Impossible
Desiree had a dream. She was trapped in her house, which was burning. She could feel the heat and smell the smoke even in the dream A man always came into the house and carried her outside, saving her life. She couldn’t remember his face, but the heat had faded when he picked her up. She knew she was safe in his arms. She used to tell people this man was her first love, even if he never existed.
The house burning had been real. It had happened when she was four years old. However, she’d been told the man was a dream. She was hallucinating from smoke inhalation. She had clearly gotten herself out of the house by climbing through a window. There was never any man. Even so, it was a nice dream. She always knew her dream man wouldn’t let any harm come to her.
Desiree’s life wasn’t glamorous. She’d finished school and could still only get a job as a waitress. It was a difficult job and barely paid the bills.
“How was work?” her dad asked as she returned home one night and immediately flopped down on the couch, kicking off her shoes.
“People suck,” she replied. “I hardly got any tips and the diners were super obnoxious.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He rarely complained or added to hers but he was always sympathetic.
“It’s fine.” Having voiced her complaints, Desiree felt better and was ready to move on. Her feet were sore and her head was starting to hurt from keeping her hair pulled back all day, but that was normal. She didn’t want to voice every issue or they might be there all night. She removed her hair tie, letting her blonde hair fall freely over her shoulders as she looked at the television, which was showing the news. “Anything interesting going on?”
“The world’s going to crap.”
She raised her arms over her head and stretched her back. “So the usual.”
“Did you hear about that guy who was in prison for ten years but it turned out they messed up the DNA evidence?”
“Yikes,” she said. “That would suck.”
“He sued the state and they’re saying he’s getting ten million dollars out of it,” he told her.
She raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? Dang. I could do ten years for that.”
“Ten years in prison?”
She considered it but her aching feet gave her an easy answer. “If it’s between that or being a waitress for minimum wage, yes.”
She reasoned that she could live off the interest alone if she had that kind of money. Ten years behind bars followed by retirement in her thirties didn’t seem so bad.
“It’ll get better,” her dad promised. “Just give it time.”
The dozens of better jobs she’d been rejected for made her doubt that, but she couldn’t negate his optimism. “I hope so.”
“Do you need some help with your bills this month?” he asked.
Desiree could use the help, but she wasn’t about to admit that. Her dad had his own bills to pay. “I’ll be fine.”
“Let me know if that changes.”
“I will,” she promised before going to take a shower, ready to let the hot water wash away the day.
Unfortunately, the water that came out was lukewarm at best. She grimaced as she forced herself to use it anyway. The hot water heater must have been acting up. It was a Friday so they likely wouldn’t have it fixed for a few days. She’d just have to put up with it until then.
Desiree sighed, wondering if the water would be hot in a prison shower.
“Hello, I’m Desiree and I’ll be your waitress.” She barely looked up from her notepad. She was on the tail-end of a double shift and pretty much phoning it in at that point. “What can I get for you?”
“A wine menu.”
She raised her eyebrows at the man, looking at him properly for the first time. He was handsome with thick, brown hair and green eyes. Thick scruff adorned a chiseled jaw. He wore a nice suit, which was rare for the small diner. He had a warm smile that made her heart skip a beat. She had to clear her throat before she could respond. “A wine menu?”
“That was meant to be a joke,” he explained. “Was it not a good one? I tend to be terrible at jokes.”
His voice was deep and mesmerizing. She caught a whiff of something sweet as if he’d been in a flower garden. The scent was familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. She had to resist the urge to lean in to smell it properly. The diner mostly smelled of fried meat at that time of day, so this was a pleasant change.
“Oh.” Desiree managed to relax a little as she saw the corners of his eyes crinkle. “Good one.”
“No, it was terrible,” he said. “You don’t have to humor me.”
“I’ve heard worse,” she assured him, more amused by his clear embarrassment than the joke. “We do have our little drink menu here.”
She indicated one that had been set up on the table. It listed the drinks on one side and desserts on the other. The drinks were mostly cheap wine and beer with a few cocktail options.
He looked at it. “Well, those certainly seem exciting, but I think I’m going to stick with water.”
Desiree tried not to let her disappointment show. People who bought alcohol tended to tip better. People who took the free water might be trying to save money. Leave it to someone in a nice suit to be cheap. “And do you know what you’d like to eat?”
“I’ll take the angus burger, rare, please.”
“Alright, then.” She wasn’t sure if the cooks did different cooking styles, but she figured she could ask.
“And my name is Andrew.”
Desiree couldn’t figure out why that would matter. Did he think she wouldn’t be able to find his table without his name?
“Is it weird for me to introduce myself?” he wondered, almost seeming to read her mind. “It seems strange to me that you would say your name but I wouldn’t say mine.”
Ah, so that was it. Desiree kept her usual customer-service smile on. “It’s fine. I’ll have your food out for you, soon.”
“Thank you.”
She took his menu and got him a glass of water, setting it at his table. After that, she headed to the kitchen to deliver the order. Fortunately, the cook was in a good mood and willing to make the burger rare.
“Okay, so he was into you,” Cindy, her coworker said as they ran into each other in the kitchen.
Desiree looked at her notepad as she decided to feign ignorance. “Who?”
“The gorgeous guy in the suit,” Cindy explained. “I was taking an order at the table next to yours and I heard him trying to flirt with you.”
Desiree feared she might be blushing. “He wasn’t flirting. He was just being friendly.”
“He wasn’t flirting well, but he was definitely trying,” her coworker insisted. “You should give him your number.”
“I don’t give my number out to random customers.”
“You should when they look like that.”
Desiree rolled her eyes. “You’re being weird.”
“Hey, if you’re not interested, I’ll give him my number, instead.”
Somehow, Desiree didn’t like that idea. She didn’t have much reason to object. She’d just met the man and hardly had a claim to him. Despite her reservations, she said, “Go for it.”
“I just might.”
The food came up and the girls went their separate ways.
Desiree set the food in front of the customer. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“I have a bit of an odd question,” he said.
“Alright.” She assumed it would be about the food. She hoped he didn’t have some weird allergy he hadn’t mentioned before. The cooks would not enjoy having to remake everything.
“Would it be completely inappropriate if I asked for your number?”
Desiree stared at him for a minute. She was wearing an unflattering uniform and had her hair in a basic ponytail which had gotten progressively looser throughout her shift, leaving it a stringy mess. This was not usually how she looked when guys hit on her. “What?”
“It is inappropriate, isn’t it?” he said. “I’m sorry. You can forget I said anything. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable.” The words were out before she could stop them. She cleared her throat. “I was just surprised is all.”
“Is there any chance you’d be willing to give me your number?”
She caught sight of Cindy who was nodding enthusiastically.
Desiree looked back at the man. “We just met one minute ago. Why do you want my number?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
What was she supposed to say to that? She didn’t understand it, but she couldn’t get offended by such a thing. “I’ll think about it.”
There were no other customers in her section, so she retreated into the kitchen to catch her breath.
“You’re going to do it, right?” Cindy asked as she joined her. “This guy looks like he stepped out of a magazine.”
“We didn’t even have a conversation, though,” Desiree pointed out. “Why would he want my number?”
“So you could have a conversation.”
“He might be a serial killer or something.”
“I could think of worse ways to go,” Cindy countered.
“You have issues.”
“Says the girl hesitant to give her number to the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”
Well, she couldn’t disagree with that. He was handsome and just awkward enough to make her drop her guard. There was something resembling an air of nobility about him, too. Desiree had given up dreams of being swept off her feet by a handsome prince long ago but this man came close to reviving the fantasy.
“Fine. I’ll do it,” Desiree announced. “It’s on you if I get murdered, though.”
“Does that mean I get to be maid of honor at your wedding?”
Desiree ignored her and returned to the dining room. However, the man’s seat was empty. She went to check and found his empty plate with a hundred-dollar bill and a note that read, “Keep the change and give me a call if you like”. Under that was a phone number.
“I guess he really likes you,” Cindy commented when Desiree told her about it.
“And he’s a bit of a show-off, leaving that kind of tip.” She was trying to keep her expectations low. In her experience, if something seemed too good to be true, it was a scam.
“Or he’s just too wealthy to care. Maybe, he’s prince charming, come to whisk you away. He should bring a glass slipper next time.”
Well, that was a nicer fantasy than being falsely imprisoned, at least. It was less realistic though. “As nice as it would be not to work all the time, I’m not looking for some prince to take care of me. Nobody ever talks about what happens after Cinderella gets married, but I bet it wasn’t such a happy ever after. Those things almost never are.”
“You’re such a cynic,” Cindy complained. “Just give me the phone number and I’ll be his Cinderella.”
“Not a chance.” Desiree shoved it in her pocket, despite not being sure whether she would use it.
She spent the rest of her shift debating whether she should call the guy. He’d seemed nice enough but a little weird. She still hadn’t made up her mind by the time she returned home and told her dad about it.
“Do you want to call him?” he asked.
“Maybe.” The more she thought about Andrew, the more she wanted to talk to him again. “It just feels a little weird.”
“You said he was handsome, right?”
“Ridiculously so,” she replied. “To the point that it seems suspicious he’d go to so much trouble to pick up a waitress.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You have a lot to offer.”
“Sure, but he doesn’t know that,” she pointed out. “We barely speak and he gives me his number? It’s weird and I don’t want to get trafficked or anything.”
“Well, it’s up to you,” he said. “I just don’t want you missing out on something that could be good for you.”
Desiree didn’t like when people said stuff like that. In her experience, romance was rarely good for her. She liked the idea of it and had dated some, but it never worked out. She tended to stay busy and guys expected a certain amount of attention from girls they dated. That was understandable, but she just couldn’t give them that attention while working all the time.
She stared at the number as she lay in bed that night. Eventually, she typed it into her phone and saved it. After another moment’s hesitation, she sent a text, saying, “This is Desiree.”
Within a minute, she got a reply, “Do you dislike phone calls?”
“Not actively,” she said. “I thought you might be asleep, though.”
“I wasn’t and you may call me even if I am.”
“Are you always this cheesy?”
“Usually.”
Desiree found herself smiling. “Even with girls you just met?”
“I feel as though we were meant to meet.”
She wasn’t sure if that was meant to be charming or a joke. It was impossible to take seriously, though, so she decided a little teasing would be warranted, “So cheesy.”
“Can we meet properly soon?” he asked. “I would like to get to know you better.”
Desiree paused, debating the best answer. She was still wary, but couldn’t deny wanting the same thing. “I’m off on Monday. We can meet for lunch.”
She figured lunch was safe. They could meet somewhere brightly-lit and she would make sure there was no opportunity for him to do anything to her.
“Lunch sounds great.”
They texted several more times over the next few days. Although he came off as a little weird, Andrew was very sweet. Desiree worried he was too sweet. Nobody could be that nice unless they were hiding something, right?
She’d once dated a guy who showered her with affection for about a month before suddenly losing interest. That was when Desiree first learned what love bombing was. She told herself she’d never fall for such a thing again, no matter how special Andrew made her feel.
On Monday, she tried on several different outfits before she found the right one. She styled her hair and did her make-up. He’d asked her out when she was in her uniform. She wanted to make sure she was more impressive this time.
She met him at a café in a shopping district. He was already seated when she arrived, but he immediately stood and pulled out her chair for her. Desiree took his chair instead. It was already warm, after all. Besides, acting out in little ways gave her an opportunity to see his reaction. If he was quick to get mad over something so small, she’d be quick to leave. However, he just smiled and took the seat he’d pulled out.
Overall, it was a perfectly nice lunch. Andrew was pleasant and didn’t do anything concerning. Desiree found herself drawn to him somehow, more so than anyone else she’d dated. She knew that she should keep her guard up since it was the first date, but she found that increasingly difficult.
“There’s a beautiful garden not far from here that I think you’d enjoy,” Andrew commented as they finished eating. “May I take you?”
He hadn’t given Desiree any reason to distrust him so far and she wasn’t ready for the date to end, so she agreed. However, she took a picture of his license plate and sent it to her dad before getting into Andrew’s car. She wasn’t subtle about it, but he didn’t ask questions.
He took her away from the town and down some quiet roads. She saw fewer and fewer houses, which made her a bit nervous, but it wasn’t really a good time to escape. She texted her location to her dad as an extra precaution. They approached a large, iron gate, which swung open for them.
“What is this place?” Desiree wondered.
“You’ll see,” he assured her. “Feel free to text your dad whatever information you need to. I want you to feel safe.”
Somehow, he said all the right things. She found herself wanting to trust him. Despite him being hardly more than a stranger, Desiree felt safe with Andrew. Even so, she sent her dad the location once more as she climbed out of the car.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of roses to them. Andrew held out a hand and Desiree accepted it, allowing him to lead her down a hill to where hundreds of colorful flowers bloomed.
“Who owns this place?” she wondered. “I didn’t know we had anything around here like this.”
“Well, that’s because it’s private property,” he explained. “People aren’t generally allowed to visit.”
“But it’s okay that we’re here?”
“Of course.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s my property.”
Desiree turned to him. “I feel like this is a joke.”
“I’m not very good at jokes, so no, this isn’t one.”
“You own these gardens?”
“I own the whole estate.”
Desiree was impressed, but also somewhat nervous. If he was telling the truth, she was on his private property, which would make escape difficult.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he assured her. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Right.” Even so, she pulled her hand away and put space between them. “Why did you bring me here?”
“I thought you would enjoy the flowers,” he replied. “Was I wrong?”
“Do you often bring girls here?”
“No,” he said. “It’s just you.”
“Just me?” Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. “Why me?”
“Because you’re special.” He took a step closer, but she backed away again, so he stopped. “I’ve come on too strong, haven’t I? I apologize. I was just so excited to finally meet you.”
She shoved a hand in her purse and clutched her phone. “Finally?”
“Desiree, do you believe in fate?”
“No.”
He paused at her quick answer. “Would you be willing to believe in it for a moment?”
“Why?”
“Because I have so many things I want to tell you, but I’m afraid you won’t listen to them at all if you refuse to believe in something so simple as fate.”
“Fate is ridiculous.” She considered agreeing just to appease him but she didn’t feel like she was actually in danger, despite the circumstances. “People make choices and those choices have consequences. There’s no grand plan that people have to follow. Believing in fate means not believing in free will.”
Andrew wound up smiling at that. “I should have known you’d be headstrong.”
“Why are we here?” she demanded. “You’re being even weirder than before.”
“If I show you something else that should be impossible, will you believe in fate then?” he asked.
Desiree pulled out her phone so she could hold it as she crossed her arms. “I guess it depends on what you show me.”
“Alright, but I need you to promise not to freak out.”
“I can’t make that promise since I have no idea what you’re planning to show me.”
“Fair enough.” He looked down and cleared his throat. “I need to take my clothes off to show it to you.”
“Seriously?” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to tell me you have an impossibly large-”
“Nothing like that,” he rushed to assure her. “I would actually prefer if you turned away while I stripped.”
“You want me to turn my back to you while you’re acting suspicious?”
“It just…seems indecent to get naked in front of you at this point.”
“I’m not looking away from you right now.” She debated running but he could probably catch her and she was somewhat curious to know what he was talking about.
“Alright,” he said. “Could you just…keep your eyes up, then?”
“Fine.” She wasn’t particularly eager to see that much anyway. It was their first date and he was already stripping. Desiree was fairly certain this would be their last date.
“Okay.” He took a breath and removed his jacket, laying it gently on the ground. Next, he unbuttoned his shirt.
Desiree found herself staring at his toned muscles. As he met her gaze, her cheeks burned and she forced herself to focus on his face. The face was safe to look at, right?
His shoes and socks were next to go, followed by his pants. She kept her gaze fixed above the neck as he removed his last stitch of clothing. She had to repeatedly tell herself not to look down.
“Well, here it goes,” he said as if that whole thing had just been the overture. He dropped to his hands and knees.
Desiree watched in shock as hands turned to paws. His legs shrunk and he was soon standing on four paws as hair sprouted across his body. He looked up at her as his nose elongated. His ears moved up on his head and grew. Within a minute, a black wolf stood where Andrew had been.
The wolf took a step closer to her and Desiree couldn’t make her legs move to escape. Her arms now hung limp at her side. What she had seen was impossible. Her mind was screaming that her eyes were lying. This had to be some kind of trick, right? The wolf nuzzled her hand with his head, as if trying to calm her. It wasn’t working.
He walked in a circle around Desiree before returning to his original spot. She watched as the wolf’s body changed. His paws returned to being hands and feet. The fur retreated and the nose shrunk. As quickly as he had turned into a wolf, he went back to being a man.
Andrew reached for his clothes, yanking them back on as he turned to Desiree. “Will you believe me now?”
