FELICITY: By K.M. McElhinny
Friday, March 26th, 2010Felicity was shelving her books when Sam cut through the retail fog and stepped into her aisle. A shot burst through her heart, cupid had finally decided to give her a chance at love. Felicity thought he would have seen the delicious pain on her face, his slight smile told her she was mistaken.
“C-can I h-help you?” she asked as clumsy words tripped over her lips.
“No thanks.” he muttered.
The ”thanks” caught her attention - often customers were not polite. He was different.
“O-okay…” she bit her lip, “My name is Felicity, in case you need anything else.”
He replied with a nod. Usually, she would go to a different section as to not disturb the customer, but today she wanted this one to notice her. Her heart fluttered when he picked up Tales of Ordinary Madness, the same book she was reading.
Distracted by coincidence, she tripped over the cart sending books cascading over the floor.
Felicity could feel him watching, heat speckled her cheeks as she ducked to pick the mess up. He knelt down, and she watched his strong hands work to help. Felicity knew he was the one she had been waiting for.
“I didn’t get you, did I?” she asked.
He shook his head no, and stood. Felicity waited to see if he would help her up. Then she realized that was asking too much. He’d gone above and beyond, for that she forgave him for not offering his hand. It was almost the perfect moment. With a little work, he could be trained to do it right.
“Thanks for helping…”
“It’s okay. I’ll see you around.” He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets (a nervous fidget from their budding romance?) and walked out.
I’ll see you around…his words vibrated through Felicity.
Felicity saw him almost every day. She learned his name, Samuel Millner Jr, from his credit card.
Their fingers brushed against one another that time, charging her skin with an electric tingle.
She memorized Sam’s movements. His ticks and twitches spoke to her, though they never exchanged more than customary pleasantries. Felicity felt the unspoken romance between them and bound herself to make a life with Sam.
One evening, as she was leaving, so was he. They walked through the vestibule together, Felicity saw her chance. She turned through the snowy depths of the blustering weather, ready to make her move, when she saw Sam slip on a patch of ice.
Fear for her love raced through her as his head knocked onto the pavement. She flew towards him.
“Are you okay?”
“Um…”
“We should get you to a hospital.” she said, helping him up.
“Ah, no, I’m alright.”
His obvious pain seared through Felicity’s heart.
“Company policy. If a customer gets hurt on our property, they must get checked out for further injuries.”
“I’m okay. Just a bump.” he said.
His stubbornness made her heart swell with musings to break the trait out of him.
“At least let me drive you home.” She pulled him towards her car, letting his argumentative words fall from her ears. She had to take care of him. Felicity shoved Sam into the passenger seat and started to buckle him in.
“I’m fine. Let me out.” He said struggling against her attempts.
“Enough.” Felicity didn’t want to hear anymore, his protests were taking away from her bliss. She pulled a doused cloth from her purse, and slapped it over his mouth. Sam coughed while grasping her arm for release. But her resolve was steel and soon, he was out.
Felicity climbed into the seat and drove home.
***
Tonight Felicity was going to make a special dinner. It had to be perfect. She had always heard “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” and she intended to make it happen.
An intense pain sliced through her as the knife slit the meat of her forearm. Crimson liquid seeped and trickled into the cruet with the speed of a turtle.
After weeks of glares and moans, Felicity saw a new spark of life. There was something interesting about the way Sam had looked at her yesterday. It told her, his opposition was fading. She knew by keeping his gag clean and sanitizing the friction burns on his wrists, he would come around.
Sam was hers now; his adoration would follow.
Her blood inside of him would seal their eternal love.
Anxiety coiled around her heart, Felicity bit her lip and squeezed at her flesh to expedite draining. Excitement flooded her body as she poured her love into the clear container.
Once the cruet was full, Felicity prepared the rest of the meal. She placed the salad on the tray, tilted the cruet and sprinkled it with her special dressing. She then moved the carafe over the raw slab of steak and rubbed her love into it, before placing it next to the salad. She plucked a white rose from a bouquet on her table and smeared crimson around the petal lips.
Felicity took the tray and unlocked the basement door, sliding each bolt open at a slow pace to steady her tittering fervor.
“It’s time for dinner,” she sang. Sam’s muffled, anguished cries tickled her as she descended merrily down the stairs.
_______________________
© 2010 K.M. McElhinny
