After Forever (12 page)

I was loading my fork with beef in black
bean sauce when mum cleared her throat. “Hey, I thought I’d go and
introduce myself to the new neighbors tomorrow. Wanna come?” she
asked out of the blue. I had been chewing on a piece of beef which
I nearly choked on. I grabbed my glass of lemonade and took several
gulps while coughing. “Are you okay? Cali?” mum went to stand up,
but I shook my head.

After another mouthful of soft drink I was
able to talk. “I’m okay. Are you sure you want to do that?” I wiped
tears from my eyes.

“Why not? When we moved here, Mrs. Noble
came over with a chocolate cake.”

“Yeah, because she was a busybody,” I
mumbled.

“Calista!” mum said, holding back a
smile.

“What if they like their privacy?” I asked,
helping myself to more fried rice.

“It’s only an introduction. I don’t want to
be their best friend,” mum said, spooning pork onto her plate.
“Will you come?”

I finished my mouthful. “Yeah, I’ll come.” I
was interested in meeting Orlie’s family.

I was in my bedroom after having a shower,
brushing my hair, when his cool breath drifted over my bare skin.
“You smell like…” he breathed in deeply, “lavender…and sunshine.”
his fingers slid onto my shoulder and ran across the thin strap of
my singlet.

“Sunshine…original,” I said. I went to turn
around, but Orlie stopped me. His free hand snaked around my waist,
halting on my stomach. His other hand stayed on my shoulder. I
leaned back against him and closed my eyes. Being this close to him
felt more than right; it felt natural.

“I missed you,” his low, silky voice said in
my ear. “I had to hold myself back while you were eating Chinese
food.”

My eyes flew open and I turned around in his
arms, remembering that I had choked on a piece of beef. Orlie’s
arms were still holding me to his body.

“How did you know that?” I asked, making him
grin.

“I’m embarrassed to say…” he moved his eyes
to look over my head. “You have a clear view into my room.” he
sounded amused.

“It’s the same view you have,” I retorted,
encircling him in my arms. His leather trench coat denied me access
to his body. “How did you know what I had for dinner?” I looked up
meeting his gaze.

A grin spread across his face like wildfire.
“I peeked in through the kitchen window. You look like your
mother.” He played with a piece of my loose hair.

“Mum thinks I have my dad’s eyes.” I slid my
hands up his chest which felt like cool, chiseled marble. Orlie’s
midnight-sky eyes locked onto mine as his hands enveloped my
fingers.

“They’re the color of a fine summer’s day,”
he whispered, his mouth just inches from mine. I went to close the
short gap, but he pulled away, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
“Cali…”

I stepped back, removing my hands from his.
“You have a girlfriend, don’t you?” I sulked over to the window
seat and sat down. I went to bring my legs up, but Orlie appeared
in front of me, claiming my hands again.

“Cali, look at me,” he said gently. I shook
my head, keeping my eyes on the dark room across the fence.
“Calista, please.” When I looked at him with watery eyes Orlie
winced.

He went to touch my cheek, but his hand fell
back to his thigh. His other hand was softly caressing my fingers.
“You said you don’t know much about us? Daybreakers and
Nightfallers?” I nodded. “I can tell you what I know, if you’d
like?”

“Yes,” I said excited. Orlie’s mouth
twitched into an almost invisible smile. He stood, shrugging off
his coat, and I was infatuated with what was hidden underneath: a
tight black t-shirt, a brass belt buckle in the shape of a crescent
moon, loose fitting denim jeans, and black boots. I took every inch
of him in as he threw his coat on my bed. When he sat back down in
front of me, my eyes travelled back to his handsome face.

“Before you start…is
there
a
girlfriend?”

“No,” Orlie said. “No girlfriend. I have a
soulmate.”

“Oh, that’s so much better,” I spat out,
throwing my arms in the air. I angrily stood up, getting ready to
tell him to evict my room and life, but stopped when he appeared in
front of me. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at my bare
feet.

“Calista let me explain.” He touched my arm
then sighed heavily when I didn’t move. “Please, sit down.” I
stomped over to the window seat and sat, cross-legged, leaning my
back against the wall. I relaxed my arms, letting my hands fall to
my lap. Orlie sat in front of me with his long legs stretched out
and his ankles crossed.

“My soulmate is
you
,” he told me,
keeping his eyes on his folded hands. “It’s always been you.”

I snuck a glance at him and saw that he was
intently staring at his hands. When the silence dragged on for
another minute, I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees.
“Soulmates?”

Orlie smiled and met my eyes. “Yes.”

I frown. “I wanted to kiss you…but you moved
away.” I felt my eyebrows scrunch together. “Did I have bad
breath?” my question makes him chuckle.

“Your breath is fine.” he turned serious.
“Our relationship isn’t a normal one,” he said, watching every inch
of my face. “Daybreakers and Nightfallers can’t
be
together
whenever we want. We can’t act on our impulses.” Orlie holds my
hands while I process his words.

“We can’t be…” I say slowly. “We can’t
kiss?” Orlie nodded. “Oh…we can’t…” my eyes grow wide and I glance
at my bed. “We can’t…”

“No.” Orlie’s voice is sad. When I turn my
eyes to him I see that he’s heartbroken. I reach my hand out,
placing it on his cheek and smile when he moves his face into my
palm, kissing it.

“We can touch…at least we have that,” I say
in a soft voice. “Tell me more about us.”

A smile appears on his crimson lips, but
it’s unhappy. Orlie stands then pulled me to my feet. I was about
to ask him what was wrong, but he flicked the light off before
taking my spot on the window seat. He gently pulled me to him,
guiding me to sit between his bent legs. I leaned back against his
chest while my hands rest on his thighs. I feel him breathing while
his chin nestles into the hollow of my neck.

“What would you like to know?” he asked, his
cool breath blowing my hair.

“Everything!” The moon shone outside the
window as a warm breeze ran over us. Orlie’s long fingers gently
ran up and down my arms.

“Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘Once in
a blue moon’?” I nodded. “It’s a mortal saying, but a blue moon is
when a son of the moon is born. When a daughter of the sun is born
the sun glows a brilliant red.”

“I thought that happened when there’s a huge
bushfire,” I said, turning my head and looking up at Orlie. Knowing
he was my soulmate made an electrifying tingle rush through my
whole body. I couldn’t help but smile.

“No, the sun turns red to welcome the
daughter.”

“That sounds beautiful.” Orlie’s hands slid
down my arms, stopping at my hands, and lacing our fingers
together. “I thought you said we couldn’t…you know.” My eyes flick
to my bed while I frown.

“That’s true…most of the time.” I heard him
sniff my hair.

“Most of the time?” I asked a little
hopeful.

Orlie kissed my earlobe then gently kissed
my jaw and neck. “A man and woman fell in love many, many years
ago. Sadly they were torn apart and forced to live an eternity
separated.” As Orlie spoke, he twirled my hair around his fingers.
“The man was condemned to the moon and the woman to the sun. Once
every hundred years, they are able to get together to make
love…that’s why a blue moon and red sun are so rare in a mortal’s
lifetime.”

“So, they only see each other once in a
century?” I sigh heavily. “That’s so sad.”

“It is a sad story,” Orlie agreed. “They are
soulmates cursed to be apart.”

“Kind of like us,” I said in a whisper.

Orlie wrapped his arms around me and buried
his face in my hair. “Daybreakers and Nightfallers can be together
once every hundred years,” he whispered into my neck.

“When is that coming up?” I felt him
smile.

“We were created in the last century. You’ll
know when it’s time when you feel it in here.” His finger glided
over my heart. “Did you know, when it rains during the day it’s the
woman in the sun crying for the man in the moon, and vice
versa.”

“That’s romantic,” I said, rubbing my hands
up and down his legs. “I have something to tell you.” I felt Orlie
remove his face from my hair. His chin rested on my shoulder. “My
mum…she wants us to introduce ourselves to your family.” I kept my
eyes focused on the wall in front of me. “She wants to be
neighborly
.”

“What do you think of that?” Orlie asked,
curious.

I shrugged. “I think she’d have questions
about you being in my room.” Orlie chuckled softly. “She’s not a
nosey person so she won’t be asking prying questions.” I twisted
around to look at him. “If it’s not okay with coming over I
can…”

Orlie put a finger to my mouth. “I think
it’s a great idea,” he said. “My mother would enjoy the
company.”

“What about me?” I mumbled against his
finger.

A wildfire grin broke across his face. “She
will adore you.” He wrapped his arms around me, nestling his chin
in the hollow of my shoulder. We sat on the window seat in the
comfortable silence of the night, enjoying each other’s
company.

The early morning sun rose in the sky
filling my room with a soft glow, the birds twittered blissfully in
nearby trees, and I grumbled unhappily while pulling the sheet over
my head.

I had had a sleepless night dreaming of one
person: Orlie. Every time I had closed my eyes I pictured his
handsome face while he spoke silent words and his hands explored
all over my body. My imagination ran away from me and when I woke I
was panting, sweaty, and wanting more.

I dragged myself out of bed at seven am and
tried not to look out the window. It didn’t work. My eyes
gravitated to the house next door and my shoulders slumped when I
saw that the curtains were pulled tightly closed.

I moved around my room like a zombie then
found myself standing under lukewarm water, yawning, and trying not
to get shampoo in my eyes. As I rinsed, I replayed what Orlie had
told me last night: I was born during a red sun since I was a
Daybreaker, I was a descendant of a woman who was trapped in the
sun and Orlie was a descendant of a man locked in the moon, and we
could only consummate our relationship every hundred years. This
was…crazy!

I pulled on knee-length black shorts and a
black singlet which clung nicely to my body. I brushed my
sun-colored hair, letting it hang down my back to dry, and then
cleaned my teeth, gargling with mouthwash.

“Morning, darl,” mum said as I entered the
kitchen. “Oh, you look like crap.” She sipped her orange juice
while her eyes took me in.

“I didn’t sleep very well.” I slumped on a
stool and folded my arms on the island bench.

“Do you want some brekkie?” she pushed a
plate towards me with two pieces of toast on it. There was a tub of
margarine, a jar of raspberry jam, and half a jar of Vegemite.

“I’m not really hungry,” I said picking up
the top piece and pulling it to bits with my fingers. “When are we
going over to annoy the neighbors?”

Mum smiled. “After breakfast. You’re just as
curious about them as I am.” She finished her drink then stood up,
putting the glass in the sink. “I’m going to have a shower. Try and
eat something, Cali.” Mum came over to me, kissed my cheek, and
disappeared upstairs.

I watched as the piece of toast became
crumbs then sighed, leaning my arms on the counter top. As the
birds chirped out the kitchen window I stood and threw the bits of
bread into the rubbish. I put everything away before standing at
the sink and watching as a magpie pulled an earth worm out of the
grass.

“Are you ready, darl?” mum asked coming into
the kitchen and pulling on a brown t-shirt over jeans.

“Yeah,” I turn to face her, “Don’t you have
a shift today?”

“Nope, I asked Deb to take my hours and I’ll
take her shift tomorrow.” She dabbed on some lip balm, smacking her
lips together. “The restaurant can survive without me.” Mum smiled.
“Come on, let’s go meet the neighbors.”

I stepped out into the sun and saw
neighborhood kids riding bikes on the footpath while teenagers did
tricks on skateboards. The door slammed shut as I walked down the
path towards the road. Mum came up to me as I ambled towards the
front yard of the house next door.

The chain-link fence was partly hidden by a
neat boxwood hedge that ran the length of the yard. A dirt driveway
sat on the right side of the two-story house and a cobblestone path
led to a small landing with a dark wood front door holding two
leadlight panels.

“The gardens are immaculate,” mum whispered,
standing in the middle of the path and gripping my arm for dear
life. “Look at those roses…they have flowers as big as saucers on
them.”

“Maybe you could get some tips on
gardening,” I teased, pulling her towards the house. “Come on,
mum!” Stepping onto the landing I reached my hand out and knocked
on the door.

“This garden puts everyone else’s to shame,”
mum said in a low voice.

Mum was taking in a jasmine vine hanging
from a trellis and fully in bloom when the door suddenly opened.
“Hello? Can I help you?” a slender woman stood in the doorway, a
bright pink apron covering jeans and a blue-and-white shirt.

“Hi!” I nudged mum’s side making her face
the woman. “We’re your neighbors,” I pointed to our house, “and we
came to introduce ourselves.”

The woman’s face lit up into a bright grin.
It was identical to her son’s smile. “Oh, hi, I’m Faith. Please,
come in.” she moved to the side allowing us to enter the house.