Atlantis by Lisa Graves

wasn’t speaking. I was surprised when his free hand cupped my neck, and pulled me closer to his perfect lips. I shut my eyes. He whispered something to me in a language I didn’t understand. His lips, a feather away from mine, ever so softly brushed my lips as he spoke, sending a familiar driving sensation to my heart. Even if he had spoken in a language I understood, I wouldn’t have realized what he’d said. I was consumed with anticipation. I wanted his lips touching mine.
    I opened my eyes to see what was taking so long. His hazel eyes locked on mine, pulling me deeper in love with him. Then it happened. His lips moulded to my lips, in soft sweet teasing kisses, pulling slightly away then doing it again. He kissed me without bounds. He kissed without limits.
    I swear I had an out of body experience. His kiss transcended time itself. Sooner than I wanted, he started to pull back. Elliott gently nibbled my bottom lip as he pried his mouth from mine. It took me a minute to catch my breath. He laughed at my recovery time, laid back on his arm, and continued.
    “ Sorry, I have missed you for so long, I couldn’t help myself.”
    “ No need to apologize.” My voice was winded.
    “ Hopefully you will be so forgiving when I never let you go.”
    I smiled. Enjoying the idea of a world where I was always with him.
    “ Where was I before you distracted me?” he said wryly.
    “ Instincts. . . I think.”
    He smiled down at me and winked. “That’s right.”
    “ I ended up strolling the cobblestone street of Via Dei Tribunali, heading for San Lorenzo Maggiore. I remember how it had rained earlier. The streets were still wet and they shined in the moonlight. It had to have been three or four in the morning, for the streets were as quiet as the dead. When I stood outside the church, I was surprised that my instincts pulled me further west and onto Via Duomo. My head said to go in San Lorenzo Maggiore, but my heart seemed to gravitate onward. I followed my heart.
    “ I was surprised when the inner pull for you ended in front of an old abandoned house. Now remember, the houses weren’t like your house today. They weren’t individual dwellings, unique and standing alone. They were, and still are for that matter, large building complexes broken up into individual living quarters. The one I ended up standing in front of was mossy green with an aged, neglected oak door. Without a second thought, I opened the door and walked into the main hallway.
    “ The hall was in much the same condition as outside. The cracks that ran along the plaster walls were deep. I still remember being nervous of my foreign surroundings, but I just kept repeating in my head I want to see Lillianna, I want to see Lillianna over and over again.
    “ I can still see the door of the abandoned apartment clearly in my head. It was the apartment furthest back from the street on the ground floor. The door was solid wood, and grimy with dirt and oil. A vacant sign hammered on it. “I couldn’t figure how such a dodgy place would relate to you. Then again, look where I found you the first time. I was on a mission. Against my better judgement, I knocked. The sound seemed to boom in the silence.
    “ I was surprised when the door creaked open as a result of my knocking. I hadn’t realized it was open before, or not fully closed. I’m not sure. I slowly walked in. I was glad when the place appeared to be abandoned, like I had originally thought. I closed the door behind me with a creek. My hand still held the stone in my pocket as I whispered into the dark room, “Lillianna.””
    Elliott paused, letting the solitude around us in my park add to the mystery of his story. The sunlight filtered down through the trees. The wind spiraled around us and the leaves chimed together, playing songs of summer. But it all was background compared to the person that lay beside me in that grassy cove.
    “ What happened?” I said breaking the hushed silence.
    “ You