Chapter 7: Surprise

As I stepped out onto the sidewalk, back into the heavy heat, my phone started ringing. Completely lost in my happy thoughts, the sudden sound made me jump. My phone flew out of my hand, spiralling through the air before landing on the concrete sidewalk with a sharp smack. I quickly stooped it pick it up—cringing when I flipped it over and saw that several more cracks had spidered out across the glass front—and saw Luc's face staring up at me from the screen; he was calling me.

My cheerful mood took a sharp dive. The time above his name told me that it was not yet noon, too early for him to be calling to meet up, and I knew exactly what that meant.

He was going to cancel.

Again.

Something had come up, he would say, some client that just couldn't be ignored...

I swiped to accept the call, bracing myself for bad news. "Hello?"

"Hey," came Luc's voice from the other side. Just hearing it sent a pang of loneliness through me; the little space I had left for hope now stung like a open wound. "How'd your job search go?"

"Really well, actually," I said, trying to recapture my earlier excitement, but knowing what was coming had sapped most of it away. "I... I actually managed to find something. I think."

"You did?" For some reason, he sounded strangely... disappointed.

"Yeah, I did," I replied, my brow folding together as I wondered why that might be. "I mean, it's not much, but at least it's something. It's—"

Luc cut me off. "You can tell me all about it when you see me. I'm waiting for you back at the car."

"You're... You're waiting for me?" I echoed, so surprised that I almost dropped my phone for a second time.

"That was the plan, right? To meet back here?" he said. "Or do you still need some time?"

"No, no, I'm—" I squeezed my eyes shut hard to try and shake off my shock, suddenly feeling guilty for doubting him. "I'm on my way back right now."

"Great! I'll see you soon, then."

"See you soon," I muttered back. I watched as the call ended and my shattered screen went black, reflecting my own face back at me in disjointed facets. My mouth hung slightly open, and I kept blinking. I could barely believe it.

Luc had actually kept his promise.

+ + +

When I reached the car, Luc was there, right where he said he'd be, leaning against the passenger door. His face lit up when he caught sight of me.

"Hello there," he said as I approached, pushing off from the car so he was towering over me. A huge smile spread wide across his face. "Long time no see."

"Hey," I replied, letting him lean in and plant a small kiss on my lips. As he drew back, I realized we were alone; his loyal lapdog was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Tory?"

"I sent him home," he said, his eyes locked on mine. "The surprise is just for you."

My heart fluttered wildly inside my chest; it never could take it when he looked at me like that, like I was something lost and then found. It had been a while since he had looked at me like that. I had missed it.

My own smile crept back in. "So, then, what's the surprise?"

He hooked his arm around my shoulders, and angled me so we were both looking at the now-familiar building. The narrow little storefront was exactly same as it had been the day before. Or... was it? Something was off, some tweak between my memory of it and how it looked now.

Then I realized: the faded 'FOR RENT' sign was missing from the store's grimy window.

It all clicked together in my head. I looked to Luc for confirmation.

He gave me a little wink as he pulled me towards the building. I watched as he produced an simple silver key from his pocket and unlocked the shop's glass-fronted door.

"It's yours, then?" I said as he pushed the door open and stepped aside to let me pass. "For real?"

"It is," he said, a strange spark in his eyes. "Mostly."

My gaze bounced around the room as I took my first careful steps inside, the hardwood floor creaking beneath my feet.

Now that I wasn't peering at it through the dirty window, the place didn't look that bad. Sure it was a little small, but if he replaced the suffocating burgundy of the walls with something lighter, it wouldn't be so bad.

I crossed the room, heading for the ceiling-high shelves that dominated the far wall except for a narrow archway tucked to one side. I dragged a finger across the lowest tier and it came away thick with dust. Obviously this place had been neglected for a while, but it was nothing that a good clean and polish—and some fresh paint—couldn't fix.

"Wow," I breathed, then coughed on the dust in the air.

"It's perfect isn't it?" he said, still smiling like a maniac. "Now I know what that feeling yesterday was. It wasn't about your coffee shop interview, it was about this place." He stepped further into the room, and swung his arms wide. "I was being led here."

I just watched him. There was a sharp pang low in my stomach as I realized: despite what he had said, Luc's surprise hadn't been for me... It had been something for him. As always, his work came first.

I forced my gaze to the floor; I suddenly felt like I might cry.

Luc must've sensed something, because he came close, hooked his finger under my chin, and pulled my face up. His smile was more subdued. "I'm sorry, you know," he said softly. "About yesterday, about your interview... I didn't mean to give you false hope."

"It's okay," I said, but the waver in my voice betrayed me.

His fingers trailed from my chin, to my cheek. "I was hoping to make it up to you..."

"You were?"

But just as my hope rose up again, his smile faded.

"I was going to offer you a job."

I stared at him. "A job?"

He nodded. "There's lots of work to be done here, and not enough people to do it. I thought I could've paid you to help out, but now that you found a job..." He shrugged. "I'll figure something else out."

Oh. So that's why he had sounded disappointed on the phone. I felt another surge of guilt for doubting him again; he had been thinking of me. "It's only part time," I quickly explained. "So, I've still got time to help."

He blinked at me. "You do?"

I grabbed his hand. "I do. Work is work and the more work, the better. And if it means spending more time with you, then that's a bonus."

His smile returned. "Then the job is yours," he said. "Welcome aboard." He leaned down and kissed me deeply, looping his arm around my waist to pull me closer.

When he pulled away, my whole body felt like it was on fire. "I hope you don't have any rules about employees sleeping with the boss."

Luc's smile turned devilish. "Of course not. How else do you think I convinced Tory to work for me?"

I smacked his arm.

He laughed. "Kidding! Kidding!"

"You're such a weirdo, but you're my weirdo," I giggled, raising myself to my tip-toes to give him another kiss. "And thank you for the surprise, even if I ruined it by getting a job first." I kissed him again. Maybe now that we had the afternoon free, we could head back to Polly's...

"That wasn't the surprise," he said between kisses.

I paused, and pulled back. "Huh? But you said—"

"If you recall, I didn't say anything."

I retraced my memory of ten minutes before, and found he was right. "Well, then, what is the surprise?"

The mischievous flame relit in his eye; he took my wrist and pulled me with him as he headed through the archway.

Beyond was a small landing, forking out three separate ways: the first was the sturdy metal door against the back wall, locked in place with a bolt; the second was another archway, half covered by a threadbare curtain that led into some kind of dimly-lit storage area; the third was a narrow set of steep stairs that led up.

"Go on," Luc said, nudging me towards the stairs.

Confused, I did as he said, taking the old stairs cautiously at first, then with more confidence once I felt their sturdiness. I quickly reached the top, only to be stopped by another door, with another deadbolt.

Luc was just behind me. "It's not locked."

I took the handle and twisted it; he was right, it was open. I pushed it aside, and walked through... into an apartment.

From what I could tell, it spanned the entire upper floor, though that didn't amount to much. At least it was clean; in fact, it looked like it had recently been renovated. The minuscule kitchen to my right—complete with a tiny stove and narrow fridge—had new cabinets, quartz countertops, and a glass tile backsplash. The two little windows on the far wall had new trim, though their curtains were faded. I wandered around the little corner, and found open doors leading to a tiny bedroom with barely enough space for a bed and a equally tiny bathroom all redone in white tile.

"What the...?" I mumbled, spinning around in place, not quite sure what to make of it.

"Like it?" Luc asked as he followed me into the space.

"I do," I said, breathlessly. "It's nice. Really nice."

"Good," he said. "Because it's yours."

I stopped turning to look at him, but my head kept spinning. "What?"

"It's yours, Rachel," he said. "If you want it."

An chill crawled up my spine as the scene played out in my head: he wanted me to move in here, because he needed space. He wasn't going to break up with me, he was too nice for that, but he might as well. Everyone knew "space" was the death rattle of any relationship.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure until he actually came right out and said it, but it was like watching the approach of a train while I was tied to the rails.

"What are you talking about?" I said, my voice small.

The smile that had been plastered across his face faltered again. "How do I start?" He rubbed at the back of his neck, like he was trying to figure it out. "Things have been difficult these past few months, especially for you. You haven't been happy. And with everything you've gone through, it's not surprising that you've had a hard time... adjusting."

I nodded along as he spoke. I knew exactly what he meant by that—a hard time adjusting; he meant my hallucinations of those girls. But where was he going with this?

"The thing is," he continued. "I think that it might be because you've been living in Polly's house, living in Lillian's shadow, in a place where so much has happened, somewhere with so many bad memories." He paused for a moment to look around.

I tensed as Luc continued, completely unaware of the meltdown that was occurring inside my head.

"When the landlord showed me this apartment, I knew then that this was what you needed. A place to get away from everything in our past." His eyes locked on mine. "I know we were kind of thrown together, in many ways. You were drawn into my curse, then trapped in my apartment, forced to fight a monster... And then after all that we were forced to live together at Polly's."

I just stared at him, waiting for the impact. Tears began prickling in my eyes.

"Sometimes I worry that you've never really gotten a choice of where you ended up," he said, his voice soft, his eyes intense. "But I want to give you that choice, Rachel. So... w-would you move in here with me? For real, this time?"

Wait. The runaway train screeched to a halt. What did he say? With him? The train had now derailed, shooting sparks around inside my skull.

"Move in... with... you?" I sputtered.

The light in his eyes wavered as his gaze fell. "I completely understand if you don't want to. I am more than happy to stay at Polly's if you need some space—"

"Of course I want to!" I barely remembered forming the thought before it burst out of my mouth.

His gloom broke into a bright smile, like the sun coming out from behind a dark rain cloud. "Really?"

I took a deep breath, just to buy myself one last moment of thought. We hadn't even been together for a year; this was pretty fast, by all accounts. But I wanted this.

Didn't I?

No, of course I did. I wanted Luc. I couldn't even imagine wanting anyone else...

"Really," I answered finally. I crossed the distance between us and threw myself into his arms.

Caught off guard, he staggered, then we tumbled over. But he didn't let me go. He rolled so he was hovering over me, and pinned me to the floor with kisses. I wound my fingers into his hair. Then we lost ourselves in each other as we made the apartment our own.

+ + +

What do you think of Luc's offer? Do you think it will help Rachel?

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