Paul Kater - Bactine

Ophy and Wenston sat down in one of the two-seaters and they both giggled.

Daniel wondered what that had to mean. Melia gently tugged his hand and they sat in another two-person seat. It was almost too narrow for two people to sit in, Daniel’s only option to sit comfortable was putting one arm over the backrest, almost over Melia’s shoulders.

Melia sighed. “It is nice here.” She looked up to the sky where some stars were visible. Her head rested on Daniel’s arm for more than just a few moments, then she looked at him. “I hope that was not inconvenient, Daniel.”

Before he could reply, a waiter came outside with cards and handed them to both couples. As Daniel and Melia were studying their card, Melia gently reached over her shoulder and pulled Daniel’s hand on it. He smiled as he noticed her do it, ever so gently. Daniel also saw how Ophy and Wenston were quietly talking among themselves, not paying any attention to the card.

“Oh,” Melia dragged him from his personal musings, “they have that special Vernian wine here.”

“They have many special things here, Melia,” Ophy said with a big smile. There was something about the way she said it that made Daniel wonder for a moment, but Melia again drew his attention away from the girl.

“Would you like to try a glass of Vernian wine with me, Daniel? I have heard that it is magnificent, and tonight would be such a special time to try it.” She put her hand on his hand. “With you,” she whispered, so the other two could not hear her.

Daniel beckoned the waiter and ordered two glasses of Vernian wine. Melia looked at Daniel as if he was some deity personified.

Before the waiter got their glasses, he also took Wenston’s order and then went inside, to return from there very quickly. On a small table in front of them, he placed two glasses. They looked like champagne glasses, long and thin. Their contents however had nothing to do with champagne. It seemed to light up from inside its orange colour, and there seemed to be small blue and pink bubbles floating in the wine.

Daniel lifted his arm from Melia’s shoulders. He took one glass and handed that to the pretty woman next to him. “A glass of wine for a very beautiful lady.” In the light of the torches and lamps he could not miss her blush. He took his own glass and carefully touched hers with it. The sound the glasses made was as from the finest crystal.

Melia’s eyes were magnets to Daniel’s as they both raised their glasses and carefully sampled the Vernian wine.

Daniel had never tasted anything like it. He tried to describe the experience to himself, but he simply lacked the words for it. He felt how his free hand slipped into Melia’s, their eyes unable to break the gaze.

Melia’s eyes were shining as she slowly lowered the glass. Her lips, dark red, glistened from the thick wine. Somehow she got hold of Daniel’s index finger and lifted that to her lips. She gently brushed his finger over them and then slowly licked the wine from his fingertip. Only then she seemed to grasp what she was going and turned red again. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, quickly peeking over to Wenston and Ophy.

The two others had seen nothing, or at least did not show they had. They looked fully enveloped in each other.

“I am not,” said Daniel, “and you are even prettier when you blush.” The cling sounded again as he touched her glass with his. As they sipped from the wine again, the amazing experience happened again, as if something more than just the wine took possession of his senses. He was almost certain that Melia underwent the same experience.

She shivered.

“Are you cold?” Daniel asked.

She shook no as she put the glass down. “No… It is just so… overwhelming.”

Daniel put down his glass and touched her lips with his finger again. And she licked it, as she had done before. But now she did not blush.

“I had not expected to see you again,” she then said, holding his hand. “When I saw you this evening, Daniel, I hesitated. Maybe you would not want to see me anymore, and I didn’t know…”

“I saw you too, Melia. And I was afraid of addressing you, I have to admit. I also was not sure if it was really you. Your hair is different, and your dress.”

“You noticed…” She smiled. “Do you like it?”

“Yes. I do. And to be frank, Melia, so far I have not found anything about you that I don’t like.”

“Please, Daniel, always be frank with me.”

Something in her eyes, or maybe it was something in her voice, made Daniel slowly lean over to her, and when their lips met, she closed her eyes. The kiss lasted for a long time. When it finally broke, Melia’s eyes seemed like stars when she opened them.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Daniel, I…”

“Sssst…” Daniel whispered. “Not now. A few more minutes…”

Melia nodded.

They both picked up their glasses again and toasted to each other. In silence they enjoyed the wine and the feeling of being together again, in the small garden.

Only when they had finished their wine, they noticed that Ophy and Wenston were asleep in their seat. Wenston sat up sort of straight, his head hanging back. Ophy lay curled up on the seat, half in his lap.

Daniel tried to wonder about that. It looked as if all they’d had was a glass of water, so that did not make sense. The Vernian wine however was not only thick in the glass, it also made thinking thick. He was failing gloriously in getting thoughts to connect.

“Daniel…” Melia touched his hand. “I have to say something…” She was talking as slowly as Daniel felt in his head.

“What do you have to say something, dear Melia?” He had the feeling there was something odd in what he said, but couldn’t capture it.

“It is about you and me. And you,” Melia said, doing her utmost to keep making sense.

“Ah. About us,” Daniel understood.

“Yes,” Melia agreed, “about us. Or about not us, actually.” Melia took both Daniel’s hands. “You see, I like you very much, Daniel. But you told me about your life this night. Evening.” For a moment she seemed to focus, as if that would improve her speech. “Yes. And I really, really want to love you, Daniel, but your life is so dangerous. You go and you… go… and… you do dangerous things. Like pirates. Fighting.” Slowly she nodded. The wine was making this hard, but also easier. “And I can’t live in that fear, Daniel. I want a man to… to… come home every day. Without being scared of pirates and fighting. You see?”

Daniel thought hard. What she said seemed to make sense, and yet… “I think I see,” he said before his mind had made itself up.

“Good. I am glad you understand. I’m not sure if I do,” the pretty woman said. “I want to… uhm… oh— I want you to know that this was a wonderful evening, Daniel. I also think that I am not very sober anymore.”

Daniel felt the same. “Yes, Melia. This was a magnificent evening.” His mouth had some trouble with ‘magnificent’ but he managed it. “I am glad you are so honest and upright. I also enjoyed the kiss very much.” He nodded for a while. All that talking spread the cotton in his head like nothing else could, it seemed. “Maybe I should see you to a carriage and make sure you get home safely, Melia.”

They both agreed and got to their feet. They were grateful for the support of each other as they shuffled past the chair where Ophy and Wenston were still sleeping.

Daniel saw something on their table he could not interpret. He reached down, grabbed it, crumpled it up and stuffed it in his pocket, after which he and Melia left the establishment…

The next morning Daniel desperately needed a shower and something against a hangover. He slowly recalled the previous night. Somehow he remembered that he had kissed Melia one more time before she had left in a carriage. He had needed another carriage to get home. His feet refused to take him anywhere, apart from the last few stretches to the apartment and his bed.