WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine Edition (18 page)

“What’s the matter” he asked, suddenly on
high alert.

“Nothing,”Dara insisted, but the bright red
now coloring her cheeks gave her away.

Elias simply winked at her before
admonishing, “be good up there kids.”

Dara shooed away several more attempts by
Gabe to regain access, and he began to compose more sonnets despite
his earlier promise. Unable to stand the cheeziness of them much
longer, Dara flipped on the radio to find the only station the
Plymouth picked up was country. She was surprised when Gabe started
to sing along in a pleasant baritone.

“You like country music Gabe?”

“I like all music” was his response and he
continued to croon about dirt roads and pickup trucks.

“You have a nice voice,” she complimented
before remembering that she shouldn’t be encouraging him right
now.

Especially when his response was “I’ll sing
to you at our wedding.”

“There isn’t going to be a wedding Gabe” she
tried to remind him.

He just turned up the radio and sang even
louder.

Dara surprised herself by falling asleep for
several hours, and Gabe didn’t wake her until they’d taken the
Bakersfield exit and were headed east towards Las Vegas. She hadn’t
realized how tired she was, but it should have been no surprise
considering how much of last night was spent engaged in activities
other than sleep.

Her toes tingled as she remembered it in
vivid detail. It was hard to believe that the wanton woman of the
night before was actually herself. She’d never admit it to her
family, but she’d actually enjoyed losing herself in the passion of
the moment.

The scenery was now peppered with citrus
trees and wind turbines. Soon, they’d cross over the mountains and
drop into the desert before reaching their destination. They were
approaching twelve hours since the fateful shot, so first on the
agenda was obtaining some of the antidote. It could almost always
be reversed within eighteen hours, but Dara didn’t want to take any
chances.

They stopped for supper at a greasy spoon
truck stop cafe. Gabe insisted on holding her hand and sharing her
seat in the booth. Elias sat across from them.

Their waitress, Flo, had a platinum blonde
beehive and a voice that sounded like she’d smoked two packs a day
for the last thirty years. With a knowing look at the trio, she
boldly stated, “Let me guess -you two lovebirds are getting hitched
in Vegas and your friend here is your witness.”

To Dara’s horror Gabe responded, “you’re
good, Flo. How about a couple of pieces of lemon meringue pie to
celebrate our engagement?”

“But we haven’t even had dinner” Dara
pleaded.

“Don’t upset Flo.” Gabe shushed her and soon
she found an enormous piece of lemon pie with golden peaked
mountains of meringue on top. She’d always had a weakness for lemon
meringue pie and she had devoured her piece before Gabe or Elias
were even halfway done with theirs.

Soon, bacon cheeseburgers, fries and cokes
were delivered to their table as well. If there was one thing Dara
was good at, it was eating. Her statuesque sisters always joked
that her appetite was her body’s futile attempt to grow taller.
Unfortunately, her voracious appetite was not lost on her
companions.

Elias gave her a wicked grin before teasing,
“Whatever you two did last night must have worked up quite an
appetite.”

Dara threw a French fry in response and tried
to hide her smile.

Much of their supper conversation centered on
how Gabe and Elias had become friends. They’d been in the same
Guardian class at the Academy, and surprisingly she learned that it
was Elias’ father who’d put Gabe’s father behind bars.

In their first year of training, Gabe had
been treated with distrust by the other cadets. Elias jumped to his
defense and their friendship was born. By befriending Gabe, Elias
had also erased any doubts with the other Guardians as to whether
Gabe could be trusted. She could tell Gabe felt he was in his
debt.

Elias had a cabin not far from where they’d
broken down. He spent his vacations away from Guardian duty there.
Dara got the impression that beneath his cavalier façade, there was
a heartbreak in his past. Call it Cherub’s intuition.

When Elias went to the men’s room, Dara
decided to do some digging. “So tell me about Elias,” she inquired
innocently.

“What do you want to know?” Gabe
responded.

Batting her eyelashes for added effect, she
began with “does he have a girlfriend?”

Gabe hesitated for a moment before answering
“that’s a story that’s not mine to tell.” He signaled to Flo for
another Coke and Elias returned in a moment.

As they were leaving, Flo, who’d received a
generous tip, grabbed Dara’s hand and chastised Gabe for not giving
her a proper engagement ring. “If you love her you better put a
ring on it,” she chided.

What was the world coming to when
geriatric waitresses quoted Beyonce
? Dara mused as she shook
her head.

In a split second, Gabe was down on one knee
after retrieving a small pouch from his jacket pocket. Time
stopped.

“Dara, I know we’ve only been close a short
time but I can’t imagine life without you. You are the brightest
star in the sky and my one true love. Will you do me the honor of
being my wife?”

While Dara was speechless, a crowd gathered
around them waiting for her response. Not wanting to embarrass Gabe
in front of a crowd, Dara managed to stammer “yes” and the café
erupted into cheers. Gabe slipped an antique-looking ring onto her
finger and pulled her in for a long kiss, further exciting the
crowd.

When the kiss ended Dara waved at their
admirers like Miss America and pulled Gabe and Elias, who’d been
looking on in amusement, to the car before Flo decided to accompany
them to the wedding.

Six.

The remainder of the drive passed quickly and
Dara began to dread their arrival in Las Vegas. She’d had more fun
than she’d had in months and found herself fantasizing about what
it would really be like to be engaged to Gabe.

Sexual compatibility was no question. What
surprised her was how comfortable she felt in his presence. She
could imagine spending evenings just sitting and watching the stars
or snuggling. With definite melancholy, she counted down the
minutes until the antidote was in hand. Speaking of hands, she
gazed down to admire the beautiful engagement ring.

“Gabe, where did the ring come from?” she
asked curiously. It was white gold with a single large diamond in
the center of a delicate filigree rose.

“It was my Grandmother’s,” Gabe admitted.

“And you just happened to be carrying it?”
she questioned, unable to hide the skepticism in her voice

“I’ve carried it for years,” stated Gabe
before adding, “When my grandmother passed it down to me she
instructed me that sometimes love takes you by surprise and you
have to be prepared to act. She’s a wise woman and I’ve carried it
ever since.”

Dara’s heart fluttered and she was touched
that he was such a devoted grandson. She really was beginning to
wish she could be selfish enough to keep him.

Gabe, noticing her introspective look asked
“what’s wrong?”

She knew he could tell she was lying, but
still she replied, -”nothing at all.”

• • •

Gabe felt badly that Dara was in distress,
but he reassured himself it was only for a short time. He hadn’t
planned on giving her his Grandmother’s ring so soon, but he’d
gotten caught up in the moment at the truck stop. Slipping it on
her finger felt right. He was glad he had a real reason for
carrying it on him. He was also glad Elias had come along. He
definitely owed him one once everything was settled. Gabe hoped his
friend would someday open his heart to another woman and feel the
love he felt for Dara, but the damage to Elias’ heart ran deeper
than a ravine. He knew Dara had been fishing for his story, and
although he could deny her nothing, it wasn’t his story to tell.
Elias hated pity and that’s exactly what Dara would have felt if
he’d given into her request.

As they dropped down into the valley with
Vegas glittering miles off in the distance, he couldn’t believe how
close his plan was to completion. It was really just the final act
remaining. As long as Lady Luck stayed with him in Vegas, he’d soon
have his happily ever after.

• • •

Normally Dara didn’t mind being stuck in
traffic on the strip. She was usually wrapped up in the sparkling
lights, blaring music, dancing fountains and the assortment of
colorful characters found on Las Vegas Blvd at all hours of the day
or night. Tonight however, she just wanted to reach their
destination and administer the antidote before it was too
late).

Clearly, her heart had become too involved
somewhere along the way and she hoped by ending the whole affair as
quickly as possible, she could limit the damage. Sitting next to
her in the driver’s seat, Gabe appeared carefree and nonchalant.
Why wouldn’t he? He thought he was sitting next to the girl of his
dreams.

She watched a bachelorette party in a long
stretch limo pull alongside them and a wave of jealousy washed over
her.”Can you go any faster?” she practically shouted at Gabe, who
along with Elias seemed to be enjoying their crawl down the
Strip

“Ah, my love is anxious to announce our
engagement to her family,” Gabe knowingly responded to her
outburst.

She used the next red light cycle to remind
him what had to be done. “Gabe, you need to listen to me. Your
feelings aren’t real, remember? We’re here because Cupid ordered me
home. You’ve been shot by a dart and need the antidote. Within an
hour this will all be over.”

Planting a quick kiss on her cheek, he gave
her a wicked grin before countering, “I assure you my feelings are
real. Don’t forget that you agreed to marry me if I still feel the
same after the antidote is administered. Soon, we’ll officially be
engaged.”

Shaking her head, she gave a small smile
before adding under her breath, “I hope you’re right.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling
under an awning at a private entrance to Caesar’s Palace. She
always found it ironic that it was owned by Cupid, yet it featured
dozens of paintings of adorable baby-faced winged cherubs, which
kept up their false public perception. Cupid designed it in high
Roman Empire style. A tribute to “the glory days of Rome” he’d
called it, an era the Cherubs had particularly enjoyed.

Cherubs mingled freely with humans in the
casinos and shops or sunbathed by one of the pools looking for
targets. Since Cherubs owned many of the other resorts on the
Strip, it was a perfect playground and provided the family with a
source of income to continually fund their lavish lifestyles. Some
of her older siblings had grown up prior to the family’s move to
Las Vegas, but for Dara, Vegas was home.

The valet took quite a while to approach
their car and barely covered his disdain for the beat up Plymouth
until Dara stepped out of the vehicle and flashed her access card.
“Miss Amorus, my apologies for the delay,” he stammered before
dropping into a deep bow. To her embarrassment, Gabe insisted in
holding her hand.

No sooner had she entered the private lobby
when her sister Corazon swept out of the elevator and gleefully
proclaimed “arriving through the family entrance with two handsome
Guardians? You naughty girl. I’m so proud of you!” and pulled her
in for a quick hug.

Always the most observant of her siblings,
she quickly noticed Gabe’s hand in hers and the ring conspicuously
displayed on her finger. “It appears congratulations are in order.”
Cora exclaimed excitedly. “I always knew you’d never be satisfied
by a boring human. Have you told dear old Granddad?”

“It’s not what it looks like,” Dara quickly
interjected. “While we were camping, Gabe was shot by a rogue
Cherub. He just
thinks
he loves me. I need to get a dose of
antidote quickly. Do you have some?”

With a calculating gleam in her eye, Cora
hesitated before replying, “I’m sorry, can’t say that I do. You
see, there’s been an issue with our supplier and there’s a bit of a
shortage. You’ll have to go directly to Granddad for it. He’s
expecting you anyway. He sent me down for you. I’ll accompany you
and your handsome companions up.”

Dara couldn’t help noticing the way Corazon’s
eyes lingered on Elias. She wished she was more of a matchmaker.
Corazon had a good heart and Elias was obviously quite a catch.

As soon as the elevator doors closed en route
to the penthouse, Gabe pulled her in for a kiss. Unfortunately, she
was unable to break free when the doors opened again. A loud round
of applause erupted from her family members assembled in the large,
ornate gallery housing Cupid’s current court.

Dara hated being in the spotlight and all
eyes were definitely upon her now. Taking a deep breath to steady
herself, she addressed the crowd. “This isn’t what it looks
like.”

Her resolve momentarily faltered as her
remarks were met with snickers and knowing glances at her and
Gabe.

Breaking free of Gabe she ran directly
towards Cupid who was dressed in a perfectly tailored Armani suit
at the end of the room observing the scene as it played out.

“Grandpa, I need your help. A rogue Cherub
struck Gabe while we were traveling here. It’s been over twelve
hours and I need the antidote before it’s too late,” she
begged.

“Have you thought this over?” Cupid queried.
“He’s a fine man, Darling, even if he is a Guardian, and unless I’m
mistaken, the current affection is mutual.”

Dara blushed deeply when he said this,
revealing the truth of his presumption.

Dropping all pretenses, she reminded him,
“I’ve always told you that I want to be loved for who I am, not
because someone has been bewitched into it. What I feel for him is
irrelevant if he didn’t have a choice. I could never marry him
unless he were to choose me of his own free will.”