Seb has emailed a few times. He thinks he’s making some sense of his life, although I fear he is still very vulnerable at the moment. He’s with a group of people who sound like a weird religious sect, trying to isolate their members from the real world. I’ve expressed my concerns but can tell he has to go through this and come out the other side.
Don’t lose touch Seb, whatever happens. I respect your choices, but keep an open mind, please. That’s all I ask. I’m always here for you, if and when you want to talk. Ceri xxx
Alex knows that I’m worried and has tried to reassure me. What I can’t tell him is that in my work on the ethereal plane I can see Seb and I know exactly what’s happening. He’s being led down a path by someone who claims to be a higher being, but who knows very little. He’s the worst sort of believer: someone whose knowledge is minimal although his ego is large. This man thinks he’s God, or the closest thing to him on this earth. Worshipping false idols comes to mind and whilst it’s clear to me Seb isn’t swallowing everything he’s being told, he remains curious. I can only watch from a distance, but I’m prepared to step in if necessary.
I seem to be managing my two very distinct worlds effortlessly. There doesn’t seem to be any overlap and I don’t think I’ve let anything slip.
“Are you ready yet?” Alex saunters into the bedroom and sashays towards me as if he’s going to pounce.
“No, so don’t come in here and start distracting me. I’m trying to do my make-up and I’ll end up looking like a panda bear if I don’t concentrate. I’m nervous. You can sit down and tell me some more about your boss if you want to help.”
He sits on the edge of the bed, mindful not to upset the perfectly placed pillows, and I love that he cares about those little things. I never knew why ambience was so important, I simply knew it affected my mood and when everything was in order, I felt happier. After Mark’s session on chakras it all became very clear. Cleanliness really is next to Godliness, and the reason is that dirt and clutter can stop the flow of energy. Since Alex moved in the apartment looks even better than it did before and, if that reflects our relationship, then this place is full of love and free-flowing energy.
“You know all about the company, Grey’s Advertising, and Niall Grey is the kind of boss you’d stay late for to meet a deadline, even if he wasn’t paying you. I’ve never met his wife but I assume they are going to be quite like-minded. There’s no need to be nervous about meeting them,” he’s puzzled and concerned because I’m anxious.
“Technically I’m out of work, I’m a psychic and I’m not the usual sort of girlfriend someone would expect.” I zip up my make-up case and choose some earrings. “How do I look?” I spin around for Alex to pass judgement.
“Bea-u-ti-ful. Much too attractive to take out on a work celebration dinner. You’ll make Niall jealous.” He gingerly places his arms around me. “I won’t crush the dress,” he murmurs into my hair. His body presses hard against mine and that little frisson of heat begins to flood through me.
“You’re naughty, do you know that?” I turn my head, brushing my lips against his cheek. I move on to lightly tease his soft, gorgeous mouth. He kisses me back with a fierceness that makes me turn weak at the knees. I close my eyes and savour the moment, knowing full well any trace of lipstick will now have evaporated. I slide my arms down around his waist and Alex slides his hands down over my back, applying a slight pressure to pull my hips into him.
“I know, but you are just so, so sexy, Ceri. I can’t keep my hands off you.”
“I noticed,” I reply, reluctantly pushing him away. I make my way to the bathroom to start again, brushing any vestiges of lipstick off my teeth. He follows close behind me and suddenly I’m in his arms, his body pressing mine up against the wall. I can’t resist him and this moment is all that matters. Any thoughts about being late fade away.
***
“We’re running a little late, Niall, my apologies. This is my partner, Ceri Adams.” Alex slides his arm out from around my waist. I step forward to shake first Niall’s hand and then his wife’s, as he turns to introduce her to us.
“Alicia, this is Alex Delano. Hello Ceri, lovely to meet you.”
Niall walks around the table to pull out a chair for me. Alex has disappeared with our coats. I feel slightly panicky standing here on my own, so I paste on a big smile and concentrate on friendly eye contact. Niall’s aura is orangey red. He’s a confident and creative individual, although I doubt he’ll be very interested in anything spiritual. Alicia’s aura is a very dark grey and it isn’t opaque, but quite a solid band of colour. That isn’t good, it means she’s holding onto fear and that is causing her some serious health problems. There’s a large cluster of grey around her temples and I’m guessing she suffers from the most draining headaches. Maybe she has one coming now.
I look up from my thoughts, sensing I’ve missed something.
“I was asking what you would like to drink, Ceri.”
Alex appears and answers for me as he settles into his chair. “Whatever you are having is fine for both of us,” he says with a smile that looks a little forced. He looks nervously at Alicia and gives a little nod of acknowledgement, then back at me. Alex holds up my wine glass whilst Niall pours from a bottle sitting in a wine bucket on the table.
“Thank you.” I take the glass Alex offers and raise it to toast both Niall’s and Alicia’s. Everyone is all smiles and I turn to Alex, to graze glasses. Something goes wrong and instead of a light touch, my glass shatters into a million pieces. Wine and shards of glass cascade down into my lap, making me jump. The look on his face startled me, something isn’t right. Two waiters immediately come over and it’s an embarrassing few minutes as they clear up the glass. Another waiter brings me some napkins to mop my dress and the table, then lays a new place setting.
“I’m so sorry, I don’t know quite what happened,” I’m mortified. “There really wasn’t any reason why—”
“Faulty glass I suspect,” Niall intercedes, obviously trying to make me feel better. Alex grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“One of those things, Ceri.” He passes me the menu and there’s a little light conversation about what to choose. It’s a smart restaurant and very expensive, which makes this incident so much worse. I’m embarrassed and also confused about Alex. He’s on edge and looks nervous. I wonder if he’s disappointed in me and thinks I’ve let him down. I bite my lip, inwardly mad at myself for being so clumsy.
A waiter appears to take our order and things return to a more normal and relaxed atmosphere. I feel rather silly sitting here in a wine-splashed dress, only thankful that I wore black and it was white wine. The napkins mopped up most of it, but it’s still damp in a couple of spots. A little wine goes a long way.
Thankfully the conversation begins to flow, dominated by the guys. Niall very kindly sings Alex’s praises, which makes him squirm a little, and this time we air-kiss our glasses to toast Alex’s promotion. Alicia says very little and only picks at her starter. The evening draws to a close very unexpectedly when Alicia suddenly turns very pale, as if she is going to faint. She admits to having the most awful migraine and virtually collapses, leaning into Niall, who puts a protective arm around her. He indicates for a waiter to bring the coats and begins apologising, insisting we stay to finish our meal.
It seems to have been a night of apologies, as we shake hands once more and bid each other goodnight.
Alex looks rather relieved as we make our way out of the restaurant a short while later, the evening in ruins.
Outside I can’t help but ask the question. “What was that all about? For one moment you looked like you’d seen a ghost.”
“It was nothing, you know me. I don’t like attention and then when Niall started going on about my work…I’m just glad that’s over. I’ll be sure not to do anything to warrant another promotion,” he adds, soberly.
“Well, when it comes to making a first impression, I think this is one evening we’ll all want to forget!”