Why did I move back? I’d asked myself this question at least hundred times in the last five days. But I knew that the answer was that they were the only family I had left. No grandparents, no parents, no siblings, just them. I could take their abuse, but I couldn’t take the loneliness.
That was why I came back to Chicago. Besides, when you grew up here, it was kind of hard to leave. The city had its way of growing on you…the city of the wind. Sometimes if you stood still long enough, it felt as though those winds could pick you up and take you anywhere.
I was ten minutes early, but the parking lot for St. Peter’s Cathedral was already nearly full. A row of black luxury cars was parked in front; one Rolls-Royce, one Bentley, an Audi and an Aston Martin. It said something when the most discrete car in the lot was an Audi. Shaking my head, I grabbed my things, and turned my phone off as I walked inside.
I stopped at the church’s wall of donors, which stood right outside the second double doors that led inside. Smiling to myself, I ran my hand over the gold plate that had my parents’ names on it.
“Hi Mom and Dad,” I whispered before I headed inside.
I wasn’t religious, but I came because I knew they would’ve have wanted me to. I entered the packed church and took a seat in the back between an old woman and little boy.
“Hello,” I said to the cutie as I grinned. He smiled and hid his face in his father’s chest. Smiling at him, I, along with everyone else, stood as the priest came forward. I usually zoned out after this part, as I went through the motions of it all, however, my mouth dropped open as none other than Declan Callahan, dress in a fitted navy suit and silver tie, headed up towards the podium do the first reading.
“Sit,” the little boy next to me said as he pulled on my dress.
Realizing that I was the only one still standing, I sat down quickly and hoped that no one else had noticed. Unfortunately, the one person I wish hadn’t, did. Declan looked me straight in the eye and cocked an eyebrow. All I could do was grab the book in front of me and pretend to read.
“Proverbs 21:19-26. It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.” As he read, he stretched out words certain words, and if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought that he’d chosen this passage just to poke fun at me. He couldn’t even wipe the grin from his face.
I loved the sound of his voice.
The moment the thought hit me, I tried to block him out. Luckily, he had finished his reading and was already walking away from the altar, and back down to the first row.
Of all the churches in the city, why did he have to come to this one? And why didn’t I just sit down?
I tried not to think about him or anything else for that matter. That only lasted for a good thirty minutes or so. Before we all stood for the Eucharist, he came into view again. He stood off to the side with a golden tray in his hand. To my dismay, the lines divided and I soon found myself heading towards him like the Titanic towards an iceberg. There were too many people behind me to change lines, and when his green eyes focused on mine, I felt as though he was pulling me to him…it was the same feeling I’d had when I’d sat across from him at the diner.
“The body of Christ,” he said with a smile, as he held the host up.
“Amen,” I whispered as I stretched out my hands.
But he didn’t place it inside and I glared at him, waiting. His eyes shot to the older woman in other line, who opened her mouth for the priest.
He must be joking.
But he clearly wasn’t. Dropping my hands, I opened my mouth for him.
He placed the Sacramental bread on my tongue, but not before his finger grazed my lips causing me to shiver. He spared me one glance, but he didn’t say anything. Finally, he picked up another one and looked to whoever was behind me.
Walking away, I touched my lips slowly as I looked back to him.
Not again. There was no way I could be attracted to him this much. This wasn’t normal, right? It’d been a long time, but a man’s touch shouldn’t have confused me this much. Taking a seat, I crossed my arms and legs as I waited for the mass to come to end.
I should just walk away. He’s just playing around.
“Bye-bye,” the little boy said as he waved to me.
“Sorry he was such a bother,” his mother said as she picked him up.
“No, it was fine.” In fact I hadn’t really noticed him. Nodding to me, her son kept waving as they headed to out. “Bye-bye!”
“Friends of yours?”
Startled, I turned to find that Declan was no more than an inch away from me.
“I waited all day yesterday for you to call,” he said, and I watched as his eyes drifted from my eyes to my lips to my neck and then to my chest. “I’ve never waited for a woman to call, or have a woman reject mine.”
“I was busy,” I lied.
He frowned and looked me over as though he could see through my lie.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Coraline?” he asked me as we walked towards the exit.
“What?”
“Do. You. Have. A. Boyfriend?” he repeated.
We were outside and Father Thomas was already making the rounds and greeting everyone.
“Why?”
“Just wondering if that was the reason you didn’t call. And if it is, how hard am I going to have work?” he asked as he stuck his hands into his pocket.
He was by far the most direct man I had ever met in my life.
“What are you trying to work for, Mr. Callahan?”
He smirked. “Our date, of course.”
“And if I have a boyfriend?” I whispered still unsure if this was a dream or reality. Men like him weren’t real, or at least for me, they weren’t.
“I would steal you away in front of him,” he said, as he closed the gap between us.
He blocked the sun as he stood before me; all I could see was him. But I didn’t want to give into him.
“And what if I have a fiancé?”
“I would steal you away right under his nose. After all, it would be his fault for not giving you a ring.”
I hid my hands behind my back.
“And if I have a husband?”
“Then you’ve made a terrible mistake. And once we’ve rectified the situation, I’d have you,” he whispered as he brushed my hair behind my ear. “Are we done with this game now, Ms. Wilson?”
“I have to give it to you, Mr. Callahan, you are smooth.” I smiled brightly as I took a step back.
“But you still aren’t convicted about me,” he stated and under his breath. And I could have sworn he added, “You have some instincts.” But I wasn’t sure, maybe it was my own subconscious talking to me.
I looked away. “Like I said, I’ve met men like you before.”
“And like I said—no you haven’t.”
I glanced back at him to find that his eyes were still on me. “Thank you for being interested me in, Declan. Seriously, it’s the best I’ve felt about myself in a while. But I—I’m not the dating type.”
“Okay. Walk away. But don’t look back or else I won’t give up on you,” he said.
“Okay.” I nodded as I walked around him.
Don’t look back.
Don’t look back.