Fables & Other Lies

“I already agreed to.” I jutted my chin up. “It doesn’t mean I want to.”

“That’s funny, I don’t remember asking your opinion.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the bathroom door. It was either that or slap the arrogance off him. I shut it behind me and was grateful to find the light already on, though upon further investigation I realized the light was coming from two gas lamps. The bathroom itself was small, only a toilet and a sink with a mirror. The entire thing was tiled in black and white squares, from floor to ceiling, giving it a trippy appearance. I did my business, flushed the toilet, and started washing my hands, concentrating on the soap as I rinsed it off. When I looked up at my reflection, there was a dark figure behind me. I gasped, turning around quickly, but there was nothing there. I blinked, and blinked, and nothing. My heart pumped harder. I dried my hands quickly and left the bathroom in such a hurry, I ran into someone.

“I am—”

“Never mind.” It was Mayra. I’d never seen anyone with such hollowed eyes. “Sir River awaits you.”

“Yes.” I blinked away from her and looked at the crowd of people in search of him.

When I found him, I walked over. He had a drink in his hand that he was lowering as he looked over at me, at the necklace I wore around my neck, a gift from my grandmother. One of the many that I wore but didn’t necessarily believe in.

“Saint Olga, the saint of all widows.” He hid a small smile behind a glass of scotch. “You have to hand it to the Catholic Church for not bothering to hide their sinners’ pasts before idolizing them.”

“You’re saying you wouldn’t have done the same in her shoes?” Those around us seemed to vanish as I met his gaze outright. “You wouldn’t take revenge on someone for murdering your spouse?”

“I take plenty revenge,” he said, still amused. “And yet, no one has idolized me for it.”

“Give it time.” I licked my lips. “You’re not dead yet.”

At that, River laughed a loud, throw-your-head-back laugh that seemed to shake the house in its wake. I could swear the lights flickered. I could swear I heard it sigh. I could swear a lot of things, but my attention was solely on him, on this gorgeous man who felt akin to sunlight on a gloomy day when he laughed. The party livened. The music was a little louder now and had switched to an upbeat Harry Belafonte. People started dancing, making circles and loops around us as we stood smack in the center of the foyer. River was no longer laughing, but he still looked just as amused as he watched me.

“I don’t think it’s funny,” I said after a moment.

“You don’t think what’s funny?”

“Any of this and I don’t appreciate you making fun of my necklace.”

“Noted.” He grinned. “I won’t make fun of your necklace again.”

“Do you dance?” I glanced at the people around us.

“Only with beautiful women.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip.

“Do you dance?”

“Only with handsome men.”

“Well, then, you’re in luck.” He set down his now empty glass on the table beside him and closed the distance between us, offering me his hand.

“I didn’t say you were handsome.” I put my hand in his.

“You didn’t have to.”

“You just assume everyone thinks you’re handsome?”

“I just assume people who look at me the way you do, like it’s a struggle to look away, think I am.”

I rolled my eyes. “So arrogant.”

“Rightfully so, some would say.”

“Hm.” We started dancing, but as we started the song changed again, from salsa to more of a waltz. “This deejay has an interesting way of mixing music.”

“He reads the room.” River’s voice was much closer now, in my ear.

“Your house is haunted.”

“Oh? You saw a ghost?”

“I saw something in the bathroom. Something dark. Like smoke.”

“And? Did you ask what it was?”

“No, obviously not.” I pulled back slightly and looked up at him. “Do you talk to smoke?”

“If it appears to me.”

I eyed him closely, but shook my head when he didn’t give anything else away. He held me tighter, one hand on my back, the other in mine, and there was no room for me to inspect his eyes any longer because for now, at least, I was lost to this dance, to the way it felt to be held by him.

Chapter Ten

People began leaving the party, but before they were all gone, River was pulling me toward the winding staircase that reminded me of Gone with the Wind. My house growing up had been big, but this was something else. This was a real mansion. The floors were white and black tiles, and the stairs were covered in a red carpet. I followed River, taking one step behind him. Something out of my left eye caught my attention and when I looked down between the spindles, I saw Mayra standing there, watching me with that same hateful expression on her face. I let out a gasp and sped up, bumping into River, who stopped walking and turned to me.