Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  Chapter Four

  I SPENT THE REST of the day cleaning. I swept and mopped with manic fervor, then moved on to vacuuming the throw rugs and wiping down every cabinet. When there wasn’t a speck of dust left in the flat, I hand-washed all the dishes, then scrubbed the windows with Windex and newspaper until they sparkled, like Mormor had taught me.

  By then, I’d run out of things to clean, so I spent an hour obsessing over my outfit, reassuring myself I’d have done the same thing if any other boy was dropping by. This wasn’t about Ull—he’d been so foul all week, I obviously didn’t care what he thought of me. I’d just been raised to look my best for company; that was all.

  After I’d put on my softest sweater with my favorite pair of skinny jeans and knee-high boots, I bumbled around the living room with even less grace than usual. When the bell rang at eight on the dot I ran, opening the door to reveal the silhouette of a six-foot-five-inch Nordic Adonis. Ull’s blue eyes crinkled in the corners and his smile was radiant, a stark contrast to the angry man I’d gotten used to. He wore dark jeans and an ivory sweater that clung to his chest, and his accent was soft when he spoke.

  “Hei hei, Kristia. Nice to see you.”

  “Um … uh …” Oh, come on Tostenson. Find some words. “Uh …” Now! “Yes, it is. I mean, nice to see you too.” I could do better than this. I would do better. “Thanks for stopping by. You could have just sent an e-card or something.” I held the door open inviting him to our small sitting area, and he filled the space.

  “I come bearing Earl Grey.” He solemnly offered a steaming travel cup. “In thanks for some extremely detailed notes.”

  I blushed. “Right. I’ve got a little of the compulsive thing. Professor Carnicke is just so enthusiastic; I can’t tell what the important parts are, so I type it all. And Ragnarok breaks my heart—the gods destined to fall so mortals can live in peace. Just awful.” I shuddered involuntarily, thinking of Ull’s mysterious presence in my recurring Ragnarok nightmare. I wondered what our professor would have made of that.

  “Indeed,” Ull murmured absently, and I blushed again. I was boring him. His other dates must be much more interesting. Not that this was a date. I did not want to get involved with someone this moody. No, this was a business deal: tea for notes. And maybe the start of a friendship? Probably not. I usually stuck with friends who were a lot easier to read.

  “So Kristia,” he began as he sat on our couch, dwarfing it under his lofty form. “What do you think of Cardiff so far? What else are you taking?”

  He wanted to make small talk? I could handle that. I’d spent way too many afternoons with prattling old ladies at my grandma’s Bridge Club—I was an expert at small talk. I sat in the chair across from him and dutifully described my archaeology class, all the while looking for a polite way to bring up what was really on my mind.

  Since there was no gracious way to do it, I jumped in with both feet. I tilted my face up to stare into his amazing eyes and found I couldn’t quite open my mouth. Come on Tostenson. I’d gotten on my first airplane and traveled thousands of miles from home. I’d even stood up to Ull when I’d wanted to crawl under a desk and cry. I could do this.

  “Actually,” I smiled brightly. “I saw you last week. In London.”

  Ull froze.

  “It’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to talk then,” I tried to look morose as I studied him carefully. “It would have been nice to have a friend coming into school.”

  A rueful smile spread across Ull’s features and he avoided my question.

  “You were in London? How did you end up there?”

  “My flight from Oregon landed there, so I spent a day sightseeing.”

  “That must have been enjoyable.”

  “It was.” He still hadn’t answered me. I stared, waiting. He didn’t blink. “So what were you doing in London, anyway?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry. You must be thinking of someone else. I was not in London last week.”

  Oh sure, there were two, hugely frustrating, Nordic supermodels walking around London. “Liar,” I muttered under my breath.

  “What was that?” Ull looked amused again.

  “Oh, nothing,” I coughed to cover up my indiscretion. “Throat tickle.” Mormor would have been mortified at my behavior. She’d never have called someone out to their face. “It’s just, I’ve never met anyone quite like you before, and here I meet two of you in a week.” I looked him dead in the eye, but he still didn’t blink.

  “I do not know what to tell you, Kristia,” he said gently. We stared at each other for a long minute, each willing the other to back down. Ull won.

  “Well, I must’ve been mistaken.” I smiled the too-big smile I got when I lied. I’d get the truth out of him eventually. No sense running him off before I could finish my tea.

  “Tell me about yourself, Kristia. What brought you to Wales?”

  Where to begin? Nothing I’d done in Nehalem could possibly be of interest, but I had to say something. I briefly told him about my hometown, my studies at UPN, and summed up my journey by saying, “I wanted an adventure before I settled back into to the life I’ve always known.”

  “I think a life you have always known, a simple life, sounds wonderful,” Ull sounded almost wistful.

  “It is, in a lot of ways.” I wondered why I was opening up to someone who had spent so much energy antagonizing me. “But just once, I wanted to do something different. So here I am.”

  “How do you like it so far?”

  “Aside from seniors taking advantage of my undiagnosed OCD, it’s been a pretty good week.”

  Ull laughed, a musical sound that stopped my heart. It was beautiful, and I wanted to hear it again. “I suppose I am taking advantage. One cup of Earl Grey just doesn’t seem a fair trade for such highly detailed notes.” He was teasing me. Ull was in my flat, teasing me. Boys did that when they liked a girl, right? I couldn’t figure this guy out. Ull paused, seeming to make a decision. “Will you let me show you around town this Friday? My classes get out at three, and I can be here at four. The grand tour of Cardiff for your notes. Fair trade?”

  This could not be happening. He’d spent a week being unbelievably ornery, and now he wanted to take me out?

  “I don’t know.” I kept my face guarded. “Which Ull is going to pick me up on Friday? The nice one from tonight, or the mean one from last week? Because no offense, but I’d really rather not be alone with the mean one.”

  “TouchÉ.” Ull had the decency to look abashed. “You will not let me get away with much, will you, Miss Tostenson?”

  “I hope not.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to be firm with.

  “Well, the nice Ull would like to go out with you. What do you say?”

  I wasn’t entirely sure. On the one hand Ull Myhr, unquestionably the most desirable student at Cardiff and hands down the most interesting guy I’d met here, was asking me on a date. On the other, the boorish Viking who’d spent a week pushing my last nerve was asking for time alone with me. My voice wavered. “I guess that could be fun.”

  “Try not to sound too excited.”

  “Sorry. I’m just not sure what to make of you yet.”

  “Fair enough.” Ull stood, stretching his impossibly long legs. “But you are willing to give me a chance?” I nodded. “Then I shall be here at four.” He reached down to pick up his cup. Taking another sip, he eyed me speculatively. His look was so intense it gave me goose bumps, and I was glad my sweater covered my arms. He took my hand in his and bent to kiss it with perfect, pale lips. A pulse shot through my fingers and up my arm, making my heart race. Nobody had ever kissed me like that before.

  I stood frozen to the spot as he rose. Piercing blue eyes bored into mine as he whispered, “I will see you Friday night.” He strode from the room and let himself out the front door—good idea, since I couldn’t move. My feet were firmly rooted to the same patch of floor, and it was only after I was absolutely sure he had made his way beyond
the earshot of our flat that I let out a small squeal. The nerves let themselves out of my body in bursts, and I jumped up and down.

  It was this lovely vision that greeted Emma and Victoria when they came home, bringing their animated chatter to an abrupt halt. Victoria raised one elegant eyebrow in question, and my words came in gasps. “Ull. Myhr. Asked. Me. Out!”

  Two more bodies joined in my happy dance, and we jumped around the sitting area like the schoolgirls that we were, until we fell laughing onto the various seats. It was Victoria who sat up first, asking solemnly, “What are you going to wear?”

  Within an hour, we’d ransacked our collective closets and come up with what we hoped was suitable attire for a date with the most eligible and most confusing bachelor on campus. It hadn’t been easy. None of us knew much about Ull, and since we’d never seen him go out with anyone, we had no idea what he liked. Emma offered her favorite dress, a summery eyelet with a pastel sash, but Victoria nixed it with authority. “Too innocent.”

  “Well, we don’t want him to think she’s easy!” Emma’s retort was in line with my way of thinking, but Victoria shook her head knowingly.

  “We don’t want him to think she’s too anything. Trust me ladies, a first date outfit must be ambiguous. It can’t say too much. It should be sexy, but not overt—classy, but not boring. Sweet, but not too innocent.” She rolled her eyes at our obvious naÏvetÉ. “You have to leave him guessing, wanting to learn more. That way, he’ll have to take you out again.” Emma and I had to throw in the towel. Victoria clearly knew way more than we did about this sort of thing.

  Without us to sidetrack her vision, Victoria quickly paired a lace—not eyelet—A-line dress, tight in the bodice and flaring to just above the knee, with simple flats for walking. A scarf completed the look, and we added a tailored coat in case the evening was chilly. I had to admit, it looked pretty sharp. I hoped it was worthy of Cardiff’s most desirable catch. And he was certainly that, even if his mood swings were considerably off-putting.

  I really hoped Cranky Ull stayed home. This was already scary enough.

  ***

  When Friday came, I was literally bouncing with nerves. I still wasn’t positive this was a good idea. My dating experience wasn’t extensive, but the handful of guys I’d been out with in Nehalem had all wanted something. Some wanted to find out what was wrong with Crazy Kristia; some had heard rumors and wanted me to tell their futures—like I had any control over what I saw. The rest just wanted to try to get on base.

  Ull seemed like someone who had everything—looks, money, brains. He didn’t know about my mental problem, so it wasn’t like he wanted to exploit that. And there was no shortage of girls around here who would have been more than happy to give him an all-access pass. There was nothing he could possibly want out of me—except maybe my fabulous notes—that he couldn’t go out and get for himself. Maybe, just maybe, he really did like me, not my quirky gift, or the way I filled out my jeans—my best asset, according to a highly inappropriate comment Ardis overhead at a football game and was kind enough to repeat to me. Starting fresh and winning people over just by being myself … wasn’t that what I’d been looking for when I came to Wales?

  “Just relax,” Emma soothed as she dusted gold eye shadow onto my lids. “He asked you out. I don’t think he’s ever asked anyone out here. He must be into you.”

  “I doubt that,” I mumbled. “He probably just feels guilty for borrowing my notes.” Either way, I’d been so anxious that I hadn’t been able to eat all day.

  “Tush,” came Victoria’s pert reply. She peeked from around the back of my head, where she was wielding a large-barreled curling iron through my thick mane. “Men don’t do anything they don’t want to do. He clearly wants to spend this evening with you. And why wouldn’t he? By the time we’re done with you, you’ll be the most beautiful girl on campus.” Her eyes set in steely determination as she curled and sprayed, creating the perfectly tousled waves I’d seen in her latest fashion magazine. When she was finished, Emma slicked gloss on my lips and handed me the tube.

  “Reapply every hour, as needed. Or whenever you’re done snogging!” She giggled, and I ducked my head. If only I could be so lucky!

  I stood in front of the full-length mirror under the critical gazes of my flatmates. Victoria ran her fingers along the base of my hair, lifting it for good measure before administering one final spritz of hairspray. “Absolutely beautiful,” she assessed.

  “Stunning.” Emma nodded her assent. “He won’t know what hit him.”

  As I looked at the stranger in the mirror, even I had to admit the girls did good work. I was definitely looking, if not feeling, my best. My stomach churned in anticipation. Victoria and Emma let themselves out, heading to the ice cream shop around the corner to give me some privacy when my date arrived.

  “We’ll see you when you get home … if you make it home!” Victoria trilled over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her. “I wouldn’t come home.” I heard her mutter as she walked away.

  “Me neither,” came Emma’s muffled reply through the door.

  Chapter Five

  AT FOUR O’CLOCK ON the dot, I heard an authoritative knock. With a deep breath, I picked up my purse. My intuition told me this was a very important moment. I waited for the inevitable blackout to embarrass me, but it didn’t come. For once my brain was functioning on all cylinders—I was vision free. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.

  When I opened the door, Ull’s glorious figure stood on the other side. His thick, blond hair was in disarray from the Welsh wind. His perfectly-shined boots were the same black as his tight-fitting sweater, and defined forearms peeked out from pushed-up sleeves. The dark wash of his jeans highlighted the long, muscular shape of his legs. He raked a hand through his hair, brushing a piece away from his eyes, and lit up the entire flat with his radiant smile. My heart ached; no man could be so beautiful.

  I smiled shyly. “Hi.”

  “Hei hei,” Ull murmured. He reached out and took my hand. Then he raised my fingers to his lips, grazing the tips with a feather-like kiss. My skin burst into flames, waves of heat radiating toward my heart in slow pulses. The sensation was unnerving. I let out a nervous giggle as Ull guided me over the threshold and into the late afternoon sun with one hand on the small of my back. “Are you ready for the grand tour of Cardiff?”

  I nodded, not quite able to speak. We walked to the street where a shiny, black Range Rover waited, bearing the license plate NORSE1. Of course. Ull held my hand as I climbed into the passenger seat. My stomach flipped as his gaze slowly took in my bare legs and the hem of my skirt. His eyes darted to the low cut of my neckline. My stomach fluttered as I caught him staring.

  He was totally checking me out. I made a mental note to thank Emma and Victoria for their hard work on my appearance.

  “Kristia,” he said after he crossed to the driver’s side and climbed in. “You look delightful this evening. Absolutely angelic.” He clicked his seatbelt. “Are you sure you want to spend time with a rogue like me?” Beneath his smile was a serious undertone.

  “Rogue, huh? I guess that explains the staring.” I looked pointedly at my chest and giggled as the tops of Ull’s ears turned pink. His grimace was the last dark look I saw that night. He seemed to have made a decision, though I couldn’t guess at what it was.

  He glanced at my dress with a wry chuckle. “So I guess ice skating is out.”

  I panicked, trying to remember if he’d mentioned wanting to do something sporty.

  “We can go back—I can change; it’s” His laughter stopped me.

  “I was teasing you, Kristia. We can skate another time. I would much rather you wear that dress.” His smolder left a warm tingling in the lower half of my stomach. He reached out to hold my hand and the tingling burst into flames. Desperately hoping he couldn’t hear my pulse, I took slow, deep breaths. We were two minutes into this date. I didn’t want to give him any reason to go
back to avoiding me.

  “Right. Another time,” I said lightly. Another date with Ull. I had to start the deep breathing all over again. Two and a half minutes into this and I was two for two on hyperventilation. I’d have to start pacing myself. After all, I still wasn’t completely convinced that Nice Ull was the real thing. And there was no point in going all ga-ga over someone who might not even exist.

  Ull drove toward the center of town, at ease in the driver’s seat. I tried to focus on his words as he pointed out Cardiff’s considerable highlights, but quickly got lost in the commanding tenor of his voice. I forced myself to really look at the sights, and by the time Ull pulled up in front of Cardiff Castle, I was finally able to hear him. He didn’t move to get out of the car, so I re-crossed my ankles and stared at the ancient fortress from the passenger’s seat.

  “Cardiff has the highest concentration of castles in the world. This one dates back two thousand years, though of course, it has undergone many revisions. You just missed the Medieval MÊlÉe. People dress in costumes; they hold sword-fighting contests on the green, serve turkey legs, and play silly games. I went as a jester this year.”

  I tried to picture Ull Myhr dressed as a clown, but came up short.

  “It is nice to walk the castle wall,” he went on. “You can see the niches in the stone where guards used to keep their fires on cold nights. We can do that another time—too late today. The castle closes at six.” As fascinating as the wall sounded, the only thing I took from this was that Ull wanted to go out again. Score one, Tostenson.

  Ull eased into traffic, and his excitement grew as he pointed out Millennium Stadium. His eyes shone as he described some of his favorite matches—he was both a football and rugby regular, and he glanced wistfully at the stadium when he spoke. It was weird to imagine him doing something so ordinary as watching sports. Maybe he did have a normal side.