by L. L. Ash
“Your belt on?” he asked me, putting the car in gear.
I swung around and slid the silky seat belt over my shoulder and latched it before Clarence started to move the car in a slow circle, turning around.
“Let’s get going, shall we? I’m looking forward to getting out of this town for the weekend.”
I agreed completely and sat back as the engine roared out of the driveway and onto the paved road.
Music played low and constant on the radio, and our conversation hummed along quietly without much meaning. I watched as the city grew closer and population more dense, and my heart pumped faster, the feeling making me come alive. I hadn’t realized how much the tiny town had stifled me in the weeks I’d been there.
Once we’d reached Seattle a little over 2 hours later, Clarence stopped at a seafood restaurant.
“Now, I don’t want you to laugh at me,” Clarence began and I was already laughing. “I’m ordering three or four entrees in there, and maybe a starter or two. I’ve been wanting to try seafood other than peasant fish for a very, very long time.”
Grinning at him, I agreed.
“I’ll help you eat it,” I told him. “I’ve got your back, sexy man.”
“You’re my dream, Addie. I hope you know that.” His smile was teasing, but his eyes meant every word.
“I’m beginning to understand,” I smiled back and accepted his brief kiss before he got out of the car, walking around the front and opening my door for me.
He extended his hand for me and I took it, unfolding onto my black heels and followed him into the restaurant as he beeped the car locked and pocketed his keys.
It wasn’t until that moment, as I followed one step behind him, that I noticed he was dressed in black dress pants, a blue cotton dress shirt rolled up to the elbow, with suspenders hanging off his slacks. Put a paper boy hat on his head and he could have come straight from the 20’s.
“You look handsome,” I whispered in his ear as he opened the door to the restaurant.
“Thank you,” he grinned down at me. “And you look spectacular. I don’t think I’ve seen you in a dress before.”
“That’s because you haven’t.”
“It suits you,” was all he said, as we approached the counter.
“For two?”
“Yes,” Clarence said in a smooth, velvet voice and the hostess grinned, but led us back to a table.
“You’re waiter will be with you momentarily.”
“Thank you,” he nodded at her and she left, casting a lingering glance his way.
“Geez, I never thought I’d be a jealous girlfriend, but I totally think I will be.”
Clarence looked at me and laughed.
“There’s no reason to be jealous, Darling.”
“Sure there is,” I grumbled and looked at the menu.
An older woman approached the table and smiled at us both.
“Welcome, I’m Janet and I’ll be your waitress this afternoon. Is there a special occasion that brings you in?”
“It’s my Darling’s birthday,” Clarence told the woman, giving her a bright smile as he took my hand across the table.
“Well happy birthday!” she told me. “I think I might be able to scrounge up a dessert for such a lovely young lady! Do you like chocolate?”
“Doesn’t every girl?” I laughed.
“You know, the chef makes these cute little tartlets… They are amazing but they’re only on the dinner menu...” She leaned in closer. “I think I’ll be able to snag one from the kitchen for you, compliments of the house.”
“Wow, that would be incredible! Thank you!” I told her, feeling just a little spoiled between her and Clarence’s fawning.
She nodded and folded her hands in front of her.
“Meanwhile, would you like something to drink?”
“What is your non-alcoholic specialties, Madam?”
The woman actually blushed.
“We have a wonderful lemonade. Raspberry, pineapple or sweet peach as well as just lemon flavor.”
“Does that suit you, Addie?” he asked me.
“The pineapple sounds delicious,” I told Janet.
“Ok, and for you, Sir?”
“The regular lemonade,” Clarence told her. “We’d like to order a couple of starters but we haven’t had hardly a moment to look at the menu.”
“Sure! I’ll go get your drinks and be back in a minute. That’ll give you time to look over the menu.”
“Thank you,” he nodded at her and went back to the menu, still holding my hand across the table.
I smiled at Janet and she took off, leaving us.
“Have you any preferences?” Clarence asked after a minute. “It is your birthday, after all.”
“It’s your first seafood lunch. You choose. I’ll be fine with whatever.”
Clarence licked his lips idly as he read the menu. Janet approached a couple of minutes later.
“Pineapple for the birthday girl,” she said, putting a bright yellow drink in front of me. “And lemonade for the gentleman.”
I thanked her as Clarence looked up, ready to order.
“We would like the bruschetta, and the lime ceviche to start, Janet.”
“You got it!” she nodded.
“When the appetizers are out I’ll be ready to order the entree.”
Janet nodded, noticing she was dismissed.
“Not much for small talk, huh?” I asked him and he looked up at me over the menu.
“I’m full of small talk for you.”
“I meant with the waitress.”
He shrugged.
“I’m sure she had better things to do than chat with the guests.”
I shrugged.
“Are you happy, Addie?”
I was taken back.
“Why do you ask that?”
“You have a look of reservation on your face. And you haven’t smiled today like you normally do.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Today is just a little overwhelming I think. And I didn’t realize how much I missed the city until we got here.”
“Would you like to leave this place?” he asked surprised, poised to get up from his seat.
“Don’t be silly,” I waved him off. “I’m fine.”
“Is it the hotel?” he asked, settling back in his chair again.
“That’s part of it, I guess.”
“I can get another room if it makes you uncomfortable, Addie. Today is about you, not me. We do what YOU want to do. If you’re not ready, or if you don’t want to...”
“Of course I do!” I butted in quickly. “It’s just kind of strange to think about. I guess between us it kind of became this whole big thing, and it’s become a final type of decision.”
“Let me ask you,” he leaned forward. “Had I never been a… would you be so reserved in loving me?”
“I’m not reserved in loving you,” I assured him. “Whether you were strange or completely normal, I love you. It’s not you I don’t trust. I trust you with my life, Clee. It’s me I don’t trust. I don’t know what love feels like, and that is what makes me nervous. Can I trust myself that what I’m feeling is forever? I mean, do you know if you love me enough to marry me, and be with me forever?”
“If you were a little older I would have proposed to you tonight,” he told me, blue eyes intense on me. “I know you’re still barely 18. You still have your life ahead of you and many, many options for a future. I’m ready, but if you’re not, then so be it. I told you I’m not asking for your life, Addie. Just your love. If you honestly feel as though you love me, being honest with yourself… that is enough for me. For now.”
“For now?”
He gave me a small smile.
“I’m a man who believes in marriage, monogamy, and family. It’s still too soon for you to be thinking of these things, but I’ve had centuries to consider it. To pine for it. For the first time in what feels like forever, those things are actually possible for me. And I
don’t want them with anyone but you.”
I took a long, steadying breath.
“You look overwhelmed again,” he said, his smile falling.
“You’re talking about marriage and family with me on my 18th birthday, Clee. No, I’m not ready for those things. Not yet, at least.”
“And that is why,” he leaned forward on the table. “I am content for now, to explore things between us, with your promise of love.”
I nodded and forced a smile for him.
“So I don’t have to marry you to... you know...?”
Clarence grinned.
“No. I thought you realized that last night.”
My cheeks burned as visions of the night before flashed through my brain, my lips parting, my thighs trembling.
“Before, when we talked about it,” I cleared my throat and my head. “You made it sound like it was a permanent decision. That after we… you know… that it was forever.”
“That was before,” he waved his hand emphatically. “Before, when loving me would be a sacrifice. When it meant a strange, and unsteady life for you. Now, I can provide you with a normal, happy, safe life, Addie. We can grow old together, we can have children, we can share our lives”
My heart throbbed in happiness at the words.
“So,” Clarence brushed his hand across the back of mine. “I considered this the first couple of days after I became cured… I decided that I would live my life as I would have, all those years ago. I would take the chances I didn’t take. I would make decisions based on what I wanted, and what I needed. And I came to the grand conclusion that you are both. You are what I want, and what I need. I will do anything, anything to make you happy, Addie. And I intend to marry you, if you’ll let me. So the conversation of whether or not I should take your maidenhead is irrelevant. Unless you stop loving me, I will marry you. So as I see it, it is mine regardless of whether I take it now or on our wedding night.”
“You sound awful confident,” I laughed in happiness, my eyes tearing up against my will.
“Only because I see your love for me in your eyes. My words are not such an assumption when that is considered.”
“Stop it! Or I’m going to cry and my makeup is going to run!”
Clarence grinned at me and touched my cheek where a trail of moisture had formed.
“This is heavy talk for such a celebratory day, my darling. Think of light things, happy things. Anticipate the day, and the night we will have.”
My stomach flip flopped as I did just that.
“Ok! Bruschetta and ceviche!” Janet said as she placed the plates on the table, abruptly ending mine and Clarence’s conversation.
Not much else was said because our mouths were too full with food.
Clarence ordered lobster, oysters, scallops and fish ‘n chips as entrees and we both dug into them. His eyes rolled back in his head as he tasted the foods for the first time, going on about how delicious everything was. I watched him with wonder, considering what it would have been like for him, after so many years of wanting food and finally being able to have it. The joy on his face was unmitigated.
We left the restaurant bloated and happy, and Janet got a nice tip as I saw Clarence write two zeros behind the first number. He didn’t see me peek, but I witnessed his generosity and let it go unvoiced, as he intended. My heart swelled though.
It had been a hard conversation we’d had, but necessary. I knew where his head was at, and a lot of things made a lot more sense between us. And there was no more guessing. Clarence intended to consummate our relationship at the hotel, and I was ready. After the previous night in the truck, the experience promised to be pleasurable and I couldn’t ask for more than that.
As we held hands, going through the busy streets of Seattle, we saw all the landmarks. Our afternoon dawdled away at Pikes market, the glass museum and a final stop at the Space Needle before going to dinner.
Standing at the top of what was once the tallest building in America, I looked over the city and almost felt as though I could fly. Ignoring the glass rails and nets disrupting the vision to downtown Seattle, I felt weightless as I stood by Clarence, his eyes sparkling as he took in the sight. 300 years had made him wise, but not bitter. Youth still radiated in him, and this time, as I looked at him, I saw the boy he must have been so many years ago. I realized how lost he had been, for that first year, and all the hundreds of years to come. For the first time, he looked as if he was home.
“I have a reservation for us,” Clarence told me as we got on the elevator to head down from the top floor of the Space Needle.
“Where at?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” he grinned at me.
“Do I need to go and change? This is the nicest dress I brought.”
“No, you’re beautiful. Stay just as you are.”
We got back to the car eventually and together we headed to the restaurant. We arrived a little early, but they had a table ready for us so we went straight in. I followed Clarence who had replaced the straps of his suspenders over his shirt and put on a blazer to upscale his wardrobe.
The restaurant looked incredibly fancy and I felt a little awkward in it, but I was excited by what food choices we’d get.
After getting our waters Clarence asked what I wanted on the menu. After telling him what I was going to order, he took it upon himself to order for both of us. It irked me a little, but when I asked him about it, he just shrugged innocently and said that it was the gentlemanly thing to do. His victorian era manners were superglued to his brain, and that was just another strange thing about him that I would just have to learn to love.
My steak and his lamb were savory and hearty, but neither of us finished our portions. My stomach was too nervous about what would happen next, and I wondered if he was nervous about it, too.
Chapter Thirteen
When we arrived at the hotel, my breath caught in my throat. It was really, really fancy. Clarence pulled into the covered carport before getting out and grabbing his bag. My door opened for me and a hand reached out to help me out.
“I’ll help her,” Clarence’s voice rang clear and authoritative.
The hand retreated.
When I took his familiar hand, my bag clutched in my other, I saw three valets lined up, one of which was the owner of the hand Clarence had wordlessly scolded.
“Welcome to the Four Seasons,” one of them said and opened the door to the main building.
I held on tightly to Clarence’s arm, looking around the splendor of the modern building while he walked with purpose up to the front desk.
“Mr. Barnett,” Clarence said in such a strong baritone my heart fluttered.
Power radiated from the man. Gone was the teenager and in his place stood a full grown, confident man.
“Yes, Mr. Barnett,” the woman behind the desk smiled politely. “We have your room ready Sir. Let me get your key. I will be just a moment.”
Clarence drummed his fingers on the countertop and I looked up at him, amazed.
“What are you staring at?” he asked me suddenly, an amused smile on his face.
“You,” I told him honestly, but the woman came back and silenced us.
It seemed we didn’t have one lasting, private conversation all day.
“The Governor's suite,” she handed Clarence a stark white key card.
“And all of my specifications have been met?” he asked her with that authoritative voice again.
“Yes Sir. The room has already been prepared per your requests.”
“Excellent,” Clarence nodded, turning from the counter.
“Should you need anything, Sir, just call down to room service or the front desk and we can accommodate.”
He nodded again, silently acknowledging her before turning again and leading me to the elevators.
My heart was pumping and my hands were sweating, as I was sure Clarence noticed, but we rode up in silence as Clarence shouldered both our bags, against my i
nsistence that I could handle my own.
“With me,” he finally said as the doors opened. “You’ll need to learn to let me be a gentleman, Addie.”
“Are you saying I keep you from being a gentleman?”
“Not specifically, no,” he shook his head, turning left down the hall. “But you’ll have to grow used to it.”
“And why shouldn’t you change for me?” I asked and he gave me a sideways look.
“My darling, You’ll never know in how many ways I’ve changed for you already.”
He opened the door and when it swung open with his push, I gasped, seeing the luxury before me. The room must have cost him a grand or two, just for the night. Couches sat in the designated living room, and I could see a separate dining area off to the left. The room was stunning, in every sense of the word, and I could see Clarence appraising it as well.
“I’ll never grow used to the cold, modern industrial look that has become all the rage,” he commented, noting the warm, but angular furniture.
“That’s just because you’re old fashioned, Darling,” I teased him.
“I personally believe there are some things that will never go out of style. Though it is beautiful, in a sterile sense.”
“I like it,” I said, wandering through the huge room.
We found the door to the bedroom and went in together, finding warm and sterile beauty in that room, too. Clarence put both of our bags down on the seat at the end of the bed, heading to the window to look out. I followed and stared at the breathtaking view of the Sound.
“The ocean,” he said quietly, “After 300 years, has not lost its splendor or mystery.”
“I don’t think it could, even if you lived a thousand years.”
He tucked me into his side, putting his arm around me as we looked.
A knock on the door separated us momentarily as Clarence left me to get it. I heard him talking to another man at the door before it closed and the voices ceased.
Clarence rolled in a room service cart with an ice bucket and a bottle of something sticking out the top. Next to it lay a tray of chocolate covered strawberries with a white chocolate drizzle. They looked absolutely tempting.
“Champagne?” Clarence asked me as he worked on popping the bottle.
