She emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of fragrant steam. Smelling of
chocolate, Caitlyn blew him a saucy kiss, snagged the dress off the rack,
and went into her room, well actually it used to be Jane's room, Eddie
thought darkly and flipped a little angrily through the magazine he
realized he had been strangling in his hands. Eddie had to restrain himself
from wandering "innocently" into the bedroom and taking her in his arms
and.Well he shouldn't think about that, but the idea was definitely
appealing.
Caitlyn was eyeing herself in the mirror while Eddie suffered through his horrible mental battle, going through her own battle of her own. Her damp hair hung in loose curls around her face, mouth slightly pouted a sugary pink and the new dress clung to her like a second skin and fanned out at the bottom like a mermaid's tail. Her mind kept wandering back to Eddie, how everything about him was perfect, despite the fact he was slightly weird. His smile could melt an iceberg and had wonderfully dark intense eyes. She shook her head as if to clear out the heavy fog and shuffled towards the door.
Eddie had his to her as she opened the door and she tiptoed up behind him and clapped her hands over his eyes. "Guess who" She breathed in his ear. "Jane?" He asked before he could stop himself. Caitlyn stepped back and a pout crossed her lips. "Who's Jane?" She asked sulkily and Eddie wished that he could find a hole to crawl in to. "A girl I used to know, a long time ago" Caitlyn eyed him for a long minute. "What happened to her?" Eddie couldn't meet Caitlyn's eyes. "She died"
"I'm sorry," Caitlyn murmured and this inexplicably put Eddie in a bad mood. "Why did you do it?" She blinked reproachfully at him and he grabbed the jacket that was hanging off the back of a chair. "Come on, we don't want to be late now do we?" She seemed to hesitate before following him towards the door, the smooth material whispered against her ankles as the heels as the door closed behind her.
He was waiting a little ways down the hall looking slightly disgruntled and very handsome. "Come on cowboy" She said as she took him by the hand and ignored it when he rather stiffened. She had spent too much time around her brothers and family to worry about bruised male egos. Her heels clicked eerily in the garage. The car was still gleaming prettily in the fading sunlight that was filtering through the cement of the parking garage.
Eddie was quiet while he listened to the purr of the engine until Caitlyn flicked on the stereo in the car. Doris Day's pretty voice flittered out of the small speakers but it sounded as if she were singing right next to him and into his ear. "You like Doris Day?" He asked and Caitlyn looked at him as if she forgot he was in the car. "Yeah, don't you?" He nodded. "Yeah of course I do, but Doris Day was before your time" She gave him a rather odd look. "Yours too". Eddie could only stare when Caitlyn began singing along with the radio. She had such a beautiful pure voice that it boggled him. He thought voices like that died with the Sirens.
They pulled up in front a tall beautiful building that was flanked with skylights and red velvet ropes. Eddie decided that the old tradition of overacting to such events as this, but he decided that Caitlyn deserved it. She came up behind him, linked their fingers in easy companionship, and let him lead her into the building. They stepped inside and Eddie's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Almost every wall was covered by painting or charcoal drawings with talent Eddie would have done anything for. "You did all these?" He whispered in her ear and she looked up at him and grinned. "Yup"
Caitlyn and Eddie winded through the crowd and smiled politely but Eddie noticed that the smile didn't reach her amazing catty eyes. "You really get a kick out of this don't you?" Eddie asked her as she watched a pretty brunette beg her husband for the painting of the long stemmed black rose that looked like blood red silk was pouring from within the petals. "Of course I do, but it's not the money Eddie, it's the thrill of knowing that something I painted is making someone happy and then I love knowing that I'll get to paint or draw something else" "You never said anything about money" Eddie said looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Money has never really interested me; I mean it's nice to have when you need it, but most of the times it's a hassle, I don't need anymore complications in my life. Come with me" She added as if it were an after thought. She gripped his hand and pulled him to the middle of the room. Before Eddie asked what she was going to do, she had gotten up on the very tip of her toes and placed a long hot kiss on his mouth. She heard him suck in a breath of surprise before he began to nibble softly on her bottom lip.
There was a clucking of tongues from a group of blue-haired old women as they hurried along. Caitlyn could have gone on kissing him until the moon fell from the sky and shattered like glass over the water, and Eddie would have happily let her, but a woman with shoulder length black hair and tawny eyes came and tapped Eddie on the shoulder gingerly. "Hi," She began a little meekly when Caitlyn and Eddie broke away and Eddie looked down at her with his intense dark eyes. "This might sound a little weird, but I think I've seen a ghost because you look just like Eddie Alden"
Caitlyn blinked once hard and looked up at Eddie. "Who are you?" He asked a little too sharply and made the girl flinch. "My name is Lucy Goodale- Cleese; can I talk to you for a minute?" The rest of the world seemed to drain away, all he could hear was the last name 'Goodale'. Eddie took Lucy by the arm and led her away from Caitlyn and the others who were all giving him an odd look. "You're not related to Jane Goodale are you? Not the scientist but the journalist?" Lucy nodded. "Yeah she's my great grandmother, she gave birth to my mom Mia and she had me, see I thought I was seeing a ghost because my grandmother had pictures of this guy named Eddie Alden all over her apartment. I think it's kind of weird that we would meet since we both have this weird thing in common"
Eddie shook his head. "Look, Lucy is it? Do you want to get out of here? It's a little crowded in here and I need to tell you some things alright?" Lucy nodded and she followed Eddie out of the open doors. He hoped Caitlyn had not seen him leave, but it was something he had to risk, unquestionably, she would be angry, but he would deal with that later, the fact that he might have just met Jane's grand-daughter was freakishly uncanny and something he couldn't pass up.
They settled themselves at a little bistro that was no quiet but the staff had not taken in the deck chairs and they were still puttering about with kettles of hot coffee for the late night patrons. "You might think I'm mad, and maybe I am because all this is getting a little too weird for me too, but I'm not related to Eddie Alden, I AM Eddie Alden" Lucy burst out laughing. "You're kidding right? I mean this has got to be some sort of joke, lets say you were who you say you are, you would be like-""132. I know it is crazy but I'm telling you the truth. What do I have to do to prove it to you?" Lucy got a gleam in her deep tawny eyes that he recognized with a bit of shock and resolution. "Sleep with me" Lucy said as she took a sip of the ice water a seemingly invisible waiter had brought. Eddie didn't bother to let his jaw drop. "If I do," He said as he toyed with the ice in his own glass. "Will you believe what I say is true?" Lucy laughed. "Honey if you really are 132 years old and you can still get it up; I'll believe anything you tell me"
Eddie looked over his shoulder to Gulliver's and Lucy and sighed. "Fine, come on" He said as he rose and picked up the jacket that was lying across the wrought iron table. Lucy got up after him with a sort of smile across her unpainted lips. They walked down the lamp lit sidewalk and they turned the corner that would lead to Eddie's old apartment, he did not have to pay attention when Caitlyn was driving to know his way back, it was always in his mind, what was his but no longer his, like Jane, and maybe after tonight, Caitlyn Murphy as well.
Caitlyn was eyeing herself in the mirror while Eddie suffered through his horrible mental battle, going through her own battle of her own. Her damp hair hung in loose curls around her face, mouth slightly pouted a sugary pink and the new dress clung to her like a second skin and fanned out at the bottom like a mermaid's tail. Her mind kept wandering back to Eddie, how everything about him was perfect, despite the fact he was slightly weird. His smile could melt an iceberg and had wonderfully dark intense eyes. She shook her head as if to clear out the heavy fog and shuffled towards the door.
Eddie had his to her as she opened the door and she tiptoed up behind him and clapped her hands over his eyes. "Guess who" She breathed in his ear. "Jane?" He asked before he could stop himself. Caitlyn stepped back and a pout crossed her lips. "Who's Jane?" She asked sulkily and Eddie wished that he could find a hole to crawl in to. "A girl I used to know, a long time ago" Caitlyn eyed him for a long minute. "What happened to her?" Eddie couldn't meet Caitlyn's eyes. "She died"
"I'm sorry," Caitlyn murmured and this inexplicably put Eddie in a bad mood. "Why did you do it?" She blinked reproachfully at him and he grabbed the jacket that was hanging off the back of a chair. "Come on, we don't want to be late now do we?" She seemed to hesitate before following him towards the door, the smooth material whispered against her ankles as the heels as the door closed behind her.
He was waiting a little ways down the hall looking slightly disgruntled and very handsome. "Come on cowboy" She said as she took him by the hand and ignored it when he rather stiffened. She had spent too much time around her brothers and family to worry about bruised male egos. Her heels clicked eerily in the garage. The car was still gleaming prettily in the fading sunlight that was filtering through the cement of the parking garage.
Eddie was quiet while he listened to the purr of the engine until Caitlyn flicked on the stereo in the car. Doris Day's pretty voice flittered out of the small speakers but it sounded as if she were singing right next to him and into his ear. "You like Doris Day?" He asked and Caitlyn looked at him as if she forgot he was in the car. "Yeah, don't you?" He nodded. "Yeah of course I do, but Doris Day was before your time" She gave him a rather odd look. "Yours too". Eddie could only stare when Caitlyn began singing along with the radio. She had such a beautiful pure voice that it boggled him. He thought voices like that died with the Sirens.
They pulled up in front a tall beautiful building that was flanked with skylights and red velvet ropes. Eddie decided that the old tradition of overacting to such events as this, but he decided that Caitlyn deserved it. She came up behind him, linked their fingers in easy companionship, and let him lead her into the building. They stepped inside and Eddie's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Almost every wall was covered by painting or charcoal drawings with talent Eddie would have done anything for. "You did all these?" He whispered in her ear and she looked up at him and grinned. "Yup"
Caitlyn and Eddie winded through the crowd and smiled politely but Eddie noticed that the smile didn't reach her amazing catty eyes. "You really get a kick out of this don't you?" Eddie asked her as she watched a pretty brunette beg her husband for the painting of the long stemmed black rose that looked like blood red silk was pouring from within the petals. "Of course I do, but it's not the money Eddie, it's the thrill of knowing that something I painted is making someone happy and then I love knowing that I'll get to paint or draw something else" "You never said anything about money" Eddie said looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Money has never really interested me; I mean it's nice to have when you need it, but most of the times it's a hassle, I don't need anymore complications in my life. Come with me" She added as if it were an after thought. She gripped his hand and pulled him to the middle of the room. Before Eddie asked what she was going to do, she had gotten up on the very tip of her toes and placed a long hot kiss on his mouth. She heard him suck in a breath of surprise before he began to nibble softly on her bottom lip.
There was a clucking of tongues from a group of blue-haired old women as they hurried along. Caitlyn could have gone on kissing him until the moon fell from the sky and shattered like glass over the water, and Eddie would have happily let her, but a woman with shoulder length black hair and tawny eyes came and tapped Eddie on the shoulder gingerly. "Hi," She began a little meekly when Caitlyn and Eddie broke away and Eddie looked down at her with his intense dark eyes. "This might sound a little weird, but I think I've seen a ghost because you look just like Eddie Alden"
Caitlyn blinked once hard and looked up at Eddie. "Who are you?" He asked a little too sharply and made the girl flinch. "My name is Lucy Goodale- Cleese; can I talk to you for a minute?" The rest of the world seemed to drain away, all he could hear was the last name 'Goodale'. Eddie took Lucy by the arm and led her away from Caitlyn and the others who were all giving him an odd look. "You're not related to Jane Goodale are you? Not the scientist but the journalist?" Lucy nodded. "Yeah she's my great grandmother, she gave birth to my mom Mia and she had me, see I thought I was seeing a ghost because my grandmother had pictures of this guy named Eddie Alden all over her apartment. I think it's kind of weird that we would meet since we both have this weird thing in common"
Eddie shook his head. "Look, Lucy is it? Do you want to get out of here? It's a little crowded in here and I need to tell you some things alright?" Lucy nodded and she followed Eddie out of the open doors. He hoped Caitlyn had not seen him leave, but it was something he had to risk, unquestionably, she would be angry, but he would deal with that later, the fact that he might have just met Jane's grand-daughter was freakishly uncanny and something he couldn't pass up.
They settled themselves at a little bistro that was no quiet but the staff had not taken in the deck chairs and they were still puttering about with kettles of hot coffee for the late night patrons. "You might think I'm mad, and maybe I am because all this is getting a little too weird for me too, but I'm not related to Eddie Alden, I AM Eddie Alden" Lucy burst out laughing. "You're kidding right? I mean this has got to be some sort of joke, lets say you were who you say you are, you would be like-""132. I know it is crazy but I'm telling you the truth. What do I have to do to prove it to you?" Lucy got a gleam in her deep tawny eyes that he recognized with a bit of shock and resolution. "Sleep with me" Lucy said as she took a sip of the ice water a seemingly invisible waiter had brought. Eddie didn't bother to let his jaw drop. "If I do," He said as he toyed with the ice in his own glass. "Will you believe what I say is true?" Lucy laughed. "Honey if you really are 132 years old and you can still get it up; I'll believe anything you tell me"
Eddie looked over his shoulder to Gulliver's and Lucy and sighed. "Fine, come on" He said as he rose and picked up the jacket that was lying across the wrought iron table. Lucy got up after him with a sort of smile across her unpainted lips. They walked down the lamp lit sidewalk and they turned the corner that would lead to Eddie's old apartment, he did not have to pay attention when Caitlyn was driving to know his way back, it was always in his mind, what was his but no longer his, like Jane, and maybe after tonight, Caitlyn Murphy as well.