by T. J. Quinn
She was also worried about her clothes. Being a touristic place, she reckoned it wouldn’t be a fancy place, but all her clothes were old and shapeless. Not something she would want to wear on her first date with Zorban.
After she managed to comb her hair in a fashionable braid, similar to the one she had worn for Joanne’s wedding, she spent a few minutes going through her clothes, trying to pick something, promising herself she would go shopping for new clothes as soon as possible.
She was still at it when the bedroom door opened up, and Zorban walked in carrying a few bags.
“I thought you might need some clothes, after all, I barely gave you time to pack,” he said, with a smile, as he handed her the bags.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, with a slight frown, not sure how she felt about his gesture.
“Joanne helped me. She already knew your size, so she had a little fun shopping for you,” he explained, smiling.
“Isn’t she supposed to be on her honeymoon?” she asked, intrigued.
“They should, yes. But Matthew and Joanne have scheduled an around the world cruise, and the next one leaves in January. They decided they could wait.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
“Not my idea of fun, but I guess some people enjoy that,” he admitted. He wasn’t that fond of boats. Thalia’s oceans were permanently frozen. “Anyway, she had time to spare,” he concluded. “I hope you can find something you can wear in there.”
“I’m sure I will. Joanne has exquisite taste. You must tell me how much you spent on all…” she started saying, but he silenced her laying a finger over her lips.
“It’s a gift. You saved my life, buying you a few pieces of clothing is nothing in comparison,” he assured her.
“I wasn’t expecting any kind of payment from you,” she replied in a curt tone.
“Of course, you weren’t. But doing this for you makes me feel better,” he explained. “Now, we’re running late, so why don’t you put on some clothes and I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, I will. But I still want to pay for the clothes,” she insisted, as he opened the door.
“We’ll discuss it later, I promise you.”
He left the room, and she emptied the bags to take a good look at what Joanne had bought for her.
The other woman had spent a small fortune, she was sure of it. On the clothes she bought, she found a few lovely t-shirts and a couple pairs of jeans, along with some skirts and silky blouses. She had even bought a few winter dresses of what felt like cashmere. It wasn’t a surprise for her to find the navy dress she had worn at Joanne’s wedding amongst the clothes.
Sighing, Leah picked one of the dresses, one in a lovely shade of charcoal and stepped in the black high heels Joanne had bought her. She had trouble recognizing herself in the image reflected on the mirror, but she actually liked the way she looked.
Taking a deep breath, she left the room and met Zorban downstairs. He was wearing a dark sweater over a lavender shirt and some matching pants, looking elegant and yet just semi-formal, the perfect look for a place like the one he was taking her.
“You look amazing,” he said, smiling.
“Thank you. Joanne did a great job buying the clothes,” she assured him.
“Make sure you tell her so. They are coming to the party,” he informed her and helped her put on the coat he was holding for her. “It’s snowing outside. Nothing like the storm we witnessed, but we don’t want you getting sick,” he explained, as he put on a coat as well.
“That would be a real shame,” she assured him.
Chapter Sixteen
At the building’s parking lot, he opened the door to his car, a fancy European model and soon they were driving around town.
Seattle at night looked very romantic. All the Christmas decorations gave the city a festive look, enhanced by the snowflakes falling.
They arrived at the Space Needle, and after parking the car, he took her straight to the restaurant. The snow had driven away the usual crowd, so they were able to visit the whole Needle, enjoying the fantastic views of the city all around them.
At the restaurant, they took a seat at a table near a window and Leah looked at the city shining at her feet, literally. The restaurant floor was also made of glass, adding to the whole experience.
Zorban ordered for them, and soon they were enjoying a delicious cocktail.
“Well, well, well… look who’s here!” a male’s voice came from their side. It was Joanne and her husband, Matthew. “I didn’t expect to find you here,” Matthew said, smiling.
“The feeling is mutual,” Zorban said, smiling as he got up to greet Joanne. “You look ravishing, Joanne.”
“Such a flatterer,” she dismissed his words to look at Leah who was now standing next to them. “Oh, I knew that dress was perfect for you,” she said, turning to hug Leah.
“Yes, and it was a perfect fit. Thank you for bothering to go shopping for all those things,” Leah replied, with a shy smile.
“Girl, it was a pleasure. I hadn’t had so much fun shopping in some time, believe me,” she assured her.
“Why don’t you join us for dinner?” Zorban asked his friends.
“Thank you, my friend, but tonight is our anniversary. Can you believe we met a year ago? It feels like I’ve always known her,” Matthew said, with a broad smile. His love for Joanne was quite obvious, and Joanne’s was as clear. “We’ll have time to chat at your party.”
“Sure thing,” Zorban accepted and a few minutes later, the other couple headed to a more private area of the restaurant, apparently more interested in some privacy rather than the views.
“They make a lovely couple,” she said as they returned to their seats.
“Yes, they do, and I’m happy Matthew found someone to share his life with,” Zorban said, and she noticed a hint of sadness in his tone.
She furrowed her brows a bit. “Is that something you would like for yourself?” she asked, unable to stop the words from coming from her lips. She regretted them immediately, sure she wasn’t going to like his answer.
And she didn’t.
He shook his head and looking as if his mind was millions of miles away from there, he mumbled the words. “I had that but fate planned other things for me, and I lost it all.”
His words felt like hard punches to her stomach, and she had to make a considerable effort to hide their effect from him. “You could find someone else,” she replied, in a low tone, cursing herself for insisting on prodding at the wound.
He gave her a sad smile. “There was a time when I actually thought that was possible.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“Years of empty searching made me lose all hope,” he explained before he shook his head. “But, that’s a way too somber topic for a lovely night like this,” he added, changing the subject.
The waiter’s arrival with the food spared her from replying. She wanted to yell at him, to ask him ‘what the hell was he doing with her, then.’ But she knew he had never promised anything to her. He had offered her a magic Christmas and so far, he had kept his word. She had no right to expect more.
But she did. She realized she wanted it all from him, things she had never dared to hope for. He had changed her life, had shown her what being happy meant and now she had become greedy.
It wasn’t his fault, just hers.
Taking a deep breath, she pasted her best smile on her face and swallowed the food he had ordered for them. It all tasted like cardboard, but she knew it was her and not the food. Her heart had been crushed efficiently with a few words, and she was still coping with it, not sure she would ever feel alright again.
By the time the evening was over, she was feeling edgy and barely in control of her feelings. She needed some time alone, and she had no idea what excuse she could come up with to get it.
Fate worked in her favor this time. When they got to his apartment, there was
a message from Mrs. Benson waiting for him. He read the small paper, and Zorban changed entirely into a somber version of his usual self.
“I need to take care of this. Why don’t you go ahead and get some rest? I’m afraid this will take me a while,” he said, not even bothering to look at her, his attention completely focused on the small piece of paper.
“Sure, don’t worry about me, I’m so tired I’ll jump into bed at once,” she lied, wanting to be alone as much as he did.
She watched him disappear down the hallway after giving her a slight nod before she went upstairs. She quickly changed into some of her old clothes, eager to surround herself with ice and snow. Those two things had always comforted her in her darkest moments. She left the apartment and headed to a small park she had seen not far from the apartment building.
The door attendant looked at her in disbelief, but she was so caught in her own thoughts, she didn’t even notice his presence. She trotted to the park, pleased to see it wasn’t one of those parks closed for the night and soon, she was walking as far as possible from people’s eyes.
Once she was sure she was alone, she let out a loud cry and dropped to her knees, letting out all the pain that had been choking her. With a few swift hand movements, she conjured enough snow and ice to create a small dome over her, hiding her presence from any bystanders. Only then, did she give way to all her pain, allowing her tears to flow freely.
Zorban took a sip from his glass of wine, slightly frowning. Something had changed dramatically between Leah and him. All of a sudden, she had pushed him away, and the look in her eyes was so cold, so distant, he was able to understand why some people called her the ice princess.
He had never seen this side of her, and he knew he sure didn’t like it. He felt as if he was having dinner with a total stranger, one polite and cheerful, but certainly not the warm, amazing woman he had spent all those days with.
He tried to identify what could have triggered this reaction on her, but he couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation.
After a while, he gave up and followed her lead, taking her home as soon as they finished their meal, not in the mood to go through with the other plans he had made for the night.
When they got to his place, a message from Mrs. Benson gave him the reason he had been looking for to get some time alone, and after a few polite words, he disappeared into his office.
His mother had been trying to reach him. Though Mrs. Benson couldn’t answer any of her calls, she was alerted to them. He had designed that app after he had missed an urgent call from his mother. Apparently, this was one he couldn’t miss either.
Mrs. Benson had registered at least, six calls.
A bit worried and fearing the worst, he called his mother.
“Zorban… I’m so happy you called me back,” queen Mayala said, looking anxious.
“What’s going on, mother?” he asked, leaning back on his chair, trying to look more relaxed than he really was.
“It’s your uncle.”
Zorban sighed. “What’s the matter with him?”
“Something has unsettled him these past days. I can tell it’s something important, even vital for him but I haven’t been able to find out what it is,” she explained, wriggling her hands nervously.
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with you or my father, so you shouldn’t worry about it…” he started saying, but his mother interrupted him.
“It’s something about you. Your uncle has discovered where you’re staying,” she said, her tone revealing just how worried and nervous she was.
Zorban’s frown got even more profound. “I wasn’t aware my whereabouts were a secret to anyone,” he said, with a cold tone.
Chapter Seventeen
“Of course, it was. While you’re still alive, you’re a threat to your uncle’s ambitions. If you happened to die on a faraway planet, from an unfortunate accident, it would be impossible to link him to your death,” his mother explained, with a scolding tone. “No one knows where you are, but your father and me,” she continued.
“Then, why do you think he has discovered where I’m at?”
“Because your father’s condition has deteriorated a lot in these past weeks and he now mumbles incoherencies most of the time,” she replied. “Your uncle visits him at least, once a day and I’m afraid he has revealed your whereabouts during one of his delusions.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure of it, but you’re not dealing with just any threat. Your uncle is capable of anything to get you out of his way,” she warned him.
“I’m not running away, mother, not again,” he assured her.
“I was afraid you would say that,” the woman sobbed. “But, there’s something more. Something I can make sense of. My spy tells me your uncle’s reaction to your location was extremely exaggerated,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“My spy tells me it was as if you had decided to live on the last planet, he would want you on. He kept saying ‘why there… could it be possible he suspects something… I have to stop him...’ and things like that.”
“Who is your spy mother? How come he gets you that kind of information?” he asked, intrigued.
“My spy is someone I trust my life with. So far, he has only shown his loyalty to your father and to me, but more especially to you.”
“What do you think my uncle is afraid of?” he asked, changing the topic, realizing his mother wasn’t going to identify her spy.
“I have no idea. Whatever it is, it’s so important that he’s flying there himself to take care of it,” his mother warned him.
“What?!” Zorban almost jumped up from his chair.
“That’s why I was calling you. He’s coming after you, Zorban. With you dead, he has a clear path to the throne.”
“I thought he already had that,” he pointed out bitterly.
“You know Jharb doesn’t have the people’s support. With you alive, people will always support you, and he can’t afford that,” she retorted. “You have to be careful and change your location, Zorban,” she begged him.
“I’m not going anywhere, mother,” he assured her. “If Jharb’s after me, then I’ll be right here waiting for him.”
“It’s too dangerous,” his mother cried out.
“You forget I’m a trained warrior mother. He won’t get to me that easy.”
“He’s taking a small army with him, Zorban,” she warned him.
“I’ll be fine, mother,” he insisted. “When is he leaving Thalia?”
“I was told he was leaving tonight.”
“That means he will be here in five, six days, tops,” he calculated. “Enough time for me to get ready to welcome him.”
“Thinking you might want to do that, I just sent Krad and a few other men from your team to meet you,” Queen Mayala said, with a faint smile. “They left two days ago, and they’re traveling at their maximum speed, so they should get to you a couple of days before Jharb.”
“That might have been a mistake, mother Jharb will suspect…”
“Please, Zorban, give me some credit. I asked your father to issue an order, sending them to investigate some riots reported on Anios,” she explained, referring to a small planet, not far from Thalia. “No one will suspect anything, and Jharb is so focused on you right now, he won’t even notice they are gone.”
“I hope you’re right, mother.” He sighed. “I’ll let you know when they get here. Tell me if you find out anything else.”
“I will, darling.”
They ended the call, and Zorban leaned back on his chair, rubbing his forehead. He hadn’t expected this. When he was compelled to leave Thalia, he had forced himself to forget his homeworld and everything happening on it. His mother had made a consistent effort to prevent him from breaking those ties completely, but so far, he had done an effective job at ignoring Thalia’s problems.
But now, the problems were coming after him, and he wo
uld have to face them somehow.
Sighing, he left his office and walked to the bottom of the stairs, not sure what to do. He looked up, thinking of Leah, not sure, he should join her. He was in a pretty bad mood and definitely not good company for anyone.
Sighing, he decided to go for a walk in the cold and snow, in a vain attempt to clear his head and organize his thoughts.
Leah cuddled up, hugging herself tight while lying on the smooth bed of snow she had conjured. Tears still rolled down her cheeks, and she must have fallen asleep at some point, from sheer exhaustion. By the time she woke up, her small cave had enough light for her to see herself, so she had assumed the sun had come out.
Stretching, she sat up, breaking the cocoon that had encased her. Looking around, she noticed the sun was coming up on the horizon, and people were starting to come out for their morning routines. She should go back to Zorban’s house. She doubted he had noticed her absence, but that suited her perfectly.
She didn’t want him to know how his careless words had hurt her. Acknowledging that would be admitting her feelings for him. She didn’t want that. She had promised herself she would live every day they had together as if it were the last one, relishing every moment they shared, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
She jumped out of her shelter and made sure she erased every sign of it before she walked back to Zorban’s apartment. She had almost reached the front door when she saw him coming towards her, looking distracted.
When he raised his head and saw her on the street, his look of surprise told her he didn’t know she had left the apartment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, with a slight frown.
“The same thing as you, I guess. I'm used to going for a walk right after I take care of the animals,” she lied blatantly.
“You should have put a sweater on. It’s still cold out here,” he scolded her.
“I’m not cold. This is a very nice temperature, compared to what I’m used to,” she assured him. “Are you going up?”
