The Adonis of Weho (8 page)

Shivers washed over him as if maybe he was meant to see it. Maybe only he was allowed. Why?

Reese was going out of his mind.

Why did I act like a coward? Huh? The guy didn’t even do
anything threatening. But I shivered in my bare feet and nearly
passed out! Good one, Reese! You should have run up to him
and asked him who the hell he was!

Was he an angel?

“No. If I saw an angel, am I going to die?” Reese stood up from the computer so quickly he nearly overturned the chair. His heart raced in his chest. He rushed to the bathroom and turned on the light, staring at the mirror. “Am I sick? Is that why I’m exhausted? Am I dying and I just saw an angel of death on the beach?”

He became pale. “No. Get a hold of yourself, Reese.”

Who was he? What was he?

After shutting off the light Reese walked to his balcony and stepped outside. It was late afternoon and the pool was packed with bathers and sun-worshippers. The air was still warm so he closed the slider behind him to keep in the air conditioning. Reese stared at the blazing sun. “Icarus flew too close and his wings melted.” He shivered. “He fell to earth and died. Am I dying? Did I see Icarus or the Angel of Death?”

When he gazed back down at the pool he spotted Harper waving, trying to catch his eye.

Reese gave him a nod in acknowledgement.

Harper gestured for him to come down. Reese didn’t see Cybil but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there.

Do I want to go down there? Distract myself?

Harper stared at him as if trying to see what Reese would do. Since Reese didn’t respond to his sign language, Harper stood and pointed to his own chest, then up at Reese, in a clear sign of asking if he could come to him.

Reese nodded.

Harper jumped out of his lounge chair, gathered up his towel and clothing and raced into the apartment complex. Reese didn’t see Cybil, so he assumed she was elsewhere.

In what felt like seconds later, there was a knock on his door. Reese looked down at himself. The only thing he wore was his gym shorts. He ran his hand through his hair to tame it though he had no idea what it looked like since his shower. He entered his apartment, closed the sliding door behind him, and headed to the unit door.

“Hey.” Harper was panting as if he had sprinted the whole way.

“Hey.” Reese allowed Harper in and Harper dumped his towel and clothing beside the wall by the door.

“I was hoping you’d come down to swim.” Harper appeared sun-kissed and enamored, his expression full of invitation.

“I…uh…Harper.”

“Yeah?” he answered, his eyes going wide.

“Do you believe in paranormal or supernatural shit?”

“Huh?” Harper deflated. “Supernatural shit?”

Reese headed to the second bedroom and picked up the drawing he’d made. On his return, Harper met him in the hall.

“Look at this.”

Harper took the sketch. “Nice. So you’re an artist as well as a writer?”

“I do draw but I don’t sell my stuff or anything. Look at him.”

“He’s fucking hot! Love the wings. I’d get that design tattooed on my back if I was eighteen.”

“He’s real.”

“He’s real,” Harper echoed but didn’t react, still staring at it.

“Harper. I saw him today at the beach.” Reese pointed to it, as if Harper hadn’t been ogling it.

“Love it. What’s his name?”

“What’s his name?” Reese coughed. “Don’t you want to ask me why he had wings?”

Harper cocked an eyebrow at Reese. “I assume you added those to make him look cool. Don’t act like I’m stupid.” He tapped his own chest. “Hello? Remember? Smart guy who graduated school early?”

“I saw him! I saw this man.” Reese poked the paper angrily.

“With huge white wings!”

“Were you still high on the weed?”

“God!” Reese ground his jaw in frustration. “I don’t expect anyone to believe me. I know this is insane.”

“Hang on.” Harper held the page closer. “You’re telling me this guy, like this, wings and all, was at the beach and you met him?”

“No. I mean. He was playing volleyball—”

Harper cracked up and handed Reese the drawing. “Yeah. Uh. Can I get a drink of water or something?”

“Help yourself.” Reese took the drawing.

Harper headed to Reese’s kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, dipping behind it.

Reese placed the drawing on the counter and stared at it. “I did see him. And he knew I did. He panicked and left the beach right after I spotted him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Icarus.”

“Ha. Ha.”

Reese spun around and leaned against the counter. “I don’t know. I just… Are you drinking a beer?”

“Yeah. You said to help myself.” Harper tipped the bottle up. Reese was about to comment on the age issue again but knew it was useless. “Anyway. This guy.” Reese tapped the sketch.

“He was on the beach, playing volleyball with three other guys. Every time he leapt up to get the ball his huge white wings spread out and…” He caught Harper giving him a look of disbelief.

“So…did you write about him and dream it or something?”

“No, I…” Reese walked past Harper, opened the fridge and took a beer out for himself. “Never mind. I’m insane.” He twisted off the cap and sucked down the beer.

“Did you like point and scream, ‘hey, that guy’s got wings!’?”

“No. I froze like a little girl and nearly passed out.” Reese chugged the beer.

Harper cracked up with laughter and coughed on the beer.

“Yeah. So much for anyone buying it if I can’t even get a seventeen year old kid to.”

“Holy crap, I nearly pissed my shorts!” Harper slapped his leg. “You’re fucking funny. You should write comedy.”

“Yeah. I’m a riot.” Reese headed to his living room and plopped down on the overstuffed sectional, facing his entertainment unit.

Harper brought the drawing with him and sat next to him—

right
next to him, connecting sides even though the sofa was enormous and ‘L’ shaped against two walls.

Reese was about to shift over when Harper, still nursing his beer asked, “Was he that handsome?”

“Yes. Oh God yes. He was like an Adonis. Fucking amazing.”

“Huh. A winged Adonis. Very odd. You’d have thought the media would have been alerted.”

“I was the only one who saw him.”

“So…he was invisible except to you?”

Reese stared at the drawing. “No. He couldn’t have been. He was playing volleyball and he left with two other guys.”

“Was he naked?” Harper pointed to his drawn cock.

“No. He had shorts on. I added that.”

“Nice. Well hung, nice balls. I’d fuck him, wings and all.”

“What if…” Reese set his beer on a coaster on the coffee table. “What if he was some harbinger of death? What if I spotted the wings and no one else did because I’m dying of some terminal disease?”

Harper blinked and stared at him. “Did you go to the doctor?”

“No. I didn’t think I needed to. Do I look sick?” Reese touched his bare chest in worry.

“No. You look fucking hot!” Harper stared at the drawing again. “Do you have HIV?”

“No, babe. I get tested. I’ve always been negative.”

“What kinds of diseases run in your family?” Harper drank more of his beer, his eyes glued to the drawing.

“I don’t know. The usual stuff. Nothing dire.”

“Go and get a check up.” Harper shrugged. “But you want my honesty?”

“Yeah.”

“I think maybe the sun played a trick on your eyes. You know? Like maybe there was a glare and—”

Reese rubbed his face and picked up his beer.

“No good?”

“No.” Reese slouched low and gulped the cold beer.

“So, Author Reese Anderson saw a guy who was as gorgeous as an Adonis with the wings of Icarus. Why?”

“Yeah. That’s my question. Why?”

“I think you have to find him. I think if what you’re saying really happened…” Harper reacted to the evil glare Reese was shooting at him for doubting him. “Then, we need to find him.”

“How?”

“He likes volleyball and the beach? Go back to the scene of the crime.”

“But today is Sunday. What if he works full time, like most normal guys. He won’t be there tomorrow.”

“He will be next weekend. That would be my guess.” Harper set the empty bottle on a magazine on the coffee table. “Can I suck your cock?”

“No.” Reese winked. “Nice try.”

“Guess I have to grow a pair.”

“Babe. You already have a pair.”

“I meant wings.” Harper grinned.

Reese laughed, very glad to have his anxiety chased away. Chapter 6

After their fish and chips meal, Adonis thought about driving his companions home. The day had left him confused and he wanted to see if he could communicate with one of the gods or goddesses as to why, against his will, someone spotted his wings.

“Dude, you taking me home?” Heath had Doug on his lap this time.

“I was. No good?”

“No. It’s okay.” He held Doug close. “You coming to my place?”

“Yeah. Long as I can get up early and go to work.”

“Sweet.”

Adonis parked his car in front of Heath’s apartment house and waited as they climbed out and gathered their belongings. They both leaned into the open door. “Dude,” Heath put his hand to his ear. “You have both our cell numbers. Call.”

Adonis smiled. “I will.”

“We’ll find your man. Don’t you worry. We both got a good look at him. He’s local.”

“Thanks, Doug.”

They waved and closed the car door. As Adonis drove away, seeing them holding hands as they walked to the lobby together, his smile faded to an ache. After today he had only twelve days to marry someone. That just didn’t seem possible. What would Hera do to him if he didn’t?

Adonis shuddered in the bucket seat in fear. He drove to the area where he had played volleyball on the beach. Since it was nearing dinner hour for mortals, the area had cleared out a little. He parked along the curb and stared at the waves. The spot where the net had been was now vacant. Adonis stepped out of the car, looking around the area. There were still bathers and surfers out even though the evening was bringing a cool breeze from the water.

As if drawn to the spot, Adonis stood on the sand in his flipflops, investigating the people who were there. No one seemed to notice him more than just a passing glance, nor did they react to his wings.

~

Reese drove his SUV close to the area he had seen the strange

‘apparition’. Maybe Harper was right and he needed to return to the ‘crime scene’. Since he couldn’t wait a week, and knew napping was impossible, Reese had no choice but to come here. Like a siren was calling, he had to.

Since he slowed down to have a look, a horn prodded him to keep moving. Reese circled the block and pulled into a spot that opened up while he waited. He left the SUV and walked to the sandy beach.

His insides were jumping as if he were expecting to see a ghost or some form of death sign. He wasn’t ill. That was absurd, wasn’t it?

To be on the safe side, he made a note to himself to get a complete physical. Was he too young for a colonoscopy?

Putting his keys into his pocket, Reese kept his sunglasses on as the sun began lowering down towards the horizon. Though the sand was warm, the wind blowing off the water had cooled substantially. Surfers were enjoying the rough waves and most people were packing up their gear and leaving the waterfront to head home for dinner.

Reese noticed a sexy red Ferrari and admired it as he walked near it. Though he was an appreciator of fine things, he couldn’t quite afford all the luxuries yet. One day.

He took off his shoes as he hit the sand and stopped to have a look around. Since it was a lot less crowded, he scanned the occupants quickly.

His heart stopped in his chest.

A man was standing on the wet sand near the tide, flowing brown hair blowing in the breeze, and white wings tucked against his back.

“No. No way!” Fear began to paralyze Reese. He waited for someone to notice the man. No one did! A young woman and her child strolled by Reese.

“Excuse me.” He got the woman’s attention. “Um, do you see a guy right there? Long dark hair and…”

She held her hand up to her forehead to shield the glare. “A guy with long brown hair? Is he wearing a black shirt and white shorts?”

“Yes!”

“What about him?”

Reese blinked. “What about him?”

“What did he say, Mommy?” the little boy asked, reaching for his mother’s hand.

“You…you see him? The guy out there by the water?”

She began to look at Reese strangely, as if he were crazy. “I said I did.” She held her son’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” She walked away.

“Does he have wings?” Reese shouted after her but was ignored. “I don’t believe this!” He ran his fingers through his hair in agony. “She sees him, but not his wings.” He began to feel ill. “I’m dead. I can see he has an angel’s wings but no one else can. Why me?”

The winged man slowly spun around.

Even from that distance, they connected gazes. The urge Reese had to panic and run was powerful.

The man appeared just as freaked out as he was. They did nothing but stare at each other from quite far distance.

~

“Oh gods. That’s him.” Adonis took his hair from his eyes as the wind blew it in. He looked upwards, “Dad? Is this a trick from Hera! Tell me!” He balled his fists and felt his heart race.

“Tell me now!” he roared causing some strolling beach-combers to turn their heads his way.