Into the Aether_Part One(16)

“Can I get you anything else?” asked the bartender, placing the ginger ale and tea on the table, his gaze firmly on Emily.

“No, thank you,” Aaron replied. The bartender looked at Aaron as if noticing him for the first time and nodded.

“Emily, are you feeling okay? I know you’ve been through a… well, a traumatic experience, but you seem almost... happy,” he said clumsily, taking a sip of his soft drink.

“Why shouldn't I be happy?” she asked, ripping open the pouch and dropping the tea bag into her cup. “I was almost assaulted and you saved me. I have two ways of dealing with this. One, I can either focus on what happened and live in fear of walking alone in the city...” She trailed off as she started to pour hot water into her cup from a small silver pot.

“Or?”

“Or I could see that a perfect stranger helped another stranger. A good Samaritan. There are still some good men in this world.”

Was she in shock or was she simply a bit off to begin with? The familiar headache started at the back of Aaron’s head. Something did not feel quite right. First I think there’s something weird with August, and now this. He gently massaged the back of his neck. A pained expression crossed his face, and Emily opened her mouth to speak again.

“I’m fine,” he stated, holding up his hand in front of him. She took a sip of her tea.

He sat back in his chair, his mind lethargic and fuzzy. If only this headache would go away. He thought again of the Advil in his suitcase.

She bent forward slightly, causing his jacket to fall open, and an ample amount of cleavage lay exposed. He glanced at her, feeling a bumbling fool. Emily looked out the window again. He got the impression she was pretending not to notice his awkwardness. The thought again came to him of what had just happened to her. I can't take advantage of this, or I'd be no better than that guy in the alley.

“Are you from around here?” he asked, trying to fill the silence.

“I’m from Thunder Bay, it’s right on Lake Superior. I came here about two years ago,” she replied.

“Why the move?” Aaron asked.

“Well, I came here to be a graphic artist. I landed a job when I first arrived with a media company that owns several newspapers.” She took another sip of tea. “About a month ago, I was laid off. Tonight, I was going to go out and try to have fun, but Will, my now ex, didn’t like the idea. We got into a fight, and well, here I am!” She shrugged in an exaggerated manner.

Well, that's understating things, Aaron thought, recalling the size of the brute and the glinting object he had in his hand.

“Enough about me. Why are you here? Sightseeing, business, meeting with a lady friend?” she said with a flirtatious smile. Aaron laughed.

“No, no lady friends. As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a bit awkward around women,” he confessed.

“No, not you!” she said in mock surprise.

He gave a half smile, which quickly faded. “I’m here for a memorial. A friend of mine passed away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she replied. “What was his name?”

“Jordan.”

Emily gave him an understanding expression, and placed her hand on his. The headache in the back of Aaron’s head exploded into a torrent of pain and light. His hands immediately shot to his skull, and the sensation subsided to a low nagging while his vision returned. He sat there, blinking at Emily, who for the briefest of moments had looked completely different. Aaron could have sworn that, instead of the beautiful young woman , a disfigured creature with green, gnarled skin and opaque red eyes had sat in front of him.

“Aaron?” she asked, concern in her voice.

His breath was ragged and he had broken into a sweat. She sat there staring at him, continuing to hold that worried expression. He looked at her closely, studying her features. The fuzziness he felt earlier was gone.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He sat there for a moment before giving his head a little shake. “Nothing. I must be more tired than I thought,” he said, taking a final gulp of his ginger ale. Emily nodded in acknowledgement.

“Aaron, I have something to confess,” she said, not quite meeting his gaze.

“Oh?”

“I don’t really feel comfortable going home alone tonight.” She looked up at him, gently nibbling her lower lip.

“Is there someone we can call, then, to pick you up?” he asked indifferently. Emily seemed taken aback, but continued to look at him, her alluring expression returning.

The odd ozone smell returned to Aaron’s nostrils as he felt a wave of heat overtake him and his mind again grew foggy.

Emily slid Aaron’s coat off her shoulders. It looked to him as if she were moving in slow motion. He couldn’t help but notice her body, the exposed skin practically glowing beneath the remnants of her dress. Aaron glanced over and found the bartender unabashedly staring at her as well.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go home with me tonight?” she asked.

Aaron was finding it difficult to form words. “I think... I should just go to my... room,” he responded stiltedly.

“Why don’t I come too?” she asked in a low voice.

He tried standing up, but the room started to spin around him. He placed his hand on the table to steady himself. “Have I been drugged?” Aaron asked out loud. He had meant to think it, but somehow it just came out.