Chapter 12
Ector
She went to get us breakfast? Not only for herself but for both of us. She makes me feel things that I didn't know I was capable of feeling. It’s terrifying.
“I sent the letter to my mother earlier, so we don’t have to think about that.” She tells me.
“What letter?”
“A letter that will explain to her where I am and what I’m doing- or kind of doing- so she doesn’t worry too much about me.” She explains.
She did everything by herself this morning without telling me? While I was asleep? In a town she doesn’t even know? She’s brave for doing so, but I would’ve preferred to have gone with her. She needs to be more careful.
“That’s good.” I say, not knowing what else to tell her, what more to say. I can’t say I’m proud of you, even though that’s exactly what I want to do.
I want her to feel strong and powerful, to believe that she can do anything she puts her mind to. I want her to grow so secure in herself, that she no longer recognizes the person she once was.
She climbs off the bed and grabs my hoodie for me.
“Here, get dressed so we can continue.” She demands with a tone that I can’t quite place.
Staring at her, she wears a big smile on her face, as always.
I could hold all the magic in the world in the palm of my hands, and still not be able to create something as beautiful as her.
As soon as I drag the thick fabric over my head, I feel safer. Now she won’t be able to see my thick scars.
“Are you always smiling?” I ask, making her blush immediately.
“What? Ehm, no.”
“There’s nothing wrong with smiling, especially not when it’s your smile that I get to see all day.” She blushes furiously and turns around, walking towards the door.
“Okay let’s go, we have somewhere to be, remember?” She says, sounding nervous. I can’t help the laugh that escapes my throat.
Taking a quick glance around the rooms, I make sure we don’t forget anything, and then I follow her out the door.
The owner said that the only thing we have to do before leaving was to put the key in the keyhole, and that she will take care of the rest. So that’s exactly what we did.
“Did you sleep well?” I ask her.
“Uhm.. yeah.” Her answer is shorter and colder than usual.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just feel a little bit overwhelmed right now, honestly. But I’m fine, I’m okay. I promise.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Don’t promise me things that aren’t true. If you're thinking about something, tell me and we’ll talk about it.”
Almost like she’s panicking, her body starts moving faster, further away from me.
“Why are you walking so fast, Genevieve? Are you in a hurry?”
“I need air, I can’t breathe.” She says, right before collapsing onto the apricot carpet in the middle of the hallway.
“Genevieve?!” I shout in worry, but she doesn’t answer.
Moving fast, I lift her into my arms and carry her outside as fast as my body lets me. She needs fresh air, and that’s what I’ll give her.
“Is everything okay?” A random lady asks in worry, her hand clutching the top of her chest.
“Everything is perfect.” I answer her in a rush, an awkward smile on my lips, hoping that she won’t ask any further questions.
I already understand how this must look to every single person that passes by, walking in a hurry with an unconscious girl in my arms.
Finally outside, I place her body on the grass and pray to every single angel that she will wake up, that she is truly okay.
“Genevieve?” No answer. “Genevieve, please.” I repeat, needing her to wake up.
Her eyes snap open, and she flies up, immediately gasping for air. In an instant, tears start pouring down her cheeks.
“Hey, what happened?”
“I... I don’t know. It was so scary, and dark. I could feel the sweat cover my body, and I completely lost my vision. I didn’t understand what happened. I’m so sorry.” She sobs.
“Oh, sweetheart, never apologize for such a thing!” I comfort her, kneeling in front of her.
She looks up at me, her mouth wobbling and her eyes full of tears. “Thank you.”
“Do you need anything? Some water, or something sweet, a cupcake? I can find something for you. I just don’t want you going around fainting all over the place.” I try joking with her to lighten the mood with a small smile on my lips and my hand carefully rubbing her shoulders.
“No, Ector, it’s fine, I just think I needed fresh air.” She pauses before continuing. “Is it okay if we sit here, just for a little bit, to catch a breath?”
“Yes, of course, sweetheart.” I tell her while wondering when I even became this soft-hearted. Is this what love does to one? Does love make a person softer, more caring? It seems like that's exactly what’s happening to me.
“Ector?”
“Yes.”
“I think my corset might be sitting a bit too tight.” She confesses after a few moments.
Moving my body until positioned behind her, I reach forward to the thin pink strings. “Can I?” I ask politely before touching her.
“Yes, please.” She begs.
With her consent, I start untying the knot and loosen the corset. No wonder she fainted when she couldn’t even breathe properly. After making it looser, I let go of the strings and moved away from her.
“Thank you.” She says, and all I do is leave her a smile.
Sitting down beside her, right outside the hotel, none of us talk much. Instead, we just sit here, enjoying each other’s company, each other’s quiet calm.
The three men are playing their music again, I can hear it all the way from here. But it is not the same melody as yesterday. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the music, but the only thing my brain chooses to focus on is the guy that danced with Genevieve a few hours ago.
My jaw clenches and my fists tighten immediately, my whole body tense. I don’t want anyone touching her like that. Fuck, I don’t want anyone touching her at all.
Opening my eyes again, I turn my head to look at my sweetheart. She’s lying down, staring at the clouds in the sky. She’s awake. She’s breathing. Everything is okay.
She won’t stop breathing the way your mother did. The voice in my head whispers.
Suddenly my eyes notice a delicate golden chain around her neck. It’s a necklace with a small tulip hanging just above her cleavage.
“I like your necklace.” I admit.
Her hand moves towards it, her fingers stroking the pink tulip charm.
“It’s my favorite one.” She says, her tone full of pride.
“Do you like tulips? Does it have any meaning?” I ask her, curious to know everything about her.
She looks at me, her beautiful eyes staring at my smile.
My smile.
“Esme got it for me.” She breathes. “We were outside, sitting in the sun and talking about life, and somehow we ended up in a conversation about what flower we would be if we weren’t fairies.
” She starts laughing while explaining. “It’s just so silly, how do you even come up with such a thing?
” She pauses. “I told her that I feel like I would be a sunflower. And she just looked at me like something was wrong with my brain. She laughed so hard. Then she looked into my eyes and told me that I am in fact a tulip. That if I was a part of nature, I would be a pink tulip.” She smiles while talking about her sister.
“And then she told me about the spiritual meaning of a tulip, and as the emotional person I am, I started crying. It was tears of joy, of course. After that, she surprised me with this necklace and I haven’t taken it off ever since.
It means a lot to me.” She looks into my eyes, “Oh no, I’m going to cry again.
” She says, lightly wiping a finger beneath her eye.
“It’s okay. I understand that it’s very difficult for you.” I don’t want her to cry, yet I understand that sometimes it’s exactly what she needs.
”You read a lot, right?” I ask in an attempt to change the topic.
“Yeah..?”
“Come, let’s go and see if we can find a new book for you.” I say, grabbing her hand and dragging her with me.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
I’ve read a lot of books, and it can really help me escape reality when I need it the most. Maybe it’s the same for Genevieve. Honestly, I imagine that it’s the same for most people who read books.
When you feel drained, or are going through something hurtful, you pick up your book and escape for a while. And it’s the most peaceful thing, disappearing into another world, to another dimension where none of your problems exist.
Walking towards the city, I look for a bookshop, wanting to buy her a book, to make her happy.
We walked by a few small boutiques, a flower shop, a spell shop, and a few other small buildings that I didn’t bother to remember.
We pass by a witch shop, whose sign reads, “Where the magic happens.”
“Can we please go inside?” Genevieve asks me nicely, tiptoeing in excitement.
“If that’s what you want.” I open the dark wooden door, “Ladies first.” I say, letting Genevieve go first just as a gentleman should.
Stepping into the shop, a dark embrace surrounds us. Every wall and the floor is in a dark brown oak. Emerald, sage and mystic fern plants are hanging from the ceiling, all kinds and sorts.
In the middle of the shop stands a big, long table, built in the same wood as the rest of the boutique. On top of it sits all types of crystals, beautiful purple amethyst, snow quartz, citrine, aventurine, rose quartz.
Rose quartz reminds me of Genevieve.
Why do I even know so much about crystals? Is the question I ask myself.
Mother.
My mother used to teach me about crystals when I was young.
She would teach about different ones every day.
She explained to me that it was important knowledge for witches like her–because she was a witch and not a fairy like me and my father–to know every meaning behind every crystal.
Therefore she made a magical game where I had to guess the right crystal hiding behind her back.
She taught me the art and importance of listening to your gut. To be able to tell the difference between emotions and intuition.
Emotions are strong, intense and even explosive. They could lead to things such as anxiety. Intuition, however, is calm. It sounds like a whisper. It’s peaceful and leads to grounded clarity if you trust it.
The sides and corners of the shop are filled with overstuffed shelves that hold tarot decks, oracle cards, jars in different sizes and shapes, candles in all the colors of the palette, and spiritual books.
One specific book steals all my attention, “What the flower tells us.”
As Genevieve is busy looking at everything else, I grab the book from the shelf, and start skimming through it until I find what I’m looking for on page eighty-six.
———————————————————————————
Tulip. 86
Tulips bloom at the beginning of spring, they have a meaning of rebirth. If someone is going through life changes, give them a wonderful bouquet of tulips.
Red tulip: Deep love, respect, admiration.
Orange tulip: Celebrating, enthusiasm, energy.
Yellow tulip: Energy, strength, growth, cheerfulness, joy.
Purple tulip: Royalty, nobility.
Pink tulip: Love, affection, friendship, well wishes, care.
White tulip: Forgiveness, respect, purity, honor.
———————————————————————————
That really does describe Genevieve with just a few easy words. Esme was right about this. She would definitely be a pink tulip.
“What are you reading about?” Genevieve asks, appearing right behind me.
“Uhm, nothing.” I answer, closing the book and putting it back where I found it.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, don’t worry about it Ms. Control Freak.” The words came out much ruder than they were supposed to. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” I apologize instantly.
“It’s okay, don't worry.” She says, holding a beautiful crystal in her hand. “I would like to get this for Esme, so I can give it to her when she comes back.” The crystal in her hand is a beautiful amethyst.
“Where did you find it? That’s so pretty, is it really for sale?”
“Yes it is, it was on the table with all the others.”
“So it isn’t for decoration then?”
“Oh my goddess, no, Ector, it’s not.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry, sweetheart.”
“Stop calling me that.”
I won’t stop calling her that.
“Do you want something else or just that one?” I ask, pointing at her hand.
“No, only this one.”
“Give it to me.”
“What?”
“So I can pay.”
“No, Ector...”
“Give it. To me. So I can pay.” I say, making it even clearer than before.
She gives up on arguing and hands me the crystal carefully.
I head towards the dark wooden desk so I can pay. I want to buy it for her, I want to buy everything for her.
“Hi!” The witch behind the desk greets me.
She looks young, she must be around twenty-five, just about my age. Her hair is straight and as dark as obsidian. She has frosted, twilight blue eyes, reminding me of my mother’s. Her dress is as wine red as a dragon’s heart, draped in magical golden details.
“Hi, just this one amethyst for the girl back there.” I say, unable to focus on anything else than her eyes.
“What a handsome young gentleman you have grown up to be,” she says with an insecure voice. Her gaze immediately shifts to the girl behind me.
What an odd thing to say?
When she sees Genevieve, she catches her breath for just a second, her face turning pale.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“Y... yes. Two golden coins please.”
Reaching for two golden coins in my pocket, I hand them over to her, “Here you go.”
“Thank you, bye.” She lets out in a rush, almost as if she wanted us to leave. And then she disappears into the back, stepping through the two black curtains.
As we step out from the shop, I hand Genevieve her amethyst.
“Do you know that witch?” I ask her.
“No, why?”
“She looked freaked out when she saw you.”
“Did she? That’s strange, I can't remember that I’ve ever seen her before. I didn’t recognize her. But she was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” Her head nods as she speaks.
I don’t bother telling Genevieve how much the witch reminded me of my dear mother.