“I’ve decided that it has been a long time since I’ve attended college. So I thought it would be a good idea for me to attend the University of Brighton this coming year. It’s one school I’ve never attended before.”
He was laughing now, and she joined with him, thinking he was kidding, but then his face turned serious.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“I never joke when it comes to you, Arielle.”
“Are you bored?”
“No, I’m not bored, but I’m tired of being away from you.”
“Have you applied?”
“I sent my papers in, and I have willed them to accept me. That is another gift of mine: being able to make people do what I want or need.”
For several minutes she was stunned, and didn’t know what to say.
“Why do you feel you have to do this?” she managed to ask, finally.
“Well, I think that this is the only way I can keep you close to me until you get out of school.”
She was at a loss for words. Of course she was extremely happy and excited knowing that he would be with her, but she was also completely overwhelmed with this new information.
“What is it?” he asked. “Don’t you want to be with me?”
“Oh no, there is nothing that would make me happier than having you near me,” she answered. And just to make sure he understood just how happy she felt, she leaned in for another long passionate kiss.
“Well, I guess it’s time for me to go home,” she said, as the sun began to fall. “I haven’t been out of the same outfit since yesterday morning.”
“Please don’t go,” Sebastian pleaded. “Stay with me and I will try to control my crazy desire of wanting to touch you every time you’re near me.”
“But I really need to change my clothes,” she objected. “I’ve been wearing the same jeans and top since yesterday morning.”
“I don’t think you need any clothes at all,” he teased.
“I need fresh clothes,” she repeated.
“I don’t think you need anything,” he insisted again with a soft laugh. “But if you must, then go ahead.” He kissed her on the forehead, moved away from her and went to lie on the bed, as if he wanted to show her that she had her freedom.
She smiled back at him and, hard as it was for her to leave him on that bed looking the way he did, she knew that she had to at least go to the flat and pick up some fresh clothing if she was going to stay the night.
“I won’t be but a few minutes,” she promised.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’ll keep your spot warm until you get back.”
When she got to the flat, she was happy to see that no one was there. She really didn’t want to share Sebastian with anyone, not yet, not even for a moment. And she didn’t want to waste a moment in getting back to him either. This weekend was for them: he was there for her, and she was there for him alone. A strange feeling had taken over her. She felt like a whole, complete person, not just a girl in love. It was an incredible feeling, and one she had never before experienced.
She chose a couple of outfits and drove back to the hotel. To her surprise Sebastian hadn’t moved from the bed. He was watching the telly, looking better than any actor on the screen, and she smiled with absolute delight to find him there, just waiting for her. They never left the room for dinner. They were very content just talking, and holding each other. He ordered room service for her but she wasn’t very hungry. When she was with him she was never hungry for food.
They had another amazing night: she was sure that he had mastered the art of love through the centuries. Their lips remained fused as he swept her away until passion and desire made both of them surrender to the swirling exhilaration. She wanted to learn from Sebastian and share the pleasure he was giving her without breaking her vow, and he was a wonderful teacher. It was late when they both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Sunday came all too quickly, and he had to prepare to leave again. Tears blinded her eyes and her heart was full of sadness. He folded her in his arms and held her closer as their lips locked in a passionate kiss.
“I don’t want to say good-by to you again. I am getting tired of the same routine,” she said, as they kissed. “It breaks my heart every time you get on that plane.”
“The more time I spent with you the more difficult becomes to leave you,” Sebastian agreed. “But I’ll be back soon. I wish you could understand that truly I can’t live without you; you are my life now, and we are going to be together.”
On the way to the airport she told Sebastian about the party her parents were planning for her 21st birthday. “It’s the week after next,” she said. “ It’s very sweet of them, but nothing will be good enough without you. I’ll think of you and miss you every moment of every day until I see you again.”
“I’ll call you often, and I’ll see you sooner than you think. I want to look into your beautiful blue eyes and see the love you hold for me: not the tears,” he said. He pulled her back into his arms, pressing his lips against hers, leaving her gasping in pure exhilaration. Then with another tense kiss, he was gone.
As she drove back to their flat, she noticed that the weather was exactly as she felt inside, dark and unexciting. When she got back to the flat she went straight to bed. She had never believed that any of this could ever happen to her. She had never had feelings like these for any man, and she couldn’t stand the idea that she had to be without him for any length of time at all. She felt lonely and sad, and she couldn’t think of a single thing that could make her feel good at this point. This was the last thought she had before falling into a deep sleep.
Sebastian kept staring out the window until the plane was above the clouds and he couldn’t see the city any longer. He could not stop thinking of Arielle and the two days they had spent together. He could still feel the passion aroused in him when their bodies touched, and the feeling of incredible excitement that he had never known before.
Just listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat and feeling her breathing by his side filled him with such an overwhelming feeling of contentment. She was the woman he had been looking for throughout the centuries. He was overtaken by desire that made him wake her up at four o’clock in the morning, just to hear her voice and kiss her lips.
For the next hour, he kept thinking about her response to him and the passion that had enfolded them. He remembered how his voice was shaking as he had spoken to her, and he now wondered if she had heard that change. If she had, she hadn’t said anything about it. He thought of how they had walked along the beach together holding hands, and his arms ached with emptiness. He needed her there with him to make him feel complete. Sebastian loved Arielle deeply, and he was planning a huge surprise for her 21st birthday: he was going to come back. He shivered with excitement and smiled with pleasure at the thought. He smiled even more thinking about their first dance. Then he groaned at the memory of the utter passion her touch had unleashed into his very soul, and anticipation of the next time they would be together. He closed his eyes, and his lips curved. There was no question in his mind; he would have to ask her to marry him soon! He wanted to be wherever she was, he wanted to be able to hold her, love her, and protect her. Being away from her was sheer torture!
Suddenly the thought of going home made him sick. He would have a firm talk with Annabel. She was to stay away from him, and he would make sure she had absolutely no access to the house, ever again.
He remembered looking at Arielle, standing alone at the airport, watching him walk away, how he had wanted to run back, take her in his arms and kiss her sensuous lips one more time. She made him so happy just to be alive. He was stunned to realize how much he missed her. Every minute away from her was now painful. How was he ever going to make it through the rest of this year without her by his side?
He arrived home late in the evening and drove through the streets of St. Jean de Luz, so peaceful and so beautiful. He did love thi
s little town, and he didn’t really want to leave it. “I can bring her here next summer,” he thought, and the thought made him smile.
The house was quiet when he arrived and he went straight to bed, thinking only of Arielle. He wished she were there with him: but he would have to live with just thoughts of her for the time being.
The next two weeks flew by. Arielle told Gabrielle and Eva most of the details about her weekend with Sebastian. She also told them that she didn’t want to share him with anyone just yet, and they understood.
As it turned out, they had all similar weekends, and none of them had worried about what the others were doing. They laughed, thinking of the way their lives had changed. They didn’t try to figure out when or how that had happened. They just knew that they were completely happy.
Chapter 19
It was her twenty-first birthday, and to be with Sebastian was Arielle’s only wish. She was looking forward to her party but she knew that all she really wanted was to share her special day with him. She got into the shower and let the hot water run on her back as she closed her eyes and let the memory of his beautiful face take over.
She was completely lost in her thoughts when she was startled by Eva’s voice calling from the other room, telling her to hurry up. She smiled, knowing that Gabby and Eva were waiting in the sitting room to give her their birthday present. She knew she would love the earrings they had gotten her, but she would have to act surprised. She finished up her shower quickly, threw on a bathrobe, wrapped a towel around her head and walked into the other room. They were waiting, huge smiles across their faces. “Happy Birthday!” they called out in unison, and Gabby handed her a small box, beautifully wrapped. She hugged them both warmly and opened the box enthusiastically. “They’re beautiful!” she cried. “You two are the best friends a girl could ever want…” She put the earrings on, and they were in fact very beautiful—silver, with a striking blue stone in the center that matched the color of Arielle’s eyes. “I love them!” she cried, and her friends both beamed.
As she poured milk over her cereal they discussed the incredible changes in their lives and the men that were now sharing their lives with them.
“What are you going to do this morning?” Eva asked.
“I need to stop by the house and see if my mother needs any help with anything before tonight,” Arielle chuckled.
She was almost ready to leave the flat when they heard the doorbell ring. Eva answered, and there stood a deliveryman with a huge bouquet of flowers. “Delivery for Miss Arielle Lloyd,” he said, and her heart skipped a beat from sheer joy. She saw the freesia and knew it was from the most wonderful man in the world. She ran to the door and signed for the delivery as her eyes welled up with tears. She took a deep breath and inhaled the unbelievably beautiful aroma of the flowers. She pulled the card out of the envelope and pleasure filled her heart as she read.
“I’ll love you for eternity.” The card wasn’t signed, but she knew who had sent them, and she was in a state of bliss. She was putting the flowers in water when her phone rang and she saw Sebastian’s name pop up on the screen. She melted hearing his velvety voice.
“Happy birthday, baby!!”
“Sebastian, thank you so much for the beautiful flowers. They are gorgeous!!! You’ve made my day.”
“Well, that’s the least I can do from here,” he laughed. “Remember that I love you and I need you more than anything in this world.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Have a happy day—and miss me!”
She smiled hearing the last part. That is the way he always said goodbye to her.
“I’ll miss you more than you’ll ever know,” she promised.
She heard him chuckle, and the phone went dead.
When she arrived at her parents’ house, everything looked more beautiful than she had seen it look in the last few years. “Wow!!” she exclaimed. The chandeliers were sparkling, the floors were polished, and flowers filled the rooms. A small stage had been arranged in the ballroom and the band was unloading equipment and setting up. She was in shock: she had never expected anything so fine.
Her mum was looking at her, smiling, waiting for her to say something. “Mummy! I couldn’t have dreamed anything this beautiful. You really shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”
“This is a very important birthday, Arielle. We have to make it more special than any of the others,” she said.
“So, what do you think?” It was her dad’s voice, behind her. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him warmly.
“I love you, Daddy, you are my number-one man,” she said. He squeezed her, and whispered, “I know you’re getting older, but you’re still my little girl, and don’t you ever forget that.”
Arielle assured him that she never would forget it, and that she would love him forever. Then she began helping her mother by running a couple of errands for her, and doing a few odds and ends. Soon it was time for her to get ready. She scaled the stairs two at a time and went to her room.
The dress she had chosen for the occasion was a (little) black cocktail dress that made her look a little older that she was, and shoes with very high heels. She decided to take off the necklace Sebastian had given her: it seemed a little too much with a dress that had all that glitter. She put it in her jewelry box, thinking, after all, what could she possibly be afraid of in her own home? Her little diamond studs were the only jewels she wore. When she looked in the mirror she almost didn’t recognize herself— she looked so grown up!
As she came down the staircase, some of the guests were arriving; some already had drinks in their hands and others were just mingling. As she entered the room she saw Tristan watching her; he seemed nervous. As she started to walk towards him, she saw him put his hands into his pockets and lean against the wall, smiling and trying to look natural. But he looked anything but natural; she smiled, trying to make him feel comfortable.
“Hello, Tristan,” she said, a wide smile on her face. She really was happy to see him. He was just so cute!
“Hello, Arielle,” he said. His voice sounded a little strained, as if it were an effort to make it sound natural. Tristan was not sure why he was acting like this, except for the fact that he had not been able to get Arielle out of his mind since last summer in St. Jean de Luz.
“She’s so beautiful, and her voice soothes my soul,” he thought as she walked towards him. It was as though everyone at the party had vanished for a moment but her. When she reached out and hugged him, he felt as though his insides had melted, and he had to remind himself that he needed to cool off.
“How’s school?” he asked. He sounded just a bit uneasy, and she wondered why.
“I’m almost finished with my last semester this year,” she said.
“So, you are now twenty-one?”
“Yes, twenty-one is the magic number,” she laughed. And after pressing his hands softly she walked off to talk with some of her friends. She was so happy to see everyone!
As usual her mother had done a great job arranging the party to perfection. The music was blasting and almost everyone was dancing, drinking, and enjoying the music and the surroundings.
The next song was a slow one, and Tristan invited her to dance. He pulled her to the dance floor and as they moved to the music he gazed at her with a warm look in his eyes that she didn’t really understand. He started to say something but then he suddenly stopped, as if he had thought better of it.
“What is it, Tristan?” she asked. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I came to wish you a happy birthday before I leave for Africa,” he said.
“Africa!” she exclaimed. “What are you going to do in Africa?”
“I’ve joined a group of doctors called Doctors Without Borders. I’ll be leaving on Tuesday.”
“Oh!” she said. “I didn’t know that.” She paused, absorbing the surprise. “It sounds like a great adventure,” she added. “I’ve read and he
ard great things about what those doctors do for poor people in those countries. You must be so proud! I’m certainly very proud of you too.” She stood on her toes and kissed him, and he let out a tremulous breath.
There was a hint of sadness in his voice, and for a moment she felt a pang in her heart. She wasn’t sure why, but she held him tighter, and looking into his eyes she repeated her admiration for what he was about to do. This was going to be a tremendous opportunity for him professionally—and what a great thing to do, to share his medical knowledge and skill with those in such need of it!
Tristan looked at Arielle’s beautiful hair, and her gorgeous shoulders, and wanted to hold her like that forever. He liked the feel of her skin under his hands and noticed her perfume as they were dancing close. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come,” he thought. It would have been easier not to see her again.
“I would love to take you with me,” she heard him whisper. He sounded so wistful!
“Oh, but Tristan, I’m not a doctor or a nurse. I’d be absolutely useless there,” she said, laughing softly.
The song was over but his arms stayed firmly fixed around her waist, and they stayed on the dance floor through the next song. She gazed on his beautiful face and smiled: his touch was warm, made her feel safe and content, but his eyes looked troubled. She was sure that if Sebastian had not come into her life Tristan would have been a significant someone for her. She shook her head and chuckled at the thought. When the song was over, he bent down and softly pressed his lips on hers.
“Thank you, Arielle,” he murmured. “I’ll never forget this night. Or you!”
“I won’t forget you either, Tristan,” she said. “And I’ll be waiting to hear about your adventures.” She squeezed his hand, smiled at him, and then said. “Well, I’d best greet my other guests…”
“Of course, Arielle,” he agreed, and he let go of her hand.
A strange but pleasurable heat ran across her body, shaking her to the point that she felt a little dizzy. As she walked away she wasn’t sure what had just happened, but she felt that it was definitely a turning point in her life.
Arielle: Immortal Awakening Page 22
