Chapter 6: Sweet Scent of Flower!

Due to the snowstorm which lasted for two days, the entire town had suffered. But Erik was suffering from its effects even two days after it was gone.

He had woken up on the floor of his drawing-room, with a severe headache and confusion as to his whereabouts. He tried to remember how he had come back home and why he was lying on the floor but everything was hazy. It felt like he was waking up from a very deep sleep and with no memory of dreams that he had seen. Every time he tried to think about it, the headache would increase tenfold.

The last thing he could remember was him being offered the thing that would await him on his date with Alice. Then he stood up on his seat when the class had already left the room; after that everything turned hazy. It felt like everything that happened afterward had turned into a dream. A dream which he couldn’t remember!

He tried to relax himself, thinking about things that weren’t causing him headaches, like him playing the game of ‘accidents’ with Alice.

He knew when Alice kissed him during their lunch break, that was nothing more than teasing. It was an attempt to get an edge over him. So he wouldn’t ditch their date.

But his body behaved like it had its own mind and it took that as a challenge and it retaliated in the same manner.

It was good the lunch break was over or he didn’t even know what he might have done. He still remembered his instinct, which was behaving like a primitive creature and telling his body to take her and make her his.

His body was listening to that instinct instead of following his mental commands. It was like he was sitting in the back seat, while his body was working with some auto function.

‘No, this can’t be good; I should cancel our date tonight.’ He picked up his phone and was about to call her before he received a message from her:

“Don’t be late.”

Under that message, a photo was attached of her in her bathrobe.

‘She is so hopeful for our date.’ It wasn’t like he was looking for a relationship or girlfriend but he couldn’t bring himself to reject her.

‘She is such a great girl, she isn’t even hesitant or afraid of my physique, like my last relationship. And it wouldn’t be such a good idea to make a cute girl sad by ditching her ‘AND REJECT SUCH A FINE FUCK!’

He was startled; he looked around, searching for the source of that voice. It was a strange and raspy voice. He knew it wasn’t him, but then who?

He looked around the house but found nobody. He started to calm himself.

‘It was just my mind; living alone in the house far away from town must be turning me crazy. I should go on this date. It would be refreshing, and she has even hinted about something special that might happen tonight.’

‘But what if we start something and she wants to stop. Would I be able to stop myself? It happened after that... ‘ A TING sound of notification brought him out of his musing. He looked at the screen it was a message from his friend:

“Bro, I am back in town. Let’s meet tomorrow at college to discuss my newest find from my treasure hunt!”

It was his friend. In the last year, he had performed countless rituals and bought many antique items, but nothing had yielded any result. Never had they ever seen even a spark of magic. Erik, being his best friend, had always been there for him, to give him moral support and protect him from doing anything crazier.

‘Huh, tomorrow! I guess it’s going to be a long night then!’

He took a quick shower and wore a fine blue polo shirt and black jeans. It wasn’t very fancy but that was the best he could afford in his situation.

He started his grandfather’s old pickup and drove toward the address that she had sent him.

It was less than 10 minutes of driving before he was at her residence. This was an old Victorian-style house.

As he got out of the old pickup, he had the feeling of being watched. Due to him growing up near such a huge forest, he had a really good sense of his surroundings. That’s why he felt like someone was watching him, like a predator watches its prey.

‘I don’t know why, but this place feels like something out of a creepy movie.’

He knocked at her front door, and after few moments the door opened. There she was standing before him in a short purple dress which looked expensive, with a small purse in her hand.

Her appearance was that of graceful and elegant beauty. He could smell her perfume, the same one. It was a vanilla and strawberry flavor, enhancing her natural flowery smell.

The whole day he had smelled different people with their distinctive scent, but her scent seemed to be flowery. The intensity was similar to when he went to visit a plant nursery. It was like she was carrying an entire bucket of flowers within her.

Her red hair was tied in a ponytail. She applied makeup, but hadn’t overdone it. Her eyes are like that of an angel, but he could see self-doubt in them.

“Hi, Erik! Good evening to you, too!”

“Oh, I mean, Hi.” ‘What the hell is happening? I have never felt like that, even on my first date.’ But the feeling of being watched wasn’t leaving his mind, which was making him anxious.

She moved forward and gave him a peck on his cheek. It felt even stranger because he could also smell soil and chocolate on her. This was having an irritating effect on him.

She started to lock the door. “You may think I am weird, but I am excited about our date so you don’t mind if I don’t invite you for coffee or tea right?”