Damaged

by Leona Keyoko Pink

  It was almost baffling with as big as he was. She stared at him as he stepped up with a lighter and lit Cage’s cigarette. Once the task was done he moved back into position a few feet behind Cage. She knew it was important for Cage to have protection at all times but she often wondered how Fredric could just stand around all day. Didn’t he ever get bored?

  Cage took a drag of his cigarette and let it out, “Pick,”

  Autumn looked back at the prizes and saw a large fluffy long-eared rabbit. She pointed to it and the man begrudgingly handed it to Cage. Cage didn’t hand it to her but held it out. A second later someone came and grabbed it before disappearing into a crowd of people.

  “What next?” asked Cage as a small alarm went off.

  Cage casually reached into his jacket pocket once more. This time he pulled out a small bottle of medication. He popped a pill into his mouth and dry swallowed it before tucking the bottle away once more. After the last attack with the Fayngin, Cage had been injured badly. He’d had to have several operations and transplants that left him with a daily medication ritual and a slight limp.

  He took the pills easily enough as if he were popping mints into his mouth. The limp was often only seen in private. If he was in any pain he hid it well. Autumn sighed as Cage continued to smoke. She wanted him to quit. It had been a heated topic between the two as of late. His body was already riddled with so many injures she knew smoking couldn’t be helping it. She thought about arguing with him yet again but instead turned away. She supposed it could wait until tomorrow.

  “Let’s do something else,” suggested Autumn.

  “As in?”

  “You choose,” said Autumn.

  “Are you sure you’re done here?”

  “Yes, thank you for taking me to the carnival,”

  “You don’t need to thank me,”

  “I know. I just... I know your time is very precious,”

  “No more precious than you,” said Cage, placing an arm around her waist.

  Autumn’s face flushed even after all this time. A look, the right words, could make her swoon. It had been hard falling in love with Cage, probably one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  She knew the kind of man Cage was and the world he lived in. Time indeed was a precious thing to him. She knew he could fill up every second of every day with work, given the opportunity. Even when he’d been seriously injured by the Fayngin and had barely been conscious she’d caught Fredric and him whispering about work. As soon as Cage had been able to move he’d had an office set up in his recovery room.

  Autumn had doubted that Cage could take a full week off of work for their vacation but he’d done it. He’d let go and she hadn’t even seen him make a single phone call. She knew it was hard for him to just relax, to delegate, but she was proud of him. Even if he hadn’t said it, she knew just how precious she was to him.

  Cage finished his cigarette and they left the carnival. They got into Cage’s sports car and he took them for a drive. Autumn hadn’t realized how late in the day it was. The sun was getting ready to set and soon enough this day, their last day of vacation, would be over. Autumn let out a heavy sigh and Cage chuckled to himself as if he’d read her mind, “It’s not over yet,”

  “I know. But it will be soon,”

  “Sooner with that mindset,” said Cage as he sped up.

  He weaved his sports car in and out of lanes as Fredric followed closely behind them in another car. On one long stretch of road they even had a little race as they made their way to the beach. Cage got there first but Fredric quickly pulled up beside them. She expected him to get out but he stayed in his car. Cage got out and opened Autumn’s door for her. She took his hand and together they went for a walk.

  The beach was breathtaking. Cage always knew the best times to go. The setting sun glistened on the sand and made the water sparkle. The clouds looked almost surreal. Autumn felt as if she were drifting on a dream or dancing in a memory. It was a sight, a feeling, she hoped she wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

  She squeezed Cages’ hand and he smiled back at her, squeezing hers even harder. As they walked Autumn wished their vacation could last a little longer. She’d thought a week was a long time back when she’d requested it but now it felt short like it was barely a minute that had gone by.

  She sighed, wishing she’d asked for two weeks. But she knew two weeks, a month, a year, none of it would have been long en-

  Cage yanked Autumn to him, pulling her from her thoughts. He lifted her up into his arms as a large wave came crashing in. Cage took the brunt of it, holding Autumn tightly. He kept her from getting soaked.

  Autumn looked into his eyes. They had a light all their own as he urged, “Stay with me,”

  “I’m here,” Autumn insisted.

  “No, you’re not. I watched you drift away and just now you nearly floated away as well,”

  “I’m sorry,” said Autumn, biting her lip. She took Cage’s face in her hands, “This last week has been so perfect. I just...it went so fast. I feel like there is never enough time,”

  “You know what helps with that?” asked Cage, slowly putting her down.

  “What?” asked Autumn.

  “Being present in the moment. Of course time is going to feel like it passes quickly when you’re lost in your thoughts for most of it,”

  “I know,” said Autumn, “It’s just hard sometimes. I have a lot on my mind,”

  “Let me help you with that,” said Cage. He grasped her chin, giving her a wicked grin. He leaned down and brought her chin up until their lips met. It was a slow, smoldering kiss at first that ignited into a passionate blaze that set afire all her stray thoughts. For a blissful moment all that mattered, all that existed, was Cage and his irresistible lips.

  When he began to pull back Autumn followed him. She stepped on the tips of her toes, continuing the kiss. She felt him smile before he wrapped his arms around her. She wanted to stay here just like this forever, on the beach at sunset, kissing the man she loved.

  Alas, the moment eventually came to an end and they pulled apart. Autumn wobbled for a moment and Cage caught her. He helped her to stabilize once more. Her eyes shifted to the sky as she noticed something. A plane...it was moving strangely, trailing white smoke behind it.

  She wondered if it was crashing or if something more dubious was taking place. Her heart began to race as she waited to see what was going on. Slowly the plane spiraled across the sky. The white smoke began to form letters, ‘M A R R Y M E’

  Autumns’ lips parted as she let out a gasp. Was this...Was this Cage asking her to marry him? Cage had turned to see what Autumn was looking at and had grimaced as soon as the first M was visible in the sky. Autumn turned to look at him now that the sky writer was done. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes lit up with excitement.

  Before she could say or do anything Cage raised his hand and curtly cut her off, “No. This isn’t me. Do you seriously think I’d hire a sky writer of all things?” He rolled his eyes as Autumn’s excitement quickly fizzled. Cage sighed and continued, “Oh, sure, just let me get a blue tuxedo and kneel down in the sand,”

  A moment later Autumn heard squeals of delight and looked to see a couple in the distance. A man was wearing a blue ruffled tuxedo and was on one knee with a ring in his hands outstretched towards a woman in a polka dotted dress. The woman cried out and began to jump up and down with excitement, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  Autumn continued to watch as the man stood and fumbled to put the ring on the woman's finger. Others also took in the sight as they passed by. She smiled happy for them but also felt slightly let down. She turned back to Cage, only to find he’d continued on without her. He was now several feet down the beach, still shaking his head at Autumn’s assumption. She ran to catch up to him and grasped his hand.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes before Cage spoke, “From your obvious excitement I take it you expect me to propose one day,”

  “I
don’t,” said Autumn, blushing. She felt embarrassed thinking the sky writer had been Cage’s. “I was just surprised,”

  “Right,” said Cage, letting out a heavy sigh.

  “No, really, it’s okay. We don’t have to get married. Honestly, I hadn’t really thought about it all that much. I mean I suppose we will one day…”

  “One day,” scoffed Cage.

  “One day. But not today or anytime soon, I mean,” Autumn stopped, letting go of Cage’s hand, and sighed, “It’s just the natural progression of a relationship.” Not that there was anything natural about their relationship. Autumn didn’t know why but she suddenly felt jittery. Really, she hadn’t thought about it all that much. For the most part she was satisfied knowing she was the love of Cage’s life. But...the sky writer just now made her wonder if, or when, they might take the next step.

  Autumn bit her lip and saw Cage had stopped walking as well. His arms were crossed and he was just staring at her with a look of disdain. When he saw that he had her attention he made his feelings clear, “Marriage, Autumn, is pointless,”

  Autumn looked at him in surprise. He continued. “It is. It doesn’t say anything about a relationship other than a willingness to sign a piece of paper for some tax incentives. If it meant anything else then divorce wouldn’t be so common. It doesn’t prove anything about the strength of a bond, or the feelings two people have for one another.”

  Cage moved closer to her and stared at her intently. “Those things, the things that bind people together, that bind you and me, can only live inside us. They can only be shown in the things we do. And each moment, each day, we make a choice. To be with a person… or not. To love them… or not. To protect them… or not. That care, that commitment, simply cannot be represented by a piece of paper and a government stamp. You are mine, Autumn, regardless of what a piece of paper says.”

  Autumn didn’t know what to say. It was clear Cage didn’t have any interest in getting married. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. She wasn’t really sure what her views on marriage were anymore to be honest. She’d almost gotten married to Curtis. Autumn’s heart twinged for a moment when she thought of his name. She tried not to think about him, about what had happened. She hadn’t really seriously thought about marriage since him.

  She looked at Cage and then looked out at the water. He loved her. He’d made it clear that she was the love of his life, so...shouldn’t that be enough? Some people got married and had no love for each other. So, so, if they never married but loved each other greatly, wouldn’t that be okay?

  Autumn noticed the sun had gotten even lower. The sky was now a pale shade of fuchsia. So many thoughts ran though her mind but after a few minutes she settled on one. The one that was most important when it came to their relationship. What did she want from it? Out of everything, what mattered to her?

  She smiled to herself knowing the answer. She made a decision right then and there. For a moment she just stood basking in all the colors of the sunset. After a bit Cage called to her, “Autumn,”

  She turned to him and smiled. Quietly she said, “Okay, we don’t have to get married,” Cage didn’t say anything. He just studied her expression. Autumn went on, “Really, when it comes down to it, all I want is to be with you… As your wife or not. It doesn’t matter.”

  Cage smiled. It wasn’t a flashy smile, a charming or dangerous smile, but a small, content one. There was a look in his eyes that made it clear he loved her even more, if it were possible. Autumns’ stomach rumbled and it lightened the mood some.

  Cage took her hand and squeezed it, “Come on, let’s get something to eat,”

  Autumn nodded and they walked back in silence. When they got to the car, Cage opened her door. She got in and as she waited for Cage to take his seat she took one last look at the beach. The letters in the sky had long since faded now but that was okay.

  Cage started the car and pulled onto the road once more with Fredric in toe. Autumn knew where they were going without Cage saying. Though they hadn’t spent much time on the island they had quickly found their favorite restaurant. They’d tried a few others but the last two times they’d eaten out it had been Riochs’.

  When they arrived a valet quickly took their car. The staff seemed to know who Cage was from the first time they’d eaten here and they never needed to wait to get in though there was a long line outside of locals and tourists that was nearly a block long. As soon as they stepped up to the rope at the entrance they were ushered in and given a personal server.

  Their server took them to a special table that had already been set up for them. It was secluded and lit by candlelight just the way they liked it. Though the restaurant was busy it was almost like they had the whole place to themselves. Once they were seated Cage looked at Autumn adoringly. He took her hand in his and gently kissed it. She cooed, wondering what he’d ordered for them. She knew he almost always ordered in advance when he could.

  It wasn’t long before their server returned. He poured the wine and asked if Cage would like to begin. Cage nodded and the server left. When he returned he had a cart of various appetizers. Autumn was given her choice of which she preferred. She picked some flaming cheese rollers covered in a tangy sauce. She’d had them before and found them interesting. They were a mixture of cheese and bread rolled with hot spices and covered in a cold sauce. It was a strange sensation to eat something that was both hot and cold at the same time.

  The salad came next. It was something new, a seafood blend. Cage liked to introduce her to new dishes whenever he could. She also knew his favorite food was seafood. Autumn did her best to eat most of it but found she wasn’t a fan.

  When their plates arrived she was given something simple that had been made fancy. A double breaded grilled cheese sandwich with mint trimmings and cariola onions. It came with a large side of crisp sea salted fries and a large chocolate milk shake with whip cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate sprinkles, and two chocolate straws. To top it all off, there was a golden chocolate heart on top.

  She took a quick sip before glancing at Cage’s plate. He had a multitude of different fish prepared in various ways. She thought she also saw some sea urchin, squid, and octopus. He asked Autumn if she wanted to try anything but she shook her head. Some things were still a bit too exotic for her taste. Cage waited for her to start eating before he dug in.

  The meal was nice and their conversation was light. Given the weighted conversation they’d had earlier on the beach, she’d worried the rest of their night might be tense. Thankfully, things seemed to have calmed down.

  When they finished eating their meals they relaxed while waiting for dessert. Autumn was so full she wasn’t sure if she had any room left. She knew when they went back her trainers were probably going to bust her ass. She was pretty sure she’d put on at least ten pounds this week alone. She bit her lip and tried not to think about it. She’d deal with it later.

  She looked around the room casually and noticed for the first time that someone was staring at them. No, staring at Cage. It was a young man. He was sitting by himself in his own private booth. He had a bottle of liquor in his hand and was drinking from it every so often. She tried not to stare at him too long and instead turned to Cage, wondering if he’d noticed.

  If he did he didn’t seem to care. Autumn tried to ignore the young man but found it hard. His gaze was so fierce it made her uncomfortable. After a few minutes the young man stood up. Autumn hoped he was leaving but instead he walked up to their table. “So you’re Cage...Zissganii...”

  Cage was cleaning his teeth and continued to do so, paying no attention to the young man. This only seemed to anger him. He bumped the table hard, making the dishes vibrate, “HEY, I’M TALKING TO YOU!” Cage looked up then and the young man stepped back. For a second there was a flash of doubt on his face. Autumn watched them both intently. She knew how Cage could get. She had no idea who this young man was but she hoped he realized who Cage was and would quickly w
alk away.

  Instead of leaving the young man collected himself. He swayed a bit and Autumn wondered if he was drunk. He swiped his thumb against his nose and rolled his shoulder forward, scoffing, “Ain’t you supposed to be dead?”

  Cage said nothing, he simply stared.

  The young man smiled back at him, “For a walking corpse you don’t look like much. Everyone’s saying you’re supposed to be some big shot bad ass… The unstoppable shadow...heh, fuck, you ain’t nothing!”

  Cage sighed and tilted his head ever so slightly. A moment later Fredric stepped into view. He’d been standing quietly off to the side. Autumn was used to him being around all the time but she felt awkward eating in front of him. Her mother had always told her it was impolite to eat in front of others unless they were joining you. Cage’s solution was to have Fredric step just out of her view. It wasn’t much of a solution but it did help with the awkwardness.

  As Fredric stepped up to the young man Autumn wondered why it had taken him so long to intervene. She supposed Cage was giving the young man the benefit of the doubt and seeing what he’d wanted. The young man saw Fredric and then saw him again as he did a double take. He stumbled back, nearly falling to the ground. Most people were intimidated by Fredric. The young man gained some courage after a moment and then stepped back up to Fredric. “Who’s this? Your girlfriend?”

  Fredric reached out to the young man, “Let’s step outside,”

  “FUCK NO!” said the young man, batting Fredric’s hand away. Fredric didn’t retaliate. Instead he just stood there. It was unlike Fredric to do nothing. Whoever this guy was, he must have had some clout.

  “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?” the young man snarled. He pushed Fredric but Fredric didn’t move. Instead the young man just pushed himself back. He nearly fell over, stumbling back. He looked at Cage and again said, “Do you have any idea who I am?”