Elements of a Selfish Desire

Ringlets of smoke encircled the dark headed guitarist who sat like a stone in the brown leather chair within his den. It appeared the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and judging by the deep creases that plagued his forehead, it would take more than the time allotted to correct his concerns. Richly colored eyes glanced down to see that the dwindling Marlboro between his fingers was now burning into the filter, and it was enough to pull him from his seat. Plush lips mumbled his reluctance to leave the solitude, but he knew he had to. After snuffing out what was left of the cigarette, he made his way out into the hallway.

Jaded pools of honey glazed emerald closed as he deeply rolled his neck from one side to the other several times. Several bones and joints snapped harshly, but a rather pleased noise drawled out of him anyhow. Inked fingers linked together and pushed outward until they, too, cracked bitterly. He felt totally out of alignment today; both physically and mentally. He needed to get centered and his head back in the game. After making a quick mental note to call his masseuse, he strode into the kitchen.

Gena gave the best massages.

Ignoring the thought, he plucked a carton of orange juice out of the refrigerator. His ex wife was the last person he wanted to think about.

You know it's true. Admit it.

"Yes, she did. But she also ran her mouth far too much," he reasoned before he felt a rumble within him. A sigh left twice pierced lips and his eyes fell closed as he drank down part of the vibrantly colored liquid. He had no need to watch himself depart.

"Her mouth is good for other things, Zack." his other side almost hissed as he positioned himself across from him now. A little freedom never hurt anyone. "You should call her over."

"I'd rather not. I am not in the mood for her bullshit."

Images of them together began to flood his memory, along with all of the physical feelings and urges that used to accompany his perception of her. Those impulses rose up with in him steadily until his thoughts and memories of her were hard to keep to himself.

"Call her."

Her name floated through his mind like stardust across the sky, but he told himself he would not say it aloud.

"Call her, Zack."

His lips formed her name, but did not speak it. His other side lunged towards him and telepathically reminded him of the best night the two of them had ever shared. Sounds of pleasure filled his ears, her name flew off his lips within the memory in such a guttural voice, his lips parted to pant for air as he remembered. Every thought, every action, every feeling came careening back to the forefront of his mind and his willpower snapped. Though he rarely gave in to the beastly power within him for these purposes, he belted out his ex's name and conjured up the best time and place for their encounter.

His other side snickered at his win, and stepped back inside himself in one swift motion. A deep breath fully reunited the two halves and Zack opened his eyes to find himself standing in the kitchen of the house he used to share with his ex wife. The sound of a key being pushed into the front door prompted him to look at his surroundings. This wouldn't do.

With a simple flick of his eyes, the scene changed around him. The lights dimmed, candles appeared in their proper places and flames immediately engulfed the wicks. Rose petals of four different colors manifested in a strategically placed line from the front door into the kitchen, through the living room, and out onto the large lanai. The air around him suddenly filled with a mixture of soft vanilla and a cologne of his that she favored and he had to mask a smirk. She had no idea what was happening here.

"Oh my... " she said as she navigated her way inside. "Zack?"

"Yes, darling. Come." glancing down at his right hand, a purple rose appeared in it. Her favorite.

"Hello, handsome. What's all this?" she questioned and made her way close to him.

"For you, my queen." it almost sickened him to say, but she was from the time where that is what he called her. She did not have the slightest clue that they were meeting half way between then and now. That was his secret. And it was all to his advantage. His left hand took hers and he bent slightly to kiss it before he handed her the flower.

"Mmm," the platinum blonde purred and snaked her arms around his neck. "What did I do to deserve this, my king? And what can I do to repay the favor?"

"You know what you did," he mused. "And I would love one of your famous massages. My shoulders and back are killing me."

In the blink of an eye, the pair were derobed and outdoors enjoying the sunset. Zack lay on his stomach relishing in the full body rub down he had requested, as his former bride whispered of the lustful things she had in store for him when she was finished working out the kinks in his muscles. He hadn't decided yet if things were going to go further or not, but he had all the time in the world.

Whenever time was mentioned, it conveniently turned itself back. They had been taking in the sunset for over an hour now and Gena was none the wiser. And she would not be. Manipulative, Zack could be. Cruel, he was not. Revealing to another person that they have been taken from another time and place never ended well. Confusion, anger, and fear came from all sources in the world, he was determined it wouldn't come from him if he could help it.

Her hands worked tirelessly to relax every inch of his body and it did well to relieve all the knots. By the time he was finished, he could not resist her kiss that moved along his shoulder, over his ear, and down his jawline. She flipped him over and though he felt it best not to, he allowed himself to pull her into his lap and kiss her deeply. In that moment, he was reminded of all the reasons why they had been so good together. They worked well as one, as a team, they believed the same way, they operated the same way, they were so sexually compatible that their love making was almost other worldly, everything seemed to add up so well. All except the fact that he wanted a family and she didn't.

But that was back then. Things were different then. He caught himself debating asking for her to take him back and it made him freeze. Yes, things were different now. His perception had changed drastically in the time since their bitter divorce and life wasn't as it had been back then. He wasn't the man he had been previously, either.

"Zee?" she moved back and looked down at him with a bit of confusion. "What's wrong?"

In that moment, he actually wanted to tell her. He wanted to just open his mouth and get it off his chest, but everything in him knew he couldn't. That was one reason he hated pulling souls from another place in time. It messed with his mind and emotions too much.

"Nothing is wrong. I was just thinking about how our love has evolved over the years." reaching his dominant hand up to brush over her cheek, he whispered, "Good night, Gena."

With a quiet exhale out, deeply colored spheres of jade opened to find himself back in the here and now in his own kitchen. Alone. Where he belonged. With his liquor cabinet. And it was high time for a drink.