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The days before my ‘date’ with Alex were pure torture. I wished I could turn the hands of time forward and make it Wednesday already. Unfortunately, this doesn’t belong to the skillset of Sirens. To take my mind off things I paid Roisin a visit in NYC. I walked all the way to her apartment, taking a big detour. I gawked up at the skyscrapers, breathed in the smell of grass and BBQs in Central Park and wondered about the colorful but very short dresses the girls were wearing in Harlem. It was as if I had landed in a different country. Finally, I went back downtown and ran up to the 14th floor of Roisin’s building.
Roisin welcomed me with a warm hug. Her hair was tied into several small buns that were spread all over her head. She wanted to show me the rooftop terrace. Therefore, we hiked up another four stories. Through a small door, we stepped out onto the concrete roof. In Switzerland, you'd have a beautiful view over the whole city and a few green fields from the roof of such a high building. In NYC, it meant that you had a great view down on tiny yellow cabs and a few other buildings. Yet, you were still surrounded by many taller skyscrapers that were glistening against the sun. It was an amazing 360° view!
“You have to see this at night! I find the city even more beautiful when the billions of lights are competing with each other against the dark.” Roisin said.
Somebody had put a pavilion on the terrace under which there was a couch. We sat down on the couch, and I let my gaze wander some more. Like with most amazing sceneries, you discover more and more details the longer you look. Sometimes, the ones nearest to you last. I noticed that there were a lot of pots with plants on the rooftop and somebody had decorated the safety fence with a chain of electrical lights. It was like a romantic garden and would make a great place for a picnic on the roof in the evening, or an outdoor party.
"So, how is life otherwise?" Roisin leaned back on the couch, spreading both her arms on the rest behind her.
"It's good." I debated whether I should tell her about Alex. If there was one person who knew about guys, it was Roisin.
"The guy who got trapped in his car the other day showed up at the pub, to thank me and invite me to dinner."
"You have a date." Roisin excitedly clapped her hands.
"I don't think it's a date. It's just dinner."
"Honey, it's never just dinner. He's a guy, and you are you. Wait, what does he look like?"
I felt myself blushing. How is that even possible, when there's no blood flow in your veins?
"Quite good. Like a football player." That sent a picture of him to my mind, as he was sitting in the pub and it made me want to be alone with him somewhere. I swallowed.
"Oh good. Then it's definitely a date. What are you going to wear? Because it's important -" She paused and looked at me more closely, "Nathalie, do you like this guy?"
"Why?" I swallowed again.
"You look like you have a fever." Roisin was amused.
I thought it might be good to tell her. Honestly, I was a bit afraid myself about these sudden hot flashes toward a guy.
"Actually, it's a bit weird. I don't know this guy at all, but when I saw him the other day, there was a moment that I..." I trailed off to see if there is a good way of explanation but didn’t find any, "I just wanted to kiss him! I almost did it too." I breathed.
That got Roisin laughing and clapping again.
"Great! You know what that means?" She looked at me.
I raised my eyebrows while I was waiting for an answer.
"You are awakening. Your emotions are not in a state of ice anymore." She continued. "Don't worry; this is completely normal. We used our sex appeal to attract our 'victims.' But to make this convincing you have to express what you can offer him. Which is reeeally good sex." Roisin prolonged the 'really.' It’s not as if I would know the difference. "And believe me, it is really good, because since our sensors are so sharp, we feel a lot more intensely. Emotionally and physically." She paused again and gave me a meaningful look. "That's also why staying in control is a lot harder for us. Resist the urge. You cannot just jump on him."
I could see myself doing exactly that if these emotional waves continued in that way. For the first time in my life, I felt an actual desire to have sex. It was not about curiosity anymore. I truly wanted it.
"You most likely will find yourself attracted to other guys like that, too."
"Oh great," I mumbled. How would you be able to recognize any real feelings then, if this was our constant state of hunting mode? "So, that's why you..." I hesitated because I didn't want to crown her with a degrading female term, "don't settle?"
"Partially, yes. I also don't want to get too attached to anyone. I've seen it before, too many times. Sooner or later, we are the ones who lose." Roisin had a sad expression on her face. "Because we don't die." She sat up straighter, and the energy came back into her body. "Anyway, while you are enjoying yourself in the meantime, do it safely. Know that although you can't get pregnant, you could get STD's. So, in other words, use condoms."
She talked about all this as if it was the most normal conversation in the world.
"Roisin, Christ. We haven't even had dinner yet. I'm not planning on jumping into bed with anybody right away." This day was getting too much for me.
"Well, I just wanted to tell you. Even your self-controlled highness might have an Achilles' heel somewhere."
"I already have enough of them. I don't need another one."
"It's not a bad thing. As long as you don't kill them." She laughed. “Just joking, don’t look so shocked. Loosen up a bit, Nat,” she clapped on my back.
I still had doubts on my mind. “But if the attraction is so strong, that he is constantly on my mind. I mean, I even see his face in my drinks and the water when I wash dishes.” I gave a short laugh. “Is there some kind of trick to stop myself from ripping him apart if he’s actually in front of me?”
“Hold on, woah.” Roisin held one hand up. “How did you mean, that you see his face in your drinks?”
Her stern look made me believe that there would be more to this.
“At Prom, I held a glass of sparkling wine, and I clearly saw his face in my glass. I thought I was hallucinating. And once before, I saw him in dirty dishwater.”
I managed something I wouldn’t ever have thought possible; I rendered Roisin speechless for a moment.
“You received a puddle,” she whispered.
“A puddle?” I asked her questioningly.
She found her voice again. “This is the way the Orbiters communicate with us. You remember the Orbiters, the law enforcement patrol of the supernatural world? They only get in touch with you if it’s important. Either if you disregarded the rules and they make you disappear; or, if they need to send you a message. Which they do through water surfaces.”
“So, you are saying that I didn’t imagine this, but his face meant something more?” This whole thing with Alex kept getting stranger and stranger.
“Exactly. The question is, what did it mean? But to find out, there is only one way. You have to stay in touch with him. I want all the details after the dinner.” She looked at me with big eyes. “This is so exciting!"
“Well, I am glad at least one of us can see it in a positive light. Why can’t something be normal for once?”
“Because normal is boring?” She smiled.
I hugged Roisin goodbye and then made my way back to the Cape. As much as I liked the bustling city, it was wonderful to come back to a place, where you could smell the ocean. And it wasn’t just any place anymore. Without me realizing it, I had grown pretty attached to our little gem by the water. I could trust the people who lived with me with my life, and they let me know that I was important to them on a daily basis. Apart from that, I had found friends at school, which had actually made me look forward to 7:30 am every morning. In short, this place felt like home to me now too and I was really starting to appreciate my new life here.