by Haley Travis
"Hello?" I said, hearing my voice hitch.
“Eden, it's Eric. Please don't hang up. Please just listen for two minutes."
My throat closed as I burst into tears again. I didn’t know whether I should be angry that he was using another number. It was a bit shifty. But it was such a relief to hear his voice that I wanted to forgive it.
"Oh God, baby… Don't cry. Please. Just listen, okay?"
"Okay,” I barely managed to squeak.
"Your Nana said don't go to bed with the devil, right?"
He was speaking very quickly as if he needed to spit it all out before I hung up. But I knew I had to hear him out. "The only time we were in bed, we were just sleeping. And we weren't really together, there was a wall of pillows between us, remember? Also, you didn't get into bed with me. I put you to bed. I know that sounds like a very minuscule difference, but in a court of law, it would hold up. Don't you think?"
"Maybe?”
"Okay, stay with me. We had sex in the kitchen. That's not in bed. In the shower, which is not in bed. So I think it's reasonably safe to say that we haven't crossed the curse yet. Are you with me so far?"
"Yes. I guess so."
“So I don't feel like it would be breaking any rules if you and I sat down over a coffee and had a business meeting about the situation."
I was so distraught that a giggle burst out of me like a hiccup. "Business meeting?"
"Yes. We could meet in a coffee shop, and just have a chat." He paused, and I heard his voice soften. "Partly because I really need to know that you're alright. It's killing me to hear you so upset."
He stayed silent for a moment, allowing me to take a breath. "It hurts,” I choked. "I miss you. And I feel like maybe seeing you again will make everything hurt even more."
I heard him sigh. "You know I don't want that."
"I know."
“I miss you so much,” he murmured. It felt like he was practically nuzzling my ear. "How about we have coffee, and a calm chat, and we will figure out a way to either get past this, or stay friendly acquaintances. Does that sound reasonable?"
I nodded, then almost laughed when I realized he couldn't see it. "Yes. Okay."
Eric sounded completely relieved. "How about Mowat’s Cafe near King and Yonge? Tomorrow at six? They’re usually slow that time of day. I go there sometimes to do a little extra paperwork and get out of my office."
"All right. I'll see you then," I said.
"Eden," he said gently, "I appreciate you taking a chance on this. On us. I don't know what you've been through, but it sounds like it's been really hard. I don't want to make anything worse for you. I think you're being very brave."
"Thank you," I squeaked, but I ended the call quickly as the tears took over again.
I was fully aware that meeting up with him might be the craziest thing I'd ever done. I didn't like the thought of following the letter, and not the spirit of the law. It felt shifty. But he was right that technically we hadn't gone against Nana’s prophecy. Or, warning. Whatever The Knowing was.
My family had never discussed it in great detail. If I was going to consider not being with this amazing guy out of fear of a strange power, I should know more about it.
Although I had always been much closer to my grandmother than my mother, I didn't feel right about asking Nana directly. So I called my Mom.
"Hi, sweetie," she trilled. "I haven't heard from you in ages. How are you?"
"I'm pretty good, keeping busy."
We caught up on our daily lives for a few minutes, but I knew that she could tell I had a point to get to. "So, what's up?" she asked.
“Okay, so you know when Nana sort of zones out, and says something to the ceiling? You know how what she says then always comes true?"
"We are not discussing this,” Mom said sharply. "What else is new with you?"
"Come on. This is important."
I could almost hear my mother shaking her head as she always did when she was upset. "It's bad luck to talk about it," she said in a very strange, tight tone. "I can't."
“Relax," I said. "I just want to ask about the process, and what it is."
"No. Have a nice day, sweetie."
My mother actually hung up on me. Biscuits.
~ Chapter 12 ~ Eric ~
* Dark Gray Suit *
I had pitched proposals for building construction worth over six hundred million dollars. I had negotiated deals with CEOs of the most gigantic tech corporations. I'd negotiated with politicians, city planners, and all sorts of anal-retentive bureaucratic people.
At no point in my life had I ever prepared for a meeting with this level of overzealous precision, even though I had barely any information to work with. My coffee chat with Eden would be my most important meeting ever.
I consulted with Patricia to help me pick a suit and tie that would make me look the most non-threatening and appealing. She told me to go with the darkest gray since it was softer than black. She remembered that I had a caramel and peach swirl tie that was softer than most of my plain bold colors.
Calling my sister, I asked Angie if bringing flowers would be too much. She agreed that it would. She assured me that any gifts at this point might be taken the wrong way.
Skimming the news, I made note of all light, entertaining topics, in case she brought something up. I checked the weather.
I reviewed everything I knew about Eden, and tried to think of any way to disprove her belief in her grandmother's so-called powers without insulting her in any way. I couldn't tell her it was silly to believe in something. It was obviously a family tradition, of sorts.
I looked up a bunch of facts on premonitions, psychic ability, and prophecies. The proven rate of accuracy was almost zero. The few instances where accurate things were foretold, they were so vague that it was easily a coincidence. I didn't want to spring all of this on her, but I had a bunch of notes loaded in my phone in case the topic came up.
Getting to the coffee shop early, I spoke with the owner, explaining the situation as briefly as possible. Since I was a regular, he agreed to keep the music in the back room soft and upbeat, while encouraging all customers to sit in the front so that we had a bit of privacy.
Nervousness was not an emotion I ever allowed to come to the forefront. It only happened if you were not prepared enough, I had always told myself before presentations.
If you were nervous, that meant there was potential for failure. Acknowledging that potential was no way to walk into a meeting. It was better to walk in already knowing the outcome. Believing it. Knowing it in your heart through and through.
As I sat in the back of the café, frantically drumming my fingers on the table, I was struck by my realization that I was superstitious as well. I had my own patterns of belief that were completely illogical. But I believed them because it worked for me.
Holy shit.
There was no way that I should try to talk Eden out of believing in her grandmother's words. I should help her find a way around instead.
~ Chapter 13 ~ Eden ~
* Just Business *
I actually had to call in a favor to have someone proofread an assignment that was due. My eyes were slightly blurry with tears that wouldn't stop.
Having always been a person that played by the rules, sticking to things that were logically the next step, I was torn into pieces from trying to figure out what to do about Eric. It should be a yes or no decision. Because of Nana’s whispers, it should be no.
Yet he made me feel more complete, and more cherished than anyone I'd ever been with before.
Once I corrected the seventeen typos that my friend caught for me, I emailed my assignment off. Splashing cold water on my face, I started to get ready. A lot of makeup would be a mistake, so I smudged on a little waterproof eyeliner, and tried to look awake with a bit of blush.
Although I wanted to stay in my slouchy track pants and worn-out sweater, that didn't put me in the mindset of a business meeting. It w
as rather adorable that Eric wanted to frame it this way, to help me stay calm. I found a long, dark purple dress that looked quite nice, but was as comfortable as a nightgown.
Picking up Eric's hoodie from my dresser, I couldn't resist burying my nose in it. It smelled very faintly of his lemon soap. Rolling it up, I stuffed it in my huge purse, resolving to give it back to him.
As I walked to the café, I tried to figure out how open I should be with him. If we were ending things before they even started, there was no sense in telling him how big my feelings already were. I’d have to hold it together.
I wanted to stand outside of my mind and give myself a good talking to. Like yelling at a movie when the girl at home alone goes down to the basement to investigate a scary noise. We should know better. I should know better. But I was going anyway.
Even though I arrived five minutes early, Eric was at a table in the back, with a coffee already prepared for me. He had also set a glass of water and a muffin in front of the empty chair beside him.
As soon as I approached, he stood up, holding out his arms tentatively. "May I hug you?"
I tumbled into his arms, trying desperately not to cry, but he could sense it. "Shh, baby, please." I heard his voice hitch as if he were overcome with emotion as well. "You get it all out," he said as he stroked my back gently. "But it's killing me that you're upset."
Nodding against his chest, I tried to inhale his warmth. His strength. After a moment, I took another deep breath, then straightened up, sitting down and trying to focus. He sat down beside me and took a sip of coffee.
"What did you want to talk about?" I said in a tiny voice.
"You mentioned that there were two reasons why we couldn't be together," he said gently. "I don't want to upset you, and I don't want you to share more than you're comfortable with. But I thought that perhaps if you were to tell me a bit about both, we could try to see if these are hurdles that we could overcome."
I nodded, taking a sip of coffee while I tried to steady myself. Something about the rich, earthy fragrance always made me feel more grounded.
"I guess I'll start with the one that's easier to explain," I said slowly. "Six months ago, I broke up with a guy. Andy and I had only dated for around six months, but it was like…" I stared down at my hands, fussing with my thumbnail.
"I guess I wanted that part of my life to be a checkmark instead of an empty space," I said, trying to explain it to myself as much as to Eric. “It was so hard to learn how to speak with guys, and open myself up. I didn’t want to think I’d ever have to do that again.”
I realized that sounded pathetic. Wow.
“Holy squid,” I muttered more to myself than to Eric, “I’m so nervous about relationships that I’d rather stay in a lousy one than try again.” I looked up at him in shock.
Instead of acknowledging that I’m an idiot, he looked disturbed. “Eden, I didn’t realize that it was so hard for you. No wonder I freaked you out, coming on so strong, so fast.”
"You know, Andy looked good on paper,” I said lamely. “He had finished university, had a great job. He came from a nice family."
"How did he treat you?" Eric asked quietly.
My automatic shrug probably spoke volumes. "He was nice to me when he wanted something, like for me to show up in a quirky dress, playing the part of his cute girlfriend when his coworkers had a party." I paused. "We spent more time at his work social events then alone, to be honest. He was always telling me that I needed to drop ten pounds and get my hair cut so that I'd show up better in the photos."
I heard a slight clicking noise, and looked over to see that it was Eric's jaw clenching, vibrating.
"Andy… What did you say his last name was?"
"Marsh, but it doesn't matter."
I watched as Eric made a quick note on his phone. I couldn't help smirking. "Don't bother going after him. He's not worth it."
He reached over to give my hand a little squeeze. "Your curves are part of your… Awesomosity? Is that a word? Whatever. I think you are ravishing, and anyone who suggests you should change who you are deserves a swift, hard slap." He shot me a grin. "Please continue."
I exhaled hard, then blurted out the shortest version of the story of Andy planning to dump me while my mother was in the hospital. And how he had been using me the entire time.
The clicking got louder.
"Well, I'm glad that you got to be the one to do the dumping, in a way,” Eric said. "I cannot fucking stand that he made you feel small. That he used you."
This time I wasn't sure what my shrug was saying. "That's what normal girls have to deal with, I guess," I said quietly. "We get what we get and we hope for the best."
"No." He practically spat the word at me. "Eden, you are extraordinary. You are funny and light. You are gorgeous. You are ridiculously sweet, and have a halo of warmth around you that colors everything you do and say."
Nobody had ever said anything like that to me before, and my mouth actually fell open for a second. "I… I don't…" I sputtered.
"Andy Marsh is human-shaped garbage," Eric said with a touch of darkness in his voice. "If you ever want to see me as the devil, you put him in front of me for ten seconds. I will give that fucker the punishment he deserves."
Seeing how riled up Eric was just thinking of the man who had hurt me warmed my heart in a way I couldn't understand. I could see that Eric would always defend me. Protect me. I would be completely safe around him if it wasn't for… the curse.
"So, I see that it might take you a little time and space to work through the nastiness that was your ex-boyfriend. If that's an issue, we can take our relationship incredibly slowly if you like."
Then he paused. "Would you like to try to explain this curse from your grandmother now? What exactly do you mean? Is she psychic?"
"I don't know, exactly." I stared down at my hands while they twitched slightly. "I don't think I really believe in psychic powers. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I don't."
"Well, I don't," Eric said, “But I will be extremely open-minded while you try to explain what this thing is."
I nodded, taking another sip of coffee. I tried to let the quiet energy of the café wash over me, calming me so I could think this through.
"Nana doesn't announce that she's making a declaration or anything. She sort of zones out, and whispers to the ceiling. Or occasionally down at her teacup. We jot down whatever she said, then it usually comes true or makes sense in a couple of days, or weeks."
"Does every single thing come true?"
"We've never exactly kept score," I said. "But lots of them do."
"Okay. Could you tell me some examples?"
I reached out to squeeze his knee, smiling over to him. "I really appreciate that you're listening, and not just telling me I'm nuts."
Eric flashed me an adorable wink. "I only think you're a bit nuts in a good way. Go on."
I nodded, thinking. "There was one time Nana said something like, ‘No blue cars on the highway today’."
He nodded. "That does sound ominous."
"Yeah. About a week later my Uncle Nick had to rent a car, and had his choice of blue or silver. He had to drive on the highway, so he picked the silver one. When he returned the car, the sales guy said he made a good choice, because the blue one’s engine cut out while it was being driven. He could have been in an accident."
Eric nodded. "Okay. More likely he would have been stranded on the highway. Not quite life and death, but strangely precise. Tell me another."
"My Mom mentioned a former coworker who had won a few hundred dollars in the lottery. A few minutes later, Nana whispered something about, ‘You'll never win the game if you don't really play’."
He chuckled. "That's just good advice. You can't dream of winning if you don't buy a ticket once in a while."
"Yes – that's exactly what my mother thought. So she went out that day to buy a ticket and won a thousand dollars."
Eric pursed his lips, drumming
his fingers on the tabletop. "That could be considered good luck, not really a curse or a prophecy."
"Okay. There was one time Nana whispered, ‘Stay ahead of the curve, because the darkness is coming.’ My sister Eva was doing a paper on some programming curve thing. She’s really into software tech, I didn’t understand it. Because of Nana’s whispers, she raced to finish her paper before the power went out in a storm that night.”
