The Lock

The Promise

Sushi was like nothing I'd ever tasted before. Even as I write this, I am not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. But I must confess that I enjoyed the company as I ate it.

Something about Ian intrigued me, although even now I can't put my finger on why. Perhaps it was simply that he was the first person I'd ever met who was not from my own world; everything about him, from his clothes, to his hairstyle, to the way he spoke, was completely foreign and inherently mysterious.

When our meal concluded, Ian led me outside and we walked along the street and talked. The conversation was tricky. I couldn't divulge too much information without revealing that I wasn't from his world. At the same time, I was dying of curiosity about his world and was eager to pester him with questions.

I gathered that the name of the city we were in was Seattle. I had no idea why, but for some reason it felt like a fitting name for this bright city by the sea. At this hour, the city was mostly quiet, save for night owls like Ian and I roaming the streets, but he said the city bustled with activity at other times.

"Have you been to the Space Needle yet?"

"The ... Space Needle?"

He laughed in disbelief. "You don't even know what it is! Wow, your host family is really failing you." He pointed toward the sky and I caught sight of a disc-like shape peeking out over the top of one of the buildings. "That's the Space Needle," he said. "It's the landmark we're best known for."

"What is it, exactly?"

He laughed. "I don't know. A fake rocket ship or something? They built it for the World's Fair, I think. But there's a fancy restaurant at the top, and an observation deck where you can look out over the city." He hesitated, then added, "I'd take you up there myself, but it's gotten kinda expensive. Damn tourists."

"That's all right," I said. "Perhaps I'll examine it more closely another time. For now, though, I think it would be best if I returned home."

Ian seemed disappointed at the prospect of me leaving for home, but he relunctantly agreed that it was time for me to go.

"I'll walk you back," he said.

I couldn't allow that; I couldn't let him see the gateway I'd created on the bridge.

"No need," I said as matter-of-factly as I could manage. "I can manage by myself."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be out this late by yourself," he said. "Why don't you let me--"

"I said I could manage!" I didn't mean for the words to sound so harsh, but I simply couldn't let him accompany me, and his persistence had started to frustrate me.

His face fell. "Okay," he said sheepishly. "I'm sorry." He hesitated a moment and then added, "Truth be told, I wanted to see where you lived so I could run into you again. In hindsight, that's totally creepy and I should have known better."

Now it was I who hesitated. Ian was correct that his motivation for accompanying me was, as he put it, "creepy." But he didn't realize that was not the source of my frustration; in fact, I found myself looking forward to the prospect of seeing him again.

"Meet me on the bridge tomorrow night, around the same time we met up tonight."

"The bridge?"

"The one by the road where you saved me."

He furrowed his brow. "The one by--" Realization dawned on his face. "Oh, you mean the pedestrian bridge? The one off Marion?"

I shrugged. "If that's the street we were on when you saved me, then I suppose so."

Ian grinned. "Okay. I'll meet you there tomorrow." He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his face; he bent down and kissed it. "It's been an absolute pleasure, Esmeralda."

I suppressed a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ian."

He grinned. "You really mean it, right? You'll be there tomorrow?"

"I said I would be."

"You promise?"

I nodded. "I promise."