Fight For Me

by Claudia Burgoa

  “Ooh, no one told me that Tiago is in the house.” Hazel walks into my brother’s arms. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well, Little Hazel,” Tiago greets her. He turns soon after to shake hands with Scott, but his eyes never leave Hazel. “I see you’re taking care of my sister, thank you.”

  “Of course. Anything for you, T,” Hazel sends a flirty smile his way.

  I stare at them, surprised by their camaraderie and unable to ignore the pang of jealousy in my chest. There are clearly a lot of people who love Tiago and are loved by him in return, and it makes me sad to realize how much distance has kept me from meeting these people and loving them too.

  “Haze, would you mind giving me a hand so we can leave sooner?” Scott requests, his jaw tightening.

  “Yeah, give me a second, Scotty.” Hazel turns her attention to us with a professional grin. “I like what you two are doing.”

  “Hunt and Willow bought the entire thing. I didn’t correct them, and that’s how we’re going to keep it.” She claps. “For the upcoming days, I suggest you continue working on convincing everyone that you’re a new couple and that this relationship is going strong. Walk around New York, shop, have some ice cream while strolling around Central Park. You need to share lots of PDA. Small touches and casual kisses too. I emailed you a list of suggestions for where to go during the week.”

  “No kissing,” Tiago growls. “Or dating. They aren’t a couple.”

  Hazel glares at him. “You better not ruin this, Tiago. I spent a few hours planning this, and your part is to keep that big brother attitude hidden.”

  “Just a few hours?” Harrison questions, grabbing my hand.

  “Yes, I—fine, maybe it was several hours pulling together something credible. I know what I’m doing.” She turns her attention to Tiago. “Say hi to everyone in Seattle.”

  She smiles, kisses his cheek, and dances out of the kitchen.

  “She’s vicious.” Tiago frowns at her.

  “Especially if she’s hungry or you try to tamper with her plans. I’m just not sure what her plan is.” Harrison shakes his head.

  Harrison pulls out his phone and starts scrolling on it. “We have a packed week.” He frowns at the screen. “Pedicures? We are not doing couple’s pedicures.”

  “But that sounds just perfect.” My brother smirks. “I’ll book it for you, Everhart.”

  I massage my temple, trying to rid myself of the headache this list instantly gave me. “Dance lessons?”

  “When is my next mission?” Harrison says with forced casualty. “I’ll take saving Tiago’s ass over opera.”

  “Can I join?” I would beg him to take me with him if it’s necessary. “I’d rather slit someone’s throat than—” I wave my phone for emphasis—“whatever this is. She’s crazy.”

  “We’re leaving,” Hazel calls from the door, almost making me jump. “Don’t worry, everything has been scheduled and paid. Don’t flake on me, Harrison. This is your time to shine.”

  I stare at the closed door, almost scared about what’s going to happen next week. I’m not a tomboy but this schedule isn’t me. Juggling my attraction to Harrison and our activities is going to be close to a three-ring circus. Am I ready for it?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Harrison

  My body is buzzing from all the sexual frustration accumulated last night. Tiago stayed with us and Luna spent the whole time flirting with me to irritate her brother, laying it on thick with her smart mouth and flirty gaze. She probably would’ve ignored me if we had been alone. Or maybe I would have finally gotten lucky.

  I might have the chance to get lucky again, if Tiago wasn’t on me like a bloodhound. Needless to say, he didn’t let me out of his sight, and when I told him I was going to Luna’s yoga class, he decided to come along.

  “Step your feet out, standing on the side of your yoga mat and reach your arms wide as well,” Luna instructs. “Now keep your gaze to the front of the room and bend over without arching your back.”

  Every muscle in my body shakes as I switch from one position to another. My forehead drips with sweat. Who practices yoga while the humidity is at seventy-five percent and the heat cranked all the way to hell?

  I guess now I know what Hot Bikram stands for. Next time, I’ll follow Luna’s advice and do some research before I choose her classes.

  “Be mindful of your body,” Luna says, stepping right beside me. “Find your breath and let everything go.”

  Tiago starts wheezing, masking his laughter, again. It’s not like he’s doing it right, but he doesn’t have the hot teacher hovering over him and telling him that he’s useless. Well, she hasn’t said that to me, but I swear each time she adjusts my position, it feels like I can’t do anything right. And then she has the fucking nerve to say, “You’re doing great.”

  If I’m doing great, why the hell are you fixing what I’m doing?

  “Inhale, and as you lower your body, exhale. Keep your hips straight, back straight, and continue bending forward.” I feel her hands adjusting my waist, her fingers move slowly up and down my back, tracing a line through my spine.

  Stop touching me.

  Her hands are like velvety rose petals, caressing my skin. Awakening my body like the first bit of sun as it rises in the morning. Her touch reminds me of everything I want, everything I know I can’t have but still can’t resist. I can’t tell if she’s doing this on purpose, to tease–me or Tiago–or to ignite the sexual frustration that rises up in me like a wave. Whatever it is, I need her to stop. I should’ve worn a shirt.

  “Concentrate on your breathing,” she orders, her mouth close to my ear.

  I want to reach out to her, hold her in my arms, and take her mouth with mine. I want to show her what her hands—what her voice is doing to me, but I fight it. Well, until she runs her hands back to my hips, and pinches my ass.

  I tense, my back straightens up, but I lose my equilibrium and fall. She promptly moves away, but I catch a glimpse of her mischievous eyes. Luna winks at me as she continues walking toward the center of the room, biting her cheek to keep from smiling.

  “Relax and breathe.” Luna’s mellow voice fills the entire room. Her eyes, though, remain on me. “Stay in the present.”

  This is war.

  One of these days I’ll have her tied up, naked, and under my command. I’ll be the one ordering her to relax and breathe. As I’m about to stand up, I notice my phone flashing. I move to reach for it and unlock the screen.

  Bradley: I have a job for you or T. Call me.

  “Big guy, the boss is calling us,” I whisper, picking up my mat, my water bottle, and my towel. “Let’s hit the showers.”

  He looks at the phone and then at me and nods.

  I tip my head toward the beautiful girl in the front of the room. I tilt my head toward the door and she nods. Tiago leaves behind me.

  When we’re in the locker room I say, “Bradley has a job for either one of us. Can you take it?”

  He already promised to take my cases for the next couple of months, but I have to make sure he’s going to do it. Mostly, because he will have to leave town. I want to spend more time with Luna, and with Tiago breathing down my neck, it’s impossible.

  “This will save you from all the shit that Hazel scheduled for you,” Tiago comments.

  “Yeah, but your sister needs the help.”

  “You’re a good man, Harrison.” He pats my shoulder, and I feel shitty.

  I only want to stay because I want to break the cardinal rule: Do not fuck thy best friend’s sister.

  “That’s crazy talk, T. This is nothing.”

  “I owe you, man,” he says while I confirm to Mason Bradley that Tiago will be the one taking it.

  “Please, don’t mention it. That’s what brothers are for.”

  I hope he doesn’t notice my wince. I feel like a complete asshole, but I won’t let anything come between me and Luna.

  I take a shower and wait for
Luna’s class to be over. She has only a few minutes free between classes, but it’s enough time to give her a kiss and make some plans to meet for lunch. She only works a half-day today and tomorrow she is off, which I’m fucking thankful about. I’m not sure how I’ll be handling tomorrow. When I saw the date, it hit me why Mason found a job for me. He knows I try to be away from the city when it’s the anniversary of my parents’ death. I used to spend it with my brothers, which was the worst fucking idea.

  We always started the day well, but by the afternoon we were having petty arguments, and by dinner, one of us was in the ER, likely with some broken bones and a few bruises. If we managed to avoid the fighting, we’d go clubbing and end up fucking too many women in one night. That went on for way too long, until Hazel noticed the pattern and forced us to travel instead.

  Not this year, this year I have… Luna, I say to myself as she walks through the glass doors of the studio once her last class is over.

  “Hey,” Luna greets me, pushing herself on her tiptoes and combing my hair. “What’s going on?”

  “Hmm—” Anything else I could say is cut off when I realize that I can see through her dress. Fuck, she looks hot, but she needs to cover up or I’m gonna end up fighting the first man who stares at her too long.

  “You looked a little lost and sad.” She smiles wider, looking at me.

  “Your dress is see-through,” I say through gritted teeth.

  She winces. “I forgot the slip that goes under this dress, but my yoga clothes are soaking wet.” She bites her lip, trying not to laugh at the expression on my face. “Believe me, I’m not a fan of showing this much skin. Don’t worry, I’m sure no one will notice. Tell me what’s wrong while we rush back home.”

  I take off my shirt and hand it to her, holding her big tote bag. “Just don’t do this during winter or I might end up with frostbite.”

  “Thank you,” she says softly as she slips on the shirt. “Now tell me, why are you sad?”

  “Nah, I’m good. Just… thinking about tomorrow.” I hand her the purse as I grab a quick kiss and she lets me. “Regretting not going on that mission, but not too much since I would’ve missed our time together.”

  “Are you planning on going to the 9/11 memorial, maybe take some flowers with you?” She takes my hand, entwining her fingers with mine and squeezing it. “We can go to church to light a candle. Maybe St. Patrick’s Cathedral?”

  “That’s where my parents married,” I mention, bringing her hand to my lips for a kiss. “I think they’d like that.”

  “Why don’t we do it today?” she offers. “That way it won’t be as crowded. Tomorrow we could go somewhere else, maybe get out of the city?”

  I release her hand to put my arm around her instead, pulling her tight to me as we walk. My heart swells with affection for her. I wasn’t aware of how tense I was until she offered to take me away, brightening my day in the process.

  “I might kidnap you and never let you go,” I whisper in her ear when we stop at the light.

  She sighs, turning to look at me. “Have you noticed how many men and women turn to stare at your bare chest?” Luna scrunches her nose. “Not sure I’m happy about this. Keep my mind busy and tell me what you did after class.”

  “Work.”

  “You have another job?”

  “Yeah, one that you might like… and if you’re good I might let you help me.” I kiss her ear and continue walking down the street to her building.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Luna

  Two hours of yoga didn’t settle my anxiety.

  It’s not the type of anxiety that ties me to a chair and doesn’t let me move, but the kind that makes my stomach turn and my mouth vomit thousands of stupid things to the guy walking beside me. I think the last time I felt this jittery was when I dated Jeremy Paul in the seventh grade. I couldn’t eat much for five entire days after he asked me if I wanted to go bowling with him, as his girlfriend. Needless to say, I shook off the anticipation after he kissed Trudy instead of me, after I won the bowling game. Asshole. He was the first man who couldn’t take my competitive streak.

  “Do you have more of those supply bags?” Harrison glances toward my tote bag after handing over the last one I brought with me.

  “Nope, I grabbed the last ones I had in the pantry after I changed.”

  “So, we give money away for now?” He looks around, then nods his head when he spots whatever it is that we are looking for.

  “If you have any, yes. I’m a little short on cash today.”

  “I went to the bank, just in case we needed it.” He hands me an envelope, and he winks at me. “Unmarked ten-dollar bills.”

  “Tyler’s flowers.” We stop in front of a flower shop. My eyes grow wide when I see all the flowers through their windows. “They have sunflowers, and mums, and…”

  I walk inside, grinning when I read the sign on top of the baskets:

  CREATE YOUR OWN BOUQUET, HANDLE THE FLOWERS WITH CARE.

  Forgetting all about the knots in my stomach and the man who’s staring at me, I begin choosing a few flowers. Sunflowers, daisies, yellow and orange roses. Fall is so close that they already have all shades of burnt reds and oranges. I stop abruptly, turning to look at a startled Harrison.

  “What did she like?”

  “Um, who?”

  “Your mom.” I close my eyes momentarily as I wait for his reply, enjoying the fragrance in the shop. It’s the first time in a while that I don’t have to pull out the spritzer to bring back the sweet scent of flowers.

  “She just loved them,” he answers, and I can hear the shrug in his voice. “Dad brought home all kinds, almost daily. The bigger bouquets were for when he fucked up.”

  “You should try to control your cursing,” I suggest, eyeing the little girl close to the counter.

  “Fuck,” he mouths, wincing. I roll my eyes.

  “What else did she like?” I ask after he picks up a boxed arrangement of long-stemmed pink roses.

  “She was an artist,” he responds. “Loved her family and liked to paint with watercolors. She did some pottery too, but cut glass was her passion. She created the best stained-glass windows I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

  We pay for the flowers and leave the store. As we continue walking toward the memorial, he tells me about his parents. His father liked to sail, but his mother’s motion sickness didn’t allow them to take long family trips on their yacht. She loved the ocean but preferred to vacation in the cabin they owned in Vermont.

  “We didn’t have nannies. Only one person came to help her with the cleaning, Sarah. And only because Dad insisted.” He smiles. “She grew up with seven brothers, and her mother did everything and taught them how to do everything.”

  “She followed your grandmother’s teachings?”

  He nods. “I know how to cook, clean, iron, and even change diapers. Though, I haven’t done the latter since Hunter was potty-trained.”

  “You’re a catch, Everhart.”

  “Take note of that.” He winks at me, smirking as he starts to count off on his fingers. “Good cook—” He releases his index finger— “Babysitting training, and I could be a great homemaker.”

  He looks so smug, so proud of himself. I roll my eyes.

  “If I see any job openings that require those credentials, I’ll make sure to send you the email.” I wave dismissively as we arrive at the memorial, searching for my phone.

  He looks down at me. “Thank you for coming with me. This changed so much.”

  “You’ve never been here, have you?”

  Harrison shakes his head, taking several deep breaths. I take his free hand and squeeze it tight, waiting for him to talk or take a step closer to where they lay. I feel unsettled. I had no idea how this would affect him.

  “Harrison?” I spot a tall, slender woman only a few steps from us gawking at him.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he mumbles.

  I’m su
re I’m the only one who heard him say that, but the couple in front of us are stunned and frozen in place as they see him.

  His face turns red, his breathing harsh. I can feel the anger pouring out of him in waves and am impressed by the way he holds it under his skin, though I have no idea what has set him off. I caress his wrist with my thumb, trying to soothe him.

  “Ileana, Damon.” He nods at them, his voice neutral. “This is—unexpected.”

  “The kids wanted to visit, and we thought about your…parents,” Ileana says as she stares at the bouquet of daisies she holds in her arms.

  Two boys and a teenage girl stare at us, and those bored faces tell me they have no desire to be here. I bet they would rather be at Coney Island or the Statue of Liberty, or any other non-depressing tourist trap.

  “I remembered your mother loved flowers,” Damon adds, his voice shaky and his eyes on the ground.

  Harrison’s breathing is settling, but his eyes continue watching the horizon.

  “Hi,” I greet them, releasing Harrison and shaking their hands. “I’m Luna, his girlfriend.”

  At least, that’s how people know me at the moment.

  “Nice to meet you,” Ileana shakes my hand, not moving her gaze from Harrison who is still frozen in place. “I’m Ileana. This is Damon, my husband. These are Josie, Cash, and Chase.”

  “Are you from here or just visiting?” I ask, though I’m unsure why considering I would much rather be making my way into the memorial than making small talk.

  Morbid curiosity, if I had to guess. I feel like I’m standing in the middle of an accident that changed Harrison’s life, and I finally have a chance to see the damage and learn about the casualties.

  “We used to live here. I moved to Texas with my family sixteen years ago,” Ileana says.