I started to think about the story he had told me regarding relationships between humans and deities. I wondered, if that rule was still in effect, why we were together now?
“David?”
“Yes, love.”
A wide smile formed across my face in reaction to his answer. I momentarily forgot what I was going to ask.
“You were saying?” David encouraged my question.
“Will you be in trouble for breaking the ‘no human slash deity relationship rule?”
“Don’t concern yourself with that. I have the matter under control,” he said.
I observed as he gently pressed on the star that lay on my chest. He raised my chin with the tips of his fingers.
“I love you,” he said and pressed his lips tenderly over mine.
Nyx appeared on the porch as we approached the front door.
“Hello, Isis.” She kissed my cheeks. “I’ve prepared lunch.”
I was happy to hear her utter those words. I was starved. David and I had been out by the lake all morning. It was past noon now.
“Thanks, Nyx. You’re very hospitable,” I praised her.
In the dining room, Nyx had once again gone out of her way to prepare an extraordinary variation of foods. The twins were already seated at the dining table.
“What be the verdict?” Galen asked David. His face was serious.
“The verdict?” I asked confused.
“He senses my enthusiasm,” David explained. “Can I have a moment of privacy at least for this?” He smiled.
“The verdict is good then,” Galen raised his glass. “Here, here. To love everlasting.”
I blushed. What was this? It sounded like a wedding toast.
“Leave them alone.” Nyx poured iced tea into my glass. “You of a people should be so fortunate. What with your raw humor and narcissism, I would wager that you will be a bachelor your entire given life.”
Nyx made her way to the other side of the table with the glass pitcher.
“And yet you always compare me to Father. He is too narcissistic then,” Galen smirked.
Nyx tapped Galen’s head with her knuckles. “Be respectful.”
Eryx, David, and I laughed at Nyx’s attempt to settle her son.
During the course of the meal, David held my hand under the table. He, every so often, reached out to settle a strand of hair behind my ear and away from my face. Galen’s expression was at ill ease with David’s attentiveness toward me.
“Maybe, we should find human girlfriends,” Galen proposed to Eryx.
“You will do no such thing. I expect you both to keep rules in place,” Nyx said in a distressed tone.
“Well, some rules can be bent, Mother.” Eryx eyed David.
“No, Eryx. That is a much different matter than you think.” Nyx’s frustration was beginning to grow.
After lunch, David and I took a walk on one of the nature trails that had been part of the park’s hiking route. He collected flowers for me along the way.
“Please, forgive Galen’s insolence. He’s always been one to speak his mind. He means no disrespect; I assure you.” David said.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me,” I remarked. There was another person on my mind at the moment—Eryx.
“What did Eryx mean when he said you were bending the rules?” I asked David.
David stopped his pace in the middle of the trail. His lips slightly pouted.
“It means that as long as there is… how shall I put this?” His brow frowned as he thought. “As long as there is no physical union between us, we are allowed to be together,” he explained.
I looked at him wide-eyed.
“Do you understand what I speak of?” he inquired, detecting the silence of uncertainty.
“Are you talking about… . um…” I trailed off, and looked to the ground too embarrassed to say it.
“Yes,” he nodded, taking a step in my direction.
He placed his hand under my jaw and lifted it. I felt warmth blooming in my ears and cheeks. David smiled as he saw the rosiness take over my face.
“Why does this make you uncomfortable?” he asked, puzzled.
“I never really talk about that subject with anyone.”
“I see,” David quietly uttered. “We will not discuss this any further,” he said, noting my reluctance with the subject.
We continued to walk quietly along the vegetated path. I started to grow curious of what would happen with David and me if our relationship took a more mature course. What if we decided to get married? Maybe I was jumping the gun by thinking so far ahead, but my brain persisted on the thought. I had always thought I would have a family of my own. I’m sure my mother would be overzealous at the mere thought of grandchildren. What about David’s unchanging appearance? I didn’t know exactly how slowly he aged. It could be a century before he looked at least twenty, for all I knew.
“What are you thinking?” David interrupted my quiet reflections.
“About us,” I answered.
“What about us?” He asked pulling me toward him.
I premeditated my response, aware that it may be presumptuous to mention the word “marriage”. I was only seventeen; I had no intention of getting married anytime soon.
“Well…” I began, “let’s suppose, and this is purely hypothetical, that sometime in the future—like years from now—our relationship advanced to something more serious. How would that work?”
“Are you saying you want to marry me?” He lightly chuckled.
“It’s purely hypothetical; I know it’s premature to bring up the subject. I just… I don’t know how that would work.”
“Ah,” David nodded understanding my concern. “You will have everything that marriage entails… everything.”
Did that include a family? If it did, his statement contradicted the law he had explained earlier. My instinct told me there was something I was not aware of.
“You’re keeping something from me.” My eyes were fixed on him.
David took my hand and brushed his lips against it.
“It’s nothing,” he smiled, taking my waist in one arm.
“I’m not convinced,” I pouted.
I forcefully loosened myself from his embrace and took a few steps to the forest’s edge.
“I detest when you do that,” David’s voice sounded hurt.
I glanced at him over my shoulder and saw his wounded face. Remorse took me over immediately. I briskly returned to him and wrapped his arms around me. I pulled down at his collar bringing his upper body to me and pecked his lips.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize that upset you so much.”
David smiled halfheartedly and placed his chin on my head. He did not speak. He must have been upset. I deliberated on whether to break the silence, but reconsidered. I had nothing relevant to say.
After several minutes, David took my hand and led me to a fallen tree where he seated me. He knelt before me and took both my hands in his.
“How would you feel about growing old with me?” His question caused my eyes to pop.
Was he asking me to marry him? My question had probably led him to believe that’s what I wanted, but I was in no way psychologically prepared for marriage. My mom always told me I was mature for my age, but I don’t think marriage fell under her perception of my maturity. I hadn’t even graduated from high school, yet. I wanted to attend college. I had plans—lots of plans!
“Isis?” David expected my response as I sat agape.
“But, I’m not ready for marriage,” I blurted.
David’s body trembled in amusement.
“It is not a marriage proposal,” he clarified.
“Then, what are you asking me?” I was confused.
“What if there was a way?” His voice was serious now.
“A way for you to age?” I wanted to be sure I understood the question.
“Yes.” His voice was hopeful. “What if I could age alongside you? What if, when you are ready, I could give you the commitment you were inquiring about a moment ago? Would it make you happy?”
“Undeniably,” I declared.
David’s face gleamed. He lifted my entire body to him, draping me with his arms and pressing his lips against mine. I was dizzy and weightless in his arms. It wasn’t until I sensed the sun beating fiercely on my face and lowered my head that I realized why I felt that way; we were hovering above the forest and gradually ascending in spirals through the air.
I gasped and hid my face in David’s chest as I held onto him for dear life. My eyes were tightly shut and my stomach was in knots. For a second, I thought I would lose the meal I had eaten earlier.
“Don’t be frightened, my lovely,” David tried to soothe me.
What David didn’t know was that I wasn’t frightened—I was terrified.
One of David’s arms released its embrace from my waist and lifted my head by the chin. I wanted to plead with him to continue holding me with both arms, but my teeth ground together, incapacitating my speech. My eyes remained firmly shut.
“Open your eyes,” he instructed.
I shook my head opposing his request. Suddenly, I perceived his light, seductive aroma as I inhaled. A sense of tranquility consumed me. The panic was swept away.
“Isis, open your eyes,” David insisted.
Being no longer afraid, my eyes gradually began to open. The majestic blue sky surrounded us. The ebony trees lying below seemed to be nothing more than a blanket of moss. David’s wings moved in a slow, graceful wave.
“Am I dreaming?” I asked, unable to make sense of reality.
“No,” he said gently gliding us through the breeze.
His wings carried us above the reserve and over the puddle-like lake. He circled the antique house, which I could now clearly see was located in the center of the wooded area. Slowly, we descended to the ebonies. David delicately grounded his feet on the rugged grass. His arms lowered me to the fallen tree base on which I had been seating previously. I gazed at his silhouette, which still exposed his angelic white wings.
“Can I touch them? Your wings, I mean?” I asked.
David positioned himself next to me and rotated his body giving me his back. I examined his wings briefly, and then slowly ran my fingers through his luxurious feathers with both my hands. Their texture was exceptionally soft and velvety—unlike anything I had ever touched. David observed me over his shoulder. I stroked my face against one of his wings. I inhaled their sweet perfume. The scent was warm and inviting.
David’s wings disappeared with a vaguely noticeable shimmer as he shifted his frame to view me.
“Will you be at ease tomorrow when your friends see you with me?” David was curious.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks. I just care that you’ll be with me.” My words placed a content curve on his lips.
Nyx had served tea in one of the living rooms. A large display of pastries was set upon the coffee table. Eryx and Galen were preoccupied with the sweets and didn’t even notice us come in. Nyx offered David and me a cup of tea.
“What time do you have to be home?” David asked.
“My curfew is nine o’clock on school nights, but since I’ve been out all day, I think I should probably be home earlier. My mother must be wondering about me.”
“Right,” David agreed.
Shortly after having tea, David drove me home.
“I’ll be by tomorrow morning to drive you to school,” he reminded me.
“What about that issue with Gabriel and us?” I reminded him of the matter.
“I will deal with him if the worse should occur,” he sounded confident.
“Will I see you in my dreams tonight?” I wondered.
“I don’t want you to see me while you sleep,” he said kissing my hand.
“Why not?” I sounded offended.
“I want you to miss me. I cherished the way you gazed at me this morning after not having seen me for several days.” He inclined to kiss my temple.
“You noticed that?” I was obviously not a very good actress.
“I did,” he stated.
David walked me to the front door. He lightly brushed his lips on either side of my face.
“My heart will not beat again until my sight rests upon your emerald eyes,” he whispered into my ear.
Impulsively, I pulled his face to mine, clutching him by the collar as I kissed him. He pulled away with a titter. I felt my face redden as he gazed at me.
“Good night, my lovely,” he said as he strolled along the walkway.
I watched his car drive off until it was no longer visible and then entered the house.
Claire got home within minutes of my walking in the door. I was still sighing over the ideal day I had spent with David.
Claire grabbed my face with one hand and squeezed it. “What’s that goofy smile all about?” she said, turning my face from side to side playfully.
I was so glad she was back to her normal self—at least that’s what I hoped. I pulled myself away from her grip and kept smiling.
“Hello? Earth to Isis…” She waved her hand in front of my eyes.