Beyond The Veil (A Paranormal Romance)

Chapter 4

The black-eyed stranger led her to a small cafe just a couple of blocks away from where he had picked her up. They both sat down at a table in the corner, next to a window that was decorated with cute blue curtains. Since Emily had been quiet and still seemed scared, he ordered for her. A large cup of hot coffee and blueberry pancakes. He didn't, however, order anything for himself. As soon as the waitress brought the food, he got back up.

"Wait here." He gave her a warm smile. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Since Emily remained silent and just stared at him, he added, "Do you promise you will wait and not run away?"

She nodded. She didn't have anywhere to go anyway, so she could as well just stay there in this dry place and enjoy the coffee.

"Okay, good." With these words he left her to herself.

Emily glanced at the big round clock on the wall opposite from where she was sitting. 7:48. Her first class was scheduled for 10:00, and the campus was a little ways. If she left the cafe in about an hour and walked to campus, she would still have time to find her way around the buildings without having to run.

Now that she had worked out some sort of plan, she felt a little more at ease, even though she was painfully aware of the fact that she was wearing her pajamas. There were not many other people in the café, but those few guests shot nosy glances at her appearance, probably wondering why she hadn't dressed before leaving the house. Her cheeks began to feel hot, a clear sign that she was blushing. In an effort to blend out the prying eyes, she lowered her head and focused on the pancakes in front of her. They looked delicious but she wasn't really hungry. The steaming cup of coffee on the other hand was far more appealing and would keep her busy for a while.

She didn't know how much time had passed and hadn't bothered to check the clock again, when the man who had left her there earlier suddenly appeared. He placed a large brown shopping bag next to her chair and sat down.

"For you," he explained. "Why don't you go to the restroom and change?"

"You brought me clothes?" Emily asked baffled, checking the content of the bag.

"Yes," he smiled. "Remember? I told you I would get some for you."

"You did. But..." She was looking for words to express the shame she felt. Those were new clothes, they still had their tags. Not enough that he had found her in that alley, all drenched and upset. Now he bought her food and clothes. Could it get any more embarrassing?

"It's okay." He interpreted the bashful expression on her face correctly. "At some point in life we all find ourselves in a situation we can't handle alone. This is when we need someone to help us, when we simply need to know someone cares. And I want to be that person for you right now."

By the way he looked at her, Emily could tell his words were truly heartfelt and not just some empty phrase. But why did he care whether she was in her pajamas? After all, he was a complete stranger and didn't need to care about her well-being. Never before had someone cared. Not when she spent the night on the streets because she was too afraid to go home and face her father. Not when she lost the only person who had ever given her unconditional love and protection.

Inevitably, her mother's kind face appeared before her inner eye. She was beautiful. Long dark hair which she used to pin up. But no matter how neatly she dressed her hair, there were always a few strands that fell onto her shoulders. She laughed when she shared her memories of Emily as a baby, who apparently loved to grab those strands to pull them. She laughed often. Especially when Emily was sad. Then, she would tell her stories about her as a baby or as a toddler, and soon Emily would forget why she had been so sad in the first place. Her mom had a way of lifting other people's spirits like no one else. Emily missed her so much. She longed to look into her mother's big eyes and see that gentle smile again; a smile that told her everything would be okay in the end.

Emily tried to suppress her grief but she couldn't help it, her eyes welled up and a lonely tear made its way down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away and was about to apologize, when the stranger carefully reached out and placed his hand around her wrist, softly bringing her arm closer to him to inspect it.

"What happened there?"

She had forgotten about the mark on her arm that stemmed from the fight with her father, and when it dawned on her that he was examining it, she immediately withdrew her arm and hid it under the table.

"Nothing."

He seemed to have expected this answer, since he just nodded and didn't bother her with further questions.

In order to change the subject, she took the bag with the clothes and got up. "I guess I will go change."

The man smiled in response. "If they don't fit I can exchange them. I didn't know your size and just guessed."

He was very good at guessing sizes, Emily had to admit. The clothes fit perfectly. He had picked a pair of black jeans and a very pretty aqua sweater. She also found a white tank top in the bag for which she was most thankful. She wasn't wearing a bra but the top would provide at least some support in that area.

She stuffed her PJs into the paper bag, hastily used her fingers as a comb to make her hair look at least somewhat presentable, and went back to the table, where she was greeted with a big smile.

"I see they do fit," the stranger concluded, examining her from head to toe.

"Yes." She blushed at his intense look and quickly sat down to hide behind her coffee mug. Unfortunately, it was already empty.

"Do you have a name?" The man's voice was soft, as his raven eyes searched hers.

For some reason, Emily's heart began to beat faster and a weird, almost queasy feeling spread through her stomach.

"It's Emily." She flinched at the sound of her own name, spoken by her own voice. Somehow, it sounded just wrong.

"Emily. A very beautiful name. I'm Raphael." He paused and looked at the cup she was still holding with both her hands. "Do you want more coffee?"

"No, thank you." She finally set the mug back on the table. "I need to be going in a minute."

Raphael glanced at his cell phone. "Yes, me too. Work's waiting. Do you need a ride?"

"Thanks." She shook her head. She didn't want to bother him any longer, he had already done enough for her.

"Alright then." He retrieved his wallet and counted some bills to put them on the table. "But if you change your mind, or if you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know." He handed her a card with his name and cell phone number on it.

"Thank you." She took the card without diverting her eyes from his. "Thank you for everything."

The smile he gave her could have melted icebergs. It was warm, friendly, and incredibly charming. "Don't mention it."

Emily felt her stomach tighten. For a moment he just stood there, looking at her with an inscrutable expression, before he headed towards the door. Emily watched him walk away. He was fairly tall with broad shoulders but the way he walked through the cafe, making his way around the guests at the other tables, was uncharacteristically smooth. A guy, as sturdily built as he was, shouldn't have such flowing movements. Yet again, Emily was reminded of last night's dream, in which that shadowy figure approached her, moving in a very similar manner.

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned around to face her again. "Please, do call." Without waiting for her response, he walked out the door and was gone.