Alternatives

Chapter 19:Leaving

May 1895, Coney Island

After the park opened, it didn't take long for the guests to start pouring in. The attractions were a huge success, and even Erik with his relatively humble percentage of profits soon found that he had trouble spending all the money he was earning. Jack, on his part, had no trouble spending the money he was earning; he had some things planned for a long time and he happily threw himself into renovating his house, sending money to his less-fortunate relatives, and investing in some more good whiskey. Erik visited him several more times, always with some very good excuse for coming, and Jack happily invited him in every time as if it was his idea to talk him into staying. Jack himself kept the habit of coming to drink coffee with Erik and Alina in the mornings, often finding Yana there as well.

Erik, originally eager to move away from this damned island as soon as possible, found it suddenly hard to leave, which he admitted to Alina one evening as she snuggled up next to him in an armchair.

"Oh, I understand. I've moved before. It's a huge bother." Alina scoffed. "Do you know how many things I've managed to just simply lose between two houses? Incredibly many."

"That's not helping me, darling", he smiled at her. "How do you say "darling" in your language?"

"Depends on if you're speaking to a man or woman, and if you're trying to be more romantic or platonic, and more formal or informal, but…" she laughed. "if I was to call you darling in Croatian, I'd say drag. If you were to say it to me, you'd say draga."

"Draga", he repeated.

"You're good at this."

"I'm generally good at reproducing sounds correctly, yes", he chuckled. "Then, draga, it's not losing things that bother me. I don't have many belongings, to begin with", at least I haven't had the chance to collect many since they all burned down back in Paris, "I can carry all the important ones with me at once." he thought about it for a moment. "I think I just got used to living here. People don't pay much attention to me anymore, either."

"Our best friend also lives next door", Alina offered.

"That's nice as well. I've never expected to… have a place I wouldn't want to leave", he admitted. "Do you want to leave? I don't imagine you're used to living in an immigrant village. If you want to, we can move, of course", he added, somewhat worried. Or you could move by yourself. Please don't do that.

"I'm used to living all alone in a city that was much gloomier than this place, so this is a welcome change", she laughed. "I don't think I'd live here forever, but don't worry. I'm not in a hurry to move either."

"Hmm." Erik smiled slightly to himself, running his fingers through her hair.

"Where did you live before? Not with auntie, I suppose?"

"Uh...no, no. I lived alone", he said, contentment draining quickly out of him to be replaced with unease. He suddenly felt the strong need to tell her already tell her to get up and walk away, but he couldn't do it with Alina sitting on him; he forced himself to stay calm.

"You don't talk much about your life in Paris", she remarked.

"There isn't much to talk about", he said slowly. Coward. Alina looked at him for a moment with an expression he couldn't figure out - it was such a stupid, obvious lie she couldn't possibly have believed it; the very first thing Antoinette told her about him was that he was running from the police - and he looked away, unable to stand her gaze.

"Alright. But you do know you could tell me anything if you wanted to?"

"Yes, yes," he said impatiently. It's not your listening skills I'm worried about. "Listen, I… I'll tell you. But not today."