Antilove

Ventinove

CAPITOLO VENTINOVE

star seeking, star aligning

***

ELONGATED SHADOWS OF THEIR figures paint the sidewalk, as they travel from one streetlight to another. Rose holds Lucien's hand as she guides the way, the cars passing by slowly growing sparser.

    "It's not that far away," she tells him. Then, she thinks for a while. "It might be. I'm not really sure."

    It's been awhile. Rose almost doesn't remember how Lucien's skin feels. Smooth, undeniably unmarried. Her body heats up as she recalls the different places she's touched. Unimaginably smooth. Even if it's just his hand, it emits a welcoming warmth.

    Their footsteps fill the night, rarely interrupted by the occasional car. When one does, when a headlight shines on her, Lucien's grip on her hand tightens just a tiny bit.

    She leads him into the backdoor of a building, shaking the door open. "It's been empty for a while now. I used to come here when I was still in school." Up the stairs they go, one foot after the other, their breathing filling up the space.

    "It's not Canyon Park, but it's the closest place where we can get a view. Other than top of the parking lot at the Grove," she explains.

    Lucien stays quiet, observing her. Normally, maybe under daylight, Rose would feel unnerved, or even the tiny bit self-conscious. He has that ability to bring that out of her, feelings she hasn't been accustomed with since she was a child.

    "It's a lot better than going to my bathroom," she jokes. "I haven't come here recently, but I'm glad it's still open."

    "Did you come here often?" Lucien finally speaks up, low voice sounding close to her ear.

    "Just on the hard days," she says. "Which I had a lot of."

    "How come?" He's playing with her hair now. They're not in a romantic position, just leaning on the railing, side by side, but he makes it so.

    "I just did." Rose shrugs. "And, I don't think it's fair you get to know everything about me."

    "I'm an open book," Lucien says, stretching his body and flipping around, so his back is facing the view.

    "I'll tell you one thing for one other thing."

    "I swear we played this before. Twice."

    "There was never a winner, was there? We don't have the most...usual of relationships. Most people get this out of the way by the first three dates. Most people...aren't you."

    He tugs on her hair a little bit harder and lets go, seeing it float in the evening breeze. Rose shivers, feeling prickles on the nape of her neck. Half his face is illuminated, the other half hidden.

    "What does that mean?" He moves closer to her, until she can see the stubble along his jaw.

    "You're one-of-a-kind, aren't you?" she whispers, not trusting her voice to keep steady. She swallows out of want, as she sees the same kind of desire reflected on his face.

    Lucien gives a shrug. "I'm sure there are others out there like me. Personality wise."

    "Pity you had to end up at my doorstep," she says.

    "Pity," he returns, though his eyes say the opposite, as they scour hers.

    The stars never do come out at all the right times. Rose wishes they really were at Canyon Park, where there's little to no light pollution. There, they can look down at the city, man-made but spectacular.