by Raven Scott
“Did your friend that came with you come to stay, too?”
“No. She goes back before Christmas. It’s weird— our friendship. I wouldn’t miss her, but… what we could’ve had.” I wasn’t sure why, but that was what I felt, and it burrowed deep in my chest. Ophelia and I could’ve been friends, but life didn’t work out that way. And I’d prefer it not. “You have sisters and brothers?”
“Yeah, but I have a really annoying cousin that’s overstaying his welcome at my place.” Interest picked up my gaze, and Jacob flashed me a grimace of his own as his cigarette cherry lit up his eyes. “I’ve wanted to kick him out, but he’s not really doing anything wrong. I just don’t want him around.”
“You don’t want him around. That’s enough reason.” My eyes met his, and his expression muddled in a dense cloud as he exhaled into the frigid air. Jacob reached to scratch his thin stubble and down his neck, the silence growing thick as I sucked on the butt of my cigarette. Leaning against the wall with an arm above his head, he clamped his lips around his smoke to gingerly touch my shoulder.
Warmth blossomed under Jacob’s fingertips, dragging down my arm to ruffle my long-sleeved shirt. His eyes never wavered, and blood drummed in my ears when he shuffled a little closer.
“You know, Joci… can I give you my number?” My lips parted in surprise, my cigarette limping severely as Jacob tinged pink under the streetlamps. He licked his lips, almost sensually, and his touch left me to take the precarious item before it burned me. So gently, his fingertip brushed my lower lip, eyes glimmering intently. “If that’s okay. You probably can’t call me on your own phone, but you can use payphones in the subway or a hospital if you ever need it… or want to.”
“Okay— yeah, please.” Tearing my eyes off Jacob to fiddle with my phone, I opened the Notepad as butterflies invaded my abdomen. The smell of him, a mix of smoke and light cologne and faint beer, surged up my nostrils. I titled the note ‘American Boy’ before glancing over expectantly, and Jacob pulled back to rattle off numbers. He took a drag of his own cigarette, effortlessly handing me mine with a perpetual smile on his handsome face.
5
Jacob
Glancing at my watch, I pursed my lips thinly before taking a swig of my beer. I was supposed to meet Caleb here, but he was late— as always. Who in their right mind schedules a drinking session for 5pm on a Thursday unless his partner’s going to make some bullshit excuse to be late? Me. That’s right. My cousin’s a nuisance.
“So—” Drawing my attention, Joci turned her downright angelic face to me with eyes that sparkled with interest. Her thick accent curled deliciously between my ears, and I set my beer down to arch a brow curiously. “You live here. How is it?”
“I like it— New York City is expensive, but I have a good enough job not to worry too much. Most of the time, I walk to work unless it’s really bad out. We’re supposed to have a snowstorm later next week, but I work from home Fridays and am off Saturday and Sunday.” Speaking a bit slower, I watched Joci work through what I said before she nodded in understanding. Propping my elbow on the bar, the alcohol making my eyes swim in their sockets and relaxing me. This was my favorite bar, and I lived just around the corner— but there was no point in asking her to come home with me. Even my tipsy ass knew that. “That’s the thing, too— my cousin living with me. He pays me, which it helpful and all, but… he’s really not someone I want to spend too much time with.”
We’d been talking for an hour or so, now, and I realized three things. One— Joci couldn’t read English, but she did okay verbally. Two— it was far too easy to lose track of both time and how many beers I’d had tonight. Thirdly— she was probably the most classically gorgeous woman I’d ever personally laid eyes on.
Like— Jesus Christ. Joci is a scale breaker… and that’s my cue to stop drinking.
“I am excited to live here.” Her lean face lit up at the prospect, and her thick lips parted in a smile. Charcoal-rimmed, light brown eyes brightened, slender jaw ticking with enthusiasm. “I don’t know what will happen, but I’m excited.”
“Jacob—” Caleb shouldered his way through the crowd, waving his hand at me, and irritation flooded my veins as I checked my watch again. The hands read nearly 6:30pm; why couldn’t this be one of those times that my cousin ‘forgot’ about our plans? Posting himself next to me, he gestured the bartender as he shirked off his coat, an apologetic smile stretching his lips. “Sorry I’m late. I missed the train.”
“I found better company.” Caleb frowned in mock offense, barely glancing at Joci only to do a double take. She frowned, picking at a crumb on her otherwise empty plate, and I reached to clap my cousin on the shoulder before he made things really uncomfortable. “Are you gonna sit and order a beer, Caleb?”
“Yeah. Right.” Holding out his hand for a shake, Caleb put on a charming smile. “I’m Caleb, Jacob’s cousin. Nice to meet you…?”
“Joci.” Reluctance slowed her taking his palm, and Caleb shot me a very obvious look. Alarms rang in my ears as Joci’s expression drew long and closed— like she realized what he was going to do. Before I could stop him, my cousin spoke up again, slowly, drawling to the point of insulting.
“Cool. How— are— you— liking— New— York— City?” Caleb adjusted his pitch, spoke overly loud, and even the bartender paused with a horrified expression out of the corner of my eye. Joci’s eyes narrowed, lips thinning as she pulled back her hand. My idiot cousin simply stared, waiting for an answer— thinking what he’d done wasn’t wildly inappropriate.
“I am foreign, not stupid or deaf.” Clearly, Joci made it a point not to fuck up that sentence, but Caleb wouldn’t know how much effort it took. I pinched the bridge of my nose with a small sigh and shook my head. Embarrassment sloshed in my ribcage as Caleb chuckled uncomfortably, reaching to rub his neck when I glanced up under my palm. The awkwardness thickened the already alcohol-soaked atmosphere.
I knew Caleb would come across as an insensitive idiot, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.
“Joci, I can walk you back to your friend, if you want.” The offer barely left my tongue before she nodded, and I pulled out my wallet. Caleb frowned under furrowed brows, turning to me as I pulled out a $50 bill and slapped it on the bar. “It’s about time I get home, anyway.”
“What— I just got here! It’s not even 7pm, yet!” Draining the last of my pint, I hopped off my stool under Caleb’s annoyed gaze. Putting on my jacket as Cade swiped my money and my glass, I ignored my cousin’s open mouth and wide, flashing eyes. “Jacob! Man!”
“If you were on time, we’d be drunk right now. Maybe give that some consideration next time.” My cousin guffawed at my clipped tone as I skirted around him. Joci zipped up her own coat, a light grey, fluffy-looking coat, before I made it to her, and the sight of her all bundled up just hit me out of nowhere. She fluffed out her hair, and I pursed my lips thinly. Caleb glared at my back on the way out, and I glanced over my shoulder to shoot him a dirty look.
“Your cousin is an asshole.” Barking a laugh, a puff of white wafted into the frigid air, and I stuck my hands into my pockets. Starting southwards, I inhaled deeply through my nose, letting that faint smell of rain cool the heated parts of me. For the first time since I noticed Joci walking into the bar, my pants weren’t so tight. “My dad was an asshole, too.”
“Yeah— like I said. I’d rather not spend too much time with him. He’s a fun guy in small doses. Are your friends eating somewhere around here?” Joci pointed vaguely in front of us, her lean brows furrowing in concentration. “You’ve only been here a few hours. What do you think so far?”
“It can be great.” Satisfaction blossomed in my chest at that deeply layered admission. Wobbling light to nudge her with my elbow, I smiled when her rosy cheeks brightened. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m tipsy. Honestly… I don’t remember the last time I drank so little. Caleb and I usually get hammered. When he moved in with me, he didn’t work Frid
ays, so he’d convince me to go out on Thursday night. Now, we only do it every couple weeks or even longer. I don’t get fall over drunk, though— it’s embarrassing.” I’d drunk my way through college, sure, but there was a time just after graduating that I decided I was done. Even during my 4-year stint, I wasn’t much of a partier. Caleb, on the other hand, wouldn’t stop until he got cut off by the bartender.
“I can’t get drunk— I’m Russian. Only men are always drunk.” Snorting a laugh at that, I shook my head roughly to get rid of the beer sloshing in my ears. Joci smiled wide when I glanced over, and it helped me sober up a little— she had a beautiful, soft smile. “Do you have not very much drama?”
Flopping my head back to inhale a cold, crisp breath, I stared into the darkness hanging above us for a moment. Did I have a lot of drama in my life? My cousin was an asshole— that’d already been established. My mom wished I’d move back home. I had a crappy boss at my dream job.
“No, I don’t have a lot of drama. It’s pretty boring, and I like having a boring life.” Pausing when Joci stopped walking, I twisted as an intense longing morphed her entire face. Her shoulders bunched up, her hair puffing out as she stared through blank eyes at the gum-pocked pavement. “You okay?”
“Yeah… I should’ve drink more.” That sobered me up entirely, and Joci shook her head as she sucked in a sharp breath. Cleaning up her expression, she caught up with me to take her turn to nudge me with her elbow. “I’m fine.”
“Now that you’re here in America… you can give me a little of your drama, and I’ll give you a little of my boring.” Her eyes widened, flashing hazel in surprise, and butterflies fluttered in my chest. She’s so damn pretty when she’s caught off guard. The cold air made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the warm bubble around us began to crack. “If you want.”
“… We’ll see. Maybe.” Those eyes flickered past me, and I silently berated myself while Joci cleared her throat roughly. In an instant, everything about her changed— her posture, her expression, and she even took her hands out of her pockets. Walking off before I could get out of my own head, she waved out of the corner of my eye. “Ophelia! Hey!”
Even her voice was different— strong and sure and lilted. Blinking hard, I turned my gaze while Joci caught up with her friends. The faces she made seemed so guarded and carefully thought out, and the butterflies in my chest transformed into an ache. I was far enough away that the two men and woman didn’t notice me, and I rocked back on my heels.
Joci didn’t try to draw attention to me before following her friends, only casting me a look over her shoulder. That glance was so heavy, but so brief, and my cheek twitched with something ugly. Not necessarily irritation, though. I guess that ends that.
Which sucked, because I wanted to keep talking to Joci, but the topic obviously meant the universe would send someone to interrupt it. Reaching both my hands to rub my head roughly, I messed my hair even as my eyes stayed on her. She walks different.
So… was she real with me, or was she real with them?
“She’ll probably not call me, anyway.” If there was one thing that sucked ass about New York City, is was that a person can go their entire life without seeing the same stranger twice. Scuffing my shoe against the sidewalk, I turned to backtrack towards my street. “Damn.”
6
Joci
Throwing myself onto the bed, I gasped as pain engulfed my spine from tail to neck. Heat flared at my lower back, and tension weaved between my ribs. A whimper escaped me to get stuck in the thick comforter, my lips twisted in a nasty grimace. Note to self— bar stools suck.
I held my breath as I waited for the throbbing to pass, but my throat tightened when the soft hitch of a door opening sounded through my room. Panic slammed into me, intensifying the pain gripping my spine, and insecurity immediately flooded my veins. Goosebumps blanketed my body under my clothes, and blood drummed n my ears. So gently, the bed dipped, and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly even as the shift sent prickling pain up my back.
“I didn’t know it was so bad.” Aleksander Makovich sounded heavy— burdened— and some of the tension seeped out of me and into the mattress. “I should have killed you— now I feel guilty for not.”
“Guilt? You?” Disbelief mingled with disgust in my scoff, and I pulled my arms up to force myself onto my side. He frowned darkly under furrowed brows, but somewhere between there… was guilt. “Don’t lie. You never gave me a second thought— not once until I was put in your face.”
“That’s what I said— now I feel guilty. It’s impressive you manage to function considering how degenerated your spine is.” Sitting back to hold himself on his arms, Aleksander’s brow orbs flashed brightly as he arched a brow. Honestly, I couldn’t be surprised that he’d contacted my doctor. Mine was a Makovich employee, after all. “I’m not here to argue semantics, Joci. I came to talk about your out. I’ve given you my offer— now, it’s time to negotiate.”
“I want an English tutor.” Licking my dried lips, I gulped down the cotton that stuffed my mouth. Wordlessly, Aleksander hoisted himself up to walk off, and I arched my back experimentally. Staring at the rumples in the comforter, my mind whirred in circles around my dilemma.
Negotiation. No doubt, Aleksander had come here knowing I would ask for a tutor, but what else was there? Money— I would need some, probably. How much would ‘some’ constitute? How much did living in America cost? What could possibly substitute the precarious financial situation I find myself in?
“Here.” I strained to push myself up, a hiss escaping through my clenched teeth. Aleksander held out a water bottle, and my skin prickled up my arm while he sat. A bulging envelope sat in his lap, the orange drawing my gaze against the black of his pants, and my expression soured. “You were saying, Joci?”
“I want an apartment of my choosing, with all my expenses paid by you for one full year.” Twisting the cap off the bottle, I took a big gulp as my gaze swung to Aleksander’s face. His expression didn’t reveal anything at all— blank and a little creepy, the weight of his eyes on me despite nothing be in them. My mind whirred a frenetic pace, misfiring on ideas that were too risky— like asking for money outright. “… I think that’s it.”
“Really?” Stroking his chin, Aleksander’s eyes narrowed into fine points on me as I nodded hesitantly. I didn’t want to push my luck— I’d already done that when he didn’t kill me. Although, I don’t consider myself lucky. “Here’s my counter. I’ve already arranged you for a tutor— I don’t consider that a point of negotiation. Your English is terrible, Joci. I’ll buy you an apartment no more than $500,000 American dollars, and pay your expenses for one year. If you have a job more than 6 months during that year, I will pull out, and you’ll be on your own. Once that year is up, I will pull out, and you’re on you’re on your own regardless. Now— when you say all expenses, does that include medical care?”
My brows rose in surprise— I had to pay for healthcare? But, even then, Aleksander’s face didn’t so much as twitch as I slowly lifted my water bottle to my lips. The multiple screws and plates holding my skeleton together weren’t what caused my pain. They didn’t have to be removed and doing so could actually make things worse. If I did get sick somehow else, I needed to be able to get treatment, though. My joints were concerning, but I could get the flu or something.
Ugh…
“Yes, just for the full year.” Suspicion narrowed my pupils into slits and thinned my lips. “This seems really one-sided.”
“Because it is. I told you on the plane, Joci— Anatoly ruined your life because you dumped him. A series of events has led you to America, the one place he can’t reach you. This is your chance to put Russia and Makovich behind you permanently. I do feel bad, believe it or not. Anatoly is my brother, and his actions reflect on me. Keeping you alive five years ago was for this opportunity not only to absolve myself of that lingering guilt, but to fuck with him for being a juvenile piece of shit.” Sniffling a
little at that, only the faintest of surprise sparkled behind my eyes. Of course, Aleksander would somehow find a way to twist this into a powerplay. Reaching to rub my face with both my hands, I inhaled deeply from between my palms. “As long as our stay, you’ll be here in this hotel and acting in my entourage, but you’ll have plenty of downtime to research and find a place. I’ve also got permission from Carlyle Santino to reside in New York City unimpeded— provided he meets you first to make sure I’m not trying to spy on him.”
“That’s fine… How am I going to stay here when you leave?” Picking up the envelope in his lap, Aleksander held it out for me like I was a dog in need of coaxing out from under a sewage grate. Anxiety tingled my fingertips as I slowly reached out. The envelope was smooth against my skin, sagging from the weight of what was inside. My heart started to race as I tore open the top, the sound grating my ears loudly. Exhaling a shaky breath through my nose, my lungs immediately began to burn.
There, sitting in the envelop according to size, were documents…. Official documents. I almost couldn’t bring myself to reach in for fear they’d turn to ash under my touch. An American ID card— an American birth certificate that showed the right date— an American social security card—
“… These are fake?” Foreboding gnawed at me as I turned to Aleksander to frown. He gave me nothing. “I’ll get deported back to Russia if anyone ever finds out.”
“They’re as close to real as I could get. It’s up to you to make sure no one ever does discover they’re fake, Joci.” Makovich practically ruled Russia, had access to the best forgeries in the world at the tip of his finger. He dealt a lot with China, I knew, which gave me some security. But what if someone looks too deep? “Do you want to reconsider?”
“No—” Answering immediately, I tightened my grip on my papers defensively. Aleksander cracked a knowing smirk, tapping his thighs with his palms before standing with a sigh. Rubbing the thick plastic of my American ID with my thumbs, I followed him with my eyes. “Thank you, Aleksander.”