Page 9 of Now You See Me
“Cow brains,” Atticus says. “Roan and Mel whip them with cinnamon to make a topping for my drinks. It’s delicious. High in protein and ketogenic-diet friendly, too. Totally safe for human consumption.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She gives Atticus a friendly smile before turning back to Melinda. “I apologize for disturbing your workday. Can you keep my visit a secret? Roan’s not expecting me, and I really want to surprise him with a face-to-face meeting.”
“That’s going to be one heck of a surprise.” Mel flashes her rodent-like incisors in an unusual yet unmistakable smile.
The color drains from the smooth areas of Elise’s face, and every part of her expression turns down. She hurries toward the front door without another word.
“I’ll be back,” I whisper to Mel as I pass. Tailing Elise borders on creepy, but I am a monster, after all. I need to know where she’s going. More than that, I need to know she’s okay.
She walks at a brisk clip, glancing around before ducking into the nearest alley. Alone in the semi-dark, she presses her back to the brick wall and sobs. “I shouldn’t have come here.Of coursehe’ll be surprised by my face. Surprised and repulsed.”
Fuck. I have two options here—be a monster or be a man. And I can’t be a man without revealing my monstrous truth—and potentially losing her forever.
“Don’t cry,” I say, because manning up is the only choice.
Her body stiffens as she scans what appears to be an empty alley. “Roan?”
“I’m here.”
“Where? I don’t see anyone, or… any creatures.” She pushes off the wall, narrowing her gaze and inspecting every inch of the visible space. “Are you a chameleon? Am I looking right at you?” She gasps before I can answer, hiding behind her hands. “It’s too late, isn’t it? You’ve already seen my face.”
Instinct screams within me. To get rid of the distance between us, pull her hands from her face, and kiss her until it’s impossible for her to think anything other than the truth. I can’t do any of those things. I can only tell her. “Your face is beautiful.”
“You don’t have to lie, Roan. I’m not foolish enough to believe it anyway. I see myself in the mirror every day.”
“I don’t.” There’s no way to avoid the truth now. Might as well get it out and over with. “I haven’t had a reflection for twenty years.”
She spreads her fingers enough that I can see her wide eyes. “Are you a vampire? I’m assuming vampires are real, based on everything I’ve seen since I arrived in town.”
“There are vampires here, but I’m not one. I wish I were.”
“Why would you wish that?”
“If I were a vampire, or anything other than what I am, you’d be able to see me. And I’d be able to touch you. Hold you. Kiss you.”
She lowers her hands, giving me a view of her entire face and the sorrowful expression playing across it. “Are you a ghost?”
“No,” I say with a grunt. “I’m still alive, just invisible.”
She pushes away from the wall, moving closer, despite being unable to see me. “Then why can’t you touch me?”
“Why would you want me to? I’m a freak who can never give you a normal relationship or fulfilling life.”
“You’re wrong. I’ve been happier in the last six months than I have been in years.” She steps closer, her gaze searching for some hint of me that I know she’ll never find. “Were all those conversations and intimate moments we shared real or an illusion?”
One lie is all it’ll take to break her heart and send her back to her life. It’s the best thing I could do for her. “They were real. All of them.”
She’s close enough for me to smell her light floral scent. Like a fool, I inhale deeply. Audibly.
Her pretty eyes open wide, and she reaches for the source of the sound—my face.
Either I’m too slow, or too selfish, because her fingers graze my cheek. A fleeting touch I shouldn’t have allowed to happen.
“I can’t be with you,” I say, moving away. “I’m a monster, Elise. Go home. Forget me and this place. Live a normal life.”
A bitter laugh rises from her lips. “I told you what mynormallife was like. The staring, the comments, the loneliness.Iwas the monster. I’ve been in this town less than twenty-four hours and I feel more at home than I have in a decade. At the motel, the grocery story, walking down the street—nobody cares about my face. I’m normal here. I understand if you don’t want to be with me now that you’ve seen me. Lucky Beans is your place and I won’t go back there, but I’ve decided to move to Screaming Woods.”
I’m still processing her words as she turns and heads out of the alley. She knows what I am and doesn’t care. This should be the happiest moment of my life, only it can’t be. Even though she’s here to stay, I can’t be with her. Not the way she deserves.
