Virtually Yours: A Virtual Match Anthology

by Kait Nolan

  “See you then.” Delia signed off, hoping her mother took the hint and they could end the phone call. Cole’s eyes were on her. She could feel them more than see them. She wrapped a hand around the garnet pendant and felt it shiver in answer to her touch. She was almost beginning to expect such responses from the stone.

  Mother did take the hint. Delia set the phone aside as if it was too hot to touch. If the thing never rang again, it would be too soon. In fact, she might just change her number tomorrow.

  “Mother says thank you for driving me to the hospital.”

  Cole gave his half-smile. “And she also demanded I leave you alone, correct?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say demanded. She does think it would be best if you left shortly.” Delia lifted her glass, cradling it near her. She wasn’t sure how she was going to sleep tonight.

  Cole was watching her. He didn’t seem eager to say whatever he’d been thinking before that call.

  “So...can you still stay? Too much has happened today. I am having trouble processing. But one thing I know—I don’t want to be alone right now. Can you stay?”

  Did she sound needy? Screw it. She did need him to stay. And she knew him well enough to know that he would not tell her no.

  “Of course,” he agreed. He got up and started carrying the plates into the kitchen.

  “Hold up. You cooked, I’ll clean.” She made for the sink and the waiting dishes.

  “It’s cool. I’ll help.”

  Side by side, they cleaned up the kitchen. Delia fidgeted as they finished the small amount of dishes. What were they supposed to do now?

  “Do you mind if I turn something on the TV?” Cole asked, reading her mind.

  “Yeah—”

  “The Fifth Element!”

  “The Fifth Element!” they both said simultaneously.

  Delia cracked up. “I haven’t watched that movie in years. Let’s do it.”

  It sounded like exactly what she needed.

  ~*~

  Delia jolted awake, her heart racing. Cole’s arm was warm around her and the TV screen was dark. They must have fallen asleep in the middle of the movie.

  She stilled, listening to Cole’s heartbeat.

  She shouldn’t be this close to him.

  Delia sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Cole, but his eyes flew open as his arm sank from its place around her shoulders. A chill took her over almost instantly, her arms prickling with goosebumps.

  “Hey,” he said softly. He lifted a hand to stroke her arm, his fingers grazing over her skin.

  Delia shivered at the touch. It felt too good.

  “Hey,” she answered around a sudden tightness in her throat. Was that sadness or fear—or some strange hybrid they’d birthed just to torture her?

  She should not want what she wanted right now. It wasn’t fair to him. “Cole…”

  He shook his head slightly. “Don’t say it. Don’t say no.”

  Her belly dropped like she’d just taken a fast turn on a roller coaster. Apparently that’s how it felt when you suddenly found yourself at a moment you’d always craved, but never really thought would happen.

  His hand on the back of her arm, he gently urged her toward him. His eyes were wide, and his breathing quickened.

  And suddenly they were kissing, his arms tight around her. The rest of the world faded away as Delia’s heartbeat surged in her chest. She clung to him—she didn’t want it to end. When it ended they would have to think. They’d have to consider—

  The kiss evolved, and just like that Cole stole her ability to think. There was only him, his hands gentle in her hair, his warmth and this incredible kiss.

  When the kiss ended, he held her there, and her head sank to rest on his chest.

  Relief lit through her. This didn’t feel like an end.

  Any fantasy she’d ever had about Cole had ended right here, after the kiss. She didn’t know what came next.

  Neither of them said anything for the longest time, they just lay there, her head on his chest and his arms around her.

  “Delia?” Cole said.

  “Hmm?”

  “Thank you. For letting me stay.”

  “Thank you for staying, Cole,” she sighed into his shirt. “I missed you.”

  ~*~

  In the morning, Delia brewed coffee as quietly as she was able, a slight headache from the wine the night before making her feel blearier than she should. She stretched in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes on the couch across the room, and Cole stretched out on it. He looked so peaceful. She should let him sleep.

  She went back to her room and shut the door, then into the bathroom and shut that door, too. A shower sounded awesome.

  She stayed in for a while, the steam rising around her as she thought about last night. Holy cow! She had actually kissed Cole Samson—the guy who had always gotten away.

  Things had better not feel awkward between them today, or she was telling him a great big ‘I told you so.’

  She’d never spoken of that fear, and neither had he. Heck, maybe he didn’t worry that a kiss would ruin their friendship.

  As she was toweling off, Delia heard voices in the living room. She brushed it off at first, thinking Cole must have woken and turned on the TV. But this wasn’t the hum of background noise. Someone else was here.

  Delia threw on more yoga pants, with a pink tee this time. She brushed her hair and added a touch of perfume for good measure. The garnet pendant winked up at her from her bedside table where she’d put it before the movie last night. She picked it up. It was warm, like she’d just taken it off.

  She placed the pendant around her neck, and went to see who had come over.

  In the living room, she found a standoff. Cole stood in the kitchen doorway, with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands.

  And Jeff Caruthers stood in the hallway near the door to the condo.

  Cole gave her a nod. “You have a visitor.” He retreated to the kitchen.

  Delia turned to Jeff. “What are you doing here?” He’d been to her condo one other time—when both of them joined a large group from work, and returned to Delia’s after dinner. He had no reason to show up here this morning, on a Saturday, no less.

  She could feel the heat from the garnet that rested at her breastbone, and didn’t dare look at it for fear it might be glowing like it did last night.

  He shuffled his feet, apparently surprised at her hostility. “I came to see if you’d like to go to breakfast, but apparently you’re busy. Not seeing anyone, huh, Delia?”

  A blush rose to her cheeks, anger and embarrassment rising simultaneously.

  “Actually, Cole is a very old friend. Not that it is any of your business. You can leave now, Jeff. And if you ever show up here again, I will inform Terry and let him deal with your inappropriate behavior.”

  She was impressed at the steel in her voice. She had to make him understand that she wasn’t interested, and that he needed to drop it.

  “I bet your husband would be interested to know he’s here. Not to mention that TV camera outside your front door.”

  What a shitty excuse for a human being! “You don’t even know my ex-husband, Jeff. And the TV news wants a story about me because of who my father is, you jerk! Go ahead, tell them I have a friend in my private home. Fiction will liven up what is actually a pretty uninteresting situation.”

  He shuffled backward, toward the door, his eyes darting around like he was trying to come up with something witty to say. Cole had returned, and stood behind Delia. She could feel him there, thankfully, but she didn’t look at him.

  “Okay, I’ll...I’ll see you Monday,” Jeff said as he opened the door. His sails had wilted a bit, and Delia could only hope he wasn’t headed straight down to talk to the media after he closed her condo door.

  She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down, putting her head in her hands.

  “What was that? Who was that guy?” Cole asked as he set a cup of coffee, with
plenty of cream and no sugar, in front of her. The smell made her feel better, and she reached for it gratefully.

  “He’s another reporter from the Observer. We have zero personal connection, but he asked me out yesterday, first chance he got after I signed the divorce papers.”

  “Seems like a real piece of work.”

  “I might have a talk with our editor on Monday. I don’t want to wait for him to do something like this again.” A chill ran through her, and she hugged herself. “What a weird couple of days.”

  Cole watched her, something unspoken behind his eyes. “I hope parts of it have been good weird, not scary weird.”

  She grinned. The thought of last night’s kiss lit her up inside. “Yeah, parts have been good weird,” she agreed.

  He reached for her hand and turned it, his thumb rubbing a circle over her palm. The touch was distracting.

  “I checked the news online, and couldn’t find anything about you. Thought you’d want to know that it doesn’t look like they’ve actually written a story about you yet.”

  “Hopefully Jeff doesn’t go give them any more to work with.”

  Maybe they wouldn’t put anything in the news at all. It’s not like she was a big story; she was just the daughter of the headliner.

  “Hey,” Cole said. “It might be Saturday, but I still need to go in to work for a while. What are you doing today?”

  “I need to go to the hospital and see my grandmother. And then...I don’t know what. I wish I could resolve this phone situation faster than Monday.”

  “So...when I call you later, you’re going to answer, right?”

  There was an old wound behind that question, and Delia gave him a fierce look. “Yes, Cole. I really needed you here last night, and you are the best friend ever for being here for me. And...I think we have more to talk about, after last night.”

  His eyes went hooded, and Delia wondered what he was thinking. Was he having second thoughts and regretting their kiss?

  Was she?

  Chapter Seven

  The hospital parking lot was Saturday-visitor full. Delia parked at the edge of the lot and welcomed the short walk to clear her mind. She hoped she’d find Grandma Elle hearty and hale, because she couldn’t handle much more right now. She needed normal.

  And last night with Cole she’d taken another step away from that. Why did she insist on making life so complicated? Freshly divorced should equal no new dates...but now she couldn’t wait to see Cole again, to see what his next kiss held.

  Granted, Cole was not new to her life. It’s not like she went out and picked up a stranger and was now distracted by the thought of him. This was Cole.

  She shut down that train of thought and entered the hospital lobby, taking the stairs instead of the elevator to the floor where Grandma Elle had been yesterday.

  Delia stopped outside the doorway. She wasn’t the first visitor today, but something made her stop in her tracks even though the sight of her cousin Calla sitting next to Grandma Elle’s bed was the best thing to happen to her all week.

  Delia shook her head slightly to clear her vision. She could have sworn…

  Calla was saying something, and Delia found herself leaning in the door to hear her cousin’s words, which were spoken low and rhythmically. Calla’s hands hovered over Grandma Elle’s.

  Grandma Elle was smiling at Calla, her lips parted as she repeated what Calla said, which was still too low for Delia to understand.

  From Calla’s hands, a glow spread. It entered Grandma Elle’s flesh and moved up her arms, until it seemed like her grandmother was held in an embrace of light.

  Delia gasped, and both women looked over at her.

  The glow hovered around Grandma Elle, even after Calla moved her hands and rose from her seat. Both women had the look of being caught at something they weren’t supposed to be doing.

  “Um...hi, Grandma Elle. Are you feeling okay?” Delia asked as she stepped closer to Grandma Elle’s bed. “Hi, Calla,” she addressed her guilty-looking cousin.

  “Hi, De! I was hoping I’d see you while I’m here—and look out, you found me in my first hour off the plane!”

  The excitement was overplayed, and Delia still didn’t understand what she’d just seen. A huge part of her wanted to just brush it off as nothing...and then there was another part that was even now shouting in the background. What the heck was that?

  She returned her gaze to her grandmother, who looked much better than she’d expected. “You seem well. How did the food turn out?”

  Grandma Elle smiled at the turn to a safe topic of conversation. “The food is lacking, but I will survive.”

  Delia knew she was talking about the stroke more than the risk of starving in the hospital.

  The three of them visited for a while. Calla was six years older than Delia. She’d been the popular, stylish older cousin all of Delia’s life—so full of life that when she walked into a room all eyes turned. Delia had always wanted to be like her, but she wasn’t nearly the outgoing, tough-talking, extrovert her cousin was.

  “So...you came to see Grandma Elle?” Delia asked Calla after the three of them had exhausted all of their hospital horror stories. “How long are you in town?”

  “I’ll go home Monday. Not a long flight from Portland, and I had to make sure Grandma Elle was okay after yesterday.”

  “It’s so good to see you! How are the twins?” Delia asked. Calla had twin daughters, who must be about ready to start school by now.

  Grandma Elle settled back and watched them talk. The glow Delia had perceived around her person earlier had diminished, but it hadn’t entirely disappeared. Was she losing it, or was it actually there? Something about the way Grandma Elle held herself was forbidding questions, and Delia knew such body language from her elders well. Mother had the art of nonverbal denial down pat.

  And a part of her rose against it. She could feel herself giving in to the pressure to not mention an uncomfortable topic, but today the feeling just made her angry.

  Delia rested her back against the plastic hospital chair for support. She looked across her grandmother at Calla. “What, exactly, did I walk in on a few minutes ago?”

  Calla tilted her head to the side, but she didn’t say a word. She just looked at Delia, refusing to confirm or deny what Delia had seen with her own eyes.

  Grandma Elle stirred, and moved to adjust her pillows.

  Delia stood and helped her. But she wasn’t going to be dissuaded. She had walked in on something. They were confirming it with their behavior.

  Once she’d helped with the pillows, Delia slowly moved her hands to clasp the necklace she wore. The one that had been giving her a strange feeling ever since Grandma Elle had given it to her yesterday.

  Grandma Elle looked at her with wide eyes, and Calla put her hand over the elderly woman’s and addressed her calmly. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I think it’s time that this came out. Delia can handle it. Can’t you?” Calla’s eyes glittered at her, challenging and almost cruel.h

  Delia didn’t know how to respond. Handle what? But she’d pressed the issue—how could she back down now?

  “But Calla…there are reasons we haven’t spoken of this.”

  “You mean my aunt?” Calla snorted derisively. “Delia is old enough—obviously—to know and judge us for herself.”

  Grandma Elle pursed her lips, looking less than one hundred percent convinced.

  Judge them?

  Delia’s blood ran cold. She’d opened a door she could never close again; she could feel it. While not the worst possible feeling, it was horrifying after the last twenty-four hours. Didn’t she just say she couldn’t take anything else right now?

  Calla continued. “We’re going to take a short walk. Should we pick anything up for you?”

  “No, I just had breakfast a while ago. Maybe I’ll try today’s crossword if you’ll fetch it for me.”

  “Oh!” Delia exclaimed. “I almost forgot. I brought you books.” Sh
e rummaged in her bag and handed them to Grandma Elle, feeling Calla’s eyes on her the entire time.

  They left Grandma’s hospital room side by side. Calla ducked into the stairs and took them quickly to the ground floor, where she opened the door onto the parking lot and began to walk.

  “Where are we going?” Delia finally asked.

  “Nowhere in particular. I’m trying to decide how to start this conversation.”

  Delia was getting more nervous. “Just spill it. What was that when I walked in? Your hands...Grandma Elle...you were glowing.”

  Calla turned on the sidewalk to face her. The hospital blocked the sun. The cousins stared at each other, eye to eye, though Calla’s black hair piled on her head made her appear taller.

  “I never understood why your mother would want to keep this information from you, so I bet Grandma Elle isn’t too surprised that it’s me out here, breaking the news to you.”

  “What news?” Delia sputtered impatiently.

  “Well...we have an interesting family tree. You see, Grandma Elle is a witch. And so am I.”

  Chapter Eight

  The blood roared in Delia’s ears, and she didn’t catch the next few sentences because her mental processing was taking a minute.

  “...Grandma Elle’s granny was nearly burned at the stake, so this secret is not without its dangers. After that, she moved out to California and built a community, a coven—the same one that Grandma Elle was raised in.”

  “Whoa. Hold up! You can’t be serious.”

  Calla crossed her arms and considered Delia with a smirk. “You wish.”

  Delia’s thoughts fractured into a million tiny considerations, and when she tried to focus on any one of them, it whirred out of view like the Golden Snitch in Harry Potter.

  “So when you say witch...what does that mean? We have powers?”

  Calla snickered. “I didn’t say you were a witch. I am a witch, and so is my mother, and so is Grandma Elle. Being a witch is more practice than blood. You have to hone your skills to become a witch.”

  “My skills...what does that mean? What can you do?” Even as she asked it, Delia remembered Calla’s Candles, the small business Calla had started before she finished high school—the one that Mother had said was shameful though Delia could never figure why. “The candles?”