Patrick Four: Making Friends

Today Emmanuel had come over to my house to reveal the new piece of equipment he had been working on for me. It was a multi-purpose box that I could use for several different, more complicated illusions. The box, although it didn't look like it, was easily transportable, yet sturdy at the same time. I don't know how Emmanuel did it, but he was very skilled with materials and power tools, knowing how to transform mere blueprints into beautiful, fully functioning objects.

Emmanuel stood proudly in front of me after pulling the sheet off the box, with one hand on his hip. He smiled slightly at me, and I looked closely at the box, admiring the intricate details Emmanuel had carved into all of the panels. I ran my fingertips along the moulding of it, feeling every groove as my hand came in contact with the smooth wood finish.

"Emmanuel... this is... wonderful. I'm speechless. You have exceeded my expectations."

"I'm pleased that you like it, Patrick. Would you like to try it out?"

"Yeah! I'm going to need to practice using this so my performances go smoothly."

"Okay, so I know that we discussed blueprints and how your illusions will work, but I still want to show you the panels and things that are in here."

Emmanuel opened the door and stepped inside, placing his hand on the side of the box, showing me everything that was hidden behind the solid walls. I practiced the illusion a couple of times, with Emmanuel inside. After about an hour, I felt like I had explored most of the things that Emmanuel had built into the box. I would of course, need more practice, but I had time to continue later on, plus my stomach was growling, and I realized it was already evening.

Emmanuel stepped out of the box and I thanked him again for making such an amazing contraption. I really appreciated having Emmanuel around to make things for me, and I enjoyed all the time we had spent together. We had developed a close friendship over the years.

"Did Ephemera ever contact you, Patrick?"

Ugh, Ephemera. I found that I had forgotten about her since I had been hanging out with Katya. I still felt wierded out by her abrupt appearance and disappearance that night, annoyed with myself that I had not gotten her phone number.

"Is something wrong, Patrick?"

"Ahh, no. I just feel dumb because I didn't get her phone number after I figured out she was trying to get hired."

"It's not your fault, dude. She could have left her number if she was serious about wanting the job. Besides, if she really wants it, she found you once, she'll probably find you again."

I thought back to that night again, and how inadequate Ephemera made me feel. If I did hire her, I'd have to lay some ground rules about how she talked to me. All I really wanted was respect.

"I think I'll hire her if she comes back around. She's definitely hot, so if she can do well with everything else, she'll be perfect for the job."

"Right. I suppose I didn't necessarily notice that about her, you know."

Emmanuel and I shared a laugh because I knew full well that he didn't swing that way in the love department. I was just about to ask if Emmanuel wanted to stay for dinner when my phone rang. I slid it out of my pocket and looked at the ID. KATYA MONROE CALLING. I smiled and answered the call.

"Hi Katya, how are you?"

"I'm good, I was calling cause I wanted to hear your voice."

"Aww, you're a sweetheart. I'm actually at home with my friend Emmanuel. I was planning to make dinner, would you like to come over and join us?"

"Um, sure, if you don't think I'd be imposing. I don't want to take time away from your friend."

I looked at Emmanuel, silently inquiring what he thought about the situation.

"It's cool, I'd love to stay for dinner and meet Katya."

I told Katya it was okay, hoping she'd eventually learn that she didn't need to step on eggshells around me, then pondering why she felt the need to be so nervous in the first place. Was it because she had been badly hurt before? Or was she just naturally paranoid? Painfully shy? I felt a playful punch on my shoulder, as Emmanuel socked me in the arm.

"Calling lover boy. Earth to lover boy. Who's the girl, and how come you haven't told me about her yet?"

"Well, I only met her yesterday, and it hadn't come up because we were discussing the marvelous contraption you made for me, remember?"

"Aww, Patrick, you do know how to make me smile. It's too bad you're straight. You'd be the perfect man for me."

I grinned at Emmanuel and led the way to my kitchen, where I tried to think of what to make for dinner. I thought about asking Emmanuel what he might want, which led me to wonder if I should have asked Katya what she wanted, and then realized I had made my night more complicated by inviting Katya. Suddenly I felt a wave of nervousness engulf me, making my hands clammy and I rubbed them on my pants, trying to wipe off the excess moisture.

"Patrick. Stop freaking out. It's just dinner. She eats food, right?"

One thing I loved about Emmanuel was the way he could read me so well, and bring me back to reality. He looked in my cabinets, trying to help me figure out what to make. He pulled out a box of spaghetti and put it on the counter. I nodded in his direction, and got out a jar of spaghetti sauce and ground beef from the refrigerator. In the middle of the food cooking, the intercom buzzed. I made my way over to it and pushed the button.

"Hi, it's Katya."

I opened the gate and waited by the front door to let her in. She greeted me with a hug and a quick kiss on the lips. We walked hand in hand to the kitchen. While I went back to tend to the food, Katya leaned over the counter, resting her elbows on it.

"Wow, you have a beautiful house, Patrick, and you're cooking too? I am so bad at cooking. I don't know what it is, but my timing must be off or something because everything burns."

"Thanks, Katya. This is my friend, Emmanuel, and yes, I know how to cook."

Shortly after Katya arrived, we finished cooking. The three of us made our way outside to eat by the pool. I slid the door open for Katya and then watched her saunter over to the table, her hips swaying as she walked. I don't know if she knew how sexy she was. She sure didn't act like it.

"Thanks so much for dinner, you guys."

"It's no problem. Thank you for coming over."

"Emmanuel, what do you do?"

"I'm actually under Patrick's employ. I make equipment for his magic tricks. How about you, Katya?"

Katya stood her fork up on her plate, twisting it around to pick up some spaghetti. When I caught myself looking at her bringing the fork up to her plump, luscious, lips, I blinked a bit to shake myself out of my trance and stared at my plate, trying to ignore the feeling of wanting to do her on the patio table.

"I teach people how to surf. I've been surfing since I was thirteen, and I love it. There's nothing like the feel of the water surrounding you as you glide over a wave. It's like I'm in control of the ocean somewhat."

I was surprised at Katya's words. She had told me she surfed last night, but the way she described it just now was amazing. I liked her a little bit more. She seemed to share my thrill for life. The second part of why I love doing magic is because I am a bit of a daredevil, and it gives me a thrill to do things that make people gasp in shock.

"What have you boys been up to today?"

"Emmanuel brought over a new piece of equipment for me so I've been practicing with it a bit. We're going to try to get the act into a theater rather than a bar. I don't have any intentions of remaining a street magician forever."

After dinner, Emmanuel left, leaving Katya and I alone. We went inside and I put the dishes in the dishwasher. When I was done, I saw Katya standing there, staring at me with a far away look in her eyes. I smiled at her and she came over to me, putting her arms around me and squeezing tightly.

"Hi, beautiful Katya."

"Hi. Can we go sit by your pool? You have a beautiful patio."

Sitting by the pool, Katya leaned her head into my shoulder and sighed softly. I was happy she was enjoying herself, and I looked down at her. She shivered a little bit, and I put my arm around her, rubbing hers to generate some heat.

"This is so romantic, Patrick."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Can I stay here tonight? But without sex."

Dammit. Oh stop it, Patrick, you can keep it in your pants for now. I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that Katya wasn't interested in sex tonight, but I also liked her a lot, so I wanted to respect her wishes.

"Yeah sure. I'm pretty excited that you want to stay here with me. We only met yesterday."

"I know, but I feel safe with you, Patrick... and I like you a lot. You're really down to earth, and that's a rare quality in a celebrity."

"Have you met a lot of other celebrities?"

"I've met some who said they wanted to learn how to surf, but they really just wanted to use their celebrity status to get in my pants. I suppose being one of the few female surfing instructors in the heart of Hollywood, I'd be bound to run into people like that on some occasion."

Katya yawned, covering her mouth as she did. I felt myself getting a little sleepy as well.

"Time for bed?"

Katya nodded, and we went inside to my bedroom, which was next door to the patio. Katya kicked off her shoes while I changed into a shirt and pants rather than just sleeping in my underwear like I usually did. As I got on the bed and laid down, Katya crawled over to me and put her hand on my chest. I hugged her close to me, and pretty soon we were both fast asleep.

---

After leaving Patrick's, I went to the Starlight Theater to talk to the theater director about the possibility of Patrick's act becoming one of the regularly scheduled shows. I was on my way out of the director's office, ready to go home when I heard a voice behind me that made me frown in a mix of disgust and anger.

"Well... well... well... if it isn't Emmanuel, the has been stagehand."

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Patrick Three: Unexpected Romance

"And is this your card?"

"Oh my god, yes! That's amazing!"

I grinned at the cute girl standing in front of me outside the grocery store. I had been doing some small tricks for tips, as I often did when I wanted some fresh air. My aversion to going outside had passed somewhat as I grew up, and now at the age of twenty-two, my fear of being kidnapped had long since subsided. I still didn't love the outdoors, but it was tolerable, and I found that I did enjoy the sunshine. I packed up my cards, putting them in the box and then into my back pocket. The girl was still there, even though the rest of the crowd had dissipated.

I looked at her blonde hair and casual outfit, feeling an attraction to her that surprised me. Up until now, I hadn't really wanted to date anyone, choosing to just have the occasional one night stand, but this cute girl was different. I remember thinking Ephemera was pretty, but the way she treated me left me disliking her. This girl, though, with her blue eyes and enthusiasm for my mini show made me feel like she appreciated what I had to offer. I thought I'd take a chance and ask her out.

"Um, sorry if this is really forward, but do you want to grab a coffee with me? I mean, that is, if you drink coffee?"

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled shyly at me. I was hoping she would say yes. 

"Yeah, I'd love to. My name is Katya."

"Katya. That's really pretty. Just like you."

Katya blushed a bright pink, and touched my arm. I smiled to myself. Even though I didn't flirt very often, I always had a lot of fun doing it... I guess I got it from my dad. I meant what I said though, I did think Katya was pretty with her cute blonde hair loosely tied in front of her chest, and her laid-back brightly colored outfit. She reminded me of a surfer girl, and I guessed that she probably grew up on the beach.

"Awesome. Do you want to walk there? It's nice out."

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you surf, Katya? You have a little bit of a tan."

Using my peripheral vision, I saw Katya blush, look at me, and then smile.

"Yes, actually, I do. I grew up by the beach, and was always in love with the ocean. You're very perceptive, Patrick."

I grinned, enjoying that I was able to flatter Katya while impressing her at the same time.

The rest of our short walk to the coffeehouse was spent joyfully talking to each other, mostly about the beach and how we both enjoyed growing up in Silicon Shores. When we arrived at the coffeehouse, I stopped at the bottom of the steps before going in.

"Ladies first."

I smiled at Katya, while gesturing for her to climb up the stairs. Then I followed close behind her and reached for the door handle just as she got to the door, opening it for her.

"Thank you, Patrick, you are quite the gentleman."

Once inside, we order our drinks, her a skinny cinnamon dulce, and I a caramel macchiato. The cashier asks if we are paying separately or together, and Katya reaches to pull our her wallet, but I stop her. I tell the cashier together, and hand him some cash. Katya smiles and plays with a strand of her hair. I can't help but think she's adorable. We wait for our coffees and when they're done, we find a place to sit at one of the tables, sitting across from each other.

"Thank you for the coffee, Patrick."

"You're welcome. Thanks for coming here with me."

Katya has her arms in front of her on the table, and she's staring at me with a cute smile on her face. I'm taking note of how often she's been smiling at me since I started talking to her and it's been quite a few. I'm delighted that she is having a good time.

"What else should I know about the mysterious Patrick Hunt?"

"What else do you want to know?"

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

Katya's question catches me a little bit off guard, but I have no doubts that I want to answer it truthfully. 

"None. I haven't really gotten serious with anyone... ever."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"No one's really made me want to spend huge amounts of time with them."

I look over to the left, feeling a little like she's interrogating me. Calm down, Patrick, she probably just wants to know if you're good for a second date. I end up thinking that I don't really know why I never asked any of the girls I took home with me to be my girlfriend. Did I just not want a girlfriend because I was afraid of having a relationship that turned out like Uncle Dustin's? I liked Katya enough to hang out with her and talk, but I didn't want to freak her out with such deep personal information about me. It was confusing me that she would ask such a serious question at this time. Wasn't this just coffee?

"I'm sorry, Patrick, I've made you uncomfortable. Sometimes I'm awkward when I talk to guys. I only ever grew up with sisters, and they were always telling me of their many problems with their boyfriends, so I didn't start dating till I was in my late teens. It's made me want to know stuff like that about a potential guy before I get too serious."

"Um, it's okay, Katya. I understand you wanting to be cautious about relationships. I do too... want to be cautious about relationships, that is."

We finish drinking our coffee, walk out of the coffeehouse, and now I'm unsure what to do. On the occasions when I did pick up a girl, we'd usually go to my place, have sex, and then she'd leave in the morning. I didn't want to do that to Katya, however.

"Katya, do you want me to take you to your house? Like walk you home, or hail you a cab or something?"

"You said you have a beach house too, right?"

"Yes."

"Our houses are probably close to each other then, we can share a cab and then go for a walk on the beach, if you want to hang out with me some more, that is, I mean, I'm sorry I made things awkward, I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to be rid of me."

Katya's words jumbled together and she spoke at double speed, looking back and forth from me to the sidewalk as if she didn't think I wanted her to look at me anymore. She nervously twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, and I felt like it was something she did when she was unsure of herself. I could tell she had embarrassed herself, but I didn't think she should be thrown to the side because of it. I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled to let her know I didn't want to 'be rid of her.'

"I'd love to go for another walk with you."

We share a cab and I make a mental note to pick my car up from the grocery store where I left it this afternoon. As we get closer to the beach, Katya leans into my shoulder in the cab, snuggling against me. 

Once we're at the beach, I realize I do love the cool breeze as it gently blows across my skin. If I walk close enough to the shore I can sometimes feel water droplets hit my skin as they're picked up by the breeze. I'm very glad I moved to the beach. I prefer it to the hustle and bustle of downtown Silicon Shores. It's fine for work if I have to go downtown, but I very much enjoy the serenity of living by the water front. I feel Katya's hand as she intertwines her fingers through mine and we continue walking.

We follow the sand until it meets up to a path atop a small hill, and arrive at a large, modern looking house with fountains along the front walk. Katya stops walking and smiles.

"Okay, this is me."

"Good night, beautiful Katya. We can do this again if you'd like."

Katya stands in front of me, close enough to me that I could kiss her, but I'm trying to gauge her expression and if she even wants that. She puts her hands on my chest and looks into my eyes.

"I'd love to go on a second date with you, handsome Patrick."

After she says my name and calls me handsome, she remains standing there in front of me, unmoving. She leans her forehead against mine and breathes quietly, waiting. I bring my arms up around the small of her back and pull her to me.

Then I kiss her.

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Patrick Two: Mystery Lady

Tonight at the bar, I had a new trick. Emmanuel had made a suit of chains for me to wear and then escape from. It went well, but I still wasn't getting the turnout from the audience that I wanted. Part of it was because I was still performing at the bar, but Emmanuel also had a hunch that it was because I didn't have an assistant. People like to stare at pretty girls during a magic act. I figured he was probably right since the majority of the audience was made of males. For some reason, women were few and far between in the audience. I guessed that they preferred the lighter types of magic, and maybe my act was too dark for most of them to enjoy. There were always a few women I saw, but never as many as men. After the show, a blonde woman with purple highlights in her hair walked over to me as I was packing up my things.

"Hey, I liked your show tonight."

"Really? Thank you. Most women don't, at least I don't think they do. It's too intense or something."

"I can be intense, Hunter."

I finished closing the latches on one of my trunks, and took a glimpse of this woman standing in front of me. It caught me off guard that she called me Hunter because that was my stage name, and my whole life, everyone had called me Patrick. I didn't particularly like her calling me that, but I also didn't stop her. Truth be told, I wasn't interested, so I didn't feel like it was necessary to tell her I disliked it, since I'd probably never see her again after this. Despite my annoyance, I did notice her lavender colored eyes that matched the highlights in her hair.

"Is that right, Miss?"

"Ephemera. My name is Ephemera Wallace."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Patrick-"

"I know who you are, Hunter."

"Right."

I looked down shyly, feeling kind of stupid. Obviously she knew who I was, I was a celebrity in this town. I was still unsure if Ephemera was trying to hit on me earlier or if she was just an admiring fan. Ephemera crossed one arm over the other and continued to linger around me.

"So, what does a lady have to do to get a guy to buy her a drink around here?"

Ephemera's red lips turned upward into a smile as she asked me that question. That was the cue I was looking for, happy that she was finally telling me what she wanted from me.

"What's your poison, Ephemera?"

"A Captain and Coke would be fabulous, Hunter."

I headed over to the bar to get her and myself a drink. Emmanuel caught my eye and we silently communicated with each other. He would pack up the car and bring the equipment back to my house. I nodded my head towards him, and he did in response as well, before stepping out of the bar with the equipment in tow. As I turned my attention back to Ephemera, she had found herself a table and was sitting patiently at it, glancing in my direction. I found myself finally checking her out. She was definitely beautiful. I've never felt like I was the type to seek out love, I'm fine with my life the way things are. I don't feel like anything's missing in my life because I'm not dating. I've had some one night stands, but nothing serious. I found myself wondering what Ephemera wanted from me, did she want some fun for just tonight, or did she want a relationship?

"Patrick."

The bartender jarred me from my thoughts, handing me the two drinks I'd ordered. I smiled at her and took the drinks, walking over to Ephemera. I sat down with her and took a swig of my scotch.

"Nervous, huh?"

I nodded, and looked into my glass. I didn't know what to think of Ephemera and I didn't really know where to start. My dad had always been the smooth talker, not me. Apparently I hadn't inherited that part of his personality. Ephemera seemed too forceful for my taste, at least upon first impression. I decided not to write her off completely, since she was nice, and also nice to look at.

"Um, so what did you think of the show?"

"Honestly? I think you need an assistant. I mean, honey, you and your engineer are excellent eye candy, but you need pizzazz in your act. You're great at the illusions, but it's clunky. He's good at helping you get ready for it, but I think I could help. I worked as an assistant before, and it doesn't take much on my part, I just help you get ready for things, and take things away when you need to move on to the next illusion. You can tell me as little or as much as you want about the trick. Promise. I'm not here to screw you over."

Ephemera's words took me by surprise. I didn't think she was trying to apply for a job as my assistant, I had truthfully thought she was trying to flirt with me or something. I was secretly happy though, that she hadn't been trying to start a relationship or ask me out. I don't know how I would have reacted to those things.

"You know I'm going to have to discuss this with Emmanuel first before I give you an answer, right?"

"Of course. No worries. Thanks for the drink, Hunter."

With that, Ephemera finished the rest of her drink, put the glass down on the table, and walked out of the bar. I watched her ass as she sauntered away from me, the door closing behind her before I realized she hadn't given me her phone number or any other way to contact her. Shit.

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