His Dark Beauty (BWWM)

Chapter 4: E

I open my eyes, I feel satin sheets again. I remember last being on the couch, so how am I now on the bed? It's dark all around me like before, and hot, I kick off the sheets, groaning.

"Good evening," I hear a low whisper say.

I recognize it immediately, the voice that I've heard whispering my name for the past three months...that spoke to me in my apartment the night of my performance. E. I look around, I can feel his presence, but I can't see him, only darkness. My eyes stop at the corner of the room where the table and chairs are. One side of the table and one of the chairs seems to be surrounded by black mist, it moves slightly. I think back to my apartment and my heart speeds up.

"E...where are you," I whisper, looking at the moving mist.

"I'm here," he says, it seems like the voice is coming from all around me.

"I can't see you, I can't see anything," I respond, my voice raising in panic.

"I live in the shadows my sweet Layla, I am a part of them."

"Why did you take me?"

"I wanted you my beautiful Layla, I wanted you for myself."

I tremble at his words, "Where am I? I want to leave."

"My home. Our home."

"Are we still in New York?" I whisper tentatively, trying to get as many answers as I can.

"No, we are far away from there."

My breath is coming out in quick spurts, I feel like I can barely breath. It's so hot in here. I squint at the mist, it is tall, maybe ten feet high, it's dispersed but at the same time still holding a form. "Why-why won't you let me see you, come out of the shadows," I say, my heart beating fast.

"I am the darkness my Layla, I can't leave it."

The whispers are slow and low, surrounding my head and making my tremble. I can't help but the tears that escape my eyes. I don't know what's going on, I don't know where I am. I don't know what he is. But all I know is I can't see him, I can't see anything but darkness. A whimper escapes my lips, I see the dark mist move. I scoot back farther on the bed as it comes closer. It's at the edge of the bed, dispersing and coming back together, I don't even see a figure of a man, just a black blob.

"Shh, it's okay," he says quietly. The darkness comes more onto the bed, I push back against the headboard.

"What are you, why can't I see you E, I just want to see you," I plead. Tears are making my vision more distorted, I feel the bed dip and watch as the darkness comes closer.

"I'm right here my love, this is me in work form..." I feel a hand on my foot, it's large and hot. I look down to see a cloud of darkness slowly enveloping my leg.

I fade into nothing.

When I come to I'm on a couch. I touch it, it isn't the soft couches of the room, it's a hard leather, cool against my skin. I also realize that I can see, but it's dim. I'm in a living room. A fireplace burns low on the other side of the center table in front of me. I reach out for the cup of water on the table and bring it to my lips. I gulp it, it goes down the wrong tube, I cough and sputter, pulling the cup away from my lips, some of it spills on the couch.

"Careful Layla," a husky voice says from behind me.

I don't turn around, I'm too busy coughing. Also if I do I may pass out again from seeing a huge mist of black again. I lean over and set my cup back on the table, still coughing. I feel a hand patting my back. It's big, but smaller than the one that touched my foot. It pats hard, but not enough to hurt me. I smell a deep oud, similar to the smell of my notes. I stop coughing and look at the ground. The hand pulls away. It's silent, then I feel something brush my arm.

It's a paper towel, sitting gingerly between long pale fingers. My eyes widen as I take it, using it to wipe off the couch. The hand moves back, brushing my arm, it's hot. I sit up, staring straight ahead into the fireplace. I know someone is behind me. Who it is I'm not sure...the voice is not a whisper, but that of a man.

"Thank you," I say, looking into the fireplace.

"You're welcome Layla...are you okay," the voice asks lightly.

"I'm scared to turn around, I'm not sure who you are," I say honestly, looking at the fire twisting and moving.

There's a pause, "Whenever you are ready you can turn around. This is me...in my physical form, one that is easier to understand." E says.

I nod, why couldn't he have shown me this first instead of appearing as a whispering black blob in an already dark room. I take a deep breath and stand up. I smooth my hair out of my face and turn around slowly. I look up into dark eyes and my heart starts hammering in my chest.

"E..." I whisper.