Page 4 of Property of Scythe
“How’s the apartment? Do you like it?”
“It’s much nicer than I first realized. The pictures don’t do it justice. The windows are long panes that let in a ton of light, and the kitchen is fabulous, Mel. It’s got shaker-style cabinets and granite countertops. All the appliances are stainless steel. I’m thrilled.”
“I’m so glad. You worried it would be too country instead of modern.”
“I know,” I laugh. “It’s quiet and pretty here. You can actually see the stars outside my window, and they’re twinkling so close it feels like I can reach out and touch them from my balcony.”
The balcony was another feature of the apartment that I loved, in addition to the rainfall showerhead in the bathroom. I was going to love living here. I could feel it.
“I’m so jealous. Maybe I need to move out of the city.”
My sister lived in L.A. She thrived in that environment. She’d always been an extrovert.
“You love it there and you know it.”
“I really do,” she agreed with a giggle.
“I can’t believe I’m here, Mel.”
“You doing okay?” Her tone softens, and she doesn’t have to say why she’s checking in. Mel and my father have been there for me the most through this transition. I’m closest to them, although I also have a great relationship with my mother. I’m blessed.
“Yeah. A little tired.”
“That’s to be expected after such a long trip.”
True.
“What about the biker?” she asks, conjuring him in my mind with her question.
Since my attack, I’ve been having nightmares and strange recurring dreams. In particular, there’s a guy dressed in a black leather vest who rides a Harley. He’s handsome, covered in dark tattoos, tall, and imposing with a smile that nearly makes my girly bits ache. I don’t know why I keep seeing him, but after I accepted this job, he began entering my dreams almost every night.
“I still see him.”
“That’s so strange, but it’s super hot.”
I laugh. “He’s not real.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe fate is pushing you toward him or something.”
“This isn’t Harry Potter, Mel. There’s no magic or love potion to help me find the perfect man.”
She snorts at my comments. “Lottie, you and I both know things happen in real life that can’t be explained. Don’t you remember Will?”
Will. The boy who followed us around all summer when I was twelve and my sister was thirteen. He seemed strange but nice. Then one weekend when we went to the beach and my sister nearly drowned, Will saved her life.
The weird part? He told us afterward he knew he needed to watch us because something was going to happen to Mel, and he had to be the one to help her. After that summer, Will moved away. We never heard from him again, but we never forgot him.
“That was different,” I point out. “We were kids. Accidents happen.”
“Lottie, I would have died if he hadn’t been there.”
Maybe. “We don’t know that.”
She sighs. “I think this mysterious biker is important somehow. You’re seeing him for a reason.”
“I still don’t think he’s real.”
“What about the orgasms?”
