“So just like that? You crushed with a guy on a side-walk, he spilled your coffee, offered to buy you a new one, and you just left?” Martha asked with a look of disbelief on her face.
“What was I supposed to do?!” asked Elizabeth, almost shouting.
“I don’t know, girl, get his name, a number... anything.”
“What?”
“Like seriously, when was the last time you had a date? When was the last time you had sex?” again, Martha asked.
“That’s absolutely none of your business!” Elizabeth’s jaw dropped, and she was kind of offended, but since she has known Martha almost her whole life, she couldn’t possibly be mad at her, so she kept her fake offensive face on.
It turned out that hanging out with Jenny wasn’t just hanging out with Jenny. She invited their closest circle, so now there were 5 of them in Elizabeth’s small living room. Martha brought pizza and Jenny beer, Samantha their favorite potato chips, and Marie home-made cupcakes.
Elizabeth and Martha grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and as soon as they graduated, they headed out to the Big Apple for college. They both got acceptance letters from desired colleges, and they didn’t even waste a single second. Elizabeth even got a scholarship, which made it possible for her to find a decent single-bedroom apartment that she managed to keep even today. Couple of part-time jobs that she took during her studies paid off, so she was at least at peace regarding her living arrangements.
“My sex life is not a topic of discussion here. Please, focus girls. We have a wedding to attend in just a couple of days,” Elizabeth tried to move their focus to a more pressing matter. “Sam, how are the preparations going?”
“Everything will be ready, you girls did your best on your part. You helped a lot really. My parent also and future in-laws are helping. There should be no surprises” Sam understood that Elizabeth tried to change topics, so she jumped in. “Your dresses should be done tomorrow, so you all should pick them up and also, I already made an appointment at my hair and nails salon for makeup and hair on Saturday early morning.”
“You did think of everything, didn’t you” Marie joked, “I know you are a control freak and that you like to have everything in check but lose it up a bit woman, chill.”
They spent the rest of the evening talking and planning for the upcoming event, not suspecting at all that they had been listened to.
The next couple of days for Elizabeth passed in a blur. Besides her job, she had few hobbies that actually made her some money. The skill of making jewelry out of almost nothing she learned while she was still in Kansas City from her next door neighbor. It was a way of earning while she was in high school besides other part-time jobs that she took, and in time, she started loving making jewelry, so she continued with this in college and after she got a job. There was a shop in a nearby mall that sold her work. It wasn’t much of an earning, but she loved doing it, and every cent counted.
Thursday evening, on her way to the mall to drop off some of her pieces, Elizabeth felt like she was being watched. She stopped and turned around herself, trying to spot something unusual but to no avail. Come to think of it, the last couple of days, she did feel unusually aware of her surroundings, like her instincts were telling her that something wasn’t right, that someone was watching her.
After dropping off jewelry, she made a stop at a grocery store to pick up needed items, and the drugstore was also on the to-do list. While roaming between the shelves again, that creepy feeling of being watched appeared, so she hurried to the cash register and walked fast to her apartment, to her safe place.
Ever since Monday, she has had trouble sleeping. She couldn’t stop thinking about that guy she bumped into. His eyes were all she could see and think about when she closed her eyes, those whirlpools of hazel and gold... Elizabeth hoped to see him again, she really did but had low hopes for it. New York is a big city, after all.
≈ ≈ ≈
Henry followed his mate for days. He was watching her and learning her patterns, hoping to get a chance to talk to her and get to know her before he reveals the truth about himself to her, but he couldn’t seem to get a chance, and that frustrated him to no end. He kind of hoped not to have to do the same as his older brother Michael when he found his soulmate, and that kidnaps her and keeps her until her heart recognizes him for what he is and accepts him. His urges were getting stronger, and it was harder to control them with each passing second.
But she always seemed so busy and in a rush. Of course, he knew about the upcoming wedding of her friend. He heard everything about it, listening to their conservation the other night. He already made sure to get an invitation. It turns out he knew the groom, which made things easier. He will use that opportunity to get close to the girl that had his heart in her hand.
When Saturday finally came, everyone was more than excited. Elizabeth was thrilled. One of her best friends was getting married. It was a big day. She met Samantha on her first day of college, in their first class. What made them click instantly was shared love towards Russian romanticism and the English Victorian era. One discussion led to another, and before they even knew it, they were spending more and more time together. Martha was already Lizzy’s best friend, and soon Jenny started hanging out with them since she was already friends with Samantha. Marie actually used to work at a local cafe where they used to spend their free periods, so in time she just fell into the group. Now, five years later, they were glued together. So when one of them was getting married, it was like that was their own wedding. It was important. “Are you nervous?” Lizzy asked Samantha. “Nooo, why would I be? It’s just the most important day of my life till now,” nervous sarcasm was seeping out of her.
‘She felt it, I know she did,’ Henry thought to himself while he led his mate to the dance floor. He could see it on her face, she acknowledged the sparks that were meant to exist between two soulmates, and she seemed entranced with his eyes like he was with hers. He saw her pulse quicken on her neck, and her breath seemed to have picked up a pace. But on her exterior, she seemed calm and collected, the recognition was so fast, and it disappeared from her as quickly as it came. If he was not focused on her every blink, he would have missed it. But how she managed to hide it all and act like she didn’t feel it, it was a mystery to him.
After Henry left the reception, he got into his car and went to the street where Elizabeth lived. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer. His inner beast was itching to get out and to grab its mate and fly away. He thanked heavens for the day that he decided to buy a black SUV with tinted glasses a few years back when he came to New York instead of the Porshe that he was eyeing. It will make his job so much easier now.
Henry knew he shouldn’t have drugged her, but he panicked when Elizabeth started screaming. He knew he should have calmed her, made himself not seem like a threat, but he just couldn’t think rationally. It looks like when it comes to Elizabeth, he can not make a single right decision because everything that he has done so far was wrong.
“I am what?... What are you talking about?” Elizabeth was confused. Why would a guy that she sees for the third time in her life call her his? It makes no sense. Unless he is a nut job, yeah, that would explain it. “Don’t you feel it? I don’t understand how you can ignore it. It’s not supposed to be possible.” Henry looked at her like he wasn’t actually seeing her, but like he was looking through her thinking about something she couldn’t comprehend. “Feel what exactly?” “What exactly?” now, h
Henry ended up untying Elizabeth’s hands. She did have to use the restroom, and she for sure would need to use her hands to eat. He doubted that she would let him feed her, although it would be a great pleasure for him. He wrecked his head, thinking about what he should say to her, to explain things, to make it easy for her to understand, to make her accept him, and let him just enjoy her presence. Henry wanted to call his brother for help to ask him what he did and how he handled his now-wife when he found her, but he knew that wouldn’t make much of a difference. Every story was unique in its own way, and every couple had its road to travel. He just had to find theirs. He already had so many feelings in his heart for her that made him want
Elizabeth finished her meal in silence even though she lost appetite after his bitter words. She was engulfed in her own thoughts that were confusing her more than anything. A strong urge to explain herself was not leaving her alone, and that was the part that confused her the most. Why would she feel the need to defend her actions? Why would she feel the need to console him? She didn’t even know him for God’s sake, and after all, he kidnapped her. Took her against her will. But those eyes... she wanted to put her hand in his dark hair and comb it with her fingers. It looked so soft and invitingly tempting. Darkness slowly crept into the room, and now the only thing Elizabeth could see was Henry’s eyes that were shining like nothing she had
Henry had a small, sad smile on his face. “This wasn’t supposed to turn out like this... You shouldn’t be scared of me. But I understand why you are.” “I am sorry, but I can’t help it. You drugged me. Twice. You kidnapped me. You are keeping me locked in a weird black cabin in the mountains somewhere, and you talk crazy...” Elizabeth was amazed by her courage to talk this freely. “Honestly, you didn’t strike me as a kind of a guy that would not take a no for an answer and would go to this lengths... ”