ROTU: Chapter Nineteen

Kaelon entered his favorite coffee shop near his apartment, his mind of late being solely on one person—Jessica Sinclair. He couldn't help but think about when he would see her again.

He had called her gallery several times during the past week but learned it was closed for the holidays. And due to that reason alone, he wished that the end of the year would come and go faster than he had any other year.

I should have asked for her direct cell number. The thought had occurred to him so many times—he had lost track of how many—since he bought the paintings.

Inattentively, he bumped into a petite elder who was being led by a younger girl.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" Kaelon exclaimed as the woman reached out and grabbed his arm. "You are so small; I didn't see you."

The young girl gave Kaelon a shy smile. "Sorry sir, my grandmother is blind. I should have been more aware."

The grandmother looked up into Kaelon's eyes as she kept hold of his forearm.

Kaelon gasped as her iridescent eyes stared up at him, and a chill went through him.

"Abuela, come on." The girl spoke in a whisper, giving Kaelon an apologetic look.

"It is important for you to see her again," the woman told Kaelon as she ignored her granddaughter, "for more reasons than you yet know. Do not stop in your pursuit. Your heart knows, despite misleading logic. Come by the apothecary later. There is a gift there that she would like." She released Kaelon's arm and patted it before shuffling away.

Kaelon watched the two walk away as he rubbed his arm. He was surprised at how strong the elder's grip was. He didn't believe in coincidence. He also believed in signs and that people held intuitive connections with the unknown, so he felt the elder must have been talking about Jess, but what did she mean by a gift? What apothecary?

"Abuela, you can't just go around reading people's energy without permission. You may freak them out or they may not want you to know certain things," Kaelon heard the granddaughter say.

"I do what I want," the grandmother replied stubbornly as the two exited the shop.

Sean burst through Kaelon's front door later that evening and made a beeline to the kitchen. "Do you want a beer?" he called as he disappeared behind the open refrigerator door.

From where he sat in his chair, Kaelon closed the book in his hand. He rolled his eyes. "Don't you have your own beer?"

"No—ran out an hour ago."

Kaelon sighed and stood. "Yes, I want one."

Sean grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and opened them both. He clinked his bottle to Kaelon's. "Thanks, and Merry Holidays and all that jazz. I know you are staying in for New Year's like the lame guy you are, so I'll just say it now."

"Merry Holidays," Kaelon said as he took a swig of beer.

Sean looked around Kaelon's large living room. "I still don't know why you won't let me throw a party here. You certainly have the room. I also don't know why you just don't let me live with you. You don't even use all your space."

"I like to keep my place Zen. It's why you can't live here—you're too addicted to drama."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Making it Zen is one reason why you don't get any action." He rummaged through Kaelon's stack of paperbacks on the end table next to his recliner.

A Brief History of Time, Quantum Enigma, and The Little Book of String Theory.

"So, what are you nerding out on this time? This is the other reason you don't any." He sighed. "Man, you are never gonna get a girl with your nose in all of this. Really? The Elegant Universe—nothing elegant about it if you ask me."

"First, I like this stuff so there has to be a girl somewhere that likes it too."

"Yeah, in the lab peering into microscopes behind six-inch thick spectacles."

Kaelon smiled. "And second, how do you know? Because your methods—shallow conversation and ego-driven behaviors have proven effective?"

"They usually work!" Sean retorted. "Alexis just didn't see my worth!"

"Yeah, because she saw you give it to Stephanie."

"Now, that was not my fault," Sean said. "The timing was off, and her sister was trying to get between us." He scowled. "Her sister started spreading rumors, saying that…" he trailed off when he realized Kaelon wasn't listening.

Kaelon had moved to stand before the four paintings he had recently bought from Creative Realms, where they hung on the wall next to his back patio door. He studied them as if he were in a trance.

Sean walked slowly over to Kaelon and moved a hand back and forth in front of his face. "Earth to Kaelon."

Kaelon smacked Sean's hand out of the way. Sean shoved him in the shoulder, but Kaelon continued to stare at the art.

"Man, you got it bad, don't you?" Sean put a hand over his mouth to hide his smile. "That's what's wrong with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been acting strange ever since you bought those paintings."

"No, I haven't."

"Yeah, you have." Sean raised his eyebrows. "Stranger than your normal strange, anyway. And it's because you like that chic—"

Kaelon gave him a reproachful look.

Sean rolled his eyes. "Goddess, artist person—"

"Whatever. Besides, I would be insane not to like her."

"What if she is a witch and there is a spell in the paintings that's making you, you know," he lolled his head around and rolled his eyes in the back of his head, "cray?"

Kaelon moved to grab Sean. "You know how stupid you sound?"

Sean dodged. "It happens!"

Kaelon shook his head. He retrieved a throw pillow from his sofa and threw it at Sean. "Get out of my house."

"Nah, nah, dude. This is a good thing. I was worried about…you know," he glanced down to Kaelon's jeans and then back up, "your manhood. I know you don't get a lot of attention, especially when you unleash that physics geek side of yours on the ladies."

"It's a choice! I don't want a lot of attention!" Kaelon shook his head again. "Why am I even friends with you?"

"Because you've known me since we were kids, and I'm the only one who tolerates your super nerd side."

"Not a valid reason."

"Because I rock, and I keep your sanity in check. If we weren't friends, you would turn into a super space geek and probably find a way to beam yourself off the planet, or…" he picked up another book entitled, Parallel Worlds, and shook it, "into a parallel dimension."

"That doesn't sound like such as bad idea to me," Kaelon replied with a grin.

"Insanity, see? And that's why you need me."