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“Allow me to be rude, if not this curse comes with no perks whatsoever,” I replied as I followed him towards the reception desk. I kept my distance and head down trying to be as invisible as I could be.
“Oh my gosh! Mr. Lord!”
I jumped at the feeling of a small hand on my arm and I instinctively backed away from the woman while doing my best not to look her in the eye. Instead I stared at the duck covered scrubs she wore and focused on the pattern.
“My sisters and I love your books! Will you sign mine?” she asked as she stuck a white covered book out at me.
“No,” I replied stepping away from her and moving toward the exit.
“Mr. Lord is not feeling well at the moment. He was just in a car accident as you may well know so please understand.” I heard Alfred kindly try to cover up for me. But I didn’t care if people called me a horrible person, or if I was being rude, or an asshole. What if I signed her or anyone else’s book and by some twist of fate it managed to be her? Their opinion of me meant little when pit against my life…her life.
Just as I’d made it to the front door and I thought I was free, I found a worn out copy of Sophocles’ Antigone at my feet. I stared at the cover and without thinking I bent down to pick it up. The moment my hand touched it so did hers. My heart stuttered and the scar burned so badly that my eyes hurt.
“Malachi Lord?” She gasped.
I could hear my heartbeat echoing. Releasing the book I tried to escape but she blocked my path.
“Wait! Sorry, I know you must have had people in your face all day but I just wanted to say—”
“Li-Mei?”
Turning at the sound of his voice, I watched as he stood beside me and spoke to…her.
“Mr. Noëlle. Good morning. I’m sorry I forgot you came here too!” she said. “Mr. Lord I just wanted to thank you. You saved my mother today.”
I shouldn’t have but I looked at her in shock. Really looked at her—her blonde hair was pulled into a bun and her brown eyes were filled with tears. It was her? Her mother?
“Your mother?” Alfred asked because I could no longer find the words to speak.
“The woman in the BMW, yeah. I just…thank you. Really. Thank you.” She sniffled quickly and I tried to walk around her but she stepped into my path again. “Have we met before? I swear it’s like a feeling of déjà vu.”
It was her.
The moment I thought it, the pain came back.
Biting back the pain I glared at her. “No, we have not.”
Taking the key out of my pocket I moved around her and towards the dark red motorcycle that sat in the parking lot. I was trying to figure out how to run. How to undo this before it started again? Before Li-Mei realized she hadn’t just met me in this life but in almost a thousand previous lives.
“I refuse to do this again.”
I’d had enough pain. Enough.
4. DREAMERS AND INSOMNIACS + MARY-MARGARET BONDURANT AND FRANCIS
ESTHER
“Do you have any idea what time it is, old man?” I questioned as I flicked on the light as he came into the flat.
“Jesus Christ—ESTHER!” He hollered gripping his chest. “You almost gave me a dang heart attack!”
I couldn’t help but smile. I was not letting him off the hook but I’d always wanted to do that. “Grampa, it’s two a.m.”
“I know, which is why I’m going to crawl into bed…” He yawned the last part as he took off his coat and ascot.
“Oh no you don’t.” I leaped off the seat and ran in front of him before he could move to the stairs. “What happened with Malachi Lord?”
He groaned. “Esther.”
