Midnight Cove

At first, I didn't see him. I didn't see anything but blossoms and stars. From the corner of my eye I caught a sliver of light and there in the garden did he appear. Through the pale moonlight stood a man too beautiful to exist, but impossible to ignore.

His presence set off no alarms, no warning bells in my brain. His countenance was warm and powerful. By any logic, I should have screamed and run at the sight of a strange man in the garden, but in all honesty, I was too overwhelmed by his good looks. He was the most devastatingly handsome man I had ever seen. His dark brown hair hung about his face in soft waving curls and the two most perfect looking lips turned up, with a half smirk revealing his dimpled cheeks. He had the resemblance of a Botticelli angel; he looked more god than man.

"Uh," came my witty response.

What was I supposed to say? I couldn't remember my name anymore. I was either having serious brain trauma after hitting my head for the second time today, or there was something very peculiar about this guy.

"Here, let me help you," he said and offered me his hand. Gladly, I took it.

"That's very kind of you," I said. I could still manage to be semi-polite, so maybe my brain wasn't too traumatized.

Standing, I was better able to take in his form. His perfect body looked as if he had been chiseled from stone. Exquisitely defined, his muscles bulged from beneath his skin. His beautifully shaped mouth and full lips slowly morphed into the most radiant smile, flashing all of his perfect, bone white teeth. His chocolate brown eyes glistened with a brightness too warm and loving to be possessed by any human I have ever met. I gravitated toward him, there was a pull on my heart and I began to struggle with all my might to look away and found that I could not. I was locked into my stance like a doe in the headlights.

"You are quite welcome," he said.

He spoke slowly, not like he was speaking to a child, but eloquently and in a profound way. Each word weighed, as though they had deep meaning. It was so out of place for such a young looking man.

A minute more passed before either of us said anything. I just stood in silence and stared at the marvelous face before me. I knew then, he was different from any person I had ever met before. I was clairvoyant about most things, especially people, and it kept me out of trouble often. I had a very funny feeling about this guy, but it wasn't anything familiar, the feeling was foreign. I was drawn to him.

He exuded power. Everything about him screamed pride and influence, he was obviously a very intimidating man. Rather than threatened, I felt a fire light up inside. A surge of heat rose up from between my legs and rushed over me. In an instant, I felt my whole face flush.

I couldn't stop the smile that crept over my lips. The embarrassment welled up inside again, allowing me respite from the awkward moment. I turned my head away and hid my shame. I felt his eyes on me, studying my reactions. He was probably wondering if I was insane, or idiotic. I had just fallen down in front of him, could manage to say no more than a few words, and then just stood there and gawked at him. He was the stranger, but I was the one that looked strange at the moment.

"Why are you here?" I said.

It was all I could manage to ask. I was eager to keep him there. He was such a curious stranger. The way I was acting had me recall that morning and the overly eager boy I had met on the bus. I hoped I hadn't come across that way, but I knew I probably had.

"Because I saw you fall." A soft smile played across his face.

"No," I said, hoping to clarify, "I mean, why are you in Terry's garden?"

I felt my stomach hit my feet. I was mortified. This gorgeous creature just stated the obvious. Was I really such a simpleton to him, or was he teasing me?

He turned to look away. The action caught me off guard, and I wondered if I had somehow offended him. I waited for any sign of irritation when he turned his attention back to me; however, he didn't seem upset. His mood still seemed light and airy, like he was slightly amused.

"I have been a visitor many times, especially as of late," he said. "Terry's garden is quite beautiful." Again, he looked away, but this time it was to glance at our exquisite surroundings.

"Yes, it is," I had to agree with him. I, too, looked around at the beautiful flora.

He was obviously a friend of Terry's. He was way too comfortable to be a threat. It was a bit humiliating that this thought hadn't occurred earlier. Terry knew tons of young people from surfing the local breaks and would often invite them over to hang out. He was really cool like that.

"Would you care to walk with me?" Gently, he offered his arm like a prom date, or someone that possibly fell out of a Jane Austen novel.

"I'd love to," I said, and without hesitation I took up his arm.

To say I had butterflies was definitely an understatement. I had a tingling sensation from head to foot. Slowly, we ambled under the tree canopy. Each time I inclined myself toward a flower he released his grip, allowing me to inspect them closer, and watched as I smelled the blossoms. Before I could take a single step backward he was there to gently take my hand again, replacing it in the nook of his arm we'd then continue on. We never spoke a word. I have no idea how long we walked in the garden that night; it felt like hours. We found ourselves at the foot of the staircase that led me back to my apartment. All of a sudden the time we spent together seemed so short, too short.

And then I noticed, he had this heartbreakingly apologetic look on his face. "I am so sorry," he said pausing. I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued without hesitation, "I never introduced myself. I'm Cove."

He released my hand and stood to his full height before slightly bowing. I was in awe, where did Terry replace this guy? He definitely had the name of a surfer, but certainly didn't have the habits or the lingo.

"And may I have your name?" he asked. His chivalry had me wondering if he worked as a reenactment soldier or something. He began smiling again and I realized I had again taken too long to respond.

"Bonnie," I said, "My name is Bonnie." I smiled. A huge grin spread across his face showing off his perfect teeth and exposing those dimples again.

"Thank you for providing me with the pleasure of your company this evening, Bonnie. I thoroughly enjoyed it," he said and began to turn to leave. Fear gripped me and I knew that I might not ever see him again.

"Will you come see me again?" I was unable to hide the desperation from my voice. The question surprised him. He cocked his head and turned to face me again. He pondered me for an infinitesimal amount of time before responding.

"Would you like me to come see you again?" I couldn't tell if he was just curious, or asking permission.

"Yes, I would like that very much," I said smiling. I was being candid, but the deception that often goes with dating is deplorable. If things began to head in that direction, I wanted to keep it simple.

He seemed to be mulling it over. It was odd, I had never before expressed interest in a person of the opposite sex. I was used to being pursued and to have him contemplate it was honestly, a little humiliating. He was gorgeous though so, maybe he was used to young women throwing themselves at him? I couldn't keep quiet.

"I thought you said you 'thoroughly enjoyed my company', or was I mistaken?" I said, a little indignant.

"No," he said. His face an expressionless void.

"No?" I was piqued by his nonchalance. "So you didn't enjoy my company?" I could feel my temper starting to flare. I was definitely insulted.

"No, I did," he said amused with himself and his little game.

I raised my eyebrows and waited. I exposed my feelings, made myself vulnerable, and here he was, having fun. He noticed I was irked by his antics. Suddenly, Cove grabbed my fingers, brought them to his lips and gently placed a kiss on the back of my hand. I couldn't help it, I blushed bright crimson and looked away.

"I would be honored to call on you again, Bonnie. You are far too beautiful to stay away from," he said. There was a tinge of something to his words, but I couldn't make sense of it. Ever so gently he squeezed my fingers, released my hand, and turned away.

My stomach knotted into a pretzel and shot straight into my throat. I was speechless, but my cheeks blazed like they were on fire. All I could do was stand there and watch him gracefully lope back into the shadows from whence we came. It was too dark to see the direction he took. I had no idea whether it was towards the house or the garden. In a daze, I turned and climbed the staircase leading me back up to my studio.

My mind was full of thoughts. The idea of food wasn't appealing, but I knew I couldn't sleep. I headed to the kitchen and decided to make a cup of tea. I grabbed the closest one, not really caring since my mind was elsewhere. As I nuked the water in the microwave, I glanced at the tag on the tea bag.

"Hmm," I said aloud. It was Darjeeling, my favorite. I hadn't seen it in the cupboard. It had been a long time since I had made a cup of Darjeeling tea. I smiled to myself as I bent over the steaming brew.

I walked to the sofa with my cup and thought to myself, 'How lucky can a girl get?' Visions of Cove's face played back to me as I played with the fingers he had kissed only moments ago. Thinking of him made me giddy, and I couldn't stop the barrage of questions that plagued my mind.

'What kind of man was Cove,' I thought. 'Why wasn't he like any other guy I had ever met? What kind of name was Cove?' He said he'd been coming to Terry's garden for a long time, and yet, I had never seen him before. 'How did he know Terry anyhow?' and that last thought settled it. I decided tomorrow morning I would ask Terry to tell me everything he knew about Cove. I sat back and enjoyed my tea comforted that I would soon have all the answers to my questions.