Flesh and Feathers (3 page)

I steadied myself against the door, watching him. He looked around the room and came back to help me in. Normally, I had a personal space issue and would have never been able to stand someone being this close to me, but for some reason I was completely at ease with Kale.

He moved me over to the couch and sat me down. “Do you have a first aid kit or anything?”

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, trying to piece my thoughts together. The pain was getting worse, and I felt like I was dozing in and out. “The medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There are some bandages and a bottle of pain medicine.” To be honest, I couldn’t remember if I had any bandages left or not, but I was certain about the pain pills. I had gotten those from my particularly graceful fall at the diner where I ended up with a contusion on my butt. I never took them because the one time I did, I exhibited my very best impression of Tom Hanks in
Forrest Gump
in front of Tannah and Jen. That was one embarrassing moment that I can't ever take back.

I heard him rifling through the cabinet. He reappeared with the bandages and the medicine. He handed me two pills and a glass of water. “Thanks,” I said as the flashback of the
Forrest Gump
skit came back to haunt me.

With one knee kneeling on the couch, Kale leaned his body over mine to examine my head. He was really close, and the smell of his cologne loomed around my face once again. I felt my cheeks redden as he touched the area around my cut. My eyes were wide and fixed on him, although he never looked away from my forehead. I found it rather odd he seemed so straight forward and casual at the bar like he was a little self-centered, but yet here he was taking care of me. Maybe he just felt obligated since it happened in his bar. The strange thing was that I was an extremely good judge of character, and I do mean extremely. My mother use to say it was my
gift
. Obviously, she did not share this
gift
, or else I am sure she would have picked a man who would’ve hung around longer after finding out she was pregnant with me. However, I couldn’t get a good feel for Kale. He seemed to be peculiarly closed off.

At this point, the medicine must have kicked in. It looked as though there were two of him standing there. Yes, it definitely kicked in–I proceeded to open my mouth and speak. “You know you are very tall.”

“Um hm. I guess you aren’t feeling any pain right now, are you?”

I realized he was right. My head wasn’t hurting. Actually, nothing was hurting. Everything was all… good. My speech was starting to slur, and I sounded like I had had one too many to drink.

“Nope…, no pain…, all good.” I smiled at him while he added the finishing touches to my bandages.

“I will stay for a little while… until some of the swelling goes down.” I heard his voice, but it was faint and far away. My body had finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

Chapter 2

Seduction

T
he next morning, I woke with my head tingling a bit. I guess it wasn’t that bad, since I had taken a blow to the head. Suddenly, it dawned on me that Kale was there when I had fallen asleep. I wondered when he must have left, and then a creepy feeling came over me. I let a total stranger stay in my house while I slept. He could have been a psycho killer. Even though it was a little hard to imagine him that way, it was still a fact that I didn’t know anything about him.

I looked around my apartment for any signs that he might have left showing that he’d been there, but there were none.

There wasn’t much to say about my place; a single couch, a few throw rugs, and a TV–which was never turned on. There were no photographs on the walls, not due to the fact that I didn’t want them there, but the lack of having them at all.

Mr. Parker, who was a sixty-year-old man, lived down the hall from me. We usually checked in with each other two or three times a week. It was a little unspoken oath we had. Neither one of us had any family, so we kept tabs on each other regularly to be sure the other was doing okay. I figured I would walk down to see if he saw me come in last night.

I knocked softly on his front door. “Hello, Mr. Parker?”

“Just a minute, Dear.” His voice was barely auditable through the door.

“Well, hello Azaleigh.”

“Hi, Mr. Parker. I just wanted to check and see if you were okay. Sorry, I didn’t stop by last night. I got in really late.” I did feel terrible for not checking on him.

“I’m just fine, Sugar…, but you…, are you alright?” he questioned. Then I realized I must have been a grizzly sight.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just bumped my head.” I smiled to reassure him. I didn’t want him to worry. He was bad about that. “Did you happen to see anyone leave my place last night?”

He had to think about it for a minute. I am sure it was because he was a little unnerved that someone passed by without his knowledge. “No, I don’t think so. Did you have a friend over?”

I decided to avoid the question and just skip to the end. “Okay, well I best get ready for work. Do you need me to bring you anything after I get off tonight?”

“No Dear, I’m fine. You be careful, and I’ll see you later."
  

I waved and walked back to my apartment.

***

It was awfully slow for a Saturday. Normally, the diner would have been alive with the chatter of happy customers and the occasional fighting children, but today it was almost dead. Other than telling Tannah and Jen about my freak run in at the bar, we were all bored out of our minds. Jen was the other waitress working and the only person besides Tannah that I could technically call
a friend
. I don’t really know if she felt the same way about me. Jen was very much a socialite and made friends easily, so my status of being just
an acquaintance
was highly likely. Jen was–hands down–the most stunning person on the planet. Her long dark hair teased her waistline, and perfectly lined brows shadowed her hazel green eyes.
 

There were two of us waiting tables, and Tannah decided that only one of us was needed. “Azaleigh, go home!”

“What? I always get first dibs on shifts!” I demanded. My overreaction startled Jen.

“It’s okay, Tannah. I don’t mind taking off early.” Jen tried to say it like she was attempting to appease me, but I am sure there was some social activity she was hoping to attend.

Tannah would have been a great lawyer. Even at the diner, she wore fitted business suits, and no one would dare argue with her–they would surely lose. “Sorry, Jen. You’ve cut out early the last couple of times.”

I was fairly sure this was some great scheme for me to find a life. However, I really wasn’t interested. In the end, I gave up, threw my apron behind the counter, and left.

It was rather early in the evening, and this time on my way home, I didn’t stare at my feet as I walked the city blocks.
 

I carefully watched all the people on the sidewalk. Their conversations seemed to hold so much meaning with each other, and for a moment, I was a bit jealous of seeing couples holding hands and laughing, and friends teasing each other with playful remarks. It all seemed frivolous and yet so meaningful.

I very slowly walked in the direction of home when a pink and blue neon sign caught my eye again. My heart fluttered for a second.

“Kale,” I said under my breath. Thinking about him caused my breathing to intensify. I remembered him holding me close as we walked to the car, how he smelled, and how his eyes burned straight through mine.

I decided I would give in. I would step outside of my little box that I so carefully built and put myself out there.
What would it hurt?
The worse thing he could say is that he’s not interested.

Looking down at what I was wearing, I figured I should probably make a detour by my place first. A mustard-stained white t-shirt that smelled of grilled food screamed pathetic.
         

As soon as I burst through my apartment door, I started to fling things in every direction. I made it to my closet and realized what a pitiful sight it was. I only had a few tank tops, some t-shirts, and a couple of pairs of jeans. I rummaged through the closet in hopes that somehow someone else’s clothes had gotten mixed in with mine at the laundry mat, and I would have a fashionable ensemble awaiting my discovery.

Hanging lonely in the back of my closet was a dress that I had purchased on a whim but had been never worn. It was black and simple… and my last hope. I pulled it from its hanger and began unzipping it.

As I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to look at my reflection, and hoping I would only have to do it long enough to apply some lipstick, I felt a strange sensation come over me. It was like someone was watching me. I felt the air turn cold and slightly move around my neck. I turned to look around the room and scanned the area but came up empty. “You’re just freaking yourself out,” I said to myself. I figured that my nerves were trying to get the better of me and decided to dismiss the awkward moment.

As I turned back to the mirror, I gasped suddenly as a flash of a woman appeared in front of me. She had white hair and white eyes, but I couldn’t be sure. It happened so abruptly. Maybe it was just the reflection of light from the window.

“What the hell was that?” I asked myself, cautiously looking at the mirror.

I shook it off even though I was feeling anxious. I tried to remember the task at hand. I finished throwing myself together and headed downstairs and out onto the city streets.

I hurried down a couple of blocks to the bar. Tonight, it again sounded lively and entertaining. I walked in and made my way to the back of the bar where I sat during my first visit here.

No one was behind the counter, so I assumed Kale was attending to some bar-tenderly duties. Whatever those might be.

I was a bit too impatient and began to fidget. I looked down at what I was wearing. The dress was a little too sophisticated for the bar atmosphere, and my jacket was a little too casual for my dress. I decided to remove the jacket to help hide the fact that I was apparently a complete mess and had no sense of elegance or fashion.

I canvassed the area. There were only a few people there–all sitting at tables.
 

“How’s your head?”

I looked up to find Kale standing in front of me. “Hey… It’s… good.” I stuttered. I felt my chest aflame from the sudden burst of adrenalin. It was totally irrational to be this excited or nervous over seeing someone I had just met. “Thanks. I mean… for staying the other night.”

“No problem. I very much enjoyed your version, of ‘
I Will Survive,’
” he said, while trying to hold back a small chuckle.

“I’m sorry?” I asked, thinking to myself this couldn’t be good.

“Quite a voice you have there.” He looked at me completely entertained that I had no clue what he was talking about. This was catastrophic in my book of disasters.

I decided that changing the subject would be in my best interest. He must have been reading my mind because after that he said, “so, you work at the diner down the street?” I assumed this was some of the information I had offered up in my medicated haze.

“Um… yeah. I’ve worked there since I was seventeen.”

“I’ve been there. Great food.”

I smiled warily. “Yeah, I guess. I never eat there much. I guess when you work around it all day, it doesn’t really interest you.”
 

“So where would you like to eat?” His voice was smooth and sultry. I was trying to decode the meaning behind the question. His eyes were vibrant. I couldn’t help but stare, which caused me to delay in answering.

Before I could answer he continued, “There’s a nice quiet lounge around the corner. What time would you like to go?”

I was just confused. The other night he was closed off and showed little interest, and now he was
asking me out
. I was excited. I mean, this was the reason I had come here–in hopes of maybe starting a conversation. I was so drawn to him and wanted to know more about him. Maybe drawn was the wrong word; attracted was probably closer to being correct.

“Anytime that’s good for you. I have no plans,” I said, finally snapping out of my inertia.

“Fine. Give me just a few minutes to close up, and we’ll leave.” He smiled at me…. The first real full smile, where the corners of his mouth were pulled up to his cheeks, and his eyes slit in tiny half moon shapes.

Kale walked off. I peered around the room and was surprised that there was no one left in the bar. Everyone had gone. I hadn’t seen anyone leave nor had I heard the front door open.

***

We arrived at the lounge, which was tucked away and hidden from the city. It was the most romantic and seductive place I had ever been. There was a band playing a soft, slow ballad that I had never heard.