Chapter 71: Chapter 71
Colter
New York City, Planet Earth
Powerless but fulfilled, Colter stepped out of the portal with his companions, Vida’s hand was locked in his as they walked out with Tessa blubbering uncontrollably while holding on to Vergil, who was doing his best to be stoic:
“Damn, I can’t believe that wasn’t just a dream, girl!” Tessa said to no one in particular, everyone was just listening to her speak, “Like boom! Zoom! Pow! We crossed some mystical portal! That’s right up Vida’s fantasy novel shit! I can’t believe it. I thought I was going to wake up wasted in a bar somewhere! Goddamn it was real, I have these weird powers that can see visions and shit!”
“Tessa!” Vida interrupted, giggling as Tessa had begun to pick up steam with her words, she simply leaned on Colter’s arms and felt the moment, he had chosen to live with her on this Earth and it thrilled her to no end.
“Don’t interrupt me girl, I was on the verge over there! Like look, those things were real, yeah? Those creepy flying vultures that got splattered all over the wall. Colter getting these powers and whooping that ugly, ass king of darkness, Tyrone? Byrone? Dyron? What’s his name? I forgot. Goddamn, I can’t believe it. We actually endangered our lives over there and we made it out alive!”
“Does she ever stop talking?” Vergil asked quietly, and everyone else laughed at his reaction to Tessa, “This is the replacement of Deity Flora? Heavens forbid she stays permanently in the kingdom; I don’t think anyone would outspeak here.”
Tessa glared at Vergil, but it turned into a grin as she gave him a warm hug, which the Captain of the Royal Guard returned warmly, “Kidding. You should come over and visit often, or should I?” Colter grinned at the brewing connection of these two and he interjected:
“Yes, Verge. You should come visit me often, Tessa’s such a lightweight drinker she might need your help getting home”
“What the fuck did you just say?!” Tessa shouted at once, insulted by Colter calling her a weak drinker, “What about we go to the nearest bar right now and settle this once and for all, Mr. Prince?!”
Colter laughed heartily and nodded, “Sure. Let’s go to Burn’s right now!”
Vergil also laughed but shook his head, “Maybe another time, Jules. I am needed back home to further help with the rebuilding. There are still a lot of damages caused by Dyron’s attacks, there are still missing people that we need to confirm. But you bet, I can come and visit.”
“Oh, right.” Tessa said disappointedly, she apparently wanted Vergil to hang out with them even more, “I’ll miss you, Captain.”
Vergil chuckled and walked towards the portal, “Oh before I forget.” He flicked something from his hand and Colter caught it easily, “That’s a homing stone. Use that if you want to conjure a portal that will bring you home. You can bring the others as well, as they are always welcome. See you around Colter, Miss Vance and Oracle Tessa.”
The captain stepped into the portal which vanished with a burst of light and the three of them stared at their surroundings, they were truly back on Earth.
“I missed this! Oh, modern age, cars, street lights, random homeless person who is somehow staring at us” Tessa noted, staring at a man who was looking at them with wide eyes. She bent over to him and dropped some money in his cup, “No one will ever believe you” she warned him with a grin.
Vida giggled again, still holding on to Colter as they walked out of the alley and found themselves looking into New York City once more.
Minutes later, Colter found himself walking through the doors of a familiar place, it was a place that he had seen countless of times before during his first stay in this world, it was Burn’s bar and it was packed.
Patrons were laughing, drinking and eating, some of them were their regular customers who immediately recognized the trio.
“Oh, hey they’re back!” one of the customers roared in glee and raised a glass at their presence, Colter smiled, smelling the scent of liquor, drunken people and food being cooked in the kitchen.
“I’m still not used to this smell” Colter commented and Vida punched him playfully in the gut, one of the customers offered to buy them a drink and they all accepted it graciously.
“Feels good to actually dine here for once” Tessa commented as they managed to find a table, Colter and Vida sat close to each other, still not letting go of their hold.
“Aw quit it!” Tessa said, glaring at them in jealousy, “It’s like you guys aren’t going to see each other again. This dork right here decided to live on this world!”
Vida grinned happily, “Well, we’re just catching up for time lost, you know.”
“Vida Vance, if you want to catch up, go and have a quickie in the washroom” Tessa jabbed back and Vida rolled her eyes the usual way.
Colter found this kind of life comforting, taking in the banter of these two best friends, the smell of potatoes and steak being cooked somewhere in the kitchen, the uproar of customers arguing over their favorite sports teams and the fact that he now has the opportunity to live out his life with the very woman he loved with all his heart. It was a calming thought that made Colter smile to himself.
“Excuse me?” a familiar voice said to them, the two girls stopped chattering and Colter was yanked out of his thoughts, approaching them was Harry Fletcher, looking good as ever with a brilliant smile on his face.
“Harry!” Tessa and Vida said together, getting up to greet him, but Colter noticed that his eyes were on Vida’s hands earlier.
“Oh, Miss Vance and Miss Rodriguez, it’s nice to see you again. It felt like forever since I last saw you two!”
“Looking regal as ever, Harry” Colter said with a smile and Harry returned it.
“Yes, well, I just got home from Europe, I kind of picked up their fashion sense over there while on a business trip.”
Vida and Tessa suddenly misinterpreted the situation thinking that there was tension between the two men,
“Play nice, okay?” Vida whispered to Colter and Harry laughed like a boy.
“I see things are going well for the two of you” Harry commented, still smiling as he observed Colter and Vida, holding hands. “I’m glad that Vida now has someone she can rely on, I am a bit hurt and I wish Vida would have chosen me, but that’s the past and I am quite happy for her.”
“No hard feelings?” Colter asked Harry who simply shook his head like a gentleman.
“Am I some sort of prize to be won? I am a human being you know” Vida said pouting, while Tessa rolled her eyes, agreeing with her friend’s comments.
“Yes, yes, you are human” Colter said with a smile and tapped her lightly on the nose as she continued pouting.
In that instant, Harry suddenly turned to Tessa and took hold of her hands, “Miss Rodriguez, no, Tessa, if it’s okay, will you go out with me?”
Vida’s best friend and the kingdom’s Oracle blushed fiercely at this but she shook her head violently, to Vida’s shock.
“No way, Jose!” Tessa said angrily, “I’m not going to sit here and be treated like some sort of rebound. Just because you failed to win Vida over doesn’t mean you have to settle with me. Nuh uh! Look Harry, I admire you but it’s kind of insulting to turn me into some kind of option, don’t you think?”
Harry frowned at this; his thoughts were befuddled by Tessa’s words.
“I’m not some easy harlot that you can simply jump in with because you failed getting to your number one option, okay?!”
“Pretty sure she just likes Vergil more” Vida whispered to Colter as he laughed uproariously, agreeing with the fact after seeing them together earlier.
“Also, I’m sort of seeing someone, Harry. So too late for you too” Tessa commented, still blushing, confirming Vida and Colter’s thoughts. “You will find someone eventually for you, Harry, I can foresee it.” Tessa finished throwing the couple a wink that made them grin at each other.
Harry Fletcher left them alone dejectedly, electing to leave the bar without a companion with his shoulders slumped.
“Well, well, well! Wasn’t that something!” an old voice told them, it came from the bar, it was Peter. He had been observing it all unfold with a big grin pasted on his face, on the bar with him was another old looking gentleman, it was his husband.
“Welcome back, you three” Peter said from the bar, “I told you it will all work out, did you enjoy yourselves at least? How was the out of the state trip? Like what I’ve told you before, love waits, love endures, love suffers and love will always be there when you need it the most. But, in a contradiction, sometimes you have got to get off your ass at one point and start looking for it.”
“Hear, hear” his husband said with a chuckle, while drinking rum, “I hope my Peter hasn’t been any trouble to you, guys. He always talks about you at home.”
“Oh shush, dear” Peter said kindly to his husband and turned back to them, “Tessa, I am happy that you finally got out of your shell and found someone for you. Vida, it is so nice to see you happy. This is the happiest I’ve seen you for a long time.” Then his eyes met Colter’s, “Colter, I understand that abandoning people for their sake is something you have to do from time to time, but it would not hurt to give them some sort of reassurance. These two waited for you, Vida especially, she was on the verge of breaking down. I am not saying that you owe her that much for treating you kindly and finding you a job and a place to stay, but at least have the guts to tell her when things are going wrong. She’s a strong woman. She will understand.”
Colter nodded at this solemnly, feeling slightly hurt at how he had recklessly left Vida behind, worried and afraid of what could have happened. Everything flashed back, the dreams, fighting with his father, crossing the portal, seeing Vida.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, Mr. Burn” Colter said sheepishly and the portly old man in the bar gave him a warm smile, “Welcome back then, Colter.”
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Vida
Vida’s Apartment, New York City
“Could I stay the night?” Colter said as they arrived in Vida’s apartment, she immediately froze but nodded yes vigorously, she noticed that Colter was smiling at her now, looking at her hungrily.
“I never thought that you would choose me, a measly human over the kingdom that you have lived in all your life” Vida said quietly, as they stood in her apartment.
Colter immediately closed in on her and had her in his arms, his head was resting on her shoulder and neck, “Because you are simply everything to me, everything that I will ever be. The kingdom is now in good hands, my brother’s ambition has been culled and I am at peace with both of them. I can now pursue my one true purpose in this life, and it’s you.”
“I love you, Colter Howard” Vida said quietly, with tears filling her eyes.
“And I love you, Vida Vance” Colter answered in a murmur and began to kiss her passionately, their arms were interlocked and slowly but surely, they were undressed and were making their way to Vida’s bed, never letting go of their lips even for a split second. It was in a word, a passionate scene that would certainly radiate the hearts that have longed for this.