“The water is so great,” she said. “Let’s go for a swim.”
She took her dress off, exposing her bright skin under the warm sun above. Charles observed her body, examining the elegance of its gestures, the grace of its movements. She ran towards the water, and took a deep dive forward. She was under water for a few second, and then rose up for air, her hair lying flat on her shoulders and back.
“Come on!” she said. “The water is great!”
“I think I’ll sit this one out,” he said, remaining on the blanket.
“What?” she said, “why? I thought we were here to swim.”
“You were here to swim, not me,” he said as he laughed.
“Why not?” she asked.
“I would tell you,” he said, “but I know you’ll laugh at me.”
“Oh come on,” she nagged, “I won’t laugh at you. What are you going to tell me? That you can’t swim or something?” Charles was silent, only looking at her with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
“Wait,” she said, “you can’t swim?!”
“No, I can’t,” he said, looking down. “I can’t swim.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” she teased him. “Are you being serious?”
“I swear, I really don’t know how to swim,” he said, knowing in his mind why exactly his true nature doesn’t allow him to get into water. Gaby was still laughing.
“Okay,” she said, “then I’ll teach you.”
“What? No, just let it go,” he refused.
“I’m serious! Come on, I’ll teach you how to swim.”
She got out of the water, forced him to take his shirt off and practically dragged him into the water. She tries to teach him the movements of the arms and the legs, and he could use those to keep himself afloat. He was struggling, and would fail each time he tried, compelling Gaby to come in and lift him up as she laughed hysterically.
“This is harder than flying,” he said, struggling to stand up.
“Right, because you can fly,” she said laughing. “Where’d you get a license?”
“I don’t need a license to fly,” he said, giving her a rather serious look. Gaby again laughs, dismissing it as another one of the strange stories he likes to tell.
They dry off, and sit for a while on the beach to catch their breaths. They have a little more wine, and lean on each other’s shoulders as they watched the sunset. Gaby held Charles’ hand as she watched the sky catch fire, turning into a vibrant golden yellow and then a deep reddish orange before it all disappeared behind the shimmering sea. The moment was perfect, and Gaby couldn’t think of wanting to spend it with anyone besides Charles.
As the sun went down, more people started showing up at the beach. Loud students, laughing and dancing and screaming began setting up the bonfire party. They would all run along the beach collecting pieces of stone and wood. The girls set up the chairs, tables and blankets, taking out food and drinks as the boys set up multiple bonfires. Large pickup trucks quickly showed up, from which students took out large speakers and microphones. Loud music started playing, and students were already popping beer cans open and dancing and singing.
“Well,” Gaby said, hoping Charles wasn’t put off by all the wild behavior. “This, Charles, is a college party.” She took his hand and walked up to the students, where she started hugging and kissing many of them. She knew almost everyone there, and they were all very happy to see her.
“Guys,” she said whenever she met a new group, “this is my friend Charles. Charles, these are my friends from the university.”
“Pleasure,” he said, in his charming yet clearly older manners.
“The pleasure is all ours, dude,” said one guy, almost mocking Charles’ formal manner of greeting people. “So, Charles was it?”
“Yes,” said Charles to the guy as Gaby went to speak to some of her girlfirends. “What was your name?”
“Dan,” he said. “Charles is a weird name, dude.”
“How is it weird?” asked Charles, realizing Dan was already rather drunk. “It’s a very common name.”
“No, I mean,” said Dan, adjusting his posture, “I mean Charles is a very fancy name.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?” asked Charles.
“I mean, someone like you would take it as a compliment,” said Dan laughing, “but it doesn’t suit you.”
“And what name would you suggest for me,” asked Charles, “if you say that my name doesn’t suit me?”
“I would say…” contemplated Dan, “I would say Asshole.” Suddenly a group of boys behind them burst into laughter, patting Dan on the shoulder and congratulating him on the great line.
“Don’t worry, man,” said another student, “we’re just messing with you. Here, have a beer!” They handed him a drink and went on with their jokes.
Charles wasn’t necessarily having a great time, and Gaby was constantly disappearing into the crowds, occasionally coming back with more drinks and a stronger urge to dance.
“Don’t drink too much,” said Charles as she handed him another drink, and trying to raise his voice over the pounding music.
“Come on, Charles,” she said, “it’s a party.”
“It is,” he said, “but just be careful.”
“I will, don’t worry,” she said. “Are you having a good time?”
“I am, yes,” lied Charles. He knew she was happy and so he didn’t want to spoil anything for her by getting her concerned about his mood. He actually hated the scenery, watching juvenile humans carelessly waste their time drinking themselves into oblivion.
No wonder it’s so easy to hide amongst them, he thought to himself.
As the party resumed, and people started to drink more and more, Charles thought he’d take a long walk on the beach on his own to both take a break from the noise as well as to think about how he can get Gaby to one day understand. As he watched the shimmering stars and bright moon above, he felt his heart warm up and he could only think of Gaby. He imagined himself behind her, kissing her neck, or shoulders, and arms, slowly undressing and feeling the softness of her skin touch his lips. He felt that he only wanted to be with her, no matter where he was or what she was doing.
Am I…he thought. Am I in love?
Feeling those words make their way around his mind, he was a little scared. He hadn’t loved in centuries. It has been so long that he thought he had forgotten how it would feel. It was as if Gabriella brought back an essential part of him that he thought he had lost forever.
He heard footsteps coming from behind him. It was dark, but he knew it was her. He wanted nothing but to turn around and kiss her.
“I thought you were dancing with your girlfriends,” said Charles as he turned around. But it wasn’t Gaby. It was three boys, students from the party, that jumped him from behind and held him down. Two boys pinned his face on the sand, and the third one stood over him.
“So,” he said, “you think you could just show up out of the blue and sweep Gabriella off her feet.”
“I don’t know what you want from me,” said Charles, struggling to breath as his face remained buried in the sand.
“First of all, you seem like you’re a little older than the rest of us,” said the student, whom Charles later realized was Dan. “And second of all, nobody knows anything about you. And frankly, Charles, we think you’re a stuck up asshole that wants to take advantage of our little Gaby.”
Charles began to get violent, throwing the two guys off him, but they still managed to keep hold of him.
“How do I put this, Charles?” said Dan. “You see, let’s just say that if anyone is going between Gaby’s tiny little legs, it would be me.”
Those words infuriated Charles, and he raged in a huge fight with the three boys. He managed to get away, but they still beat him up badly. He walked back to the party to find Gaby as he tried to wipe off the blood on his nose and mouth. Gaby spotted him from afar, and came running towards him.
>
“Oh my gosh!” she cried. “What happened to you?”
“I’m okay,” he said as took a seat next to a bonfire, “just some drunk college students.”
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” she frantically asked. “I can drive! Do you know who did this to you?”
“Never mind, Gaby,” he said. “Just drunk students, like I said. Besides, I’ve been attacked by worse. We both know that.”
As Charles sat before the bonfire, his face began to redden with rage. Gaby saw the reflection of the fire in his eyes, and then noticed something happening to the bonfire. The flames were changing as Charles stared deeply into them. The flames turned a bright blue, and then a dark red, and then into a bright yellow. It was completely unnatural, as if the flames were being controlled by a supernatural force.
“Are you doing that?” Gaby asked, astounded by what she was seeing.
He scoffs and says, “You think I can control the color of fire. Really, Gabby, you spend too much time in that library.” Suddenly the changing flames receded, and the fire was put off completely.
“Let’s get out of here?” Charles asked, looking at Gaby. “I’m really tired.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, “of course. Let’s get you cleaned up and leave.”
Chapter 12
Charles kept urging Gaby to forget about what happened to him at the beach party, convincing her that boys will be boys, especially when they are heavy drinking college students. She agrees to let it go, and they both resume with their romantic dates and outings, spending more and more time together each day. Charles stopped telling her about the dragons, feeling that she probably wasn’t ready.
One evening, Gaby comes home after a date with Charles, her cheeks blushing and her heart beating fast as always. She walks in, and as she closed the door behind her suddenly ran into Haven.
“Oh my god!” Gaby cries loudly. “Oh my gosh, Haven! It’s really you! What happened to you? Where on earth were you?”
Gaby frantically asked her multiple questions as she hugged her tightly, feeling that she can’t let go.
“Gaby, Gaby!” said Haven hugging her, yet struggling to breathe from how tightly Gaby was holding her. “I’m fine. I can’t breathe right now, but I’m happy to see you too.”
“I’m sorry,” Gaby said, removing her arms from around Haven. “I didn’t know where you were all this time! Everyone was so nonchalant about it, as if it wasn’t strange that you’ve been missing for days now! I didn’t know what to do, and I actually thought about going to the police but after that night…”
“What night?” asked Haven, acting confused.
“That nigh!” said Gaby. “You know, the night where I last saw you? When you were practically bleeding to death?”
“Gaby, have you been watching too many horror movies?” asked Haven, bursting into laughter. “That must have been one scary nightmare though.”
“What do you mean?” said Gaby. “You don’t remember?”
“Gaby, I was away on a small vacation with my family,” said Haven. “Everyone knows that. Didn’t the group tell you?”
“What? No, no one told me that,” said Gaby. “They said you were probably out and that it was normal for you to disappear at times like that, which made no sense to me.”
“That’s silly, Gabs,” said Haven. “Why would the guys say that? In any case, it was probably a misunderstanding and I’m back now, and I am so happy to see you! I missed you so much!”
“I missed you too,” Gaby said, trying to forget about the whole thing and just enjoy Haven’s company. She was, after all, the only best friend she had made here.
“Well, tell me,” said Haven sitting on the couch with her cup of hot chocolate, “what’s new with you? What have you been up to?”
“Well,” Gaby said, “mostly just classes and my job at the library. Actually, there is something else.”
“What is it?” Haven asks in excitement, realizing that Gaby blushed when she remembered it. “Tell me! Tell me, tell me!”
“Okay, okay!” Gaby said, smiling. “Well, I met someone, a guy. And, as silly as it sounds, I think he might be the one.”
“Oh my gosh!” said Haven. “Who is he? Do I know him?”
“You actually do know him,” said Gaby. “And you will be quite surprised to know he is.”
“Well don’t keep me waiting, who is it?”
“Remember Chuck?” said Gaby, waiting for Haven to freak out in surprise.
“Wait, Chuck? Chuck as in, homeless man Chuck?” asked Haven.
“Yup,” said Gaby, “although that’s not really his name. His name is Charles.”
“Charles?” said Haven, finding it hard to believe. “Wait, so you’re telling me that you’re dating Chuck, or Charles?”
“I am,” Gaby said, “but he’s not like you remember him. The craziest thing happened, Haven. He showed up one day at the library, and it was as if he was a completely different person. He wasn’t homeless anymore, and he wasn’t dressed in ragged clothes or anything. He was cleanly shaved, well dressed, and elegantly spoken.”
“Did he get suddenly rich or something?” inquired Haven, trying to make sense of it all.
“Actually no,” said Gaby. “Once you deal with him, once you actually talk to him and get to know him, you’ll realize that he wasn’t the homeless man we thought we knew. He’s smart and bright and cultured and just breathtaking.”
“Yes, I can see he does take your breath away,” said Haven teasingly.
“Why don’t you come meet him?” asked Gaby enthusiastically. “You will be mind blown, trust me!”
“Yes, definitely!” said Haven. “When can I meet the mysterious Charles?”
“How about you come with me tomorrow evening before my shift,” said Gaby. “I know he’ll be around then, he needs some books from the library. I can introduce you two.”
“That sounds perfect!” said Haven. “Gabs, listen. As weird as this whole thing sounds, I am so glad that you’re happy. If you really do like him, then go for it for sure!”
“I do like him,” said Gaby, “even more than that. He’s become everything to me.”
“Well then,” said Haven, “tomorrow night it is!”
After class, and after each of the girls finished their errands for the day, the met up and got ready to walk up together to the library, where Charles was supposedly waiting. They were both so excited, especially Gaby. She wanted Charles to be an integral part of her life, and introducing him to her best friend was the first step towards that. They arrived at the library, said Hello to the security guard and went inside. The library was completely empty, and it turned out that Allan had left early and left the keys for Gaby in the front desk drawer. As Gaby placed her belongings on the front desk and took the keys, she gave Charles a call letting him know that she was here with Haven.
“Why is the library so empty?” asked Haven.
“I don’t know,” Gaby said, having noticed the odd quietness. She then found a note from Allan that said they closed up early today for maintenance requirements. “Oh, it’s for maintenance requirements apparently.”
“Is Chuck not here then?” asked Haven, “oops, I mean Charles, sorry.” They both laughed until they heard a distant voice from the end of the reception.
“Gaby?” the voice said. It was Charles.
“Oh, there you are,” said Gaby. “I wasn’t sure you would be here given how empty it was. This is my friend Haven, the one I told you about. Haven, meet the new and brilliant Charles.”
As soon as Charles sees Haven, his eyes burn in bright blue. He clenches his fist, tightening his muscles as he steps backwards.
“Charles?” asked Gaby. “Are you okay?” She walked up towards him, trying to see what was wrong with him. He wasn’t acting normally. It was as if he was threatened by something.
“Charles, what is it?” she asked again. She turned around to find Haven pulling out a dagger from her belt and then speed
ing towards them with enormous force.
“I knew it!” cried Haven, running towards Charles. “I knew you were a dragon! I’ve hunted you for months until you disappeared! But when once I heard you were back I was determined to bring you down!”
“Haven! What on earth are you talking about?” Gaby shrieks, frightened by what she was saying and doing.
Before she knew it, Haven pushed Gaby aside, almost throwing her to the other end of the room, and then lashed towards Charles. As Gaby fell to the floor, she looked up to find Haven jumping aggressively onto Charles and repeatedly stabbing him with the dagger. Charles fights back violently, attempting to push Haven away, to strangle her with his arms and take the dagger away from her. They fought brutally, tearing into one another’s skins and growling and roaring like supernatural beasts. They broke everything around them, the floor was covered in their splattered blood.
“Stop!” cried Gaby, witnessing the gruesomeness of the battle. “Please! Stop! What are you both doing!” But it was as if she wasn’t there. They didn’t listen to her, and continued to fight, each trying to fatally wound the other, break a neck or stab a heart. Gaby got up, feeling that she had to do something to make them stop. She ran towards them, begging them to stop fighting.
Touched by A Dragon: The Exalted Dragons (Book 2) Page 8
