Echo in the Hall

by Cricket Starr

  It almost felt like they were married. Here he was, actually thinking of taking her home to meet his mother.

  He’d better keep a tighter grip on things or he really would find himself saddled with her for good.

  And how bad would that be?

  Well, it wasn’t that it would be bad. But he just wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet. Sure, Chloe was a great babe and all, but he didn’t really know that much about her. He didn’t even know if she really liked him.

  She hadn’t said anything about it. Never told him how she felt about him.

  And what would you do if she did?

  Alex ignored the little voice that kept speaking up, the voice of his conscience. Chloe hadn’t told him she loved him, so he had no business saying it to her. Even if he did love her. Which he didn’t.

  At least he thought he didn’t.

  But he sure wished that she would come home.

  Alex helped himself to a fifth and sixth cookie and ate them quickly, barely noting how good they were. He washed them down with the last of his beer.

  Only one cookie remained on the plate. He’d had so many already and she’d probably intended them for dessert. She’d be disappointed if he ate them all.

  On the other hand, what could she do with one cookie? She’d already had some earlier. Alex picked it up and ate it slowly, savoring its chocolate and vanilla goodness. He closed his eyes in appreciation.

  Just like Mom used to make—Chloe sure knew how to cook!

  * * * * *

  Alex picked at the food on his plate, his appetite for it gone. It was tasty enough but he couldn’t find the enthusiasm he normally had for his meals. Probably ate too many cookies, he reasoned.

  Or maybe it was something else. Chloe had been so quiet when she’d returned from her walk in the park. He’d tried to ask why she’d gone there in the first place. The park was no place for a woman alone during the cold winter months, but she’d only said she wasn’t alone, that her sister had been with her. But she’d been so cold when she’d gotten back, and not just from the weather.

  She’d barely spoken to him since coming home, not even to scold him for eating all the cookies. She acted as if she hadn’t cared at all.

  Oddly enough, that hurt. He’d expected some sort of reaction from her, if only for him spoiling his dinner. Instead she’d simply put the plate in the dishwasher and started preparing the food. Oven-fried chicken, one of his favorite meals. Normally he’d eat three pieces.

  Only one on his plate had been finished and he toyed with part of a second. Chloe didn’t seem to have much appetite either, she’d finished one leg and most of her vegetables, but it was more like she was going through the motions than enjoying a meal.

  Neither of them had said a word.

  Finally Alex couldn’t take the silence any longer. He threw his napkin onto the table—another thing she’d introduced into the apartment, along with new silverware and plates not made of plastic—and growled.

  “I’m sorry I ate all the damn cookies. They were so good I couldn’t help myself.”

  Chloe looked up at him, her face startled as if she’d forgotten he was even there. Her brow wrinkled as if she couldn’t understand what he was talking about.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “The cookies? They were made to be eaten.”

  “Yeah, but not all at once.” He frowned. “Isn’t that why you’re mad at me?”

  A funny look stole across her face as if the whole idea of her being angry with him was so farfetched that she’d never even considered it possible. She shook her head. “I’m not angry with you, Alex.”

  “Oh, you could have fooled me. You’ve barely spoken to me this evening. You act like I’ve done something wrong.”

  Again she shrugged. “You’ve done nothing. You are what you are. There is nothing to be angry about.”

  This was worse than her yelling at him. Come to think of it, Chloe had never raised her voice to him, outside of that one time when he’d called her easy. Maybe she didn’t care anything about him, not even enough to get mad at him.

  “Doesn’t anything I do bother you?”

  She hesitated, as if she were going to say something then shook her head as if she’d changed her mind.

  She gave him a small smile, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. “You are what you are, Alex.”

  What did that mean? That she didn’t expect better of him than to not eat a bunch of cookies before dinner, or that she didn’t expect anything from him at all.

  Alex cleared his throat. “I was thinking about something before you got home. My Mom lives in L.A. and it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. Maybe we can go to visit her when school is over.”

  Chloe’s eyes lit up. “You want us both to go?”

  “Yeah, she’d get a kick out of you. Of course we wouldn’t tell her about you coming from a statue or being an ancient Greek nymph. She might not understand all that.”

  For the first time since coming home, she smiled and her excitement gave him a thrill he hadn’t expected.

  “When would we go?”

  “My last class will be in May. We could go in early June.”

  Some of her excitement dimmed. “That’s four months from now.”

  “Yeah. Not that long. You’ll have finished your class, and if you have a job offer you can simply wait until after the trip to start.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Too long.”

  The sadness was back in her eyes and as she turned away from him something told Alex that there was a lot more than time at stake here.

  He seized her arms. “What do you mean, too long, Chloe? Why is four months too long to wait for a trip?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. “I might not be able to stay that long, Alex. I might…have to go away.”

  She was going to leave him? The uneasy feeling he’d had all day developed into the ache of impending loss. Releasing her, he stepped back, struggling to control his anger at this unexpected pain. “Why, Chloe, why would you leave? You don’t want to be with me?”

  “I do…but I might not be able to.”

  Suspicion rose in him. “Does your sister have anything to do with this?”

  She startled and he thought he detected a little bit of guilt in her expression. He’d bet anything that sex-driven nymph was involved.

  Chloe shook her head. “No. Not really. Nina wants to help me.”

  “She’s helping? If you need help, why can’t I help you?”

  “It isn’t that easy, Alex.”

  “Why not? Why don’t you tell me what the problem is?”

  “I can’t. The goddess said… I can’t that’s all.”

  “The goddess?” Alex frowned. “Aphrodite said you couldn’t tell me something?”

  Chloe grabbed their plates and rose to her feet. “Don’t push it, Alex. Goddesses can be very bad people to make angry. I learned that lesson the hard way a long time ago. I can’t tell you what the problem is.”

  He subsided, fuming a little. “Just like Melody, running off when things get a little rough.”

  Chloe gaze swung over to him. “Who’s Melody?”

  He might as well tell her. “My ex-girlfriend. When I decided to leave my job and become a photographer, she dumped me.”

  “Did you love her, Alex?”

  Chloe’s voice was quiet, but he could hear the intensity in it. Should he confess all to her? Maybe she’d understand better if he did.

  “Yeah, I loved her and she just about tore my heart out when she left.”

  “I see.” Chloe’s face looked thoughtful. “I suppose she told you she loved you.”

  “Every day, every hour, right up to the moment when she packed her bags.” Alex grimaced. “I can’t stand the word now, Chloe. It means nothing if there isn’t real feeling behind it.”

  “No. It doesn’t.” She sighed and turned the water on to rinse the dishes. “I promise, Alex, I won’t run off unless th
ere is no other choice. And if I can, I will tell you why I had to leave.”

  * * * * *

  Their lovemaking that night didn’t satisfy either of them, and Alex left for work almost as soon as it was over. For the first time Chloe pulled out the vibrator Nina had given her and used it to bring herself to a climax.

  Even so, it wasn’t really enough.

  Pan wanted her and would help her by reinstating her as a nymph. Not the solution she wanted, but it would keep her from becoming a spirit again.

  Her only other option was to hope that Alex would declare love for her. At least she knew now why he didn’t want to do it.

  The goddess had told her she needed his love to stay human. She was beginning to think she needed it for an even bigger reason, too.

  Without Alex’s love she didn’t want to even keep living.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nina watched Chloe poke a careful finger into her dough, checking to see if it had risen enough to knead. Her sister had explained that she was making a new recipe that required two risings, this being the first.

  Baking fresh bread when it could be purchased at a store for nearly the same price. Chloe said she did it because Alex liked fresh baked bread better than store bought.

  Nina shook her head. Too much trouble to go to just to please a man, but then Chloe always seemed to go to a lot of trouble to please her human. She’d seen the man once from a distance, and didn’t see the attraction, but obviously Chloe did. She did many things for her human, including putting off Pan and refusing to give him a firm answer. The god wasn’t the most patient of immortals.

  After a sip from her cup of coffee, she approached the subject again. “I don’t understand you. You could go to Pan tonight and be a nymph again by tomorrow. You’d be safe from any harm Aphrodite might try and dish out… Pan protects his own. Gods above, if you really wanted to stay with this man, you could even do that. Just go to Pan after your human goes to work this evening. You could return to him later.”

  Chloe spoke finally. “As a nymph I’d return.”

  Nina shrugged. “It wasn’t like he’d notice the difference.”

  “He would, eventually. Besides, I think he’d know something had happened. I doubt a woman who’s been with Pan wouldn’t show some signs. He isn’t a gentle lover…or so I’ve heard.”

  She noticed Chloe flinch. “Pan’s not gentle, but he isn’t abusive. He’d never really hurt you, at least not physically.” Chloe gave her a quick glance and she added hastily. “You aren’t afraid of him are you?”

  “Not afraid…exactly. Alex can be aggressive sometimes, but I know he wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “Pan won’t hurt you either. Just give you the best bedding of your existence.”

  Chloe giggled nervously. “If he’s that good, why don’t you bed him, Nina? I bet you could keep up with him far better than I could. Obviously you’re interested.”

  Nina shook her head. “I’m not interested in fucking Pan. I’ve been with him before, and he with me, and that was that. We don’t want each other anymore.”

  Another giggle escaped her sister. “Oh, really? I’m not so certain of that. I believe you have a bit of a thing for him. Maybe you like guys with really hairy legs?”

  “There is nothing wrong with Pan’s legs! The fleece is soft and warm and the hooves give him traction. That can be a good thing,” Nina said slyly.

  “I’m sure, but I’m very fond of Alex’s legs as they are, he has all the traction he needs, and I love his toes.”

  “Love his toes, huh? Love anything else?”

  Chloe faltered. Her gaze dropped to the dough in front of her and she didn’t look at Nina. Pulling the lump toward her, she pounded it with her fist and proceeded to knead it with a regular stroke, born of long practice.

  A strange idea rolled into Nina’s head and her heart sank into her stomach. She raised an unsteady hand to point at Chloe.

  “You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?” she accused.

  Chloe kneading stopped for an instant then resumed. She didn’t answer Nina or meet her gaze.

  “You have! That’s why you won’t go to Pan. You’re still hoping that dolt will admit to loving you.”

  “No, I’m not expecting that.” Chloe’s voice was sad, resigned. “Alex can’t love anyone, not anymore. He had a bad relationship…”

  “Everyone has a bad relationship from time to time. It makes you wary of loving the wrong person, but he couldn’t find anyone less wrong than you. Doesn’t he know how wonderful you are?”

  Chloe shaped the dough into a narrow rod and covered it with a damp cloth. “I think he knows. I think he really cares for me. But I don’t think he’s willing to admit anything of the sort. He won’t use the word love because he sees that as a commitment and he can’t commit to anyone.”

  She sat on the stool near the counter and stared at her cup. Nina stroked her sister’s arm. “Oh, you poor kid. You really have it bad.”

  Chloe sipped her coffee and smiled wryly. “I’m going to miss coffee. There are a lot of things I’ll miss.”

  “Not necessarily. You can still go to Pan…” Nina’s voice trailed off as she watched Chloe shake her head. A tear eased from one of Chloe’s eyes and trickled down her cheek, only to get dashed away.

  “I can’t, Nina. I’ve thought about it and I just can’t have sex with Pan, even if it would save me. It would be a betrayal of Alex, of how I feel about him.”

  Another tear joined the first and fell unheeded to the countertop. Chloe rested her chin on her hand and stared into space. “Nina, I can’t help it. I’m in love with him and I’m committed to him, even if he isn’t to me.”

  Nina watched her sister’s quiet tears, hearing the despair in her voice. She treated sex as a game, one she held the winning position in. She kept control—of the situation, of her partners, and most importantly, of herself. It kept her safe, but it made her empty, too. Having Chloe to talk to, to laugh with…she’d grown to love it if only because with Chloe she could be herself. She never could do that with her sex partners.

  How long had it been since she’d felt even a portion of what Chloe felt for her human? Maybe never. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She’d been briefly infatuated with someone once and had her heart trampled as a result. Not that she’d ever admit it to anyone, particularly a certain male deity with horns and really hairy legs. No, not that oversexed, majestic prick. Back when she’d been a young impressionable nymph, Pan had been the man who’d showed her how sex should be, all wild passion—and no promises. He’d dumped her a mere week after the initiation of their love affair, chasing after a vestal virgin instead. No, it hadn’t been a love affair, better she called it a sex affair.

  A rampant, over-the-top, screw in every room, forest, and field sex affair. She’d been exhausted when he’d left, sore in every orifice, but brokenhearted all the same. She wondered if he could still make her sore…she was a lot tougher than she used to be.

  Funny how she’d pretty much forgotten all that. It wasn’t until she’d seen him again that she’d remembered how good it had been, and how bad. Then he’d barely even looked at her, lusting after poor little Chloe instead. Chloe who didn’t even want him, which was probably one of the reasons he wanted her.

  Typical male behavior, only wanting what he couldn’t have. Would he listen to Chloe if she told him she was in love with someone else? No. He’d be selfish, not caring about what she wished for so long as he got what he wanted. All males were like that.

  Well, she admitted to herself, Nick wasn’t like that. When he’d fallen in love with Violet, it was her wishes he’d heeded. Nina had tried to seduce him but he’d refused her, and chose to return to stone even though screwing her would have given him the freedom he craved. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Violet.

  If only Chloe’s man would do that and fall in love with her. Even after two months of being with her, the human was still completely self-absorbed, only seeing his o
wn wants, not anyone else’s. That dolt was just like Nick when he’d had the name Narcissus. Just a big, dumb clod staring into a pond, mesmerized by his own reflection after being hit with Eros’ arrow and falling in love with himself…wait a minute!

  Nina sat up, a wriggle of excitement filling her. Eros’ arrow! Maybe that was the answer. If she remembered correctly, Eros and his wife, Psyche, were taking a brief cruise in the Caribbean, on The Love Boat, or something like that. She’d overheard him at one of the Olympian nightclubs, complaining about how he couldn’t take more than a very small bow with him due to packing regulations. All of his other weaponry would be at their home on Mount Olympus.

  Surely Eros wouldn’t mind if she borrowed one. He’d probably be delighted to see love blossom for Chloe. After all, that’s what he did—make love blossom, one arrow at a time. Of course she’d have to hide what she planned from Chloe. Her sister wouldn’t like her human male being forced to love her. She’d probably get all worried about his free will or something.

  Nina reached over to squeeze Chloe’s hand. “Honey, don’t cry. I’ve got a feeling things will work out.”

  Chloe used a napkin to blot her reddened eyes. A brave smile curved her lips. “I wish I could be as certain as you.”

  They hugged, and Nina stepped back, prepared to leave. “I’ve got to run, Chloe. There’s an errand I need to do, but I’ll try and be back later. I’d like to meet this human of yours.”

  “Alex, Nina. His name is Alex.”

  Nina laughed. “Okay, just for you, Chloe. I’d like to meet Alex.”

  She snapped her fingers, and used her magic to transport her to Mount Olympus.

  * * * * *

  Nina stared around the god’s mansion in open admiration. So this was how the upper pantheon lived. Not bad, not bad at all!

  Psyche was an excellent decorator. Her color choices showed a lot of soul. Magenta and peach colors in the bedroom, blues and greens in the living room, but all nicely tied together with a sand-colored marble floor and palest blue sky color for the ceiling. It was elegant, but not cool. Warm, inviting, instantly relaxing, a perfect environment for sex.