C. Omololu - Intuition

“It’s okay, I’ve—”

“I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ll be right back.”

Drew disappears before I can say anything, and I’m left alone in the quiet room. Music is playing softly on the stereo in the corner and the lights are dim, but the place seems even bigger now that it’s almost empty. Giselle is sitting on the couch drinking coffee and talking to some other women. I’m sure she has orders not to leave until I do.

I glance out the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the walls and take a couple of steps toward one. We’re so high up that even though I know the other skyscrapers are huge, they look tiny from here. Over to the right I see the Bay Bridge, a river of lights flowing along the entire span. There are a few ships’ lights on the water, and it’s clear enough that I can see the lights of South San Francisco disappearing in the distance.

I feel Drew behind me right before he speaks. “Amazing, isn’t it? Almost like being in an airplane.”

“We’re so high up, it feels like one could hit us.”

“No chance,” he says. “We’re not in the flight path.”

I take a few steps toward the other window and put my hand on the glass to steady myself. We’re at eye level with the very tip of the pointy Transamerica Pyramid a few blocks away, and the lights of Marin blink in the distance. “You really can see everything from up here.”

Drew stands next to me and looks out into the distance. “I love being this high up, looking at the tiny dots of light from the cars and buildings way down there. Makes me feel powerful. Alive.”

He’s standing so close I can feel the warmth of his body against mine. I’m startled to realize I enjoy it, that the sensation of him close to me is familiar, almost comforting. My mind pulls away from the dark, empty space I’ve been nurturing inside since Griffon turned his back on me at the studio.

I think back to another time and another place. A different face with kind green eyes, but the same essence, the same vibrations between us. I remember the taste of his lips on mine and the softness of his touch on the back of my neck. I close my eyes and see the desire on Connor’s face as we come together, completely swept up in the moment until time seems to stop except for the feel of his fingers on my skin. The desire that can’t be dampened by centuries apart.

“Lovely to see you again, my boy,” Sonia says, coming over to say good-bye. Drew backs away from me just slightly as she gives him a kiss on both cheeks. “It was wonderful to meet you, my dear,” she says to me.

“You too.”

I glance at Drew, wondering what will happen if he gives me a ride home. I can picture us parked in front of my house and me not making the same choice that I made the other night. “Sonia, wait,” I call as she heads for the elevator. “Do you think you could drop me off in the Haight?”

She hesitates, looking at Drew. “If you’d like.”

I turn to him. “It’s just easier—there are still people here, and this way you don’t have to leave.”

“It’s no trouble—”

“I’ll just go with Sonia,” I insist, knowing I’m going to get an earful in the car from her. I quickly give Drew a kiss on the cheek, avoiding his eyes and the disappointment I know I’ll see there. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say as I run to the elevator that Sonia is holding for me.

“Can the patient have a cupcake?” I ask, swinging the bag in front of Rayne as she opens her door.

“Ooh, yes!” she says, grabbing it out of my hands. “The patient is so bored she’s about to go crazy. Peter was supposed to come over this afternoon, but he’s stuck in Berkeley.”

I follow her down the hallway and into the kitchen. “So how are you feeling? Besides bored.”

“Pretty good. Tired, mostly.”

“Is that it? No other symptoms?” I search her face, trying to see if she’s been having any memories.

“Not really. Just taking lots of naps. By the way,” she continues, “where were you last night? I was texting but you never answered.”

I take a deep breath. I can keep lying to her, or I can finally tell her the truth. “I was at a party. At Drew’s house.”

Her eyes grow wide. “Drew? From the Marina party?”

“Yes.” I look down. “Nothing’s happened,” I say quickly. “It was just a party with some other Akhet people.”

“But what about Griffon?”

I think about what he said to me in the hallway of Janine’s office that day and feel my anger rise. “What about him? He’s gone, Rayne, and he’s not coming back. Not to me, anyway. I have to move on.” I think about the easy way he has with Giselle. “I’m sure he will.”

“I thought you loved him.” She looks almost like I’ve broken up with her instead of Griffon.

“I do—I did. But I also have a history with Drew. We were married once, remember? I need to find out if we’re meant to go back to that place, to be those people again.”

“But you haven’t even kissed him? This time, I mean.”

I shake my head. “Not even close.” It’s not a total lie.

“This whole thing is so insane,” Rayne says. “How was the party?”

“Interesting,” I say. I look at her eager face, and wish I could tell her everything. But I can’t, not yet. Rayne doesn’t know she’s Akhet, and telling her now would ruin the whole night. “You should see Drew’s apartment. It’s on the top of the tallest building downtown and decorated by a designer. Looks like it belongs in a magazine. It’s crazy.”

“So, are you going to go out with him again? What is he, like, twenty-five? Your parents are going to freak out.”

“He’s only twenty,” I say. “And they already did. He came by the house the other day to ask me out and they saw him on the porch. Luckily Mom was asleep on the couch by the time I got home last night, and I snuck into my room without her having a clue.”

“I take it back,” Rayne says. “I thought nothing you could do would top Kat’s leaving, but this might do it.”

“Which is why we’re not going to tell them. I have a bribe for you if you cover for me.”

“You know you don’t have to bribe me. But I’m listening.”

“Remember Portia Martin is playing tonight at the Arena?”

“Yeah. I also know that the tickets sold out in minutes. I tried to win a pair on the radio for weeks.”

“What if I told you that not only can we go to the show, but we have backstage passes?”

“No freaking way!” Rayne pushes me on the shoulder. “How did you . . . ?” She’s quiet for a second. “Did Drew get them for you?”

“Indirectly,” I say. “I sort of sat next to Portia at dinner last night. I promised her we’d come, so you can’t say no.”

“Wait, wait—you sat next to Portia Martin? She knows who I am?”

“Yep. And she said that she’ll be personally hurt if we don’t come tonight, as long as you’re feeling up to it. Drew said that he’d pick us up, but I can’t do it at my place. Can he pick us up here?”

“Um, yeah.” Rayne licks some cupcake frosting from her fingers. “Hurry up! If we’re going backstage at Portia Martin’s show, we have to start getting ready now.”

“So I’m forgiven?”

Rayne smiles at me. “There was never any question. You don’t have to resort to bribery. Although I have to say, I kind of like it when you do.”

I’m trying not to be impressed, I really am. When Drew came to get us in a Mercedes so new it still had the dealer tags on it, I tried to pretend like it was no big deal, even when Rayne leaned over and whispered to me that he was possibly the most beautiful man she’d ever seen in real life. When we were ushered into the very back of the Arena and straight into Portia’s dressing room, I acted like I did this kind of thing every day. Even when Portia leaped up off the couch and gave us all big hugs, I shrugged it off like I was just visiting a friend at her house. But now, standing just a few feet off the main stage, watching Portia up front with the lights beating down and thousands of fans screaming at her feet, I know my smile has pretty much taken over my face.