The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged (17 page)

“Anna?”

Anna spun around and was shocked to see Tom
standing in her kitchen wearing pajama pants and nothing else. He
rubbed the back his neck and his lean muscles contracted in his
chest. He looked as surprised as she felt.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’ve been here for a week watching over you.
You’ve been sleeping.”

“A week?” Anna leaned on the counter. “Wow. I
think I’m better. I mean, I remember how I felt and I feel much
better now. Normal. Actually better than I have in a while.”

Tom chuckled. “Maybe your body figured out
how to fight whatever bug you had caught.”

“I didn’t think I could get sick, though. How
did it happen?”

Tom shook his head. “I don’t know. You do
tend to be more human than Immortal. Maybe that’s what it is.”

“So I’ve been sick for a week?”

“Three weeks, actually.”

“Oh.” She looked at the counter. “Was Vincent
terribly angry?”

“Vincent? No, he was very concerned. As were
all your friends. Aaron left reluctantly and only after I promised
I’d stay with you. Once you fell asleep, you stayed pretty
steady.”

Anna scratched at some dried jelly on the
counter. “Did Kurt call at all?”

“I spoke with Wilhelm several times, but no,
Kurt didn’t specifically call.”

The knife in her heart she had begun calling
“Kurt” twisted again. Though she hadn’t felt it since she’d been
sick, it was obviously still there. “I think I’ll shower and go out
for a while,” she said softly.

“Anna, are you sure? You’ve been sick for
quite a while.”

“I want to go outside. I want to walk.” She
glanced up. “I bet you’ve missed quite a bit of work because of me.
And your family.”

“I could work from here. Kelsey understands
why I’m with you.”

Anna nodded. “I appreciate you watching over
me. It couldn’t have been very interesting.”

He shrugged. “It’s all right, Anna. I kept
busy.” He chuckled. “I think I actually might have gotten more done
while I was here than at the office. Less distractions.”

Anna laughed.

“Well, if you’re going out, I think I might
head into the office for a while.” He stepped closer to Anna. “If
you start feeling sick again, call me and I will come get you,” he
said firmly. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Tom,” she said softly, astonished at
the concern in his eyes.

“Where are you thinking about going?”

Anna thought for a minute and then smiled.
“The library.”

Tom stared for a moment and then threw his
head back and laughed. “You are a strange girl, Anna.”

Anna flushed.

“Do you want to call Wilhelm or do you want
me to?”

“You can,” she said softly. Since Kurt had
visited, she had felt disconnected from the family. She didn’t want
to open herself up to more hurt than she already felt. She’d asked
Wilhelm about Kurt’s attitude and he had brushed her off.

“All right. You should call Aaron and let him
know you’re awake.”

“I will.”

After a nice long shower, Anna dressed and
headed downstairs. Tom had gone to the office and said he’d call
her later. She called Aaron and left a message. He was probably in
class or rehearsals.

She slowly made her way down the street, not
wanting to push herself too hard, although she felt better than she
had in a long while. Even before she got sick.

After stopping to get something to eat at a
bakery on the corner, she headed towards the park. She loved
walking through the park to the library, even though it added ten
minutes to her walk. It was worth it. Especially on a weekday when
it wouldn’t be too crowded.

She heard a whisper of a sound and froze,
croissant halfway to her mouth. She could have sworn she’d heard
Alex’s voice. She turned around slowly, half expecting to see his
ghost behind her. There was no one there. She looked around for a
minute and then shook her head, chiding herself for the ridiculous
thought.

She relaxed as she got to the park, inhaling
the
somewhat
fresh air and smiling at the
somewhat
peaceful oasis in the middle of the bustling
city. Every time she walked into the park it amazed her. Maybe she
would stop on the way home and read here for a while. It was quiet
and a perfect place to get lost in a book.

Fifth Avenue was just a few minutes away when
she caught sight of the Plaza. The place where Kurt had stayed and
fucked another woman after he gave her the engagement ring. After
she had crossed the street she stared up at the beautiful building,
plagued by unanswered questions about Kurt’s behavior. She hated
her ring. It reminded her of him every time she looked at it. She
twisted it on her finger, contemplating “losing” it, but just
sighed and continued on, knowing she could never lose something on
purpose.

By the time she made it to Rockefeller
Center, she had recovered from her sad memories and went to get a
soda at one of the restaurants. She usually stopped in on her way
to the library and the bartender knew her by name.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, Katrina,” Levi
said with a smile, pouring her drink without having to ask what she
wanted. “Where ya been?”

“Sick.”

He handed her the Styrofoam cup with a smile.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Feeling better?”

Anna nodded. “Much better. Thanks.” She gave
him a big smile and put a five dollar bill on the bar. “I’ll be
around more,” she promised as she turned to walk away.

“Your fiancé come visit you yet?” Levi
asked.

Anna’s face fell. “No.”

Levi gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.
He’s really stupid, in my humble opinion. Shouldn’t let a pretty
woman wander around the city alone. It’s...uncivilized.”

Anna laughed. He had asked her out a few
times before Kurt had come to town. She paused and looked at him.
His dark brown hair was wavy but pulled back into a ponytail,
contrasting nicely with his electric blue eyes. He’d always been
nice to her. Kurt said he hadn’t cared what she did as long as she
kept it private. Maybe she should test that theory.

She stepped back to the bar and wrote her
number on a napkin and slid it across the slick wood at him with a
shy smile. He raised his eyebrows when he saw what was on the
napkin.

“Really?” he asked.

Anna blushed and shrugged her shoulders. “If
you want.” She glanced up at him and then quickly left the
restaurant, not quite believing what she’d done.

She looked up and met the eyes of a man with
chocolate-brown puppy dog eyes and looked away immediately as her
heart pounded. He reminded her of Seth, and she walked towards him
slowly. He had turned around and was casually looking up at the
building with his hands in his pockets. His brown hair was long and
he had a neatly trimmed beard. She paused behind him, debating if
she should speak.

But Seth was a military guy through and
through. He’d never let his hair grow long or have a beard.
“Stupid,” she said to herself. “He’s dead. They’re all dead.” She
mentally kicked her own ass and walked away before she embarrassed
herself anymore today.

She wandered further down Fifth Avenue until
she reached the lion-flanked steps that led to the entrance of her
favorite building in the City. After stopping at the information
desk to have them tell Max, the librarian, that she was here, she
headed upstairs trying to decide what she was in the mood for. She
headed to the dance section and settled on the floor with her
favorite ballet book. Max had told her a hundred times she should
just check the book out and read it at home in comfort, but there
was something comfortable about sitting on the floor of the library
reading a book. Max teased her about it, but he respected it.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see
Max’s smiling face. “How’s my favorite reading ballerina
today?”

She smiled back. “Much better and glad to be
here.”

“You haven’t been around, or have I just
missed you?”

She shook her head. “I was sick for a few
weeks, but I’m better now.” She motioned to the book in her lap.
“And back with my favorite book.”

Max chuckled. “I’m glad you came. We have an
exhibition that I wanted to make sure you saw.”

Anna’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
“What of?”

“Old photographs of dancers from Cambodia.
The exhibit closed this weekend, but the photos are still here if
you’re interested.”

“Oh yes!” Anna leapt up and put the book
carefully back in its place and followed Max to the back rooms
where the photographs were.

Later that afternoon, Anna bought lunch at a
deli and found a comfortable patch of grass to sit on and eat and
read the book she’d borrowed from the library. She’d looked at the
German language books, wondering if she should begin to learn to
speak German, but her heart just wasn’t in it. She passed by the
selection of German poetry, and was tempted when she saw a copy of
a book that Alex had read to her when he was still alive, but she
couldn’t bring herself to take it. Even though she’d thought she
was over him, this whole mess with Kurt had her resolve and
confidence dangling by a string and she was missing him again. She
almost wished she’d dream of him again, just to see his face and
kind eyes. At least when she moved to Germany, she’d have pictures
of him again. And if Kurt remained as cold as he had been when he
visited, she would keep a picture of Alex by her bed so she’d
remember the one man who truly loved her.

She wiped away the tears that threatened to
fall and unwrapped her lunch and immersed herself in the trashy
romance novel she’d picked out. Max would have been shocked by her
selection of book, but she was feeling sorry for herself and didn’t
care.

Tom called her as she was walking home.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Physically fine. Emotionally lonely,” she
admitted.

“Do you want some company tonight?”

“Oh, Tom, you’re so sweet. But you’ve been
away from Kelsey for a week. I’m okay. Go home to your family.”

“I promised Aaron I’d make sure you were a
hundred percent better before I went home.”

“Then you’d be with me for a very long time.
Really. I’m okay. I have a couple of books to read and I’ll order
takeout.”

“That makes me feel even worse,” he
chuckled.

“Go home, Tom. I’m fine. Really.”

He sighed. “All right, but call me if you
need
anything
.”

“I will. Thanks. Tell Kelsey I said thanks
for lending you to me.”

They hung up a few minutes later and Anna
took the elevator up to her floor.

Aaron called her and they spoke for a few
minutes before he had to go onstage. “I’ll call you in a few days
to check on you.”

It was Monday. The rest of the week she spent
doing, well, not much. It was nice for a change. She went to the
studio to practice every day and then was a couch potato the rest
of the day. When the company got back, it would be full force
practice for the fall season. She figured she should rest while she
could.

Aaron called on Friday morning and heard the
loneliness in her voice.

“I’m going to call Cam and have him take you
out tonight.”

“Aaron, really. I’m fine.”

“It’s Friday night in New York City. You
haven’t experienced the nightlife yet and you should...if you’re
feeling okay. Cam knows all the good places.”

“Aaron....”

“If you’re better, then I’m not going to
listen to arguments. You need to get out.”

“I did get out. I went to the library.”

Aaron huffed. “That doesn’t count and you
know it. Are you still feeling good?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then I’m calling Cam. Find something hot to
wear. You need to get laid.”

“Aaron! I’m engaged!”

“To a nice-guy-turned-jerk who fucked another
woman the night he threw your engagement ring at you.”

“We’re only getting married because we have
to.”

“Then live a little before you do. God, Anna,
if he was the same Kurt I knew, I wouldn’t be encouraging this, but
you’ve been miserable since he gave you that ring and that asshole
deserves to be showed up.” He laughed. “I might even have Cam take
a picture so I can send it to him.”

“Oh, Aaron don’t. I’ll get in trouble.”

He grunted. “Fine. So, go pick something out
to wear, get showered and all that good stuff you girls do and have
fun tonight.”

“I don’t know if I have anything that would
qualify as hot. I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl now.”

He laughed. “Oh, Cam will love to take you
shopping. Okay. I’m going to call him. He’ll be there soon.”

“Aaron....”

“Love you. Have fun tonight.”

He hung up before she could protest again and
then she smiled. Okay, maybe going out sounded like fun.

Ten minutes later Cam was knocking on the
door. He lived in their building, which is how he and Aaron met. It
was weird to think about Aaron in a relationship with a guy, but he
was happy and that’s what mattered.

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re all better!”
Cameron exclaimed as Anna opened the door. “You look fabulous!” His
flamboyance was an endearing quality. “Okay. Get your purse. We’re
going shopping!”

“I can’t wear this, Cameron! I’m half naked!”
Anna stared at herself in the mirror. The white micro-mini skirt
was so micro it barely covered her ass. Her pink lace top was held
together between her breasts with a single tie. She could see her
nipples through the sheer lace. Granted when she was acting as
Elder-Mistress, she wore a sheer white dress that showed
everything, but that was different

Cameron laughed. “You’ll have more clothes on
than most of the women there. Haven’t you ever been to a club?”