Z Day -4,615

  [You went back and looked to see if this number was right, didn’t you? -Rhiannon]

  JAMES

  Several months of on-and-off dating passed, and then it was summer break. I had taken Shae out to meet my father, and we'd had a nice visit.

  My father lived out in the country, away from the city lights, where you could still see the stars. That night Shae and I had been laying on the hood of her car and watching the twinkling night sky. We’d come to be able to enjoy just be close to one another without having to say anything. It was something I’d come to love. When we’d first met, I felt I had to fill every silence, even if I wasn’t the talkative one. Now, we could sit together and enjoy the silence.

  I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on my elbow. I reached over and turned her face to me. “Um…” I started.

  “Hmmm?” Shae looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

  “I…I think I’m falling in love with you.” it was just something that tumbled out of my head. It wasn’t planned; it was completely spontaneous. But as soon as I said it, I knew it was true. I just couldn't believe I'd said it aloud.

  She searched my eyes for a long time before speaking. “You have no idea how that makes me feel, James.”

  I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw her eyes well up just a little. I’d never seen her cry, not even when she’d been knocked down playing Boffguard and ripped her shoulder open on a tree root. The whole time, not one peep, not a tear, nothing.

  After that, we kissed for a long while, and she held me close until we were both still.

  “I do love you,” she said, sounding as if trying to convince herself.

  I almost missed her words; she said them so gently. When I looked at her, she was staring at the stars again; this time, there were tears in her eyes.

  I'd been surprised when she'd showed up at my doorstep the following morning to pick me up.

  “So where is it that we’re going?” I asked, looking out the car window at the Barton Creek Greenbelt. “It’s not another summit meeting, is it?” I still remember the last time she took me to the greenbelt. Aside from meeting Malik, I didn’t enjoy it much. It was daytime, though, so I doubted it.

  “No, silly,” she reached over and patted my leg, sending my pulse through the roof. Her hand was unusually warm, even through my jean shorts. “I told you, it’s a surprise. Now, just sit there like a good boy and be still,” she grinned at me evilly.

  Ever since I’d made one little cradle-robbing joke, she’d been relentlessly calling me “boy.” We drove a few minutes before turning onto a dirt road with a metal arm bar marked “Private Property – NO TRESPASSING.” She got out and opened the bar, closing it after we passed through.

  The road wound through the forest until another fence appeared, this time with a guard shack. A younger-looking man stepped out wearing black shorts and a short-sleeved khaki shirt. He wore dark sunglasses and a grim expression.

  Shae slowed momentarily before the gate swung open for her, and the guard stepped back into the shack.

  “Is he still away?” Shae had rolled her window down and slowed as she approached the guard. As the guard nodded, she added, “Is the grotto available? Thanks,” she said at his second nod and drove on.

  “Does it talk?” I asked once we were out of earshot.

  “Most are told not to,” she said.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “This is a…safe place. I wanted to bring you somewhere we could relax in private.”

  “In private?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly.

  Her devilish grin was her only response.

  The things in my stomach weren’t butterflies. Whatever they were, they were a lot heavier…and they wore combat boots. While I’d grown comfortable in Shae’s company over the past few months, she was still a woman, a creature I had little experience with. To say she could still make me nervous was an understatement.

  The forest thickened, creating a canopy above the road at this point. I’d never been anywhere in Austin where trees were this thick. The road ended a few minutes later at a small building. She parked, and we made our way into the building. All the building housed was a large metal stairwell down into darkness.

  Seeing the look on my face, she grabbed my hand and tugged, “Come on fraidy cat.”

  “Sorry,” I apologized, “but it looks like the stairwell in that Aliens movie.”

  “I promise,” she made a small crossing her heart motion. “There are no slimy bug monsters down there. As a matter of fact, you might not want to come back once you see what’s waiting for you.”

  Her grin made my heart do this weird double-beat thing, causing me to cough. She just patted me on the back and pulled me down the stairs. We went down a few stories before coming out onto a concrete pad with a single door.

  “Ready?” Shae still had the same grin on her face as before. She reminded me of a child on Christmas morning getting ready to go downstairs for presents. She pulled the door open, and I gasped.

  The room beyond was massive, easily the size of a football field. The walls were smooth rock, curving around the room and sloping into the domed roof. The roof seemed made of segmented glass, and I could see the sunlight coming through the trees above us. The room's floor was an uneven stone worn smooth from time.

  As we walked towards the center of the room a large opening in the floor became visible. Sunlight was streaming down on it from above. Other smaller openings began to appear in the floor the closer to the center we came. The bottom of each opening was dark, the sunlight not reaching all the way down.

  “No monsters, huh?” I eyed the seemingly bottomless pits.

  “Hush,” she said, her voice bubbling with excitement.

  As we neared the center ledge, I realized how warm it was in the room. With the entire room seeming carved from solid rock, it should be teeth-chattering cold. Instead, sweat was starting to roll down the center of my back.

  My eyes bulged as we arrived at the center of the room. Below us was a series of tiered ledges that ran around the rim of the hole all the way down to a large pool of water. The edges of the pool were a clear green that slowly changed to a deep sapphire blue the closer to the center it got. The pool's center appeared to go straight down into darkness.

  “Wow!” I managed, my mouth open. The sound of shoes being dropped made me turn. Shae was pulling off her clothes.

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I’ve never seen anything like this outside of Europe,” she continued, pulling off her socks.

  “Uh…” I swallowed, “what are you doing?”

  “Going swimming silly, what else?” she said.

  “You didn’t say we were going swimming. I don’t have a suit,” I said cautiously.

  She paused long enough to look up at me, “Neither do I,” she said and pulled off her shirt.

  I gulped and looked away from her.

  “You’ve seen me naked before,” she said in exasperation.

  “Yeah, in the dark,” I countered.

  “Well, you’re missing the show,” she teased.

  I glanced out of the corner of my eye just as she started pulling down her shorts. I think she’d planned it that way as I quickly looked away again, my face on fire.

  The next thing I heard was bare feet slapping on the stone floor, followed by a grunt of effort. I glanced to my left just in time to see her clear the ledge in a swan dive. The water had to be at least 10 meters below us. Add to the fact she had to clear the ledges below that moved closer to the center as you went down. I couldn’t believe it as she hit the pool's center perfectly.

  As the splash subsided, I realized my mouth was hanging open and closed it.

  She came to the surface, her hair slicked back. “Come on.” She motioned to the side of the inner wall, “There’s a walkway down if you are afraid to jump.”

  “Afraid to jump? Are you kidding me? How’d you do that?” I gawked.

  I could barely make out her shrug in the water far below. I started down the long staircase, spiraling along the edge of the wall. When I finally reached the bottom, I found a pristine sand beach leading to the pool. “What is this place?” I marveled.

  “It’s owned by one of the local corporations and is a retreat for their VIPs.” She glanced at me while treading water. “Now quit stalling.” She smiled as I gulped, then rolled her eyes and turned around. “Fine,” she muttered.

  Taking my shoes and socks off, I gasped as my feet touched the sand. The sand was warm, as if the sun had been beating down on it all day. As the sand cradled my feet, its warmth radiated up my legs. Now I knew why the room was so warm; it was a giant heated rock.

  “The whole place is like that.” She didn’t turn around. “They put heating coils in and under everything. It’s nice for when the weather turns cold,” she said. “You might have noticed the ceiling.”

  I was pretty sure she was talking to give me time to get my nerves up. I got my clothes off in record time and was almost to the water when I saw her head turn. I jumped.

  The water hit me like a fist. The icy cold shocked my body, causing me to shake uncontrollably. It hurt so bad I couldn’t even yell; it felt like my chest was imploding.

  “Oh, did I forget to mention it’s a spring-fed pool?” she smiled evilly.

  I tried to cuss but still couldn’t speak; instead, I pointed at her and made rude gestures.

  “If it’s too cold, you can always get out,” her eyes flashed, her mouth in a crooked grin. “But this time, I’ll watch.”

  I was too cold to keep being angry.

  She swam closer to me, and suddenly, the cold wasn’t so bad. Her hands reached out and lightly touched my face. Her hand felt like fire compared to the water; it was exquisite.

  “Better?” she said after a minute.

  I nodded, teeth chattering.

  “Just keep moving; you’ll get used to it,” she said softly, her hand caressing my neck and pulling me to her. She wrapped her arms around me and seemed to be able to keep us both afloat with just her legs. Her body felt like it was a hot coal. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was running a fever.

  When her lips touched mine, it was as if fire exploded in my chest and quickly spread to the rest of my body. I could feel her hand still on my neck and another on my back, holding me tightly to her. That wasn’t all I could feel of her body as mine responded in kind. I don’t know how long our mouths danced, but the need for air eventually caused me to break away.

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  “Wow,” I gasped.

  “Mmmm hmmm,” she said, her voice husky. “How long can you hold your breath?” her eyes twinkled, causing my heart to do another of those double-beat things.

  “I don’t know, I don’t swim all that often,” I said honestly.

  “Hmmm,” she nodded. “Thought so, stay right here.” And she was gone.

  The water’s cold suddenly raced into the place where her body had been, and I sank beneath the surface. I quickly started treading water and sputtered to the surface as I could see her pale form retreating into the darkness below. My mind was racing as I suddenly found myself alone in this massive room that was as quiet as a tomb. This time, a shudder went through me that wasn’t due to the water’s temperature. I felt something brush against my leg and jumped as she surfaced beside me.

  “Got it!” she said triumphantly. “Here,” she held out a small canister with a face mask attached to it. Seeing my confusion, “It's canned air. The maintenance guys keep some down here, just in case.”

  “But, where...” I started.

  “It's a surprise,” she scolded me.

  I shuddered at the thought of another surprise but listened to her as she showed me how to use the mask. The place she wanted to go was apparently a ways underwater.

  “Now, the current under here can get strong, so just relax. I'll pull you along so you don't have to worry.” Seeing the anxiety in my eyes, she pecked me lightly on the lips, “Trust me.”

  “Won't you need a mask?” I asked.

  She shook her head and helped me put the mask on. The next thing I knew, she was pulling me deeper down into the darkness. I tried to relax and let her pull me like she said. All too quickly, I had no idea which way was up in the total darkness. I wondered how she knew where she was going. My breathing was so heavy it was starting to fog up the mask.

  I wasn't sure how long we were down there, but finally, we seemed to make a series of turns, and my head broke the surface of the water.

  “Hold still, I'm going to get out and turn on the lights, OK?” she said.

  I nodded, and she was gone. I floated in the darkness before I heard a click, and orange light began to hum to life. Another click and another heater hummed on. Soon, a small cave came into view. Before I knew it, I pulled the mask off and stared open-mouthed.

  “You like it?” She held her hand out to pull me from the water onto the small outcrop of rock. Several blankets and towels lined the ground around us. I couldn’t take my eyes off the walls and ceilings.

  “That is absolutely amazing. Is this pretty much just one giant...” I whispered, faltering, unable to think of the word.

  “Geode? Yup, pretty much. I found it while exploring this cave system. The entire hill country around here is riddled with small caves. I'd been waiting for the aquifer to be low enough for this room to be open,” she was toweling off her hair while explaining.

  I was still sitting and staring when she draped a towel over my shoulders. I hadn't realized I'd started shaking again. The battery-powered heaters were warming the small room quickly, but I was still wet and started to shiver. When she leaned against my back and kissed me on the neck, I stopped shivering and started sweating. The feeling of her bare skin against mine caused me to shudder.

  “Do you know why I brought you here?” her voice was low and throaty in my ear.

  I shook my head, “Geology lesson?”

  She smiled, her lips to my throat, “No.”

  Her breath caused goose bumps to crawl across my flesh.

  “You and I,” she kissed my shoulder, pulling the towel to the side. “We’ve done a few things,” she kissed my shoulder blade, running the towel across my chest. “But there's one thing we haven't tried.” She returned to kissing my neck, “And now I want that.”

  Her hand slid under my arm and to my chest.

  I sat in stunned silence as my brain ran in circles like a Muppet whose head was on fire.

  “I haven't in a long while.” Her bare body pressed against mine. “I haven't wanted to.” She kissed the back of my ear as her arms snaked around me. “But I want to, with you.”

  My mind was reeling. I was in sensory overload from everything going on. I pushed everything to the back of my mind and focused on her touch, her breath, her words. “I've,” I sucked in a shallow breath, “I've never...”

  “Shhhh...” she soothed, her nose nuzzling my ear.

  The heaters were working overtime, and the room was getting hot.

  “I,” I was kicking myself for it, but I had to ask because it had been bugging me since that first day in the cafeteria. “Why me?” I could feel her chuckle against me, all too aware of her breasts pressing against my back.

  Her breath was in my ear. “You have no idea how special you are to me.” She kissed the other side of my neck. “I've never found someone quite like you. I never thought I could.” Her lips brushed my ear, her hand sliding down my chest, sending a jolt through my body. “And I've decided not to let go,” her hand pulled my head to the side and kissed me deeply.

  She pulled me around and pushed me down as she pressed her body atop mine. I was on fire. I kept waiting for steam to spill out from between us. My blood was pounding in my ears, and my body was already on a razor's edge. To try and calm myself down, I switched places with her and started paying attention to her. I kissed down her neck, biting gently as she giggled. But the giggling stopped as my mouth slid lower. I nipped and teased while my hand explored lower before my mouth followed.

  I took my time. She guided me with gentle directions, helping to bring her to the edge and over. As she lay there panting, I slid up atop her. When her eyes opened again, she kissed me deeply. We seemed to mesh perfectly.

  I'd been worried about lasting, but I was so nervous it seemed to keep me in check. Looking down at her beneath me, I couldn't imagine what I'd done in a previous life to deserve her. Maybe save the world from a secret alien invasion or something. All I knew was there was no other place in the universe I wanted to be other than right here, right now.

  Sometime later, we lie beside each other. Sweat was pouring down my body as I snuggled beside her and tried to calm my racing heart. She smiled at me and closed her eyes. I then realized I was lying next to a beautiful woman...a naked, beautiful woman. I reached out, the back of my fingers tracing down her jaw, causing her to smile. I didn't stop, my hands sliding down her neck to her chest. When she didn't stop me, I took my time. There was nothing hurried or frantic, just exploring.

  “Enjoying yourself?” she asked, her eyes still closed.

  “You have no idea,” I said honestly.

  “I think I do,” she smiled.

  As we continued to “play,” I realized we'd never been like this before. Usually, when we’d been together, it was hurried or frantic. This time, it was almost calm…even if we were naked, lying in a cave lit by space heaters. Something occurred to me then. “How long have you been setting this up?”

  The look on her face reminded me of a young girl, sheepish and caught in the act. She rolled onto her side to look at me. Her hand reached out and stroked my face softly. “You, sir, were worth the wait,” she said softly.

  I shook my head sheepishly.

  “Why don't you believe me when I say good things about you?” she propped herself up on an elbow.

  “I don't know. It's just, you're so incredible, and I'm just...me,” I stuttered.

  She smacked me on the cheek a little harder than playful. “You saying I have terrible taste in men?”

  “I'm saying something might be wrong with your head,” I said.

  I hadn't seen her put her hand in the water, but she lifted it now and dripped icy water across my chest, causing me to gasp. She smiled, running her hand down my torso. “Why do you find it so hard to believe there might just be something amazing about you?”

  “Amazing?” I scoffed.

  “Yes, you eejit. Amazing. Do you know how many other girls think that as well?” Her nails ran down my arm, causing me to shudder.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes. “You really don't get it, do you?” She looked into my eyes. “Who damaged you? Who made you think you weren't worth anything?” She took my hand and brought it to her mouth, kissing my fingers. “You are special to me. I want you. I've never had anyone in my life who was half as precious to me as you are.” She looked at my stunned expression. “I love you, even if you are an eejit. And if you still don't believe that after today, then it's your head that's damaged,” and with that, she was on me.

  There was no soft, delicate love-making as before. This was pure and painfully passionate. There was an undercurrent of need, anxiety, and eventually acceptance. More was said with eyes than our mouths ever could.

  Sometime later, we were spooning in silence. My eyes burned, and my throat ached. I felt like I'd been through the wringer.

  “You tired?” she whispered over her shoulder.

  “Not really,” I tried.

  “Exhausted?” she grinned.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled honestly.

  “Good.” She pressed herself back into me more as I loosely draped my arm around her. “You believe me yet? That I really do love you?”

  “I'm starting to get the picture,” I whispered, pulling her tighter against me.

  “Good,” she smiled, feeling me stir slightly behind her. She could feel my breathing slowing and smiled. “I've worn you out.”

  “No, not even close,” I stifled a yawn, and she smirked. “Well, maybe a little,” I said.

  “Good, I was starting to think my feminine wiles were wearing off on you,” she said.

  “I don't think that could happen,” I said.

  “You saying you're not going to get tired of me?” she wiggled suggestively.

  “Don't think that's possible, luv,” I said, kissing her ear.

  She smiled.

  We made our way back sometime later. She'd have to go back for all the gear she'd left behind, but there was enough time for that later. When we were back in the main chamber, she convinced me to lie out with her on the warm rocks for a while.

  I had to admit, it did feel good. I was uncomfortable with my nudity, especially in such a “public” place. But true to her word, we weren't disturbed.

  She lay on her stomach beside me while I was propped up on my elbow. My free hand slowly ran a finger down her back and over the soft curve of her rear.

  “Did you know,” I started, emboldened by our recent amorous adventures, “that you have the most perfect behind?” This time, I ran my whole hand over the gentle swell of her rear, sending a shiver of delight up her spine.

  “Oh really? And you speak from what experience?” she teased.

  “I've spent exhaustive research on the admiration of the female form through various printed materials,” I said.

  “Exhaustive? Admiration? Is that what they're calling reading Playboy nowadays?” she said.

  “Oh, I don't read it. I admire the photography,” I said.

  She laughed, and I swatted her on the rear lightly. A slight gasp escaped her lips that I made a mental note of for later.

  “Come on, we should be getting back,” she sighed.

  I groaned as I let her help me to my feet.

  We walked back to the car sometime later, hand in hand, fully dressed now. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and I leaned over to smell her hair's fresh, clean scent. Flashbacks of the past several hours replayed in my mind, causing me not to notice when she suddenly stiffened against me.

  We were almost at the top of the stairs when it happened.

  “Don't say anything; just walk to the car,” Shae said seriously.

  “What—” I started, but she hissed at me to be silent and follow her directions.

  As we left the building, a new security guard stood in a full suit outside the door. Another stood next to a dark gray town car with windows tinted so dark I couldn't make out if anyone was inside. I guessed there was; otherwise, there wouldn't be a guard standing next to the car door.

  Shae practically pushed me towards her car at a quick march. We'd almost made it when the sound of the town car's door opening froze us in place with her hand on her door handle.

  “Shae!” a male voice called from the town car.

  I turned to see a tall man with long, black hair step out of the town car. He wore an expensive-looking three-piece suit that looked like he stepped off the page of GQ. It took me a minute to recognize him. He was the big shot in charge during the vampire LARP Shae had taken me to.

  Shae tried to push me into the car, but his voice cut her off.

  “And who is this?” his words froze her on the spot.

  After a moment, I felt Shae deflate and motion for us to turn around.

  “Ah, is this the tap boy that was so special you turned down all my offers?” the man said.

  Shae bristled but appeared to be keeping her temper in check. It was apparent she did not enjoy the company of this man.

  “Yes, Pagoda,” she started through clenched teeth, “he is.”

  When it was obvious she wouldn't say more, Pagoda gave me the once over with disdainful eyes. He took a single sniff and seemed to be dismissing me.

  Shae pushed me into the car.

  “Now, you won't forget about court this evening, will you? You know it’s a formal affair.” He glanced in my direction, “Fortunately, you will not need any help tonight.”

  “Of course, Pagoda, I wouldn't dream of missing a formal function of your court,” she said stiffly.

  He stared at her for one long moment, then sniffed again. “Yes, see that you don’t. Now run along; I have things to attend to,” and with that, he spun on his heel and retreated to his car.

  Shae watched from outside my car door as Pagoda drove back down the road. She acted almost like she was protecting me by putting herself between us.

  “Trouble?” I ventured.

  “He's pompous and arrogant but harmless as far as I can tell,” she said, not taking her eye off the road until the town car was out of sight.

  “Doesn't seem that way to me,” I said.

  “How so?” she asked when she was back in the car.

  “He’s definitely interested in you,” I said.

  “He wants to control everybody,” she shook her head and started the car.

  I wasn’t sure what was really going on. It was apparent that little scene had nothing to do with the LARP. Maybe Shae worked for him? I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t think she’d tell me if I asked, so I kept my mouth shut as we headed back toward civilization.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  SHAE

  “Shae?” Shelby’s voice was barely above a whisper as she cautiously stepped out on the patio behind her house.

  I was reclined in Shelby’s pool, arms resting on the top edges. It was late evening, and the house had been empty when I arrived. I wandered around in a daze before finally settling on relaxing in the pool until someone got home. A trail of my clothes led to the pool from the house.

  Shelby approached me as if I were a trapped animal about to bolt. She moved the empty mugs that were beside me and sat on the pool’s edge.

  I slowly looked up, my eyes having a hard time focusing on her. We stared at one another in silence for a moment.

  “Go away, Malik,” Shelby said, not looking away from me.

  “Got it,” Malik said and closed the door to the house.

  Shedding her clothes, Shelby slipped into the pool next to me. “Shae?” she tried again.

  “Oh, haigh Shelby,” I said slowly.

  “Are you OK?” Shelby stood beside me but was careful not to touch me.

  “Tá,” I slurred slightly. “Tá rudaí cineál doiléir.”

  “Yes, OK,” Shelby nodded. “I don’t speak Erse Shae, you know that.”

  “Hmm?” I said.

  “You’ve been drinking my spiked supply,” Shelby pointed at the dozen mugs beside me. “You always get like this when you drink.”

  I smiled and nodded.

  Shelby gently touched my cheek, “What’s going on sweetie?”

  “Oh! Yeah, rinne mé grá le James.”

  “English Shae. What about James?”

  “I took him to the grotto,” I said, closing my eyes.

  Shelby gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “You did? Really?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” I swayed in the water a little; it was nice. “Your pool is really nice.”

  “Thanks. When did you take James to the grotto?” Shelby asked.

  “Tar éis dó a rá go raibh grá aige dom,” I mumbled.

  “Engl—”

  “Then I told him I loved him.” There was a long silence. I opened my eyes to find Shelby staring at me in shock. “Cén fáth go bhfuil do shúile chomh mór?” I reached up and patted her cheek, “I mean, they’re pretty and all, but way too big.”

  “Shae,” Shelby said slowly. “Did you tell James you loved him?”

  “Mm-hmm,” I nodded.

  “And he said he loved you?”

  I nodded again.

  “And how does that make you feel?” Shelby said patiently as if talking to a small child.

  I grinned like an idiot.

  Shelby’s grin mirrored my own.

  Then she was hugging me. It was nice…she was warm.

  “Malik!” Shelby bellowed.

  “Yup?” he said, appearing at the back door.

  “Bring us booze, lots of booze and then get lost.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Malik obliged.

  Shelby turned back to me with an evil grin, “And you, my drunken sister, you’re gonna tell me everything.”