The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) (11 page)

“Seriously?” My eyes narrowed. Maybe this hadn’t been a premonition, but a dream about something from the past.

“Yes, I know exactly who you’re talking about. We met last year, when I wasn’t dating anyone. While you were all snowboarding, we were at the hotel… if you catch my drift.” He raised his eyebrow. “She’s been calling me three to four times a day, to see when I’m heading up.

“I called her back once to say I had a girlfriend who was coming with me, and to tell her to stop calling, but she didn’t. Even in the off-season, she calls every couple of weeks. Leaving messages about how she loves me and we are perfect together. I told Mel about her, and she didn’t seem concerned. But now that she isn’t going, I bet she’s nervous.”

I leaned back into the couch, trying to process what Evan had said. He already knew her. That was why he let her in. She wasn’t a stranger. This was much more complex than I realized.

I looked out the window, remembering the ethereal eyes that once watched me from the street, and my body shivered in response. I pulled my gaze back to the living room.

“Evan?” I asked sheepishly. “Were you looking at junk food when you met Paula?”

Evan looked at the coffee table again, appearing lost in thought.

“Evan?” I repeated.

“Yes?” His voice sounded far away.

“In the dream, when I saw you in the store, was the reason you looked different was because that’s how you met her last year?”

“Yes,” he said flatly. “That was last year. Yet another reason I should trust your dream. Not that I wouldn’t believe you anyway, but that verification does help.” Evan’s mood was more solemn than I’d ever seen.

“Evan, it’s going to be okay.” I tried to convince him. “Now that you know, just don’t allow yourself to be alone at any time. Share a room with Kyle.”

“No!” He got louder, not trying to control his voice anymore. “Can’t you see? This is my fault. I don’t want to cheat! But I have done so much cheating in the past, and I have hurt so many people! I’m a terrible person, and now my behavior’s going to hurt Mel. The one person I never want to hurt again.” Evan began to shake. His hard, crimson face looked as if it was about to break.

I put my hand on his, wanting desperately to help my friend, but I had no idea how. It was now clear that my belittling him in the past had only made matters worse, and I felt ashamed. But how could I help him?

“Hug him. He’s like a brother. Don’t be afraid to truly help him.” It was the stranger’s voice again, the male from the art show. His voice came off soothing and reassuring. I didn’t waste time looking behind me. I knew I wouldn’t see anyone.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Evan. He struggled for a moment before finally giving in and leaning his head on my shoulder. No words could calm him. His chest jerked up and down as he seemed to try desperately to control his emotions. The fact that he tried to hide them from me made my heart ache.

My intuition told me there was more to his outburst than just the possibility of hurting Mel. He’d been hurting. Evan had always come off as a person made of steel, never showing much emotion. Could it be possible there were things about my friend that I didn’t know? Had he been in this much pain all along? My concern deepened when I realized the answer had to be yes. I wondered how I could’ve missed it, or what could’ve caused such grief inside him.

“Evan?” I whispered.

He looked up at me.

“When you cheat, do you go into the situation with the intent to cheat? Maybe if we can figure out what happens to trigger that, we can prevent it.”

“There’s no point, Aislinn.” Evan grimaced. “Of course I don’t want to cheat. All I know is that the woman is usually upset about something, and in my comforting her, I start coming on to her. Even if a half-hour earlier I thought she was a bit on the fugly side.”

“I think we just figured out your problem, Evan,” I said.

“What?” A small laugh cracked Evan’s serious demeanor. “You think I just feel sorry for the desperate ones?”

“No.” I scowled, and shook my head. “You have a gift. Like my dreams, you sense when someone’s in need. No matter the circumstances, whenever I or any of our friends have needed you, you drop everything and come to our rescue, no questions asked. Always.”

“Yeah, but—”

“You don’t have to cheat with Paula.” I interrupted him. “Just be smart about things. If she shows up crying, or using some guilt trip on you about last year, go ahead and talk it over, but take her to a restaurant. Talk to her with others around. Keep things under control.

“Most importantly, realize that when a woman is sobbing, and she comes on to you, if you don’t turn her down, she’ll usually feel taken advantage of the next day. Think of how that would make you feel if I did that to you now.” I reasoned.

“Oh. I guess I would be upset with you if you took advantage of me right now. That would suck, actually. But I wasn’t trying to take advantage of anyone. It’s just hard to resist while in the situation. I start to feel like I need the woman when all I wanted to do was help. This makes no sense. Why would I start desiring her all of a sudden?” Evan stared at his feet.

I felt a buzz in my pocket. “Hang on a sec. My phone is ringing.” I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

There was silence.

“Hello? I can’t hear you,” I said louder, wondering if it was Ms. Tounsy calling again.

“Can you step outside?” The masculine voice made me shiver.

“Who is this?” I demanded.

“Alexander. Can you step onto the deck for a minute? Tell him you need to talk in private, that it’s your cousin or something. It’s urgent.”

“Evan, I need to step outside for a minute and take this call. Can you wait?” I asked uneasily.

“Sure, I’ll be here.” He crossed his arms.

The chill in the air outside caused me to shiver. I paced back and forth while I spoke, hoping the movement would warm me up a bit. A jacket would’ve been wiser.

“You okay? You look cold,” Alexander said impatiently.

“I’m fine. Why are you calling me?” I demanded in a whisper.

“You needed help. I’ve been listening. You’re doing okay, helping some, but you needed to be asking your guides for help. That is okay, you know.” He sounded agitated.

“What do you mean you’ve been listening? How can you see me?” My words came out like a yell, and Evan looked outside. I quickly lowered my voice.

“No time to explain. I will later, I promise, but Evan needs more from you right now. He needs to understand why he can’t help himself when he’s talking to these girls. Even if you manage to convince him of the best course of action, if he doesn’t understand why he gets so caught up in the moment, he won’t be able to stop himself.” Alexander’s words made sense, but where should I start? And how could he hear my conversation with Evan?

“Am I bugged?”

“
What
? No, Aislinn! I told you I’d explain later. Now focus. Do you know why Evan gets so caught up in the moment?” His voice edged toward condescendence.

“No, but I suppose you do?” I passed his attitude right back at him.

“I’m not being rude, Aislinn. I’m trying to help you, since you obviously haven’t gotten the fact that you’re supposed to be asking for help. Evan is
empathetic
.”

“Huh?”

“He’s empathetic. That means he can feel what others are feeling. Think about it for a minute. If you were being comforted by someone of the opposite sex, in a ‘I’m there for you’ sort of way, wouldn’t you feel temporarily attracted to him? Like he was your own personal savior?”

I remembered when Alexander comforted me, and a rush of heat surged through my body. I did know what he meant, even if my attraction to Alexander went far beyond our conversation in town.

“It happens all the time,” he continued. “Now add on that Evan can feel what the woman is feeling. He temporarily wants to be with her, he feels like he needs her, until the next day, when they’re apart and he wonders what happened. You must explain to him that he is a healer, and that a tool he uses is empathy. Evan must understand himself and know that he really doesn’t want to be intimate with these women. He’s feeling what they want in that moment.” Alexander’s voice made me quiver. He sounded so sure of what he said.

I fell silent for a moment, making sure I understood what to tell Evan. I would deal with the rest later. For now, Evan needed me.

“I think I have it now. I’m not sure how you know all of this, but thank you. Every time I tried to reach him, I would just lose him again.” My honesty made me feel vulnerable.

“That’s because you need to ask for help. But don’t worry, it does get easier, I promise. Soon, communicating with the other side will be second nature. I better let you get back to him now. Talk to you soon.” He hung up before I had time to say goodbye.

I had too much to think about and found it difficult to get back into conversation mode. Part of me wanted to call Hope for answers, but before I could lift the phone to my ear, I got a text from Alexander. “Get in the house, Evan first.” I looked around impatiently, but did as he suggested.

“Sorry about that, Evan. Family drama.” I shrugged.

“It’s okay, but I need to get going.” Evan stood.

“Wait.” I touched his arm. “I wanted to tell you one more thing. I can’t prove it, but I feel with all my heart that it’s true.”

He looked at me with questioning behind his eyes.

“I believe you have so much trouble because you’re a healer, who is also empathetic.” I tried to say it with as much confidence as Alexander had, but I fell short.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, you said that you never want anything at first. When the woman is crying, you’re pulled in and the next day you regret your actions. You don’t even understand why you did what you did.

“I want to tell you something that happened to me yesterday. After Cooper and I broke up, I walked into town and ran into Alexander. You know the guy who works on campus?”

He nodded.

“I completely broke down and sobbed on his chest. It was humiliating, actually, and he’s a stranger! Yet, while in his arms, feeling safe and comforted, I wanted him. Not that I wouldn’t normally. I do find him attractive, but if I hadn’t been so upset, I wouldn’t have wanted him with such desperation. It would’ve been more gradual, building up over time the more I got to know him. If he’d been empathetic and unaware of his talent, he may have come on to me, and it would have ended badly. I would’ve felt taken advantage of, rushed into something when I wasn’t emotionally ready. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah.” Evan nodded. “I suppose so.”

“I think that’s why you have trouble. I think these girls feel comfort and suddenly want every inch of you. You feel their desire and confuse it with your own.”

Rather than shout out that he was with Miss Insanity, he turned toward me again, his eyes revealing a calmness I hadn’t seen in them before.

Evan threw his arms around my neck and squeezed me until we collided with the coffee table. We both gasped in response, but then burst out laughing. When we finally stopped, he faced me.

“I always thought of myself as some terrible cheating monster. But now, I understand.” His face was peaceful. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad I could help, Evan. I love you like a brother and Mel like a sister. The pleasure is mine.”

Evan smirked and reached for his coat. “I need to get going. Kyle is waiting for me to pick him up from work, then we’re meeting at Austin’s. I don’t want to keep them waiting. Thank you again, and good luck on your interview.”

“Thanks, and have extra fun for my sake. Love you, buddy.”

“Oh, and Aislinn?” Evan’s cheeks reddened. “Don’t tell the guys about any of this.”

“I won’t.”

Evan beamed with appreciation as he headed out the door. He looked much more confident than he had at the beginning of our talk. I got another text as Evan pulled out of the driveway.

“Nice job. I’m proud of you.” The message came from Alexander.

I tried to text him back, but the messages came back undeliverable. Even calling didn’t work. I wanted to know where he’d gotten my number, how he knew what to say. The possibilities ran through my head like whirlwinds.

When Hope finally called that evening, I could hardly keep my questions from streaming forth all at once. I almost shouted her name when I saw the caller ID.

“Hey, Aislinn.” Hope sounded excited. “Evan’s in a wonderful mood. I take it your talk went well?”

“I think it turned out that way, but I almost screwed things up worse,” I admitted reluctantly.

“How?”

“I didn’t get the whole picture. Evan seemed very receptive when I told him about my dream; he believed me. But when I failed to explain why he wasn’t a horrible person for sleeping with all those women, he got even more upset. He began to shut me out.” I stared out the window while I spoke, flashing back to the conversation.

“Well what happened? He seemed great when we pulled in.”

“Alexander happened.” My words were smooth. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate him. I just wished I hadn’t needed his help in the first place.

“What do you mean Alexander happened?” Hope was practically shouting, and I had to pull the phone away from my ear until I heard her quiet down.

“He called me. Just as I was losing Evan in the conversation, Alexander called and told me what to say. He kind of led me, I guess. He didn’t say exactly what to tell Evan, just that I should have been asking my guides for help. Because I didn’t, I was failing to reach him.” I paused for a breath, but Hope interrupted.

“I can’t believe he would be so stupid! How could he interfere like that? Does he not understand what could happen now?” I assumed at first that Hope was talking to me and I had no idea how to answer, but then I realized she was ranting aloud to herself.

“More importantly,” I piped up. “How did he know what I was saying at that particular moment? It was almost like he was in the house with us. Either he’s one hell of a psychic, or he bugged the house. Hopefully, it’s the first of the two.” I spoke lightheartedly and somewhat sarcastically.