by E. L. Todd
Scarlet came home a few minutes later and she didn’t seem surprised to see me sitting on the couch, watching the television with the remote in my hand.
“I’m surprised you aren’t sleeping,” she said as she put her bag on the table. Scarlet kicked off her heels and rubbed her feet. She wore those shoes because they made her ass look great even though they hurt the arch in her foot.
“I was waiting for you.”
She walked into her room and shut the door. I assumed she was changing so I stayed in the living room until she came out. When the door opened, she was wearing an old jersey that I had in college, and plain shorts. She had washed her makeup off, and I thought she looked just as beautiful without the paint on her face. “How was your day?” she asked as she sat beside me.
I shrugged my shoulders. My day was depressing and I didn’t want to elaborate on it. “How was yours?” I asked. “Was your boss satisfied with the manuscript?”
She smiled. “Yes, he definitely was.”
I patted her thigh. “Good job.” I leaned back in the chair and felt my eyes close. Even though I’d been exhausted all day, I knew I wouldn’t sleep if I was alone because I was in too much pain. Only when I was with Scarlet did I feel my body truly relax. “Are you still going to the gala with me tomorrow?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Okay,” I said with my eyes closed.
I felt her pat my shoulder with her hand. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to bed. I need to nap for a few hours. After that, we’ll go to the movies. I haven’t been in forever.”
I opened my eyes and got up. “That sounds like a plan.”
We both walked into the bedroom and I stripped off my clothes. I would normally wear something to bed, but I didn’t have any extra clothes at her apartment, and I wasn’t going to wear my suit. Scarlet didn’t seem affected by my near naked body. She had seen me before. I lay in her bed beside her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “But I feel better.”
She turned on her side and looked at me. “You are going to be fine.”
I felt her hand touch mine and I didn’t pull away. “I hope so.”
“You will be.”
Scarlet still held my hand as I closed my eyes, falling asleep immediately.
8
Sean
When I woke up, I felt her warm hand still within mine. She was lying on her side, exactly where she had been before I fell asleep. The strands of her brown hair curved around her face and highlighted her cheekbones. She seemed so peaceful and rested. I had never watched her sleep before, and I felt creepy doing it now.
She opened her eyes and looked at me. Her usual smile spread across her lips and she pulled her hand from mine, stretching across the bed. “How did you sleep?” she whispered.
I ran my hand through my hair then wiped the sleep from my eyes. Sleep was a rare luxury for me. My mind was so distracted with the raw pain throbbing in my chest that I could never be relaxed enough to fall fully unconscious. Even when I did, I just had horrific dreams about Penelope leaving me. It was a catch twenty-two. Luckily, when I was with Scarlet, I was able to rest. She was like my dreamcatcher, chasing away the nightmares that plagued my thoughts. Without her, I really don’t know what I would have done.
“Good, actually,” I said quietly.
She rose from the bed and walked to her closet. She stared at her clothes for a moment before she pulled out a sundress and a pair of sandals. “You still want to go to the movies?”
I smiled at her. “I can see that you do.”
“Well, hurry up and get dressed.” She walked into her bathroom and disappeared. I rose from the bed and put on my suit. I didn’t want to wear something so formal, but I was so scared to be alone for even a few minutes that I wouldn’t return to my apartment without Scarlet with me. I’d never been more pathetic. Everything at my place reminded me of Penelope. I couldn’t lie in my bed because I thought about all the times we made love in it. I couldn’t eat at the kitchen table because I recalled the nights she cooked dinner for me. I couldn’t even use the bathroom because I relived our intimate moments in the shower. Why did Penelope have to leave me? Why couldn’t everything just stay the same? I was happy with her.
Scarlet walked out of the bathroom wearing a golden yellow dress that complemented her skin tone perfectly. She looked gorgeous, as always, and I wondered why she wasn’t seeing anyone. She could have had whoever she wanted.
She looked at me. “You are going to wear that to the movies? Who are you? Donald Trump?”
I laughed. “I don’t have a change of clothes.”
“Let’s go by your apartment then,” she offered.
“Uh,” I stuttered. “I’m okay.”
She stared at me for a moment. This woman could read my mind like no one else, not even Penelope. “Stay here and I’ll fetch you something. How about that?”
I sighed. Scarlet was being so wonderful, and I knew I was acting like a pussy. “No,” I said. “We’ll stop by before the movies.”
She continued to stare at me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “It’s not so bad when you’re with me.”
We left the apartment and took a cab to my building. When we reached my door, I fumbled with my keys before I finally inserted them into the lock. Scarlet burst into the doorway and headed directly to my bedroom. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a gray shirt then tossed them to me before leaving the room.
I smiled as I dressed myself. I knew she was trying to get me out of there as quickly as possible. When I went into the living room, the pictures that I had of Penelope were gone. The few I had on the coffee table had disappeared, and the frames that hung on the walls were absent. I wanted to stow them away myself, but I couldn’t do it. I was still hoping that Penelope would return to me and I wouldn’t have to deal with it at all. Scarlet helped me take the first step, which I appreciated.
“Thanks,” I whispered.
She didn’t respond. “Let’s go.”
We left the building and walked down the street towards the local cinema. Night had descended and the temperature didn’t feel so scorching. A light breeze flowed through the street and the adjacent alleys, blowing through Scarlet’s long strands of hair. I placed my hands in my pockets and walked beside her. The sidewalk was saturated with people, but the crowd didn’t bother me. I was used to it. The sudden coldness reminded me of Seattle.
“How’s Ryan?” I asked.
She flinched at the question. “Good—I think.”
“Have you not talked to him?”
She shrugged. “Not so much.”
“I saw a tattoo I thought he would like,” I said. “I texted it to him as a joke the other day.” Her brother was a tattoo artist, but he didn’t have any tattoos. I always thought it was ironic.
“I’m sure he got a kick out of it.” Scarlet was always very close with her brother, so her short response concerned me. Normally, she wouldn’t shut up about him.
“Is there something wrong, Scar?”
My question made her snap out of her stupor. “No,” she said quickly. “I just haven’t talked to him—in a while.”
I decided to drop the conversation. Perhaps they were having a fight, which I thought was unlikely. They argued and bickered, but that never stopped them from being close. When they were together, it was obvious they were best friends. I thought the relationship was odd, but after a few years, I didn’t question it.
When we stopped at the cinema, Scarlet put her arm through mine. She wasn’t normally affectionate with me and hardly ever touched me, but the gesture made me feel better. She was carrying me every step of the way. I glanced down at her, but she was looking at the list of showings.
“What do you want to see?” she asked.
“I get to pick? You never let me pick.”
She shrugged. “Today’s your lucky day.”
“I guess I should get dumped more o
ften.”
She smiled at me. “What do you want to see?”
“Nothing with love or that chick-flick shit.”
“Okay,” she said. “That’s fine. I don’t care what we watch.”
I laughed. “Since when?”
“Just pick,” she said, pinching my side.
“I want something with guns, explosions, and death and stuff.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are so cliché.”
“Hey,” I said. “What happened to me getting to pick?”
“I said you could pick the movie. I never said I wouldn’t make fun of you for it.” She stepped toward the ticket booth and pulled me along with her. “How about the new James Bond movie?”
I nodded. “That works.”
“And it has hot chicks in it.”
“You think I didn’t already know that?” I laughed.
She glared at me for a moment then stepped toward the window. She ordered our tickets, which I paid for, despite her protests, and then we walked inside. I didn’t like it when Scarlet paid for anything. I knew she had a mound of student loans hanging on her shoulders. My entire education was paid for by my parents but Scarlet didn’t have that luxury. I offered to help her pay back her loans, but being the stubborn woman that she was, she refused any aid I offered. My parents loved Scarlet like their own daughter. If I asked them to pay off her debt, they would do it in a heartbeat. But, of course, Scarlet would never let that happen either.
“Do you want something from the concession stand?” I asked.
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
“What?”
“Is that a serious question?” she asked. “I always want something from the concession stand.”
“That’s right, I forgot. You’re a fatty.”
She smiled at me. “A hot fatty.”
I whistled. “Smokin’.”
We stood in line, and when it was our turn, I ordered. “Just a medium popcorn, please.” I opened my wallet to grab the cash when Scarlet spoke.
“And a bag of skittles, milk duds, and another medium popcorn.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “I thought we would share a popcorn?”
“I’m hungry.”
I laughed. Scarlet never failed to surprise me. I pulled more money from my wallet and handed it over. We grabbed our snacks and walked into the auditorium.
“I thought we’re going to dinner after this,” I said.
“We are.” She sat in her chair and started shoving the popcorn in her mouth. Her candy was sitting on the arm rest, ready to be devoured immediately afterwards.
“Are you starving or something?” I laughed.
She glared at me. “No. I just like to eat.”
“Apparently.”
She threw a piece of popcorn at me, and it hit me on the shoulder. “I work out.”
“Thankfully.”
She threw another piece of popcorn at me.
The movie started and I stared at the screen. I leaned back in my chair and watched the unstoppable action of the movie. It was a nice distraction from the disturbing reality of my mind. Halfway through the movie, Scarlet leaned her head on my shoulder but I didn’t mind the touch. I thought she was just being affectionate, but then I realized she was eating from my pail of popcorn because she already finished hers.
“You are unbelievable,” I whispered. I laughed quietly, trying not to disturb our neighbors.
“I get that a lot,” she mumbled through her mouthful of popcorn.
I tried to control my chuckles but her comment made me heave with laughter. The old lady sitting next to us glared first then hushed me.
Scarlet grabbed a piece of popcorn and threw it at her, hitting her directly in the face. The woman stared at her in shock, unable to process what just happened. Her face turned red then she stood up from her seat, dragging her equally old husband out of the auditorium. When they are gone, I burst out laughing again.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” I said.
Scarlet continued to eat my popcorn. “Tourists should know their place.”
“How do you know they aren’t locals?”
“Are you kidding me?” she whispered. “No one from around here would be dumb enough to pull a stunt like that, telling us to be quiet.”
“And no one would be dumb enough to throw popcorn at an old lady,” I said. “She was like seventy. What’s wrong with you?” Even though I thought Scarlet was horrible for what she did, I still thought it was hilarious. Only she would get away with something like that.
“She’ll get over it,” she said. She leaned back in her chair and continued watching the movie. I stared at her for a moment, watching her place small pieces of the buttery popcorn into her mouth. Her lips were still red from the lipstick she wore and it glistened in the light of the film. Her nails were painted a light pink and they look good against the color of her skin. I realized how odd I was acting, staring at my friend while she watched the movie, so I turned back to the film and watched James Bond kill a few guys, fuck a girl, then move onto his next adventure. I kept thinking about Scarlet’s lips and nails and I wasn’t sure why. For some reason, it had my attention.
When the movie was over, we left the auditorium and Scarlet threw all of her empty boxes in the trash. Her bucket of popcorn was so clean, it looked like she licked the bottom. When we reached the door, I held it open and allowed her to walk through first.
“I’m guessing you are stuffed?” I asked. “If I ate that much popcorn, I would feel sick.”
She ran her fingers through her hair and I noticed the color of her nails again. “Where do you want to eat?”
I smiled. “Are you serious?”
“How about Italian?” she asked. “We can go to that place we always go.”
I started to walk beside her as we headed down the street. I watched her dress cling to her flat stomach and noticed her toned legs under the fabric. “Seriously? Where do you put it?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it at the gym tomorrow then starve myself next week.”
When we reached the Italian place that Scarlet loved, there was a line outside of the restaurant. I looked through the window and realized how packed it was.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I really want to eat here.”
I sighed. “It’s like an hour wait, probably more.”
She batted her eyes at me and twirled her hair, giving me her sweetest look.
I sighed again. “Fine.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
I walked over to the host and put our name down on the list. When I walked back, I realized how badly I had to pee. We’d just watched a two hour movie and my bladder was killing me. I looked around at the people gathered outside the restaurant and they all seemed pretty non-threatening. I knew Scarlet could take care of herself, but I didn’t like leaving any girl alone in the city. It just didn’t settle right with me. Scarlet was a smart girl. I didn’t worry about her much because she never put herself in dangerous situations. If she went out at night, she was always accompanied by her friends, and sometimes she would call me and ask me to pick her up from wherever she was just so she didn’t have to walk home alone. I never minded when she did that. In fact, I appreciated it. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her. I was a little controlling with Penelope, making sure she never went anywhere alone. I know it annoyed her at times, but I couldn’t stand the idea of my girlfriend being raped, mugged, kidnapped, or killed. I just couldn’t handle it.
“Do you mind if I use the restroom?” I asked.
Scarlet rolled her eyes. “What? Do you need me to hold it for you?”
I laughed. “You’ll be okay? I’ll only be gone for a minute.”
She looked around at the people surrounding us. An older couple was standing next to us. The man was leaning on a crutch and the woman was popping medication into her mouth. “I think I
’ll survive,” she said sarcastically.
“Okay.” I turned into the restaurant and headed towards the back. The dimly lit room cast shadows in the corners and made me feel relaxed, sleepy. Opera music was playing on the speakers, and I thought the sound was odd. Was opera Italian? When I got into the bathroom, no one was there, thankfully. I couldn’t count the number of times I caught the guy standing next to me at the urinal staring at my junk. I never looked or even glanced at anyone below the neck. I left the bathroom a moment later, and when I walked outside, I felt my fist clench in anger.
A man was standing in front of Scarlet, leaning close to her and talking into her face. He held a beer in his hand and the golden liquid was splashing onto the ground. It was obvious that he spotted Scarlet from his seat at the bar, and now that he was drunk, he was brave enough to talk to her. I couldn’t stop guys from hitting on Scarlet and it wasn’t my place to, but she kept stepping away from him, clearly uncomfortable. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face looked etched in fear. Scarlet was normally sassy in any situation, so the fact that she was being so passive worried me. I mean, the guy was pretty huge. He was taller than me and his eyes had an evil look to them. I didn’t blame Scarlet for being intimidated.
I grabbed the guy by the arm and pushed him back. “Step away from her.” I heard Scarlet breathe a sigh of relief.
The man stumbled back and spilled the beer down the front of his shirt. When he found his bearings, he stared back at me, a look of unspent rage on his face. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He came at me and shoved me back.
I didn’t want a fight. I just wanted him to leave Scarlet alone. “Leave,” I said. Scarlet stepped away from us, getting out of the range of fire. I didn’t back down from him, standing directly before him. “Now.”
He slammed his beer on the ground and broke off the top, turning his bottle into a pointy weapon. All the spectators gasped and stepped away. The old woman who was popping pills screamed in fright. I heard Scarlet in the background, telling me to walk away. But I would never turn my back on someone with a weapon. I learned that a long time ago.