Chapter 13
The next morning, I was set on doing some actual work, meaning editing.
For that purpose, I put on some of my editing shorts—the sexier cousins of my editing sweats, hopefully—before heading to the kitchen. Auris was at the counter again, his laptop open. Apparently he was a much more consistent worker than I was.
“Good morning, Ethan.”
“Morning.” I bounced on my toes. Everything in me still felt raw, but last night had been the best. We’d talked and talked. We’d clicked. We’d clicked before, but last night had had a first date feel to it, when everything clicks into place. Apart from my little freak-out.
Auris let his eyes roam over me. They lingered on the shorts, which made me feel very proud of them.
“You look like a man with a purpose.”
“Thanks for noticing. I’m going to do some editing.” I pulled all the fixings for sandwiches out of the fridge and started making a large plateful of them.
“Is that artist’s code for ‘don’t talk to me for the next several hours but make sure I stay hydrated’?”
I spooned mayo onto the bread and grinned at him. “Thanks for noticing.”
Auris chuckled. “How high-maintenance you are, Ethan.”
After that, I moved to the couch. I started out sitting like a normal person, but after about an hour, I took a cushion and moved to the floor so I could make full use of the low coffee table.
Auris didn’t say anything, but he did indeed bring me coffee and water.
I worked on the photos I’d taken of him in front of the fireplace, of all things. Those relaxed me. He was so beautiful, and editing was a calming process for me anyway, so the combination pulled me into the zone until I was single-mindedly focused on the work.
In that state, I moved on to the photos of the church. Those weren’t as clean as the ones I’d taken indoors, so they took more time, more tinkering to make them show what I wanted others to see.
I absolutely loved it when I succeeded in revealing the inscription on the headstones, when I cut a photo so I felt in my bones that it was just right.
For a few of this set, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them, and the word reveal floated around in my head.
I wanted to put them online and turn them into short animations that started with blackness and some faint outlines, then lightened up until what I wanted to show was there.
It would be reminiscent of me using my flashlight to discover these views, and I ended up experimenting with a flashlight effect when I started turning my photos into short vids for both my website and social media.
I was having the best time with the work.
Even before coming out here, I’d talked to my manager about setting up digital experiences.
With the pandemic, digital art had grown in popularity, and I was pretty sure I’d find places that would want to show what I was doing.
Even if not, I had a regular newsletter and people who followed my work to the degree that it was absolutely possible to turn this into something by myself.
A ringing noise broke me out of my flow, and I looked up to discover that the evening was riding in on yet another sky drawn in shades of summer flowers.
I rubbed my eyes. “What’s up?”
“I’ll have a look, my sweet. Stay right where you are.” Auris headed to the door to answer it.
I heard Gloria’s voice before she walked into the house, her mask in place. “Mr. Salek,” she said to Auris. “There are men in the village asking about you. They don’t know your name, but they have a picture.”
My jaw dropped, and I looked at Auris. He was a lot calmer than either Gloria or me.
“Interesting. Where did you see them, Gloria?”
She cracked her knuckles and shifted from one foot to the other. “At the Seafront Bar. I dropped some of my jam there—you know I sell jam to the bar—and I heard them ask.”
“Did they follow you or speak to you?”
Gloria shook her head. “I wasn’t in there long, and they were having dinner. I stopped by my house before I came back here though, and waited by the window to be certain.”
Auris nodded. “That was very good of you. How about you go back home now? I’ll let you know if there’s anything else.”
She nodded, smiling at me before she looked back up at Auris. “Whatever I can do to help, I’ll gladly do it. I don’t want anything to disturb young love. We all need that at the moment.”
“Yes, we all do. All will be well, Gloria, and thank you.” He led her back outside, then joined me on the floor, folding his long legs under the coffee table.
“What was that?”
He didn’t look at all concerned. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Will you be okay on your own for a little while?”
I bit my lip. “It’s light out. You can’t…you can’t go out there. They’re clearly here looking for you. Auris, you can’t.”
He leaned over and hugged me. “I won’t confront anyone directly, and night will fall soon enough. I’ll watch from a distance so I know who they are. Harold, who runs the bar, has been under entrancement for a long time, much like Gloria, and he’ll help with that.”
“But if they see you—”
“Shh. All I need is for him to take a video, and if I have to get closer, I’ll only go as far as the bar’s kitchen. I’ll be fine, and I promise I’ll only be gone for half an hour. Can you handle that, Ethan?”
“I…I mean…”
“Ethan, please.”
I breathed in, then out slowly. “A love prophecy is crazy, but thinking I’ll stay here is even crazier. Some religious fanatics had plans to murder you in a church only yesterday, so how about maybe not going after them by yourself, huh?”
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do. Would you possibly let me talk you out of it? You were really enjoying the editing.”
“I can finish that later. I’m not letting you leave here without me.”
Auris sighed. “Very well. You and I will go together.” He looked me over. “But you’ll not leave the house in those delicious shorts.”
Despite the worry, I cackled. “Let me put on my going-out pants.”