Chapter 37
37
W hen they returned to the apartment building, they stopped in at Uncle Al’s and invited him and Uncle Leo to dinner. They decided Kwaku and Zara would make it and bring the food to Uncle Al’s apartment as he had the biggest dining room table.
Upstairs in her apartment, Kwaku and Zara got busy, and shooed Pari out of the kitchen as soon as the groceries were put away. She soon found herself standing next to Melvale in her little living room. She was suddenly shy being alone with him and didn’t know what to say. It felt like she’d brought a boyfriend home, minus the usual derogatory comments about him drifting to her from the kitchen while Uncle Al and Uncle Leo cooked dinner.
“You are nervous,” Melvale stated.
She rolled her eyes. “Will you stop that?” Pari marched out of the living room, through the next two rooms, and finally into her bedroom. Melvale followed.
“You don’t have to be nervous around me,” he said. “Though I understand if you are.”
She turned to him and refrained from tossing a hand in the air. “Why, because you’re so… you?” She stared at him a moment. “An… alien?”
“We are perfectly compatible with humans,” he stated.
Reality wasn’t fun when it hit. Everything that had happened to her up to this point was blanketed with something surreal, but that something was wearing off. He was not of this world, neither was Zara. “Is Kwaku human?”
“Yes. You knew that.”
“He looks like one. His features don’t change the way yours and Zara’s do.”
“As I told you before, that is our camouflage instinct. It makes us blend in.”
“So does that mean if you’re standing in a herd of cows, you’ll look like a cow?” She sat on the edge of her bed.
He lowered himself down next to her. “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Then what good is it?”
“We are not shapeshifters, well, not the way you might think.” He turned to her. “Pari, there is a lot to teach you, but there is little time to tell you all you need to know. Suffice to say, we are compatible with humans to a certain extent.”
“What extent?” She wasn’t exactly giving him a narrow-eyed gaze, but she wasn’t being casual either. This was serious stuff, and part of her was afraid to ask too many questions for fear she wouldn’t like the answers.
“Our hearts must be compatible to another’s. We have two, you see.”
Her eyes went wide. “Two hearts?”
“Yes, one physical, the other, well, physical to an extent and with a mind of its own.”
“Is it an organ? Like your liver or kidneys?”
He smiled. “Yes and no, it is… us.” He pointed to himself. “Almost like our soul, but not.”
She gulped. “You do have a soul, right?”
“Oh yes, and a spirit connected to the Creator.” He gave her a heartfelt smile. “Surely you know Him.”
She gaped at Melvale. “Are you… talking about God?”
“Mmm,” he said with a small nod.
Pari eyes went wide. She didn’t know what to say to that, so moved on. “So, this second heart, what does it do?”
“It looks for another’s heart to join with. The two become one and reside within the couple.”
“Inside both people?” She blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying.
“More or less, yes. Would you like to see?” He left the bed. “I can have Kwaku and Zara show you their joined heart.”
She shook her head. “No! I mean, not right now.” Really, there was only so much she could take in her own home. She wanted to come here to feel more grounded, but somehow, it wasn’t working. Maybe she should stop asking questions.
“Sit,” she urged and licked her lips. “Tell me… tell me what you …” Good grief, she had a drop-dead gorgeous alien man sitting next to her, and she couldn’t think of what else to say?!
“How about this.” Melvale took her by the hand. “Let’s sit here a moment in the quiet.”
Pari’s face screwed up in confusion. “Huh?”
He put a finger to his lips. “Shhh.” He gave her hand a squeeze, then gazed at the wall in front of them.
She gaped at him, before she looked around the room, then sat still. The sound of the shuttle train pulling out of the station across the street caught her attention, then faded as the train moved further and further away. She could hear some people talking and laughing as they passed by on the sidewalk below. There was the sound of traffic and the sounds of food preparation in the kitchen. It was a homey sound that made her relax, and she realized all the sounds were of home.
Pari closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of her apartment. The lemon scented candle she liked, the smell of laundry softener, the building’s own distinct scent. All of it was home.
“That’s it, my beauty,” Melvale murmured next to her. “You are safe here. Comfortable. So long as you’re with me.”
Pari’s heart skipped a beat at the word “beauty”, and she opened her eyes. “You… you think I’m…”
“Beautiful?” he finished.
She nodded without looking at him. Maybe it was just some endearment and there was nothing behind it. Man, was she insecure or what?
He leaned toward her ear. “Yes, little one, I think you are very beautiful.”
She sucked in a breath, unable to help it, as a massive tingle went up her spine.
He drew closer. “Beauty beyond compare.”
This time she shivered as all thought left. She tried to talk but couldn’t form any words. Good grief, he’d rendered her speechless!
“You don’t believe me,” he whispered into her ear. “But you will, Kahtala Miah. You will know your worth in my eyes, even though you cannot grasp it now.” He drew closer still. “I will show you, Pari Mae. I will teach you.”
Her jaw dropped, but still no sound came. She was turning into a puddle and feared she’d slide off the edge of the bed! As if sensing her dilemma, Melvale put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Pari Mae, I will make a believer out of you.”
She swallowed hard, trying to get her brain to work. All she could manage was turning her head to look at him as he drew back, a gentle smile on his face. He was right; she didn’t believe him. How could she? What was the likelihood of someone like him telling her she was beautiful? That he… good grief, desired her?
She sat and realized there was another presence in the room. Something… alive. “Wh-what…”
He leaned closer again. “That, my beauty, is my other heart. Feel it. Know it.”
She sucked in another tiny breath as the presence surrounded her. It was familiar, and Pari realized it was indeed Melvale. Yet, it was also Bondrah. It took some effort, but she managed to force the word out. “Bondrah?”
“Yes, Kahtala Miah. I am here.”
She noted the blue of his eyes and realized the presence was holding her. “Bondrah?” she mouthed this time.
He nodded. “Yes, little Pari. It is I.”
His voice had lowered, and his eyes were becoming a brilliant blue. “Bond…”
“Shhh, do not say it again, or I may be tempted to mark you right here and now.” He pulled her into his arms. “I will mark you, then claim you. But you are not ready.” He rested his forehead on hers, as he’d done before. “I must wait.” He lowered his face and gently rubbed one cheek against hers. “Then when the time is right,” he whispered. “You will be mine.”
She stilled. What? She blinked once, twice. “Y-yours?”
“Yes, Kahtala Miah.”
Pari looked at him. Melvale was gone. Well, maybe not, but the eyes and the voice told her this was the other side of him. “Melvale?”
He brushed some of her hair across her forehead. “The other name you call me is a private name, little Pari.”
“Y-you use that word a lot.” She swallowed hard. “Little.”
He gave her another gentle smile, which seemed significant considering the side she was dealing with at the moment. “It describes you. Small, innocent, vulnerable, in need of protection. Like a lovely flower.” His eyes roamed her face, and she caught the look of awe in them.
Pari stared back unable to believe such a look. “Why do you look at me like that?”
He cupped her face with one hand. “Because you are my heart.”
She could still feel the presence of his second heart and noticed how relaxed she was. As if someone could take peace, turn it into a blanket, and swaddle her in it. “I… this… feels nice.”
He nodded and whispered, “As it should.”
She nodded back, and noticed her eyelids were growing heavy. “Um… I…”
“Shhh, Kahtala Miah.”
Her breathing slowed, and she was vaguely aware of movement. Pari tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. “What…”
“Rest, my heart,” he whispered in her ear.
She couldn’t open her eyes and didn’t care. The peace surrounding her was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Pari also swore she was in his lap at this point, but also didn’t care as he put her head against his chest and held her in his arms. Okay, she could get used to this. But it still didn’t answer the question of…
Wait, what question? Did she have a question?
“Shhh, Kahtala Miah,” was barely a whisper against her hair. Was he shushing her thinking? How could he do that?
“Shhh…”
Every sound was gone. There was only the quiet and the blissful peace she was wrapped in. Pari began to drift off to sleep as one sound managed to penetrate the silence. A heartbeat. His heartbeat. Bondrah Miah.
She wished this blissful state would never end but knew it would. Be it minutes or hours, she wanted to enjoy it while she could. Who knew if she would ever have this again? Because somewhere along the line, she would screw this up, just like she always did. It was only a matter of time.