Allure of Darkness

The Day She Tried To Live

But despite their differences, they were crazy about each other.

-The Notebook.

***

It had taken Camilla twenty minutes to reach Plagiá, a fishing village that had grown into a dense and cluttered town. Weaving through the bustling crowd was taking time and she was already late. She pushed through the groups in the congested streets.

The town of Plagiá was built on a steep hillside with shops and restaurants, houses and apartments all piled up on top of each other. Everything beat down and baked by the sun.

Flocks of pigeons gathered everywhere; they amused foreigners as they gathered around, and either fed them crumbs of bread or took pictures. The sightseers were from all corners of the world; after all, Plagiá was a notable tourist attraction often visited at this time of the year.

Pavor falls was hidden among rugged landscape around the Hannes River. The stream provided a natural source of water via a working water wheel before crashing seventy feet into the river. It was a sight to behold; marvellous and tranquil.

Camilla's hurt sunk after she scoured the entire area and realized there was no one around. She checked her watch again and sighed. Picking up a rock from the ground, she flung it into the river in anger.

''Camilla!" Shouting rent the air.

Beaming, Camilla turned on her heels and ran to the voice that called for her. Her clothes and hair, slick with perspiration, clung to her skin as she jumped into his arms. Kai Dubois: the most handsome man in town.

Camilla had been reminded, on numerous occasions, how lucky she was to be engaged to a man like him. His dimpled smile, broad shoulders and a height a little over six feet was what drove all the women crazy. His auburn hair enchanting. His eyes, so light a brown as to seem almost gold in colour, not quite as nondescript as she'd once thought.

When they first met, she had thought him plain-featured but staring into his hazelnut eyes every day, because he pursued her persistently, was what eventually had her smitten. She wrapped her legs around him and bent for a kiss.

Kai pulled away. "There cannot be anyone more beautiful than you, it's humanly impossible."

"I thought you had left without saying goodbye."

He spun her around in delight. ''Never. I couldn't..."

Camilla kissed him all over the face; his nose, his cheeks, his eyelids. "I love you so much."

"God, you can't possibly love me as much as I love you. I'm... wildly, clumsily, shamelessly, agonizingly in love with you. You were late," he lamented. "I thought I was going to have to leave without seeing you."

"No." She shook her head. "I'd have followed you to the city, to the end of the world if I had to."

Kai gripped the back of her head, using all his strength to be gentle, and let his lips touch hers so lightly she could hardly feel it. "You don't know how crazy I am about you."

"Yes, I do, because I'm just as crazed by you."

Setting her down, he worked his fingers along her lips. "I can't believe you'll be my wife tomorrow."

Camilla yelled, jumping up and down like a child. "Mrs Dubois."

He caressed her. "Say that again."

She opened her mouth to answer, but he was already kissing her. She had kissed him so many times-soft gentle kisses, hard and desperate ones, brief brushes of the lips that said goodbye, and kisses that seemed to go on for hours and this was no different. The way the memory of someone who had once lived in a house might linger even after they were gone, like a sort of psychic imprint, her body remembered. The love of her life. Remembered the way he tasted, the slant of his mouth over hers, his beard under her fingers, the shape of his body under her hands.

"Enough, Kai, wait."

He gazed at her with his beguiling bedroom eyes and his voice dropped to a sexy whisper. "My love, don't reject me like that. I won't be able to see you until tomorrow at the altar. I need your lips, to feel you."

Seizing her wrist, he tugged her to him and buried his face in her hair, sniffing her scent. Kai angled his face so that he was able to kiss her lips again, then he stopped kissing her and sighed. "Camilla, I love you so much."

She encased her arms around his shoulder. "I love you more than myself."

"You see." He nodded and pulled her closer. "Then don't ask me to stop. Let me kiss you."

Their love was ecstasy- the highest enjoyment for timelessness- and behind that ecstasy, something else, which was hard to explain. They fit together in such a way they formed a pattern and solved a puzzle. She inclined in and kissed him again and again. "I don't want you to miss your job. We need the money."

Kai owned a mechanic shop that dealt with fixing motorcycles but occasionally worked on cars. From time to time, he drove to the big city, Bergen, in order to purchase bikes or cars for his clients. He had a job this afternoon and although it was the day before their wedding, they couldn't say no to good pay.

Growing up as an orphan, he didn't have a good education and never attended the university so the best career choice for him was what he loved; machines. Same was for Camilla who became a masseuse, barely making any money. And yet she was happy. Yes, happy. What did it matter that they barely had any money to their name? This blissful life they lived was enough.

He rubbed her face. "Okay. I'll go, I love you."

She pulled him into her arms and intertwined her hands behind his head, searching his eyes with a smile. Their lips touched for another passionate kiss. "I adore you, you're my life. Come back to me soon."

"Always and forever, even in death, I'll come back for you, Camilla Tahara Dubois." He kissed her deeply for the last time and took several steps back. "See you tomorrow morning, fiancée."

***

The world was as silent as if it ended in the night. The coolness of the early morning was deceitful; the sun had hardly risen and the altitude was cool. Camilla paced around her bedroom, her heart fast, her palms damp. She wrung her hands as she paced, twisting the gold band on her finger, growing more and more agitated.

"What's wrong, my little girl?" her mother asked as she spread their bed.

She jumped up and down like a giddy child waiting for a gift from her mother. "I'm getting married to the man of my dreams in a matter of hours."

Teresa smiled. "Then why are you pacing around?"

Her eyes dropped to the phone in her hand. "I've been calling Kai since I woke up but his phone is turned off."

"Maybe the job he had to do took too long and his battery died," her mother explained. "It's possible he's trying as hard as he can to get back in time for your wedding."

"You're right." She flexed her finger but the worry didn't fade from her face.

When Teresa realized her daughter's worry hadn't been put to rest, she sauntered over to her and drew her into her arms. "You'll be the most beautiful bride in Plagiá."

Camilla tightened her arms around her. "Really?"

"Of course," she assured her. "You got your beauty from me and a few years ago I was crowned queen of town in the beauty contest."

Camilla pulled away and sat on their dresser, looking at her mother. "Why are you so afraid of love? Since dad died when I was younger, you've never looked at another man."

Teresa touched her hair and pushed it out of her face. "Oh, child. The love I had for your father is exactly what you feel for Kai. Nothing in this world would ever match."

"Tiny Milla?" They were interrupted by the scream of her cousin. Tori burst into the room with a wide smile. "I'm so excited."

Camilla took her cousin's hands and they started jumping up and down in joy. She and Tori had grown up together and apart from being cousins, they were best of friends. Without Tori, she never would have met Kai.

"The truck with the decoration has arrived and Miss Juliet brought some of the foods to be served during the ceremony," Tori announced. "She asked to see you."

They spent the next hour finalizing the small details that had to be in order before the ceremony began. It was impossible for Camilla to hide the joy that flowed through her veins. A smile eternally stained upon her lips. Leaning on the church door she was about to get married in, the memories of Kai's smile and kisses looped in her mind like a film.

"Stop daydreaming." Tori struck her hand. "You're grinning at yourself like an idiot."

She sighed. "Have you ever been in love?"

Tori shook her head. "No, never, I don't care to have a boyfriend at all, okay?"

Camilla grabbed her hand. "So even if I explained to you how I feel, you'll never understand it until you feel it."

Tori bumped her hip to Camilla's hip. "If love makes one as deliriously silly as you've been for the past few years, I don't want it."

"Oh, Tori, you don't know what you're saying. This is not silliness, this is aesthetic bliss."

Three hours later, Camilla stood in front of the mirror. She had traded her torn t-shirt for a simple white dress. It was the one her mother had worn to her wedding, tailored to her taste. Her hair was into styled into cascading waves and added an appliqué for a touch of glamour.

In the brilliant light of June, the sun streamed in like a resplendent guest, not awaiting an invitation. Perfect weather for a perfect day.

Dialing Kai's number again, she sighed when it went straight to voicemail. Something in her spirit was telling her something was wrong but she couldn't help wonder if it was just the wedding jitters.

Tori budged into her room. She was in the beautiful baby blue embroidered top and skirt that the rest of the bridal party also wore. "You look beautiful, Milla."

Camilla sunk her teeth into her cherry lips, "Is he here?"

Tori shook her head. "I'm sure he's on his way, don't worry."

She listened to the advice of her cousin and all who sought to calm her down as the hours passed by. It turned from ten to twelve to three in the afternoon and still, Kai was nowhere to be found.

Ramiro, Kai's good friend in the police force, with some of his colleagues went out in search of him to ease her tensed nerves. Evening came and still nothing, no word about or from Kai.

Camilla sat on the steps of the boarding house they had lived all her life. In her wedding dress hot, opalescent, thick tears pouring down her face. She raised her hand to move back the velvet drape over her shoulders and her bangles fell down her hand. Her eyes caught the wedding band on her hand and her mind went a year back during their usual family gatherings.

Fear of the worst looped around in her mind until there was no room for anything else. There was no other reason why Kai hadn't shown up for their wedding unless something horrible had happened. Camilla wiped the tears from her face. Where are you?

The hours that passed were the final trauma that broke her. Ramiro came by at midnight and assured her that they had driven to the city and back in search of him but there was nothing, even his car had disappeared.

The pain in her heart was cold. The heartbreak was unexpected- she was at the top one minute and cut down the next. Why was that? What had happened? Was he alright? Was he dead? She sucked in the air. No, that wasn't possible.

Camilla's teeth pulled her lower lip as the torrent of tears built. "Mum, I can't help but think of the worst. What if he's lying in the hospital? What if he is dead?"

"No, don't say that, no." Teresa took her face into her hands and stroked. "We'll do everything to find out where he is. You know Kai would go to war with death for you. Nothing will keep him away from seeing you again, nothing. He's alright and we will find him, okay?"

Camilla nodded but that didn't stop the worry that filled her head.