by Lilly Mance
I approached my last table. A large, overweight man was sitting there, his butt cheeks spilling on each side of the chair. Poor chair made squeaking sounds as he wiggled in his seat. His shirt was having a hard time keeping all its buttons in place. I prayed to God that they would hold on till I got his order. I'd hate to be in his proximity when that thing burst.
“Hi, may I take your order, sir?” He lifted his gaze from the menu, and a set of two small, squinting eyes met mine. A cold stare sent a chill down my neck.
“Three specials, and make 'em bigger than the last time,” he growled, and returned his gaze back on the menu.
On my way to the kitchen, I saw Jake getting out of manager's office, tucking his paycheck in his back pocket. As he did so, his white shirt spread, revealing a hairy navel. Our gazes met, and he nodded. I did the same, shaking of the image of his navel from my mind.
House specials were lined up on the counter, so I took three of them and went back to serve the obese gentleman. I arranged them in front of him in a triangle shape. He took one glimpse at the plates, and started yelling:
“What the hell is this?! I told you to make 'em bigger!” He pushed all three of them off the table. Plates came crashing down, sending pieces of food all over the floor, and I jerked back, hugging my tray.
“Is there a problem, sir” I heard Jake's voice behind my back, but I was too afraid to leave my gaze from the angry man. Jake put his hands protectively over my shoulders. I was thankful for the gesture; it made me feel safer.
“You call these meals? These are kid sized,” the man continued to yell.
“Calm down, sir,” Jake continued in a steady voice. “It's none of my business what you think of our portions, they're sized for normal people. But it is my business if you take it out on this innocent girl.” Jake pushed me behind him. I was surprised to see that my entire body could hide behind his back.
“Are you saying I'm not normal?!” The man was all red in his face, breathing heavily. “I'll sue your ass!”
“Sure you will,” Jake's voice remained calm. “Do I need to call the police, or would you like to take it outside with someone your own size?” Jake's fists clenched, and there was no doubt in my mind he would use the obese man as a punching bag.
The man mumbled something, and went for the door, but Jake grabbed his shirt from the back, stopping him in place. Shirt buttons burst, revealing a hideous ball of meat, and hitting glass windows.
“Aren't you forgetting something?” Jake growled. Fear spread over obese man's face. “You were about to pay and leave this lovely girl a fat tip.” The man nodded, sweat beads rolling down his forehead. He pulled a fistful of cash from his pocket, and put it in Jake's hand, then wobbled out the door. Jake turned around, and said: “Here you go, kid,” handing me the cash.
“Thank you,” was all I could say. I felt so small, but safe. This paternal side of Jake made me reconsider my view of him. He patted my head, and said:
“If anything like this happens, someone will always get me to sort it out. Just make sure you don't get hurt until I come.” I nodded and gulped. “It doesn't happen often, you don't have to be afraid.” I smiled with relief, and for the first time, Jake pulled something similar to a genuine smile. Not quite, but close enough. Guess his face was not cut out for smiling.
“Are you okay?” Brad stood up as soon as I came to our table, and pulled out a chair for me to sit.
“Yeah. That was awkward,” I said, a tad absently.
“I would have cried,” Maya said, looking like she meant it.
“I would have screamed at least,” Helen snickered.
“I wanted to do both, but I froze in place,” I chuckled.
“Thank God that big guy stepped in,” Shawn added. Compared to Jake, both Shawn and Brad were midgets.
“Who would have said Jake was like that,” Helen raised her brows.
“Not me,” I shrugged. “He didn't strike me as that kind of a guy.”
“Listen,” Maya changed the subject, “It's warm enough, so we agreed to go swimming afterward.”
“I have to go home first,” I said. “Oh, and I have to get my paycheck! I completely forgot about it in all of this.”
“K! Meet you on the beach, then?”
“Deal,” I replied.
~*~
My first paycheck wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me feel like a worthy member of the society. It was a damn good feeling! I went for the bus station, secretly hoping Zack would be there like the other day, but he wasn't. Since that day, he hasn't popped in, or showed up. I started suspecting something had happened to him. Although predominantly he got on my nerves, I kind of got used to having him around. Whether I was surrounded by friends, or all alone, I always felt lonely. I don't know how and why, but Zack chased that feeling away. I felt more alive arguing with him than ever before.
I was sitting at the bus station, picking through my purse, when a large shadow blocked the sun. I looked up, and saw the fat man from earlier in front of me. My heart stopped, sending a knot to my throat.
“You owe me money!” Fat-man growled.
“What money,” I asked, scared to death, and feeling so tiny.
“The one your bully friend took from me,” Fat-man stepped closer in a very threatening manner.
“I don't have it. It belongs to Mario's,” I replied, scared of the outcome my reply would cause.
“I don't care!” He yelled. “Give me all you've got in there,” he pointed at my purse. Instinctively, I pressed the purse to my chest. The man grabbed it, and ripped it out of my hands, but at the same time, a hand grabbed his larynx from behind. Fat-man started choking, and coughing, releasing my purse to fight off his attacker. I was petrified, but glad Jake had seen my peril, and decided to step in again. From behind Fat-man's back, a familiar voice screamed:
“RUN! I can't hold him much longer!” That instant, I knew it wasn't Jake. It was Zack! My mind was incapable of processing what to do first—grab the purse, start running, or hug Zack to thank him. Then, colored by a sense of urgency, Zack screamed: “NOW!”
I snatched my purse from the ground, and started running faster than I ever did. I glanced behind my back seeing Zack still holding him. My feet felt heavy, refusing to cooperate. I could have stumbled at any moment, so I stopped at the park that seemed far enough from my attacker. Both Zack and Fat-man were no longer in my sight. I sat on a bench, and put my head between my knees, panting hard. My lungs struggled for air. Each breath I took seemed to lack oxygen, making me fight for more. Heart hammered so hard that my entire body pulsed at each beat.
When I finally caught my breath, my mind went into high stress mode. I wondered why Zack decided to get involved, and hoped he wouldn't harm that man...too much. I hoped he wouldn't get hurt himself. Oh, God, I hoped he would be okay. I reached for my purse to call the police.
“There you are,” a voice said. I shrieked, and jumped up from the bench, but then I saw it was only Zack. Without thinking, I ran straight into his embrace. Locking my arms around his waist, I burrowed my face in his chest, just below his jaw. He hesitated for several seconds, then put his arms around my shivering body, lowering his chin on my head, and started gently stroking my hair.
I could hear his heart rhythmically beating, having a soothing effect on me. Fear left my body, and something else took its place, sending all my senses into overdrive. I was suddenly hyper-aware of each point where our bodies connected. The warmth that radiated from his chest with each heartbeat had an intoxicating effect on me. Noticing his heart picking up a beat sent mine into cardiac arrest. All I wanted was to raise my head from under his jaw, and connect with those full lips that were calling me with each breath that caressed my hair.
His breathing got heavier, luring my insides to give in to temptation. Slowly, I moved my head back, toward his shoulder, leaving my lips only inches from his neck. His jaw clenched as my breath touched his neck, then he pressed his cheek against my forehea
d. His neck connected with my lips, and I stopped my breathing completely. He sucked in a sharp breath, and I felt his body stiffen up under my arms. A couple of long moments passed without either of us breathing, and then he put his hands on my shoulders, and detached me from his body.
“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” He asked, his voice slightly hoarse. The black of his pupils almost covered the green in his eyes.
I cleared my throat, and said “I'm okay.” Reality kicked in, and I looked around. Good that no-one was near us, because it would have appeared as if I was hugging air. “Are you okay?”
“Sure,” he released my shoulders, and let his arms free-fall, avoiding my glance.
“What happened to the Fat-man?”
“Oh, nothing. I released him as soon as you were far enough. He has no idea what happened to him. No serious injuries, just a sore throat,” Zack let out a half-laugh, tucking his hands in pockets.
“I'm thinking about calling the police. What's gonna stop him from coming after me tomorrow?” Dread washed over me at that thought.
“I have a better idea,” Zack said, and I raised my eyebrows. “I followed him home. He lives nearby, so I thought about paying him a nightly visit. If I talk to his subconsciousness while he sleeps, I might be able to make him forget you ever existed.”
“What? How?” This was getting weirder by the minute.
“You see, this state I'm in has its privileges. While I was hanging out in the hospital, I discovered that if I talked near nurse's ear, she would think my words were her own thoughts. It happened totally coincidental!”
“Hmm. Not quite the same as deleting memories,” I ran my fingers through my hair, not at all convinced his idea would work. “You didn't pull that trick on me, did you?”
Zack chuckled, “No! Unlike them, you can see me. There's no way I could.”
“That's not very reassuring,” I narrowed my eyes, still suspecting he might have done it.
“If I could pull that on you, don't you think I would have made you more compliant to my needs?” He flashed a mischievous grin.
“I wonder––” I squinted, thinking about our hug earlier. I wondered what he meant by his needs. I felt blood rush to my cheeks, and a set of impure thoughts piled up. Quickly, I changed the subject. “I have to go home.”
“Come. I know a shortcut to the next bus station.”
“You do?” That was odd. I lived here my entire life, and didn't know any.
“Yes,” he grinned. “I had to use a bus a lot,” he winked, and I followed his lead.
Several minutes later, we were at the bus station just in time to catch the incoming ride. I felt sadness expecting the same thing to happen as it did before––me getting on, and him staying––but instead, Zack went in first. I hid a small, inner smile, and went inside.
Bus was almost empty, several people scattered here and there. Zack was already sitting at the back, watching me stumbling down the aisle as the bus rocked, and slightly grinning. I managed to reach him without disgracefully falling. I sat next to him, having a hard time hiding surprise on my face. He widened his grin, tucked my hair behind my ear, and lowered his lips to whisper something.
“You said you’d hate me less if I were quiet on the bus,” he whispered, spreading his warm breath into my earlobe. My belly did some weird flip-flops. He moved his head back, slightly grazing the tip of my ear with his mouth. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that he did that on purpose. I glanced at him sideways, but his face remained expressionless. The rest of the ride we remained quiet. I was aware of every inch of his body next to mine. Several road bumps made our arms touch, but some of those weren’t that hard to cause that, and still it happened. I started harboring hope that I wasn’t alone in this fatal attraction.
My bus station was in sight and it was time for me to get up. I turned to him and asked: “Where are you headed?”
“I have some things that require my attention. I’ll let you know how it went with the Fat-man.”
“Thanks,” I said, getting up. The bus pulled over, and I went out. Our gazes locked one more time, and the bus drove off. I felt kind of empty. His presence did funny things to me. For the love of God, I growled internally, stop swooning over him. No good can come out of it. He's a ghost.
~*~
I had no trouble finding my friends at the beach. There was no way you could miss Helen's charming giggles. I used it as a beacon many times before at parties. I would close my eyes, and follow the sound.
“What up, peeps?” I said, spreading my beach towel next to Maya. She was down on her tummy, getting her back tanned.
“Lyra! You made it,” Helen smiled, pulling her shades down just enough to reveal her eyes, then pushed them back.
“You won't believe how true that statement is,” I referred to my Fat-man rendezvous. Brad and Shawn were swimming, so I thought it would be best to tell them about it while guys were absent.
“What do you mean?” Maya asked, lowering her shades after propping herself on the elbows.
“You remember the Fat-man from Mario's?” They both nodded. “He caught me on the bus station, and wanted his money back.”
“No way!” Helen shrieked.
“Yeah. He grabbed my purse, but Zack intervened, so I managed to escape.”
“Hold on. Rewind! Zack who?” Maya said, and it hit me that I haven't updated them on my ghost stalker status. I’ve been so preoccupied with work, and ever since they hooked up with guys we were almost never alone, so I totally forgot.
“I'll fill you in before guys get back,” I said, throwing a quick glance toward Brad and Shawn splashing in the sea. I told them how I found out my ghost wasn't a ghost at all, and finished with: “I think I'm falling for him hard.”
“Careful, Lyra,” Helen shot me a warning glare. “You know nothing about him. Sure, he went all knight in shining armor on you, but still...”
“I know,” I spouted, knowing she was right, but, “I can't help it. It's the way he makes me feel. I never felt like that about a guy.”
“I think that's cool,” Maya said, flipping to the other side, taking a bottle of sun tanning lotion from her bag.
“Drop it,” Helen said to Maya. “What kind of relationship can she have with him?”
“Uncharted territory,” I said, feeling rather stupid. Relationship never crossed my mind. At first, he was a ghost, and I was scared, but then things changed. Now he was real, and I was too busy feeling, not thinking. I sighed, “It's not like I'm gonna do anything about it. I don't know if he feels the same, anyway. “
“I don't want to ruin your fun,” Helen glared at me, “But I don't want to see you hurt, either.”
“I know, Helen,” I offered an earnest smile.
She was my biggest support when things with my ex went downhill, and helped me get through it. Damien and I were together for what seemed ages. It wasn't love, it was more of a habit. He was always sweet and polite, but when he wanted to take a step further in our relationship, I felt reluctant to make it since I didn't really feel that way about him. One day, while making out, though I begged him to stop, he didn't. He raped me. I never told anyone about it. Foolishly, I blamed myself for allowing it to happen by not breaking things off when I should have. For not seeing him for who he truly was. As if that wasn't enough, his rape left me with a present. Chlamydia. Adulterous bastard! That's when I confided in Helen. “You've always been there for me,” I patted Helen's shoulder.
“Come on you two,” Maya said after applying a ton of lotion. “It's not like she's gonna marry him and have lots of babies. How many of our relationships end up being just a fling? Let the girl have some fun!”
Helen narrowed her eyes, ready to explode, “Okay, miss casual. When did you ever hear Lyra say she's falling for anyone, let alone hard? Ha?”
“Guys, I'm right here. Don't talk about me like I'm not,” I said, earning two butt out looks, so I added, “Or do. I don't care.”
“Never,”
Maya replied to Helen's question. “That's why I say go for it!”
“Oh, sure. Let's double date with them. All six of us in the movies, and one empty seat. Or better yet, let's have dinner. The chair will have ravioli!” During her theatrical, Helen's face turned beet red.
“Stop it! I get it,” I wasn't gonna let this turn into a fight of epic proportions. “You both have great arguments, but it's my life, and I'll do as I see fit.”
“What's with the frowns?” Shawn said, startling us. All three of us forced a smile.
“Oh, nothing,” Helen replied, and handed him a fresh towel. “Girl stuff.”
After fifteen minutes of awkward silence, and Brad and Shawn's confused look exchange, Helen turned to me, and said: “Let's go for a walk.” I nodded, and started getting up. She said to the guys, “We're gonna get our feet wet. It's too hot. Be back soon.” She placed a kiss on Shawn's lips, and signaled Maya to follow.
With our heads bowed, we walked through shallow water without a word. I watched crystal clear water caress my ankles until Helen said: “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it.”
“Don't worry about it, Helen,” I said, knowing she was worked up because of my past, not my present. “It's not like we have to agree on everything. Like I said, you both had good points, and I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about it anyway.”
“I just want you to be happy. I didn’t want to sound so unsupportive,” Helen's eyes watered, and I hugged her, then pulled Maya into the hug.
“Life's not all roses. I'll be okay,” I said, and Helen snorted.
“So, BFFs again?” Maya said in high pitched voice.
“Was that ever in question?” I replied, and we laughed, glad that our fight was behind us.
~*~
I came home rather sunburned. Mom went to get Dad from the airport. I was looking forward to seeing him, and telling him all about my job. Mom and I had agreed to keep it a secret until he came home to surprise him. With some free time on my hands, I decided to take a bath, and apply some skin moisturizer. Those burns were bound to sting like hell tomorrow.