Page 12

twelve

ada

T he next morning, Ulgan’s forest green Jeep pulls up outside of my place. My palms are sweaty, and I find myself unable to sit still. Meeting Miss Laurel, someone that he cares deeply about, is important, and I don’t want to mess this up.

By the time I make it to his Jeep, he’s already by the passenger side door, holding it open for me. “You are looking awful pretty today, Sunshine,” he says, eyes moving up and down my body.

“You know just how to make a girl feel special.” I move closer to Ulgan until we are almost touching. Pulling on the collar of his jacket, he leans forward so that I can place a peck on his lips.

Hopping into the car, we leave behind Whispering Springs and start our hour-long drive to the city. He hands me my iced coffee and just the first sip instantly wakes me up.

The car ride is quiet as I go through every doomsday scenario in my head. What if I make a complete fool of myself and embarrass Ulgan so badly that he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore? Or, what if this whole thing between Ulgan and I is just in my head? Completely oblivious, it takes me a moment to realize that we’ve pulled over, and the car is stopped.

Did we pop a tire or something? Run out of gas, maybe? Those were not on my list of shit that could go wrong today, but now they are.

Ulgan turns in his seat to face me. “Ada, are you okay? I won’t be upset if this is something that you don’t want to do. We can turn around now and I can drop you off at home.”

I not-so-gracefully throw my head back onto the head rest. “It’s not that. I want to do this with you, and I’m honored that you asked me to come. I like you a lot, and just don’t want to mess this up by acting weird in front of someone you care about.”

“You’re nervous that you’ll act weird? Miss Laurel is a weird woman in her own right, so please don’t worry about acting a certain way to impress her.” Ulgan laughs to himself. “Her freak flag has been flying for decades, if not longer, so she’s not one to judge anyone on anything. You are perfect just the way you are. Let her see the real Ada. She’s pretty wonderful, but I’m biased since I like her a whole lot.” He shoots me a reassuring smile.

“Let’s put on some music and you can ask me anything you want about her,” he says, handing over his phone. I start searching for a song that will put me in a good mood.

The car fills with a familiar tune that I always have to dance and sing along to. I even convince Ulgan to join my car dance party, and shockingly, the big guy has some moves. By the end of the song, I’m both breathless and my stomach hurts from laughing.

“Okay, what did you think?” I ask, knowing there is only one right answer.

“Well, I’m not sure how ‘karma is a cat,’ but the song was fun. Why don’t you play another song that you like?” We listen to a few more of my favorites before I lower the volume. It’s time to learn a bit more about Miss Laurel.

“Okay, buddy, it’s time for a little Q&A. What kind of monster is Miss Laurel?” I ask, turning to face him while resting the side of my head against the seat. “Is she an orc like you?”

“No, actually Laurel is a dryad,” Ulgan says. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one before, but dryads are nature spirits that have a deep connection to trees. I’m anxious to see your reaction when you meet her, since you’re an artist. Dryads are hauntingly beautiful. One thing that I should warn you about are her vines. They have a mind of their own, and tend to sneak up on you when you least expect it.”

“She has vines? What do they do?” Now I’m more intrigued than nervous to meet her. I’ve never seen anyone with vines before.

“It’s actually pretty interesting. I don’t understand exactly how it works, but Laurel is able to sense someone’s soul through the vines. They have to be touching someone to work. I’ve seen it a few times, and they’ve always been spot on.”

“So, they can sense whether someone is a good person or not?”

“Kind of, but it’s deeper than that. It’s almost as if her vines can peer into a person’s soul and uncover who they are at their core. I might not be explaining it correctly. It’s one of those things that you need to see for yourself in order to understand.”

We fall into a peaceful silence and I mull over what he’s shared. I wonder what Miss Laurel’s vines will sense if they touch me? I’m too curious to see them at this point to worry much.

“Is there anything that Laurel likes? Should we stop and pick something up for her?”

Ulgan glances at me with a smile. “That’s actually a great idea. She loves these doughnuts from a little shop near her nursing home. I’ve been trying to recreate them for her for years, but she always says that it’s a good try, but not close enough.” He chuckles. One of his hands leaves the steering wheel and rests on my thigh. His warmth seeps through the thin leggings I wore today. “Is this okay?” he says timidly.

I grab his hand and hold it in place, loving that he wants to touch me as much as I want to be touched. “Yeah, it’s okay. Thank you for checking. I appreciate it.”

He gives my thigh a gentle squeeze and focuses on the road. He couldn’t possibly know how much it means for him to check in like that. It’s one of the many reasons I feel comfortable with him. He always makes sure to go at my speed and not push me too far. I need to thank his mother for raising him right. You know, if I ever get the chance to meet her.

Live in the present, girl. Stop worrying about the future, and enjoy right now. My life is going really well, and I’m allowed to enjoy that instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Would it help your nerves if we keep talking?” he asks.

“That would be amazing.” My whole body relaxes and I turn in my seat to face him.

“How about a game of 20 questions?” he suggests.

“Mr. Durzum, are you feeling nosy?” I tease.

Ulgan lets out a chuckle, and his cheeks darken.

“I’m in,” I say. “You go first.”

He clears his throat. “Okay, I’m going with some hard hitting questions first, so prepare yourself. You can only keep one: coffee or chocolate?”

“Easy, I’m picking chocolate. My turn: where’s your happy place?” Mine is sitting in this car right now with him.

“It’s going to sound boring, but probably my bakery. Baking brings me a sense of calm and happiness,” he confesses.

“That’s beautiful, Ulgan.” I weave my fingers through his and rub his forearm. His kind eyes land on me before turning back to the road.

Ulgan shifts in his seat a bit before speaking again. “Describe your dream house.”

Oh, he’s really done it now. I’ve been dreaming about my future home since I was a little girl. My kind man sits patiently and listens as I describe each and every room of the house in painstaking detail.

I can see it now. The cape cod style house with a front porch where I could drink my coffee in the morning, the spacious bathtub for late night soaks, and of course, my own art studio. Ulgan sits for what feels like an hour listening to me ramble on. I normally would feel embarrassed for talking this much, but he makes me feel so comfortable. It also doesn’t hurt that he seems completely invested in what I’m saying.

“You’ve really thought of everything. That sounds like a gorgeous home.” He smiles at me.

My vision of my future begins to shift. I can now see Ulgan sitting on that front porch drinking coffee with me, soaking in that tub together, and supporting me in that art studio. A peaceful feeling settles in my chest as I allow myself a few moments to imagine this serene image. Just a few moments of bliss before reality sets in.

Not long after we pull up to the doughnut shop, make our purchases and finish our short drive to the facility. Ulgan holds my hand as we stroll down a winding hallway, stopping outside of room 13B.

His warm breath fans against my ear as he leans down and whispers, “She’s going to love you.” His soft lips press against my cheek, the skin heating under his touch.

He knocks on the door, which swings open almost instantly, but no one is there. How...?

Peering into the suite, there is an intricately woven length of green vines covered in soft purple blooms that move through the room and back, as if they’re being retracted. The vines stop at a small upholstered chair, weathered with time.

“Is that you Ulgan?” a melodic voice asks. “Because if it isn’t, I may be old, but I’ll still kick your ass.”

Oh, she and I are going to get along just fine.

Ulgan shakes his head and lets out a hearty laugh. “Would you quit threatening people? Yes, it’s me, and I brought someone with me that I want you to meet.”

Miss Laurel lets out her own laugh. “Well, get yourself in here, then! Are those doughnuts I smell? Oh, you know the way to this old lady’s heart.”

I finally can see the small dryad. Her twisting vines resemble those of a wisteria tree, and she has a slightly humanoid face. Her skin is the color of rich antiqued wood, and her vibrant green eyes are piercing in contrast.

Setting the doughnuts on the coffee table, we sit on the sofa opposite her. I’ve never met a being quite like her before, her earthen beauty haunting.

“Now Ulgan, why don’t you pretend like you have some manners and introduce me to your friend.” Laurel’s quick wit would put Rue to shame.

“Miss Laurel, this is my m—this is my girlfriend, Ada,” he stumbles over his words. What on earth was he going to say?

“Girlfriend, huh? Is that what we’re calling it these days? Anyway, Ada, it’s so nice to meet you, love. How did you meet this big lug?” she asks, gesturing at Ulgan, who sits next to me with amusement clear on his face.

“We met at his bakery. He created a plan to get me to paint a mural there so he could spend time with me instead of just asking me out. Jokes on him, though. I had fun painting, and I already had a crush on him.” I laugh and give him a playful nudge.

“ Oh , I like you!” Miss Laurel exclaims. “I like you a whole hell of a lot.” She wheezes, caught in a laughing fit.

Ulgan looks so smug right now. The hot bastard must’ve known that I wasn’t visiting his bakery every morning because the coffee was that good.

We spend the next two hours eating way too many doughnuts and listening as Miss Laurel shares stories about Selene and Ulgan as kids. Apparently, he was a bit of a nudist.

“There he was, diaper off, naked as the day he was born, running up and down the street chasing a butterfly. It took me ages to catch him since the little bugger was so fast.” Miss Laurel swipes tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.

“That must have been hilarious!” I clutch my stomach, laughing with my whole body.

“Oh, it was. He had the cutest little tush, but I’m sure you’ve already seen it so you know what I mean,” Miss Laurel says, giving me an over dramatic wink. This lady has a dirty mind, and that makes me like her even more.

“And that's our cue to leave.” Ulgan shoots up from the couch, looking embarrassed. “Miss Laurel, make sure to call me when you want to come visit Mom. I know she’d love to see you and catch up,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks darken.

“I’m not shy, I’ll be sure to call for my knight in shining green armor when I need him,” Miss Laurel replies, giving him a hug. Ulgan walks over to the door, and Miss Laurel and I are now alone. She reaches for my hands and holds them in her own. “Ada, you simply must come back and visit me. Maybe we can even ditch this one and have a night out on the town.”

“I would love that. Thank you so much for letting me crash your date today.” I can’t help the smile that’s spread across my face. This has been such a great afternoon.

Miss Laurel pulls me in for my own hug, and before I even know what’s happening, her vines have crept up my arms and wrapped me in their own embrace. A sharp intake of breath comes from me, my heart stopping as I hesitantly pull back to look at Laurel. A sense of calm washes over me as the vines almost pulsate against my skin.

Her face radiates pure happiness and joy. She pulls me back in for another fierce hug. “He’s going to love you with his whole heart. Thank you for existing, sweet girl.”

She brushes away the few tears that have escaped down my cheeks. It’s then I realize she is crying as well. Miss Laurel and I walk arm in arm over to Ulgan who has been waiting patiently for me.

We leave her room and make our way back to the car. Walking with me over to the passenger side, muscular arms envelop me and I lean into Uglan’s equally muscular chest.

“What did you think of her?” he asks, his lips moving against my hair.

“She’s the best. I get why you visit her so often. I’ll have to take her up on her offer of sharing more stories about you.”

“She’s certainly got plenty of them,” he chuckles, planting a kiss on the top of my head before releasing me and opening up the passenger door. I slide inside, the Jeep dipping under his weight as he hops in, and we head back to town.

His hand reaches over the gear shift and takes up residence back on my thigh, his thumb rubbing slow circles.

His hand leaves my thigh for just a moment to hand me his phone. “Want to pick the music again?”

“How about you pick? What do you like to listen to?” Please, universe, don’t let him like something like polka.

He pulls over for a second, taking the phone from me and selecting a song. “Remember, this is a judgment free zone, Sunshine.”

Suddenly, 2000s emo music blasts through the speakers. This I can get behind. Who knew my man was into some of my favorite bands from when I was growing up?

“Do you mind if I turn this up? I freaking love this song!”

“Really? Hell yeah!” The volume is cranked and we’re both singing at the top of our lungs, windows down.

This turned out to be the perfect day. The more I get to know about Ulgan, the harder I fall for him. Who am I kidding? I’m falling hard, and there’s this nagging part of me that thinks this is moving way too fast. However, there is an even bigger part of me that can’t get enough of him and knows that this feels right.

His hand is back on my thigh—where I’ve determined it belongs—and I thread my fingers through his. This feels right, and I need more of it.