Replica

"My darling, I have returned to you." His voice low, masculine, and caressing.

"W-What?" I stammer; echoing the perplexity I feel within myself. Searching his features quickly for familiar; voice similar to the seductive charm of past lover. However, this being has silver eyes, so unlike my ex's amber flexed with gold dust.

"Who are you?" I finally articulate gently.

"My precious, Amelia. How do you not know me?" Sensing a hint of dismay within his question, perhaps even disbelief. Appearing slightly inconvenienced by my unwillingness to blindly accept his identity, as well as not knowing direction to choose to gain my acceptance. Annoyance causes his aristocratic mask to slip somewhat; however, he quickly recovers, steepling fingertips to rest below lower lip, in an observatory manner, somewhat hesitant of proceeding with reintroduction.

I search more thoroughly his features. He drops arms to side allowing me an examining study watching my eyes trace his narrow face, yet with a fullness unlike former companion. The presence before me bares a very strong resemblance with robust face structure nearly identical, square jaw, lacking facial hair, with a long nose with proportion to the rest of his face.

"My sweet Amelia, shall I remind you of our lives together, before I left? The memories we shared?' He lifts his hands gracefully as light radiates from them, a tunneling beam suddenly expands playing a holographic scene within its chaos. A different time, different place, and a different person? A cascading waterfall: rising mist failed to veil the lovers within it, my ex-lover and I while vacationing two years ago. Entwined within each other's arms, so vivid, I could swear the mist spread beyond image, to dampen my living room floor.

"Devon." I breathed. Sudden inhalation following, my eyes shoot to his dancing silver orbs. This entity, so alike yet different from Devon. He must have noticed the question lingering within my own.

He smiled genuinely. "There was much I couldn't explain before I left, Amelia."

"Who are you?" Reluctant to accept him as the person he claims.

"Oh, Amelia. I AM Devon." he said without elaboration, yet seemly awaiting acknowledgement or a response. However, neither were forthcoming immediately as I was still processing his words.

Bewilderment washes over my face, "WHAT? HOW?" I inquire with a lift of eyebrow, yet thinking, 'I cannot believe I am entertaining such nonsense, yet here I am.' Chiding myself for remaining in isolation too long, 'Talking to a hallucination. AND IT DOESNT EVEN MAKE SENSE!' My thoughts remind. My focus returns to the delusion standing before me to self-diagnose whatever psychological issue I should attend to very soon. Perhaps I miss, Devon more than I once believed, or I seek closure so much so that I have materialized a likeness of him. Deprivation for resolution has brought forth a supernatural replica?

"I shall explain everything, its rather complex."

'Complex' My thoughts echo.

"My darling, it's important you keep an open mind."

Squeezing my eyes shut tightly against this fantasy, hoping it will have made friends elsewhere and I will be alone once again, upon opening them. Long moments pass, finally deeming it safe to allow a small slit within eyes, only to find HE is still before me. "DAMN!" escapes my mouth as he looks at me with puzzlement. 'Damn, damn, damn' I exclaim while tossing my hands in the air and bringing them down to cover my head. Dragging palms upon my hair in an unconscious attempt to rake delusions away. Turning to this person once again. DEVON? Nooo way, it's NOT Devon.

" Oh, darling, I have returned to you, I'm Devon." Why does he feel the need to keep reminding me? Very strange, almost as if his intent lies within convincing himself, as well as me of his identity. So, making a conscious decision to entertain this to determine its course or my own personal course to acquire.

"Honey, I am not of your world. I had to leave you for a bit; there were troubles I needed to set aright in my own." He says in a rush.

"Oh, okay so you took all my assets to your world, to correct it?"

"Your possessions? Your possessions have no value within my world. I have no need of them."

Noting how quickly he jumped to my fortune. No genuine surprise, just defense, set the alarms off, knowing something is amiss. But I want to see how far he takes this, so I avoid that topic with pretense of accepting his candor. Inhaling to let" Okay, Devon," skeptically drawling and punctuating his name. " Let's just say I believe you, what exactly do you want with me?"

"Honey, I returned posthaste. You are the love of my life."

"Well, I cannot believe this since you left without a word. Poof just gone." 'It really was poof, oh the irony.' I suppress a giggle.

"Amelia, allow me to explain-"

'EXPLAIN why you ARE FLOATING! And why you rode in on a brainwave? How DID you GET HERE?! ' Ahh okay calm yourself, so you can get to the bottom of this farce. Thoughts whisper to claim control.

"As I said I am not of Earth. My home is elsewhere; I had to return for a time to set things right. It was an emergency."

"Devon, I don't know what to make of this. It's beyond comprehensible yet you want me to believe you. Yet, it impossible. How do I know you aren't a figment of my imagination?"

Devon closes the space between us with two long strides, now standing inches before me. Bracing myself against sudden proximity, resisting an urge to step back; upturning my face to his, questioningly. Staring into each other's eyes, for a long moment; the smell of roses heightens.

"Amelia, look at me." He says softly. "Really look at me."