was dangerous of
course, but I couldn’t help it. And I liked the shiver it caused running down
my spine.

“I already know that it will be perfect for me,” Eileen
said, approving my choice. “Where are Amanda and Evan by the way?”

Looking around, I noticed that we’ve really missed them.

“They must have gone to another store. Maybe we should
wait for them in a cafe over there?” I suggested, nodding towards the one
halfway around the mall.

“Okay,” she said quickly. I knew that she still felt
uncomfortable being alone with me. I could feel her nervousness and uneasiness.

“Listen, Christian... it’s about Evan, “ she said,
stopping abruptly. “He's just my temporary teacher, that’s it. And you don’t
need to worry about him.”

I saw how sincerely Eileen wanted to clarify the
situation. She probably didn’t even know that Evan had an opposite opinion on
the matter.

“You don’t need to explain anything. I know Evan well
enough to understand that he feels something for you. He may not show it to
you, but he can’t hide it from me.”

“I don’t want you two to quarrel because of me,” she
continued with her eyes full of worry. “And sooner or later, Evan will realize
that there is something between us...”

“And what’s there between us, Eileen?” blocking her way,
I asked.

“What do you want me to say, Christian?” she asked in
response. “What I feel when you're near, you know perfectly well even without
my telling you. I won’t deny that I still haven’t recovered from our kiss and
all that preceded it. Now I'm confused even more. It seems as if every day
brings new surprises and I'm not sure whether they will all be good. But I
know,
I feel
that whatever happens, I will always come back to you, that
my life will always be connected with you.”

“Is that so bad?” I asked quietly.
A lock of hair fell onto her face and I gently
brushed it back behind her ear.

“I'm not saying that's bad,” she said blushing. “I’m
just scared because of the rapidly changing of my life. We both have known
each
other one a few days
but I already feel like it’s been an eternity. I
know almost everything about you. What you think, but don’t say. What you feel,
but don’t speak about, even what your favorite color is!” she smiled sadly.
“But I don’t know what will happen to us tomorrow, Christian. If tomorrow you
still want to be with me... I am here,” she said, looking straight into my
eyes.

It was everything I wanted to hear.

Not thinking about being in the middle of the shopping
center, I embraced her, lifted her
a little and kissed her lips. She
responded immediately and this time our kiss was more sensual and more sweet. 
And devastatingly hot. I almost forgot about the reality and people watching us
disapprovingly. I could have stood there like that for ages, holding her in my
arms, breathing in the floral scent of her hair and enjoying the tenderness of
her lips. Nothing else mattered at that moment, just her.

 Reluctantly breaking the kiss, I put her on the floor
and said:

“You know what? If tomorrow you still want to be with
me, I'll be the happiest man in the world.”

Somewhere nearby, we heard the voices of Amanda and Evan
and I immediately regretted being with them at the moment.

“Let's not explain anything to anybody,” I said. “Amanda
has already figured out everything and Evan... He'll understand.”

Eileen replied only with a wordless nod.

“But still I would have to explain everything to
Vanessa,” I thought. Though there was nothing serious between us, I wanted to
do it right.

“There you are!” Amanda exclaimed, running up to us.

“She was about to call the police,” joked Evan. “It was
hard to persuade her to find you ourselves. And she is so stubborn, Christian,”
smiling at Amanda, he added.

My best friend was obviously flirting with my sister. I
still didn’t like it. Knowing how easily Evan broke up with all his
girlfriends, I didn’t want to see Amanda in that endless list. And, knowing how
she could treat it herself, I didn’t want to see her tears. Eileen squeezed my
hand a little. Looking at her, I realized that she was trying to tell me “
Leave
them alone
”. It was much easier said than done. And she knew it, smiling
sympathetically.

“If all of us are ready, I think we can go back,” to
everyone's surprise, said Amanda.

“See, he affects her positively,” Eileen said to me
quietly. She knew even better than I did how difficult it was to take Amanda
away from the store.

Despite the fact that shopping didn’t take us long we
were going back in the twilight. I was thinking about the events of the past
day, about Eileen and me being together and nearly skipped the right turn.

“Slow down, Christian,” she said touching my arm.

“Sorry,” I said slowing down before turning.

 Evan, who hadn’t noticed anything except for my sister,
looked at our hands with surprise.

“I can’t believe it! You are bound!” he noted.

Still watching the road, I glanced at him in the mirror.
Eileen turned around and asked:

“What did you say, Evan?”

“I said that you and Christian are bound, and even more
- you are bound by the lines of your destiny,” explained my friend.

“What?” asked Eileen, Amanda and I simultaneously.

“Well, as you're all asking the same question, I don’t
have to answer each one individually,” smiling, replied Evan. “So, if you
believe the theory of binding, the lines on your palms, which are responsible
for the fate, are the same. I haven’t seen this before, only heard about it.
It’s quite a rare thing.”

Eileen and I looked at each other.

“That’s not all,” added Evan. “The theory is that the
other lines on your palms are the same as well, just like a mirror reflection.”

It looked like Eileen had been right about the days
being full of surprises.

“What does it mean?” I asked him still watching the
road. Some strange fear appeared in my heart.

“I don’t know. I think you should ask someone from
Feta.”

“Wait a minute,” Amanda said, “I haven’t understood a
word of what you’ve just explained. How did
you
, Evan, realize that they
are connected somehow?”

“This bond has a special visual expression. It can be
seen only by those who have it, and, of course, by people like me - Wizardy.
The bond - it's a magic, a very strong magic. Therefore all those who posses
it, can see things like this. I saw once a friendship binding, but this is
something completely different.”

“
Friendship binding
?” Eileen repeated.

“Yes. I know two magicians, who have such a bond. And
you, Christian, know one of them even better than I do.”

I looked at him blankly through the drivers’ mirror.

“It's your father,” Evan said.

Chapter 14.  The power
of water (
Eileen)

All the purchases were left in a far corner of our room.
There was no time for new dresses and shoes.

The four of us were sitting at one of the tables in the
dining room, all silently thinking about our own worries. Evan was first to break
the silence.

“I think the first thing the two of you have to do
tomorrow,” he pointed at Christian and me, “is to talk to someone about your
palm lines. And only then, if you don’t get any explanations, you should go to
Patrick. I don’t think he kept silent about his friendship bond just because he
had nothing else to do. There must be some good reason. As the very existence
of something like this, is not a secret. It is mentioned even in some of
Wizardy’s manuals.”

“I agree with Evan,” Christian said, looking at me. “The
presence of a magical bond can explain a lot, including how you managed to
share you power of fire with me.”

After returning from town, we had to tell Amanda and
Evan about everything, as it was pointless to hide what was already becoming
obvious. Unlike Evan, who, to my surprise, took our news fairly easily, Amanda
was still in shock.

“I think we should all go now to our rooms and take a
rest,” I said. I was tired and my mind refused to accept any more information.
“Tomorrow we will think how to find answers to everything.”

Leaving the dining room, we went to our bedroom, talking
about our plans for tomorrow on the way. In addition, Evan and I were to have
training. This time with the students of Feta.

When we reached the room Christian, not even thinking to
hide our relationship any longer, kissed me on the lips. Evan, to our general
surprise, kissed Amanda on the cheek before leaving. Poor Amanda! Much more
shock reflected in her emerald eyes. Evan hugged me saying goodbye and promised
to do all his best to find answers to our numerous questions. He and Christian
left.

“Do you know what I can’t understand most?” entering the
room, asked Amanda. “Why are you bound to my brother? Actually it was
me
who suffered so many years of all of your behavior, but in the end we don’t
even have that… what did Evan call this -
bond of friendship
? So where
is the justice?!” she exclaimed.