French Kiss (Novella) (7 page)

She had far too much time on her hands.

As usual, her mother scanned the room quickly, in a
practiced fashion, from one corner to the other like a cat scanning its
surroundings for prey.

As her gaze traveled the room, from Maria’s computer
to the diary at her bedside and to the opposite side of the room, she answered.

“Tired ... real tired, baby girl.”

Maria watched her, growing a little annoyed at her
mother’s insistence to treat her like a prisoner, depriving her of her basic
human needs. She of all people should have understood just how much it meant to
have someone.

There was a reckoning coming.  That much she was
certain of.  It would be Cameron or her mother - she would have to choose...

Cameron would be kept a secret for now, until later
when the need arose. They had to meet eventually, in the flesh didn’t they?
Would they always be confined to the fantasy world that was Second Life?

Second Life was wonderful, that much was true. It
had given them both the opportunity to explore places they never could have,
both physical and emotional places - it had brought them together and would
always have its place. She wanted the real thing, eventually though. A real
touch ... a real kiss but more importantly, she wanted to see Cameron for who
he really was - scars and all, after all, isn’t that what makes us who we are -
the experiences and setbacks we have suffered?

Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she
wheeled over to her bed and spun around so that she was positioned just right
for her mother to lift her up onto the bed, just as she did every night.

“You need to take a break, mom. You work too much!”

Her mother’s face looked haggard in the dim light of
the small lamp.

Maria knew she wouldn’t stop though. What else did
she have?

In many ways, Maria didn’t mind.  With her mother
out most of the day, working, she would be visiting cities with Cameron and
making love to him in the most romantic places in the world - Paris - Rome -
Venice - New York. 

Her mother shook her head, “No, I can’t. You know
that, sweetheart. Someone’s gotta pay for this house and your treatments.” The
stress she placed on ‘your’ was just another part of her mother’s daily
reminding of the fact that without her - Maria was helpless.

It was true, but did she always have to remind her
with those subtle, almost undetectable tone changes and choices of words?

“Yeah, so you keep saying, mom.”

Maria sighed as she fell back onto the bed, feeling
more tired than she thought she had been.

Her mother’s previously stern face softened as she
tucked her daughter in and placed a hand on the side of her face, stroking
gently, as she had always done.

“I’m sorry, honey ... I ...” Maria allowed herself
to sink back into the pillow where her eyes began to flutter, sleep beckoning
her like a long lost friend. Tonight, she welcomed sleep.

 “I’ll wake you up in the morning, honey.”

Maria smiled, she didn’t need waking up, nor had she
ever. The nightmares did that.

Cameron’s hand clasped around hers firmly, his skin
smooth and warm against her as they drifted to the top of the Eiffel Tower, not
bothering with the elevator this time around. When they landed, the cold steel
beneath her bare feet felt good and she laughed, delighted at the rare
sensation.

Cameron guided her to the railing and they stood
together, looking out over Paris. The wind was strong and her hair blew in all
directions, tickling her face and fanning out around her head, riding the gusts
of wind that blew against the two of them, ruffling their clothes which rustled
and flapped in the cold air around them.

She turned to Cameron and caught him staring at her
once more, his gaze intent, his green eyes entering her soul effortlessly as
the wind flicked the brown locks of hair around his face this way and that.

She reached out and touched his face, running her
fingers over his skin, tracing the lines around his smiling mouth and loving
how his cheeks were now apple-red from the cold wind blowing in from the North
Sea.

He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth,
his lips seeking out her flesh, kissing her palm as he held her gaze.

Somewhere a phone began to ring, but they both
ignored it, lost in each other’s eyes.

“Maria, I wanted to ask you something ...”

Suddenly, Cameron’s gaze faltered slightly and the
world began to break apart into pieces..

“What ... what do you want to ask?” Maria called
out.

Slowly lowering to one knee, he looked up, her hand
still in his, the other hand reaching into his pocket.

The ringing had grown so intense now; it drowned out
Cameron’s voice.

“No, stop!”

Maria’s eyes shot open with a jolt. She was back in
her room and at her side, her phone rang, the tone now at its loudest point,
blaring in her ear.

She reached out to her bedside table where she had
left it earlier, the dream still fresh in her memory.

It was Cameron calling...

Fearing she might miss him, she quickly answered.

“Hello...”

“Maria... it’s me Cameron. Did I wake you?”

Maria smiled into the phone, recalling the dream.
“Yes, but that’s okay, although I was dreaming about you, ya know.”

“You were?”

“Yes, we were back on the Eiffel Tower, only this
time we could touch and ‘feel’ each other, not like in Second Life.”

During their love-making in her Paris apartment, it
was perfect except for the small fact that they couldn’t actually feel each
other, aside from those sensations they were able to generate within their
imaginations. Eventually, Maria wanted to experience the ‘real’ thing.

“Wow, sorry I woke you. That sounds like the kind of
dream you don’t want to be woken up from, especially by a ringing phone! And
yes, ‘touch’ is important but for now Second Life is all we have, Maria. In
time, maybe…”

“Don’t be sorry,” Maria interrupted. “I would have
been peeved if I’d missed your call.”

Cameron laughed, “Well, I was just calling to say
‘goodnight’ ...”

It sounded like he wanted to say more, but couldn’t.
Maria understood. It felt awkward not being in Second Life, as if being back in
reality was unnatural, more frightening.  In a way, Maria supposed it was. In
the world of Second Life, they were kind of living a dream, a fantasy and it
had been easy to just switch off and be someone new, someone they wanted to be
as opposed to someone they were because they had no other choice.

They would get used to it, in time.

Finding each other had been the hard part,
considering it had taken them both several years of searching.

“Goodnight, Cameron. I can’t wait to see you
tomorrow. New York is going to be a wonderful experience. Can you take me to
your old apartment?” Maria asked, excited.

“Hmmm, well if it exists in Second Life, sure. I
lived in a real crappy room you know!”

“Great, I wanna get a glimpse of the ‘Joe Buck’
lifestyle you used to live!” Maria laughed.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll give you a taste of the hustler I
used to be!”

He laughed with her, and for a few seconds the
awkwardness disappeared.

Cameron spoke up again, while his confidence was
still at a high, his voice serious, “Don’t forget to wear my ring okay?”

Maria laughed, “Yes sir, in fact I’m wearing it
right now... I’ll never take it off.”  Her voice softened towards the end as
she realized her words were a reflection of how she really felt about Cameron.

Perhaps in time, they would have to choose a world
in which to coexist.  Would it be a world of ‘touch’ and sensation, albeit with
limitation?  Or perhaps they would remain in a world of unlimited possibilities,
but lacking that one very vital ingredient – physical contact?   

It was a decision they were in no hurry to make.

“Goodnight, Maria ... until tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Cameron.”