The rain had paused for the moment, and in its wake was a chill, crisp air that traveled along the occasional gusts of wind, sending swirling leaves careening to the ground from the autumn trees. The sidewalk was quiet except for that sound of rustling wind and muted footsteps, and it stretched out before Belle and Alec like a shiny pewter ribbon bathed in silver street lights. The silence between them was unusually comfortable. Belle had never experienced this sensation before, always having the incessant urge to fill quiet with noise, to propel conversations haphazardly without much thought. While she could keep a polished demeanor as a morning anchorwoman in front of the camera, this glossy façade did not translate well to one-on-one interactions. Her dating track record was a series of embarrassing fumbles.

She was enjoying the evening stroll, watching as her breath curled ghost-like in front of her, but the incessant curiosity about the man who was her blind date nagged. She gave him a sidelong glance, his tall and thin frame walking beside her with a smooth and graceful stride. He had been polite enough at dinner but hardly warm. His words were intelligent but reserved. The woman worried that it was something she had said. In fact, she usually said something that ended a perfectly good evening with another attractive human being.

"So… you work in the death care industry? You changed the subject so quickly at the restaurant when I asked about your career," she said softly, that restless meddlesomeness winning out over her reluctance to break the night's spell. 

Belle admired Alec's thick, dark eyelashes as he glanced her way.

"Well, to be honest, I was afraid that you would excuse yourself to the bathroom and never come back," he answered in a dulcet baritone.

"I don't find death repugnant or a distasteful topic. It's a part of life," Belle answered matter of factly. "So, you're stuck with my company for now."

Alec smiled softly in her direction. He did not answer her question immediately, the distant and echoing bark of a dog filling the silent gap.

"I work on the front end, mainly," he finally replied, tone subdued, "Helping the deceased's family make arrangements and decisions about the funeral, that sort of thing. It's a fifth-generation family business. We own several funeral homes upstate."

"Ah, I see. I…have a question I hope you don't find too bizarre." 

Why was she feeling shy? How unlike you, she thought disdainfully.

"Sure. Fire away."

"Do you work with the bodies themselves?"

Alec paused before shaking his head briskly. "Not anymore. I know how, and I used to. But not everyone is cut out for that kind of work. I prefer my current duties, including running the business side."

"I see, I see. Well, your job is certainly more noble than that of an aging TV broadcaster." She grinned up at him and tucked a few strands of the honey-brown hair behind her ear.

"Are you kidding? You're Channel 8's 'Morning Belle'! Your show is a staple of the day, like coffee."

Realizing what he had blurted out, Alec whipped his head away as red bloomed below the high cheekbones. Belle smiled triumphantly at successfully fishing a compliment from the stoic Alec and decided that the opportunity to wear these Jimmy Choo heels was not the only plus about a blind date. 

"Ah, so, am I a staple of your day as well?" She teased mercilessly.

"I watch the news every morning, yes," he mumbled. "So, you have any kids? Any pets?" Alec changed the subject without subtlety, keeping his eyes forward. 

Belle smiled at his reaction and momentarily listened to the sound of their footsteps before answering.

"Sorry. It was my turn to ponder whether I should lie or not…because my pets are a bit odd," Belle admitted with a sheepish twitch at the corner of her mouth. She gripped her purse and glanced away briefly. 

Well, it's been a lovely evening. Guess that's done and over with.

Alec regarded her expectantly and raised an eyebrow when she did not elaborate further. "Tell me," he pried, interest lighting up his dark eyes. As she looked up at that earnest expression, Belle yielded with hesitancy. 

"There's Cinder, and she's... a boa constrictor. Hateful thing who has snapped at me for even daring to fill her water bowl. Reginald the tarantula is actually quite laid back. But I'm still trying to get used to the fact that he is a large, hairy spider." 

She shivered, making a noise of disgust. Alec appeared puzzled.

"You… don't seem thrilled about either of them."

Belle paused. This was usually the point, historically, where conversation stagnated.

"You felt sorry for a spider? Don't ever tell that to my mother, haha!" A previous boyfriend had commented.

(She never actually got to meet his mother.)

"I'm more of a dog person," A man she had dated briefly last year blurted out nervously.

(He ghosted her soon after.)

But Alec's face, devoid of artificially polite interest (or undisguised disgust) and instead full of sincerity and troublesome handsomeness, made her lips move to explain further.

"My coworker threatened to toss the snake in a pillowcase and drown it in the swimming pool because she snapped at her kid. After another one of my coworkers heard I took the snake in, he begged me to take the spider because his wife hated it."

Belle shrugged.

"What was I supposed to do in those situations? I didn't seek them out – they just happened. I'm not the type of person who wants dependents in her life – now I've got vet bills, and I have to buy frozen rats for the snake and crickets for the spider, and… Oh. Look at that." 

Belle made a slight tsk noise beneath her breath as she halted in the middle of the sidewalk, tucking her hands in the pockets of her peacoat. The couple stared at the small body of what seemed to be a dead dove, lying misshapen in front of an expansive storefront. 

"Poor thing. It must have crashed into that window," Belle said pityingly.

Alec squatted down to look closer, his eyebrows pulled together in a softly pained expression. Belle cautiously crouched down to join him. The moment of silence for the deceased creature began to turn a bit awkward for the woman the longer it went on.

"Are...you alright?" She asked hesitantly. 

"Yes," he said with a soft solemnity. He did not elaborate further. Belle glanced around, hoping no one was watching the strange ceremony. Luckily the streets were deserted and silent. She stood, looking down at Alec's broad back and expecting him to stand. 

When he did not, she asked him again, "Are you sure?" 

"Belle." He said her name so beseechingly she was immediately at attention. "Would you mind listening to a confession?"

The air between them became heavy.

"Yeah. Of course."

"I no longer work with bodies because I have a hard time dealing with the physical manifestation of death. When I would see a child lying still and cold forever, it is like my chest empties into my shoes. Innocents should not have to die unnaturally. And if one has a gift to help, you should use it, right?"

Belle puckered her lips and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"That's a bit vague. But I think I understand. When Reggie and Cindy needed a home, I felt strongly that I had to help them. Like, their fate was in my hands. Is that what you mean?"

"Yes, another's fate is your responsibility. That's exactly it," Alec said with a chuckle. His shoulders drooped slightly. "I know it's strange and sudden, but I have never felt more comfortable around someone I have just met. We seem to understand each other. Is it just me?"

Belle tried to keep her blossoming smile in check. Her heart strummed happily in her chest.

"No, it's not just you. I agree," she replied. What was this feeling? Had she gone back in time twenty years? 

Belle was eager to continue their stroll. But instead of standing to join her, the man announced with a certain resignation, "You have to know up front that I am different. Not in a cute way. And not in an endearing way. I'm weird."

Belle felt a tightening sensation in her stomach.

"What…does that mean?"

In response, Alec began to rub his hands together, slowly at first, then with more speed. Belle started with surprise as she felt the humid air around her turn dry, and within the time it took for the woman to take one hot, uncomfortable breath, Alec crossed his hands over the carcass of the dove.  

Shielded from view, Belle saw only the tail feathers as they began to twitch. When the man moved away, the bird shot off into the night, its trilling retreat perfumed with the almost imperceptible scent of decay. The woman gaped in the direction of the bird, at the dry circle of pavement around the couple's immediate area. 

"How about now?" Alec asked 

"Wha…how about what?" Belle replied hastily. Her heart had turned into a hammer in her ears. 

"Are we still on a level?" Alec asked, smirking without arrogance, his lips holding a familiar inevitability the woman knew well. 

Belle stared in amazement at the dark spot where the bird had laid. She turned to look down at the man facing her, his eyes a luminous prayer in the harsh street light. Maybe it was her weakness for a pretty face, but she felt like a woman possessed when she reached out to him. Alec's hand came up without hesitancy to envelope hers.

Belle had room in her life for one more unusual pet.