Chapter Nineteen
Victor and Leo walk into Victor’s room, laughing and celebrating Victor’s first lesson completion. Victor notices his luggage is packed and sitting in the living room. Then, the maid walks out of the bedroom. Victor exhales a low, deep sigh because he knows what’s coming.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Russo, Mr. Oliveira!” the maid says chipperly. “I have all your bags packed and ready for you to check out. If you like, I can have your suits cleaned for you before you go. I also packed lunch to take with you since it’s going to be a long trip to your next lesson.”
Victor looks over at Leo. Leo sees Victor’s face in his peripheral vision, then pierces his lips together and lightly shakes his head as if to say, “Don’t ask right now.
” As the maid continues to ramble on, Victor starts to tune her out.
He drifts out of it, and then suddenly, he’s no longer in his room.
He blinks a couple of times and then starts to look around.
“This isn’t my hotel room. Where am I?” Victor says to himself.
He looks around, and then he sees someone familiar. “Amber? Lupe?”
“Amber!”
“Lupe!”
Amber and Lupe are cuddling on the couch, watching TV. Amber looks disgruntled as she glances at her phone.
“Ugh!” Amber projects out. “That asshole isn’t answering me back.”
“Maybe he’s busy,” Lupe responds while watching TV.
“Victor isn’t like this. He responds right away. It’s been almost two days. I’m starting to get worried,” Amber proclaims.
Victor walks up to Amber and Lupe on the couch. “Hey! I’m right here!” Victor starts waving his arms around and then stands right in front of them. It wasn’t until he realized, “Wait, you can’t see me. What’s going on?”
“I think I should go check on him,” Amber says, getting up from the couch.
“You’re going to fly to Phoenix to see him?” Lupe asks, discouraged by Amber’s overreaction.
“If I have to, I will,” Amber responds as she heads to the bedroom. “Just call Elliott. He lives closer to Victor,” Lupe suggests.
Victor tries to speak to them, but they still can’t hear him. “Guys, I’m right here. I’m standing right in front of you.”
“Elliott is on back-to-back trips right now,” Amber mentions from the bedroom. “He won’t be home until Thursday.”
“Then ask Frank to go,” Lupe offers. “Doesn’t he live in Phoenix too?”
Suddenly, Victor is back in his hotel room. Leo is holding Victor by the arms; his face filled with worry. “Victor, are you okay?”
Victor shakes his head out of his trance. He notices the maid is gone, and it’s just the two of them. “Y-Yeah. At least, I think I’m okay.”
“You looked like you were a million miles away,” Leo says with concern.
Victor still feels a little dizzy. He walks over to the wet bar and grabs a bottle of water. “For a moment, I was looking at Amber and Lupe. I think I was in their home.”
Leo perks up. “You were visiting your friends?”
“I guess, but they couldn’t hear me,” Victor responds.
“Victor, you just had your first astral projecting experience,” Leo smiles widely.
Victor looks at Leo with a perplexed expression. “What? I was astral projecting? I thought I was imagining things.”
Leo grabs Victor’s arms and squeezes with excitement. “No, you were there with them. How was it? Did you feel your body tingle all over?”
“No, I didn’t feel anything. But I could hear them,” Victor explains.
“Wow! That’s not easy to accomplish on the first time,” Leo exclaims.
Victor walks over to his phone and feels depressed.
“I guess I’m just missing my friends. They are really worried about me.
This is the longest I’ve ever been apart from them.
” Victor starts reading over the text messages, feeling lonely, even though Leo is there with him.
He wants to respond, giving them some relief and not to call for a wellness check, but he doesn’t know how to respond.
Victor can’t tell his friends he’s a warlock, can he?
Deep down, he knows he can’t, but his friends are like his family.
He doesn’t like keeping secrets from them.
Leo walks up behind Victor and places a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “I think you should start thinking about cutting ties with them. The sooner you do it, the easier it is to move on.”
Victor shrugs Leo’s hand off his shoulder and turns to look at Leo. “I’ve known these guys for a while. Elliott and I became flight attendants together almost 10 years ago. I’ve known Lucas since high school. How am I supposed to throw away all these years of friendship?”
Leo takes a seat on the couch and sighs. “The mundane won’t understand, and it’s natural for them to fear us. Need I remind you that we age slower than them? By the time you’re in your 70s, you will still appear to be in your 30s. You will see your friends pass away before you.”
Victor sits on the other side of the couch while Leo continues.
“Do you know how old Superior Charles is? He’s 147, but he looks in his late 50s, which is surprising, considering how much he smokes and drinks.
Madame Jeanette is just over 100. She’s lived in Louisiana her entire life.
And she tends to keep to herself because that’s the only way she can detach herself from society.
Her ability makes it difficult for her to make friends, including with people of magic. ”
Victor looks down at his phone, seeing all his friends’ social media posts. “When are we leaving?”
Leo sees that Victor is depressed and sighs deeply. “We don’t need to go to your next lesson for another week. Tell you what, why don’t we take a break? You go home and see your friends.”
Victor lights up at Leo’s offer. “Really? I can go home for a while?”
“Yes, but I’m coming with you. I need to watch out for you in case something happens,” Leo explains.
Victor slumps his shoulders like a pouty teenage girl. “Aw, come on. Really?”
Leo stands up and buttons his jacket. “Yes, really. Make sure you get everything ready. I’ll make arrangements for us to go to Phoenix.”
Leo walks back to his room and closes the connecting door behind him. He is startled when he sees someone sitting at the dining table. “Damn it, Derek! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?”
Derek is a cleanly shaved man with thick brown hair and green eyes. He is wearing a grey windowpane suit, a light pink shirt, and a dark pink tie. He looks at Leo as though he suspects something.
“So, you’re going to Phoenix? When were you going to tell me?” Derek disputes.
Leo becomes more aggravated at Derek’s appearance. “You know I’m Victor’s mentor, and I will be with him until his lessons are complete. And why does that matter to you? We’re no longer together.”
“You’re still my husband,” Derek comments as he crosses his legs.
Leo rolls his eyes as he walks into his bedroom. “Did you astral project here to remind me of that? This could have been an email.”
“I’m just wondering why you’re going to Phoenix with that empath when he has no lessons there,” Derek comments.
Leo returns from the bedroom with a garment bag. “Because I am to be with him the entire time. And after what happened the other day, it’s safer if I stay with him.”
Derek gets up and walks over to Leo. “I heard what happened to him. I guess it was a good thing you were there. Because we both know Karl couldn’t handle the empath himself.”
Leo glares at Derek, tossing his garment bag on the couch. “The empath has a name.”
Derek shrugs his shoulders with a disgusted look plastered on his face. “I don’t care. He’s not superior to me.”
Leo looks at Derek from the corner of his eye. “He’s superior to all of us. And when he finally comes to terms with who he is, you will eat those words.” Leo walks back into the bedroom.
“I don’t give a damn who he is, and I’m not going to bend a knee to a homewrecker,” Derek says with some hostility.
“Homewrecker?” Leo exclaims, walking back into the living room with his suitcase. “You’re the one who cheated on me. With a throuple from what I remember.”
Derek coyly looks over his shoulder, “Maybe you should have been home more often to ensure I didn’t wander, Leopold.”
Leo moves Derek away from the wet bar to retrieve a couple of water bottles from the fridge. “I can’t wait until you’re gone for good. Then I can be done with you.”
Derek leans down to whisper into Leo’s ear, “You’ll never be done with me, sweetheart, unless you know what’s good for you. Don’t forget the oath you took when we got married.”
Leo stands up, nose-to-nose with Derek. Even though Derek isn’t there physically, Leo can still feel Derek’s static coming off the tip of his nose and the warmth of Derek’s breath. “Don’t worry, I’m already looking into how to break that oath.”
Derek kisses the tip of Leo’s nose and gives a vicious grin. “Good luck with that.” Leo becomes enraged, causing his fists to burst into flames.
Leo gets startled when he hears the door open. He quickly extinguishes his fists and turns to his attention toward the door.
“Leo?” Victor peeks into Leo’s room. “Did you get everything ready for us to head to Phoenix?”
Leo looks back at where Derek was standing. Derek had vanished just when Victor appeared. Leo collects himself before responding to Victor. “Almost. Let’s get a bellman to pick up our things.”
Victor and Leo walk into Victor’s apartment. Victor drops his suitcase next to the door and turns on the light in the entryway. “Welcome to my place. Sorry for the mess.”
Leo walks further inside and looks around. Victor’s apartment is neat and tidy. “What mess?”
Victor calls out to his Echo to turn on all the lights.
He tosses his garment bag on the back of a chair at the dining table.
“What do you want to order for dinner?” Before Leo could answer, there’s a knock at the door.
When he opens it, the maid stands there with a large bag in her arms. Victor’s jaw drops when he sees her.
“Close your mouth, dear; you’ll attract flies.
” She pushes her way in and goes to the dining room.
“I wanted to make sure you boys have a nice meal tonight.” She takes out two big to-go boxes.
“Where are your plates, sweetie?” Victor’s mouth is still open as he points to the cabinet where the plates are.
The maid walks over, closes Victor’s mouth as she enters the kitchen, and gathers a couple of plates and silverware.
“You like your steak medium-rare, correct? And Leo, you like yours rare. I remember that. Victor, I got you that chimichanga or chimichurri, whatever you call it. That herby green sauce you like to put on your steak. I remember that it’s your favorite.
I’ve never had it before. So, I tried it the other night, and I can see why you enjoy it on your steak.
I think I’m going to start having chimichurro sauce with my steak now. ”
She walks back to the table and plates their food.
Victor is still speechless as to what’s going on.
Leo chuckles behind his hand, trying so hard not to laugh out loud watching Victor’s utter confusion.
After a few more moments of the maid talking and gathering the discarded to-go containers, she says her goodbyes and leaves.
Victor stares at the door, “What . . . The Fuck . . . Just Happened?”
Leo laughs as he puts his jacket on the back of his seat and sits down, placing his napkin on his collar. “Don’t overthink it and just eat.”