Haeven

by S. M. Bowles

  I felt so carefree and at ease that I didn't even bother to call Evan for an hour or two after I arrived. I checked into the hotel and went to my room where I did absolutely nothing but luxuriate in the peace of solitude. I knew Evan was expecting me though and the last thing I wanted to do was worry him. I called my parents first and let them know that I had arrived, safe and sound. Once that was out of the way I called Evan who jubilantly stated that he was already on his way.

  "New club opened up near the campus and we're all going to check it out tonight! I hope you're dressed and ready to go," he teased, "I'll be there in 15 minutes."

  "Oh, really! Well, I hope you don't mind waiting because I'm going to need a little longer than that!"

  "Get a move on then!" and laughing Evan abruptly hung up.

  Chapter 20

  Hardly three minutes later Evan called back to let me know that he was waiting for me in the lobby.

  "You'd better just come up, I'm still going to be a while!" I grumbled.

  "Are you sure? I have someone with me."

  "Yes, it's fine...I'm decent," I giggled.

  This time I was the one to hang up. I went to the door and used the bar on the security lock to brace it open so Evan could let himself in then headed back to the bathroom to finish my hair and make-up. A few minutes later I heard him come in and called out letting him know that I was almost done and would be right out.

  While fastening my earrings I walked into the room and saw him and...

  "Oh!" I said in surprise. I had expected to see him with one of his college buddies but there was a young woman sitting beside him on the edge of the bed instead.

  "Hey, Em," Evan hopped up and the girl slowly moved to join him. She stood at his side and wrapped his fingers in hers. "Sarah, this is my sister Emily. Emily this is my girlfriend Sarah," he motioned to each of us respectively as he made the introduction.

  "Sarah...Sarah..." I thought to myself and my mind seemed to shudder as he said her name. "It's nice to meet you Sarah," I held my hand out.

  She shifted her purse to her opposite shoulder and took just the tips of my fingers in hers, "It's nice to meet you," she smiled.

  There was something odd about the way she said it, like it wasn't sincere or maybe she was disappointed or felt sullied by my touch. I bit my tongue and turned to Evan without saying anything further.

  "Well, I guess we can go. Let me just grab my purse," I pointed.

  Evan's eyes followed my gesture and he noticed the charm sitting beside it on the nightstand. "I see you found your necklace," he smiled.

  "Yeah," I picked it up and ran my fingers over it. "I thought about wearing it but I wasn't sure if it would look good with what I've got on."

  "Actually," Sarah seemed awed as she gazed at the necklace from where she stood, "it's very...interesting. Where did you get it?" she took a step towards me hoping to get a better look.

  I shook my head and shrugged, "I don't know."

  She tentatively reached out as if to touch it. Though I hadn't planned on wearing it I hastily looped it over my head and tucked it beneath my blouse before she had a chance to inspect it. For some reason I couldn't bear the thought of letting her put her fingers on it.

  She frowned at me and I was sure there was some understanding lurking in her eyes, "Ah, yes! Evan told me there was a bit of a gap there," she said referring back to my earlier statement that I didn't know where I had gotten the charm.

  "Gap," I thought to myself and cocked my head at Evan wondering what else he may have told her. Evan had never mentioned having a girlfriend and in my mind that meant that their relationship was somewhat new. That he would tell her something so personal and private was quite unnerving to me and I couldn't help wondering what else he may have disclosed. I tossed a look Evan's way but there didn't seem to be any understanding or guilt in his expression.

  At that moment I decided that I didn't and probably would never like Sarah. Rather than dwell on the topic of my memory loss or induce a series of questions that I didn't want to answer, "Well, it's a bit more complicated than a gap but unfortunately I can't tell you much more than that."

  Sarah was thoroughly taken aback by then, "Well, I'm sorry to have brought it up. It seems like a very sore subject for you. Are you ready?" she tucked her hand in Evan's elbow and gazed lovingly up at him.

  Evan seemed completely oblivious to anything unusual in the exchange. "When you are," he gave her a quick peck then motioned Sarah towards the door and I reluctantly followed.

  Though I didn't have the courage to ask any of them my mind was full of questions. Sarah seemed a little older than Evan, actually much older than Evan when I really thought about it. She was pretty, in fact quite beautiful but it was hard for me to acknowledge the idea when everything else about her seemed so offensive to me.

  It was cooler than usual and turning quite dreary by the time we left the hotel. I offered to drive but Sarah recommended that we take her car and Evan seconded her suggestion. She climbed behind the wheel and since it was a coupe Evan propped his seat up then helped me climb in the back.

  "Comfy?" Sarah looked at me in the mirror once we were all settled.

  "Quite," I assured her and smiled happily.

  I was anything but though. The backseat was tiny and since Evan was so tall he had his seat nearly all the way back. I was cramped and uncomfortable and feeling claustrophobic as well. Not only that but the seats were leather and though I was buckled in I still slid several inches in either direction every time Sarah took a turn.

  She seemed to be enjoying the fact that I was at her mercy in the backseat and even managed to get me to bang my forehead into the back of Evan's seat when she abruptly stopped short while I was trying to corral my purse between my feet.

  "Oops, sorry about that! I thought I saw something crossing the road," she chuckled.

  Evan laughed, too, but graciously concealed it and asked if I was OK.

  "I'm fine," I chirped determined not to give Sarah the satisfaction of knowing that I did indeed hurt myself.

  Thankfully it was only a short drive to the club and Sarah was in a great deal of a hurry. Evan hopped out as soon as we got there and offering a firm hand sprung me from my rolling torture chamber.

  It had started to rain on the way to the club so we didn't bother with any commentary and hurried towards the front door where a group of about 5 or 6 people were idling about under the canopy.

  "Evan!" one of them called out as we approached. "You made it!"

  "Yep, we're all here!" he jubilantly stated.

  "Nice to see you again, Sarah," Evan's friend eyed her appreciatively.

  "You, too, Miles," she smiled coyly, almost invitingly. I liked her less and less by the minute.

  "Is this?"

  "Yep. Emily, this is my friend Miles."

  "Great to meet you," though I couldn't possibly imagine why, he shook my hand with a great deal of deference,

  "Likewise," I smiled but cringed inside. "Now why on Earth did I say it like that?"

  Suddenly I was completely ill at ease and questioning everything I said and did while Evan introduced me to the rest of his friends. There were two more guys and two more girls. Once I did the math I realized why Evan made it a point to introduce me to Miles first. It was obvious the two girls were dating the two guys and Evan was hoping that Miles and I would hit it off.

  He seemed to see the understanding in my eyes when I turned to confront him with this new knowledge. Without a word Evan bit his lip as if to apologize and looked at me hopefully. I knew he was asking me to at least try and make the most of it.

  "Now that we all know one another there's no sense standing around and letting the night get away from us! Let's get inside," Evan said then he and Sarah led the way.

  The other couples followed while Miles and I trailed in everyone's wake. "So, Evan told me you were a little adventurous!" he tried to strike up a conversation.

  My mind immediately jumped to th
e worst possible interpretation, "What?" I frowned and asked somewhat angrily.

  "Yeah, he said you went skydiving together over the summer," his words came out hesitantly.

  "Oh! Yes...yes we did," I said completely relieved. "I'm sorry. I...I don't get out much and I'm a little nervous around new people. I didn't mean to sound so...so snappy."

  Miles held his hands up as if to ward off another attack, "No worries, just as long as you don't bite!"

  I laughed in confusion. It seemed like a strange thing to say.

  "So what else do you like to do, I mean when you're not jumping out of planes?" Miles and I showed our ID's and he paid both our admissions.

  Now that I could see him under the light he didn't seem quite so foreboding. Miles was handsome in a studious, nerdy kind of way with dark hair and dark eyes. He had a quirky smile and it seemed like he knew he wasn't movie star handsome but believed that what he lacked in looks he made up for in personality. There was a conscious confidence and an easy-going way about him and I had the sense that Evan purposefully chose Miles so that I wouldn't feel pressured to consider our evening together as anything other than a friendly, get-to-know you event.

  We were given wrist bands which was somewhat surprising since Evan, and I suspected all of his friends, were under 21. I didn't say anything but raised my brows in acknowledgement and followed Miles and the others into the club. Evan gave me a quick wave then he and Sarah melted into the throngs of people on the dance floor. The other two couples did pretty much the same while Miles and I just stood there shifting awkwardly.

  "Do you want to dance?" he raised his voice and I could just barely hear him over the music.

  "No. I'm not much of a dancer," I looked away, "actually I don't think I've ever danced."

  "Never danced?" Miles stepped back and studied my expression as he attempted to discover whether or not I was telling the truth.

  I looked longingly over his shoulder and sighed, "No. No...I don't think I can."

  "That's too bad," he glanced around and for a moment I thought he was considering whether or not to just leave me there and find another partner. "Do you want a drink?"

  I shrugged, "Sure." He led me to the bar, ordered for himself then turned to me and asked me what I wanted. "Um...uh..." I didn't know how to answer.

  "Don't tell me you've never had a cocktail before?" he said it jokingly not really guessing the truth of it. My face fell. "Oh, my," he said once he realized, "have you been hiding under a rock?" he gave a confused, unbelieving chuckle.

  "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "This was a mistake."

  I started to walk away. My heart was pounding and I felt so ashamed. I cursed Evan for thinking that taking me out and letting me meet his friends was a good idea. I never realized how hard it would be to interact and engage with people because I just couldn't remember, didn't know anything or hardly anything at all about myself. I started to cry.

  I couldn't see where I was going through my tears and I inadvertently bumped into someone standing on the edge of the dancefloor watching the crowd.

  He turned and faced me, "Whoa, there, sweetheart," he reached out and kept me from stumbling any further. He was smiling brightly, his eyes flashing with humor, "Hey, do I know you?" his expression changed dramatically as he stared directly down at my chest. I was flabbergasted and almost wrenched myself away but then he cautiously reached out and curled his fingers around the charm. "How do you know Daemon?" he bent down and looked into my eyes. I couldn't pull my gaze away. "Wait," he looked absolutely puzzled, "do you know Daemon? Do you know anyth..." he suddenly stopped speaking and his eyes darted from one section of the club to the next to the next.

  I felt a little dizzy and my mind went completely blank for several seconds. Then I thought I heard a voice calling my name from behind. I peered over my shoulder imagining that it was Miles but there was no one there. I started to turn back to the stranger so I could offer an apology and excuse myself but then I caught a glimpse of someone staring at me from the opposite end of the room. Everything I was seeing seemed to waver before my eyes like it was somehow translucent or surreal and during those few short seconds both the stranger I had bumped into and the person who was staring at me across the room seemed to vanish.

  It was terribly unsettling and I was desperate to escape the eeriness of everything that had just happened. As I hurried toward the door Evan caught my eye. I shook my head no hoping that he would somehow understand and not come after me. He followed me outside though, and I tried to sound convincing when he asked me what was wrong.

  "Em, what happened? Why did you leave the club?"

  "Just not in the mood for dancing," I smiled half-heartedly.

  "Ah, come on, Em! There's obviously more to it than that! Was it Miles? I can't imagine him..."

  I shook my head, "No. It's not Miles. It's me. I'm sorry, Evan. This just isn't me. I know you meant well but...I've...I'm not...this is all so new to me. I can't just..."

  "Oh," he reached out and clutched my arms. "Em! I'm so sorry. I guess I didn't think this through did I? I thought. God! You don't...yeah...just me and Mom and Dad...that's all you know isn't it?" he pulled me close and hugged me. "I should have made better plans for us. Wait here, I'll go get Sarah and we'll take you back to the hotel."

  "I can call a cab."

  "No...aw...crap...no. You know I can't let you do that."

  "It's OK, Evan. Really. Go, spend some time with your friends. I'll be fine."

  "Are you sure?" and just as he asked me Sarah strode up behind him and laid her chin on his shoulder.

  "I thought the party was inside, not out," she nibbled Evan's ear.

  He smiled and shivered as I watched him try to hide his pleasure at her touch. "I was just saying goodbye to Emily. She's not feeling well and is going to head back to the hotel."

  I opened my mouth to speak, utterly confused at the sudden change in Evan's conviction that he needed to see me safely back to my room.

  "I'm sorry to hear that," Sarah cooed. "Would you like me to drive you back?"

  "No!" I cleared my throat. "No thank you. I've already called a cab," I lied.

  "Well, maybe we'll see each other tomorrow then, and if not, some other time I'm sure."

  "I'll look forward to it," I smiled first at her then at Evan. "Goodnight."

  He kissed my cheek, "Take care. Call me if you need anything," he shouted as Sarah turned and led him away.

  I watched them for a moment while shaking my head. I couldn't imagine what he saw in someone like her but I was sure it couldn't have been anything more than the superficial. Once they disappeared from view I asked the doorman if he knew of any taxi services in the area.

  "I'll call one for you...actually...why don't you just take this one," and as he said it a cab pulled up to the curb to drop off some patrons. The doorman bent down and asked if he wouldn't mind another fare.

  "Where to?" the driver leaned back and questioned me through the open door.

  I gave him the name of the hotel and the street it was on.

  Nodding he said, "Yep, I know it. Hop in."

  A moment later we were on our way. I didn't realize it but in my mind I was replaying the events of the night. I sighed more than once during the drive and I must have been very expressive because eventually the driver glanced at me in his mirror and asked, "Something on your mind?"

  "Oh, no. Well, yes," I almost started to tell him but then thought better of it. "It's nothing really," I mumbled and slumped back against the seat. There was something about him though and I couldn't keep myself from studying his reflection in the mirror. He caught me more than once and when I realized what I was doing I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I...you...you look familiar."

  He gave a little guffaw, "Do I?" There was definitely something about him. "I get that a lot. Must just have one of those faces."

  I didn't want to press him and so I just smiled and turned away. When we got to the hotel he quickly got out of the ca
r and hurried around to my door then let me out. I fished around in my purse, "How much do I owe you?" I asked.

  "Don't worry about it. You were my last fare and your hotel was on my way. Have a good night," he called as he slid back into the driver's seat.

  "Huh!" I mumbled as I watched him pull away. "Oh, well," I shrugged and made my way inside and up to my room.

  It was early but without anything to do I decided I might as well go ahead and get ready for bed. When I was done I sent a text to my mom and dad to let them know that all was well and that after the long drive I was tired and decided to call it a night. I tucked my phone away and propped myself up on the pillows so I could watch a bit of TV.

  After flipping through the channels once or twice I settled on some sci-fi movie and put the remote aside. It must not have been very engaging and before I realized that I was drifting off I was asleep. Hours later I woke to someone gently rapping on my door.

  "Emily? Emily, are you awake?"

  "Sarah?" I thought to myself and unable to imagine why she would possibly be there I cautiously approached the door and looked through the peephole just to be sure. It was definitely her. "Is that you Sarah?" I asked even though I had already verified the fact.

  "Yeah. I'm sorry. Is Evan in there with you?"

  My heart skipped a beat as I suddenly realized that something must be very wrong if she didn't know where he was. I unbolted the door and let her in. "Evan's not here," I confessed.

  She was disheveled and looked as though she may have been crying. When she stepped into the room she peeked in the doorway to the bathroom and closet as though she were assuring herself that what I said was true and that Evan wasn't with me.

  "What happened?" I asked.