Cristal - Novella by Anne-Rae Vasquez Page A

into the street. The air was heavy
and humid and clung to her like a wet bathrobe. It was late in the
evening and the sky was an angry purple. The moon was low in the
sky, a crescent shape with a burnt orange color.
    “Cristal, wait!” Kerim cried out, running
toward her.
    Something in his voice made her stop and
turn to face him.
    “Leave me alone.”
    He stopped in front of her.
    “We need to talk.”
    She looked past him to see if Harry was
there. He wasn’t. She shifted her eyes back onto Kerim, crossing
her arms.
    “Okay, explain to me how come when I’m near
you, I feel like you are inside my head. And it seems you know what
I’m feeling and thinking.”
    He took a deep breath and then looked
away.
    “So, are you going to tell me?”
    She stepped closer to him.
    “Or are you just going to stand there?”
    “Okay, let’s sit,” he said, pointing to a
bench a few feet away.
    His voice was distant yet soft. His tone
didn’t exude its usual confidence.
    He walked over, sat down, and placed one arm
on the back of the bench. She followed him and sat on the far end
of the bench. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to read her mind if she
created a larger expanse of space between them. She raised her chin
slightly and focused her energy on watching his steel grey
eyes.
    “So, go ahead.”
    He began speaking, but his words were spoken
so softly that she couldn’t understand him. She inched closer and
closer, straining to hear him. She realized at that moment that if
she were to move any closer to him, she might end up in his
lap.
    He gave her a wicked grin but then tried to
cover it up with his hand.
    Oh, this guy is driving me nuts!
    “Like I said before…I was in the Turkish
Army serving as underground intelligence. I was trained to do a lot
of things, one being, understanding and reading body language.”
    She tried to focus on his words. “I can tell
when someone is lying or if they are nervous,” he continued. “I
needed this for gathering intelligence for my covert missions. But
when I left the Army, the skill was really useful with the ladies,
if you know what I mean.”
    He made that statement as if it were a fact
and nothing more.
    She rolled her eyes, then stood up, and
said, “Oh, please!”
    Kerim reached out and grabbed her hand. “Let
me finish,” he said, and pleaded with his eyes.
    Cristal sank back down onto the bench. This
was Kerim’s last chance to explain himself. Patience was never her
strong suit.
    “I don’t know what it is, but when I’m with
you, I feel something more.” He held her hand tight. “I can sense
what you are feeling, especially when you are under stress.”
    She didn’t know why she was still holding
his hand. He looked down at her hand and released it from his
grip.
    “You mean like this?” she asked. So
you can read my thoughts.
    “I sense what you feel. It’s like you’re
sending me messages with your mind. Never in my life have I
experienced something like this with anyone.”
    He spoke so differently from people she
usually hung out with. He spoke in plain English—straight to the
point and blunt. Not like the vague way Harry spoke to her. She
closed her eyes and tried harder to take in what he was saying.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
    She opened her eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. Just
trying to process the info.”
    He patted her hand and gave her a small
smile. “Do you believe in fate?” he asked.
    “Not really. I hope you’re not going to tell
me you believe in destiny and all that fluff.”
    Kerim raised his eyebrow. “Well, not really.
But I was told that kismet or destiny would bring me to someone who
would change my life.” He paused for a second as he searched for
his words.
    “When I first met you, the word ‘kismet’
entered my head. Honestly, I don’t know why.” He looked into his
hands.
    Thoughts were swirling in Cristal’s mind. Kerim had
just admitted to hearing her thoughts. And now he’s given her a
bunch of stuff about them being