by Dahlia Lu
"Actually," she said as he handed her a helmet, "there is something I need to talk to you about.”
She had his full attention.
"Hana has been obsessed with you since the ball. The girl can't stop talking about you and she asked me if I would…”
"That's a definite ‘no,’" he cut in right away. Chevalier knew all too well what she wanted to request.
"If you're going to continue to go out with random women, one of them might as well be her.”
"I'm a twenty-two years old man. I’m not going to date some fifteen year old girl. Besides, she falls short of my expectations," he made a curved shape with both of his hands, "...like this.”
Curves.
She found herself wrapping her arms defensively around her breasts.
"Hey, hold on to me, I'm about to take off," he instructed when he felt her arms suddenly leave his waist. She wrapped her arms around him again and clung to his back, trying not to press her chest against him too hard.
†††††
Why am I here? Chevalier asked himself as she dragged him into the amusement park. Are you a man, or aren't you? Why are you always being manipulated by this girl? Why can't you reject any of her requests like she was any other female?
"Hana!" Kali called out when she spotted her friend in the middle of a crowd. "Over here!"
Hana made her way through the mass of people toward them.
"Chevalier, this is my good friend, Hana. You two met at the dance," Kali pushed Chevalier toward Hana. "Do your best to show her a good time.”
Chevalier wanted to ask if she was being serious, but it wouldn’t do any good. "What will you be doing by yourself? Come with us.”
"No, no, it’s fine. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you guys getting to know each other,” Kali politely refused. "I have other arrangements.”
"What other arrangements?" Chevalier asked, his voice taking on the tone of an interrogator.
"I have…” she should think of something fast, "...a date,”
"A date?" Chevalier raised his brow. "Well, excuse us for wasting your time. Let’s go…”
He tried to remember her name.
"Hana,” she reminded him.
"Yes, let’s go.”
"What do I do now?" Kali asked herself after the two headed off on their own. She could head back to the apartment, but since she was already at the amusement park, it wouldn't hurt to go on a couple of rides before getting back to studying.
"Are you here by yourself?” she heard a familiar voice. Kali turned to face the girls from her class.
"So what if I am?"
"I have to compliment you. You’re very brave to come to an amusement park alone,” Cyn said. Her two well-dressed friends giggled to one another. "By the way, aren't you supposed to be at work? What is that place called again?"
"I forget. I think she works at some convenience store,” one of her friends said.
"If you guys have nothing else to say other than trying to put me down, I'm going,” Kali walked past them.
"Why does a girl like her go to our school, anyways?” she heard Cyn saying as she walked away.
She waited patiently in line for the roller coaster. Everyone in line seemed to have a partner but her. When it was her turn, she boarded the ride and secured her seat belt. It did feel kind of strange with an empty seat next to her. Who in the world goes to an amusement park by themselves?
Maybe she should have gone home.
She felt a little better when someone plopped into the empty seat. She was expecting him to secure his own seat belt, but he didn’t. Didn't he know that's the first thing he was supposed to do on a ride like this?
"You should fasten your…” she pointed at the seat belt. She blinked as she realized it was the new transfer student from her class. No, he wasn't a transfer student. She just never paid attention to him.
She gasped in mortification, remembering the scene only two nights ago. She became so flustered that she thought she was going to have a nosebleed. The first thought that jumped into her head was to get out of there, but when she unfastened her seat beat and stood up, she was stopped by the staff.
"Please stay in your seat, the ride will start in less than a minute," he said as he fastened both of their seat belts.
"What a coincidence," he smiled at her. His attitude was completely different than the other night. It was much more relaxed and not as formal. She wondered what had caused the change. Maybe he wasn’t comfortable at formal events, either. Whatever the reason, he was clearly not the man he had been the other night.
Kali lowered her head and avoided eye contact the best she could. If she met his eyes again, she would be embarrassed enough to burst into flames.
"Are you afraid?” he asked as the roller coaster began to climb the first incline.
"No,” she kept her answer short. Her hands began to tremble as she looked down at the ground. They were so high up now. Every second, they were further away from the ground, and it made her dizzy. Perhaps she had always been afraid of heights, and just didn't know it.
Reaching the summit, the roller coaster plunged down. Kali squeezed her eyes shut. The drop was so high, she felt like her body was free-falling. She grabbed Lucien's hand and squeezed it as hard as she could.
This free-falling feeling was… familiar to her. She had felt this before, not so long ago. This was the same exact feeling from her dream, when she’d fallen off the cliff during the mudslide. She had heard of dreams replicating reality, but is there such thing as reality copying a dream?
When the ride braked to a full stop, she had the urge to throw up. Her stomach couldn't handle the fast motion and sudden brake. She quickly unfastened her seat belt, wobbling toward the exit.
"It was too intense for you," he said as he sat down next to her on the park bench. "Are you alright?"
“I'm fine.”
Lucien handed Kali an ice cream cone he had bought from the ice cream stall nearby. As she accepted the treat, she realized she didn't feel so embarrassed about the situation anymore. She has quickly come to terms that it had only been an accident. Although she highly doubted that she would ever feel at ease around him.
†††††
Lucifer sat on a building adjacent to Chevalier's apartment. He had watched Kali since her return from the park. There was a stoic expression on his face, making it impossible to read his emotions. Soren, his servant and shadow, was suspicious of his master’s true intentions.
"Humans are such simple creatures," Lucifer commented wryly. "They will do exactly what you want them to do, without so much a clue that they are being manipulated.”
Soren agreed. "Then why are you wasting your time with them?"
"And why not, when they are so entertaining?” his eyes haven't left the girl. "An eternity is such a long time to be subjected to boredom.”
"If that is what you wish,” Soren bowed his head obediently, quieting his objections.
†††††
Chevalier returned home late. Throwing his jacket on the sofa, he headed toward the bedroom. Kali was already asleep, and she looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake her up. He wanted to ask her about the man she had been with at the park today, but that could wait until tomorrow. At least he thought it could wait until tomorrow.
Chevalier traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his finger…her full and pretty lips. Her long and dark lashes were pressed against her coral cheeks.
He held a lock of her hair in his hand and gently kissed it. He quietly lied down on the bed and gathered her tiny body into his arms. Her breathing was warm and soft against his neck.
“If only you would hurry and grow up,” he whispered into her ear. "If not, I wouldn't mind if you would stay like this forever.”
"Chevalier?” she said sleepily.
"Yes," he replied.
"Could you close the door? The light from the hallway woke me up.”
"You don't mind me stayin
g here for the night?” he asked, since she hadn’t shoved him out the door yet.
"That reminds me," she yawned, "get out of my room, while you're at it.”
"So..,” he deducted, "if I had not reminded you, you would have let me stay?"
"Probably, I don't know, let me sleep.”
"Kali, have you ever once seen me as a man?"
"Tomorrow, Chevalier," she sunk her face deeper into the pillow.
"Don't change the subject," he rolled her over and pinned her shoulders down until their eyes were leveled. "I asked if you've ever seen me as a man.”
Her eyes wandered to different corners of the room, as if she were seeking the answer he wanted. When it took her longer than it should have to answer the question, he became frustrated. Her silence only confirmed his fears.
The expression on his face suddenly changed. "I'll show you how wrong you are," he said and began to unbutton his shirt. She gasped, not knowing how to react. His golden stare chased away the sleepiness from her eyes.
He leaned forward, pinning down her shoulders once again. He locked their lips together in an aggressive kiss. It was unfair of her to think of him any less than a man, when any bastard could just walk into her life and be seen as one. He regretted that he had given her too much attention and affection that she had grossly misinterpreted as something other than the love between a man and a woman. He could not stand the unfairness of it all!
Her hands pushed against his bare, lean chest to create distant between them. "What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. "Just what are you trying to prove?”
When her protest didn’t do any good, she grabbed a fistful of his hair.
"That really only turns me on even more, you know?” he said with a voice so strange, lustful and angry. The expression on his face was so sensual that she felt herself growing uncontrollably flustered. He dipped to land gentle kisses on her neck while his other hand caressed her full breast.
She began to laugh. "Stop," she said with a half laughing voice. "Please, you're tickling me!"
He raised his head and stared at her laughing face.
"Be serious,” he demanded.
"I can't…" she giggled, "It tickles so much.”
He tried to continue but her laughter soured his mood. With an aggravated grunt, he pushed himself off the bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. She knew he was still standing on the other side long after the door was closed.
Kali placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. It was not like she didn't understand his frustration. She had known him as long as she could remember. How could she not know his wants and needs?
Chevalier had always been popular with women. However, he never associated with them longer than three weeks. If she gave in to him, if she started something with him… how long would it lasts? A month? Two months?
She wanted to be ignorance to his feelings forever. At least then she could stay beside him. As friends, even if they fought, they would still be friends. As lovers, if they got into a fight, it would mean a break up. And rarely any broken up couples could truly be friends again.
She knew she was being selfish. It wasn’t that she didn't have confidence in him. She simply didn't have confident in herself. Kali doubted she could be interesting enough to keep a lover interested for very long. To put it plainly, she fell short of all the beautiful and accomplished women around him. At least as a friend, he wouldn’t expect as much from her, and hopefully would keep her around longer.
She felt her eyes drifting closed as her thoughts turned to sleep.
After Kali had showered and gotten dressed, she went to the living room. She found Chevalier sitting on the sofa, his head tipped back on the sofa arm. The dark circles under his eyes told her he hadn't slept a wink.
“Let’s go,” she said to him.
He glanced at her for a moment and stood up. Grabbing the key to his motorcycle, he headed out the door. Kali followed him.
Chapter 4: The Devil and the Knight
“How long do you intend to avoid me?” Kali asked. She leaned on the sofa where Chevalier was lying again. “Hey, are you listening to me?” she asked when he didn’t respond. She lifted up a small part of his sheet to reveal his face.
“I’m not avoiding you,” he mumbled.
"It's not that I don't see you as a man…”
"Do you think I really want to listen to this?"
Kali nodded. “Of course I do. It’s just that I can't see you any other way. You have been my Chevalier for as long as I could remember. Don't you think that seeing you as my knight in shining armor is better than viewing you as a man?"
“Your Chevalier?” he laughed. “I haven’t heard that in a long time. It seem like only yesterday you followed me around like a duckling.”
She laughed at the memory.
His eyes met hers directly. “Kali, may I kiss you?”
“What?” her brows knitted together. She picked up the pillow lying next to her and whapped him in the face with it. “Are you out of your mind, Chevalier?”
“Maybe. I don’t know,” he held the pillow firmly with his left hand. “I’m asking your permission this time.”
“What are you trying to prove?”
“Just kiss me.”
She’d never seen him more serious.
“Okay, just this once,” Kali agreed, without much thought. She brought her face closer to his. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, and she unconsciously leaned away a bit. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you kissed me?”
“No. I want you to kiss me,” he said, holding her hand and lacing his fingers into hers. “Look at me, Kali. It won’t mean anything if you don’t look at me.”
She stared into his golden eyes and saw her own image reflected. She used her other free hand to caress his face. Slowly, she leaned forward until her lips touched his. She felt an electrifying current passed through her lips into the rest of her body.
She gave him little gentle kisses. He wanted to laugh at her clumsiness, but he didn’t expect much from a fifteen-years-old. She would turn sixteen very soon and maybe then, he would confess. He used his tongue to lick her upper lip, but she was a bit alarmed. He slowly and gently made his way in, caressing her tongue with his. He broke the kiss, allowing her time to breathe. She looked back at him, breathless, and he kissed her again. This time wasn’t as timid as the first.
It was so much different than the forceful kiss earlier. This kiss was tender, but at the same time, it was both aggressive and demanding. How many women had he kissed like this? She wondered. No, she decided. Something this special was reserved for her.
He broke the kiss once again. He stared into her eyes and traced the outline of her face. There was still so much desire in his eyes. When she thought that he would kiss her again, he kissed her forehead instead.
“That’s enough. You should really head to bed.”
Kali's face flushed. Jumping up from the couch, she ran to her room. Before she made it there…
“Kali,” he called out to her and made her paused, "If you really want me to go out with Hana, I will. You know I always give in to your demands.”
No! Kali wanted to say. Don’t say something like that after you kissed me!
Kali was embarrassed for having such ridiculous thoughts. It was her idea in the first place. “So you’ve finally considered it.”
She gave him a bright smile. It was the first time she had given him such a fake smile. She went to her room and closed the door behind her. Leaning back against the door, her breathing was uneven. She brought her hands to her lips. She could still feel his lips against hers. She could still smell his pleasant scent.
How could he say something like that after such a passionate kiss?
She lay down on her bed. Why hadn’t she said anything back? If anything, her pride would not allow her to respond, although she knew that was exactly what he was hoping for. Still, it didn’t matter. Chevalier would be Chevalier, and Hana would be
come one of the women in his colorful past. With that guilty but somewhat comforting thought, she drifted into a deep sleep.
Lucifer emerged from the shadows of Kali’s room. His majestic black wings were folded behind his back. He came closer to her, being very careful not to disturb her rest. He touched her velvety coral cheek with the back of his fingers.
“What are you dreaming of, Kali?” he asked with curiosity. His hand left her cheek and then stroked her silky hair. “What is the wish worth dying for?”
†††††
Hana waited at the school’s entrance, but Kali knew Hana wasn’t waiting for her. She got off the back seat of the motorcycle with a forced smile. Hana ran to Chevalier and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had on a bright and blissful smile.
“I’m so glad you called me last night!” Hana said. “I was nervous because it was the first time we’ve talked on the phone. Then you said that you want us to go out and I couldn’t believe my ears.”
“You should head to class. I don’t want you to be late,” Chevalier said. His voice sound a bit muffled underneath his helmet.
“Since we’re dating…” Hana grabbed his helmet and lifted it from his head. “Will you give me a kiss before we head to class?”
“Alright,” he agreed in a flat voice. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and brought her lips closer to his.
Kali couldn't watch the display of intimacy and turned away. Why did he have to do it in front of her? She couldn’t help but slowly turned back.
His eyes were focused on her during the kiss. There was no emotion in his eyes. It was as if he was mocking her, and wanting to ask her if this was what she really wanted.
After they broke the kiss, Chevalier replaced his helmet and rode off. Hana ran to Kali and grabbed her by the arm.
"I think I'm dreaming!” she exclaimed. “My heart is beating so fast! I’ve kissed other guys before but…,” Hana brought her hands to her lips.
