Behind Brown Eyes

by Nicole Highland

  The first week at the diner went surprisingly well despite Skye’s fixation on me. As time went on, her flirting grew more and more unbearable.

  On the last Friday night in June, I decided it was time to talk to Arnie about the situation. Things had to change, or I wouldn’t be able to stay much longer. I knew I needed the money, and I couldn’t afford to be without a job.

  But I couldn’t stand being around Skye.

  “Arnie, can I talk to you?”

  “Sure, let’s go to my office. We can talk in there all you want.”

  Skye and two of the other waitresses stared at us as we made our way down the hall to Arnie’s office.

  “Wonder what that’s about,” I heard Melissa whisper.

  “Who knows,” Rachel scoffed.

  “It’s probably about me,” Skye whined.

  Arnie ensured the door was shut tightly before he spoke.

  “Are you not liking it here, Devin? You seem a bit unhappy.”

  “No, sir, it’s not that. I like it here. I’m just uncomfortable with Skye.”

  “Oh, she’s a sweet girl, Devin. She doesn’t mean any harm.”

  “I understand that, but she wants to go out with me, and she is constantly flirting with me. And I’m not at all interested in her like that. She’s just a co-worker to me. Plus, I’m already in a relationship.”

  “Well, a girlfriend thirteen hours away isn’t much of a girlfriend, Devin. I think Skye’s just looking out for you. She doesn’t like to see people hurting.”

  “I understand that, sir. But can you talk to her? I don’t want to feel uncomfortable being around her. I don’t want anything from her but friendship.”

  In reality, I wanted nothing from her at all.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her. I’ll get it ironed out for you, son. No need to panic.”

  “Thank you, Arnie.”

  I felt awkward as I left Arnie’s office. I didn’t like talking about Skye behind her back. But she’d crossed too many lines, and things needed to change.

  “What was that all about?”

  “I just needed to talk to Arnie about some financial things,” I lied.

  I hated having to lie to her. But I didn’t want her to know the truth. At least, not now.

  “I see,” she said flatly.

  The night continued on with its usual business. Business was steady all night, and I was thankful for that. The busier we were, the faster time seemed to fly by, and I was content with that.

  At closing time, Skye and I were the only two that remained. Closing time was my favorite part of the day; the time where you could crank up the music as loud as you wanted while you cleaned and got everything prepared for the next day.

  I was sweeping up the floor when Skye sauntered up to me.

  “Hey, I need to show you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ll show you when we get there,” she said, as she motioned me to follow her.

  Something is odd, I thought. Very odd.

  We walked down the hallway, stopping at a smaller door next to Arnie’s office.

  Skye pulled a key from her pocket to unlock the door. As she fumbled with the lock, I wondered what exactly was beyond the door.

  “Come on in,” she insisted.

  “But this is a closet. I don’t understand.”

  I followed behind her, feeling apprehensive all the while. I should’ve listened to my gut.

  “We’re going to play a little game,” she said as she promptly shut the door behind us.

  “Look, I don’t want to play a game. It’s late, and I need to get home. I don’t need my aunt worrying about where I’m at.”

  “This will only take a second,” she said, as tried to pull me into her. I stood there awkwardly, wondering where all this was headed.

  “Skye, what are you doing?”

  “Something I should’ve done the first day you were here.”

  Before I could stop her, her lips seized mine, and she attempted the slide her tongue down my throat. I wasn’t having it. I refused to part my lips, which resulted in her awkwardly licking my mouth. I shoved her back and made my way towards the door.

  “What the hell? Damn it, I’m not into you like that, Skye. Let it go.”

  A rush of panic overwhelmed me as I realized she’d locked us in. Damn it all, how am I going to get out of here? I needed to think fast.

  “You locked us in here! Why the hell would you do that?”

  “Because. It’s the only way I can actually have your undivided attention.”

  “Oh, you have my attention alright. Wait until I tell Arnie about this shit you tried to pull. I don’t think he’ll be very happy.”

  “He doesn’t care what I do. I’m the favorite, don’t you know? He thinks I’m a just good little angel,” she said with a sickening smile.

  “You are….you know what you are? You’re insane. Bat-shit crazy insane.”

  “You’ll give in to my charm at some point,” she said as her fingers greedily traced my jawline.

  My skin tensed as her fingers touched me.

  She wanted me to desperately feel something for her…anything. But I could feel nothing. There was nothing alluring or seductive about her. Her animalistic tenacity didn’t make me yearn for her; it only made my disdain for her grow even more.

  “No. I will not. Not in this lifetime, and not in the next. Never.”

  I pried her fingers away from my face, hoping she’d take the hint and leave me the hell alone. But alas, she took hold of my face once more, this time with both hands.

  “Why don’t you like me?”

  “You’re not Natalie.”

  The words escaped from my mouth with no remorse. I couldn’t take it anymore.

  No matter what she would ever try to do, she would never be Natalie.

  CHAPTER 11

  _______

  Arnie saved the day.

  He’d forgotten some paperwork he needed to take home with him, and when he returned, he heard the screaming match between us.

  “Whoa, what’s going on in here?” he asked as he unlocked the door.

  His look was one of surprise mixed with relief that nothing worse was going on in the closet.

  “Skye had me come in here, and then she locked us in.”

  “Skye, why would you do this?”

  Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red before she muttered her reply.

  “Um…well, Devin and I came here to…you know…”

  White-hot rage seared through me as Skye stood there, lying her ass off to Arnie.

  “Devin, is this true?”

  “No, it’s absolutely not. She kissed me, and I shoved her away. I told her I’m not into her like that, but she won’t listen to me.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Arnie. He knows he wants me,” she said with a wink.

  To say I was irritated would’ve been an understatement. There I was seething, and she was acting as cool, calm and collected as could be, knowing full well Arnie would not reprimand her much, if at all.

  “I thought you told me earlier that you weren’t interested in Skye?”

  “I’m not. I wasn’t lying. It’s the truth. Everyone here knows I’m with Natalie,” I said adamantly.

  “Yeah, your long-distance girlfriend,” Skye scoffed.

  “You know what, I can’t deal with your bullshit, Skye! I’m done, Arnie. I’m sorry. I can’t deal with this.”

  I normally tried to stay even keel during stressful situations, but damn it all. She made it impossible to do that, and I was at my breaking point.

  I stormed out, not bothering to change out of my uniform. I figured I’d burn it when I got home, anyway.

  Incensed over the events of the evening, I ran home instead of walking at my usual pace. I was fearful Skye would come bounding up the sidewalk behind me, but luckily, she didn’t.

  By the time I reached home, my breathing was ragged, and I felt emotionally and physically exhauste
d.

  “Honey, what’s wrong? You look terrible!”

  My aunt was sitting at the kitchen table going over her checkbook when I staggered into the kitchen. I was dying of thirst, and the coldness of the water bottle felt good in my hands. I pressed the bottle to my forehead in an attempt to cool myself down.

  “I quit the diner. I can’t deal with Skye anymore. She locked both of us in a closet and then tried to make out with me. That’s why I’m late.”

  “How did you get out, then?” my aunt asked, looking perplexed.

  “Well, Arnie was gone for the night, but luckily he had to come back to get some papers, and he heard us in the closet arguing. Then she tried to say that I wanted to make out with her when I didn’t. She’s just making shit up!”

  “Oh, sweetheart, that’s terrible. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, I guess. She’s just a psycho. I’ve told her so many times I don’t have any interest in her.”

  My aunt got up and pulled me into her embrace.

  “It’ll be okay, dear. You can always get another job.”

  “I know. I just need to find something soon.”

  Releasing me from the hug, my aunt grabbed the newspaper from the kitchen counter, and pointed to an ad in the ‘help wanted’ section.

  “Tim Jackson’s repair shop is looking for someone. I know you don’t have much experience with cars, but you might think about it. I was talking to him the other day and—”

  “You’ve talked to him, too? Wow, you’ve been talking to everyone, haven’t you?” I teased.

  “Hey, I’m trying to get to know everyone as best I can. This is our new hometown, after all.”

  The way she said that so casually made the pit in my stomach return once more. It was not home to me, nor would it ever be.

  “Do you think he’d take on someone with no experience?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

  “It certainly is.”

  CHAPTER 12

  _______

  “Hi, are you Tim Jackson?”

  A weathered, older man was bent over checking the fluid levels on the car in front of him. Turning to meet my gaze, he let out a hearty laugh.

  “Depends on who’s asking. I’m kidding, son, yeah, I’m Tim. What brings you by?”

  “Well, I’m here to answer your ad looking for a mechanic.”

  “You are? Boy, I wouldn’t have pegged you for the type that likes cars. You look a little more…upper-crust than that,” he said as he stared at my hair.

  I stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say. In truth, I didn’t know what I was doing there. I hardly knew anything about cars.

  “Seems you know a thing or two about grease, though,” he said as he pointed a finger to my hair, letting out another hearty laugh.

  “Yeah, it’s a little something I started a long time ago,” I said self-consciously.

  “Well, we don’t have any pretty girls around here to impress, so you won’t have to worry about making a good impression, at least not with them.”

  “Oh, I’m not looking for a girl. I have one back home.”

  “Back home? Your aunt told me this is your home now.”

  “Well, sorta. I want to go home. This really isn’t home to me. My girlfriend is back home.”

  “I gotcha. Yeah, I remember your aunt mentioning something about her. Said her name was…Natalia?”

  “Natalie,” I corrected.

  “I see.”

  “Yeah, to be completely honest I need a job so I can save up and move back there.”

  “Now that’s some serious devotion, right there. Must be a pretty great gal, I take it?”

  “Oh, she’s beyond great. She’s everything to me.”

  “Well, as long as you’re committed to putting forth the effort and working hard, I’ll give you a try. I can show you the ropes. We all have to start somewhere.”

  “Really? You would?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah, why not? I haven’t had anyone respond to that ad yet, anyway. This will be something new for both of us. Deal?”

  Tim reached out to shake my head.

  “Deal. Thank you. I won’t let you down, Tim.”

  CHAPTER 13

  _______

  “So, how’d it go today, honey?”

  Smiling from ear to ear, I shared the news with my aunt.

  “Well, Tim offered me the job, and I accepted it. So I’d say it went pretty well.”

  “That’s great. When you do you get to start?”

  “He’s having me come in tomorrow. I’m assuming he will have me shadow him for a while before I do anything on my own, but we’ll see.”

  “Well, I imagine so. Wouldn’t make much sense to throw you in there when you don’t know what you’re doing yet.”

  The rest of our meal was quiet. I wondered if Natalie was sitting down at that same moment in time, enjoying dinner with her parents. I wondered how she’d been doing. I had been so busy wrapped up in my own life that I hadn’t talked to her in two days.

  After dinner, I decided to give her a call.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Devin! I’m so glad you called. Why haven’t you been answering your phone? I’ve been texting you the last few days, but you haven’t been responding.”

  “I know. I’m sorry about that. Things have been pretty crazy. I started a job and then things got out of hand and I had to quit, and now I’m starting a new job tomorrow.”

  “What happened? Is everything ok?”

  Her trepidation was evident over the phone. I chose my words carefully, not wanting to worry her too much about the situation with Skye.

  Natalie would undoubtedly see her as a threat, and though Skye wasn’t a threat anymore, I knew Natalie well enough to know it would still worry her.

  “Well I started a job at our local diner, but I wasn’t getting along with one of my coworkers. She was making everything miserable.”

  It was the truth. Maybe not the entirety of the truth, but it was the truth, nonetheless. I couldn’t afford to have Natalie worrying any more than she probably already was.

  “She?”

  Her inflection on the word was my cue to soothe away any fear she had.

  “Yes. I spoke to my boss about her, but it didn’t help. So I left, and now I’m starting a new job.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to hear things didn’t go well. So what’s the new job?”

  “I’m actually going to be training to be a mechanic. It’s for a small mom-and-pop type garage here.

  “That’s great! But do they know you don’t have any experience with cars?”

  “Yeah, he knows. Tim’s going to show me the ropes.”

  “So how is everything else going for you? You know, I’ve really missed talking to you.”

  “Alright, I guess. I still miss you. Nothing’s the same without you here. I wish I could see you.”

  “I wish I could see you, too,” she said as her voice cracked.

  I imagined her fighting back her tears. The worst part about it was the fact I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t do anything for her. I longed to take her into my arms and hold her tightly. I wanted to hold her until the world around us disappeared.

  Heaven only knew when I’d be able to do that again.

  CHAPTER 14

  _______

  “Can you hand me that socket?”

  As it turned out, Tim had more of a hands-on learning approach. Luckily, I learned better that way.

  “Which one?”

  “I need the thirty-five millimeter one.”

  My first project: replacing the front wheel bearing hub on a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis.

  “This will be a nice easy project for you to get started with, Devin. It’s a lot simpler than it seems. You can watch a little bit, but I’m gonna have you help along the way.”

  I watched in amazement at how easy it was for Tim to work on it. Then again, he’d had years and years of practice
with his craft. Of course everything would be easy for him.

  “Now Devin, you’re gonna want to use this breaker bar for some leverage.”

  Surprisingly, after a brief explanation of the process, I picked up on it fairly quickly. Maybe there’s hope for me yet, I thought.

  The rest of the day was spent doing other minor repairs and maintenance work to several other vehicles, which proved to be less challenging than I’d originally anticipated.

  The time went by fast, and though I was busy, it didn’t stop my thoughts from drifting back to Natalie. I couldn’t wait to tell her about my day and how things were going.

  I was exhausted by the time the day was through, but somehow this exhaustion felt satisfying. I’d put in a hard day’s work, and would finally be making decent money. I just hoped it would be enough to allow me the freedom I craved; the freedom to go back home, and start living life again.

  Before I left to head home, I checked my messages on my phone, noticing I had a text from Natalie.

  Hope your first day at the new job went well. :)

  Her text brightened my mood even more. She was always so caring and compassionate. It was one of the many things I loved about her. I had a lot I could say, but I didn’t want to overload her with a long text, so I kept my response short and sweet.

  It went great. Tim and I are getting along great, and I learned quite a bit today. Still a lot more to learn, though.

  Natalie must have had the phone in her hand, because she texted back within a minute.

  That’s awesome! So proud of you. Miss you, love. :(

  The last line pulled at my heartstrings. I’d managed to go the whole day being in a positive mood, and though what she said was sweet music to my ears, it cut me just the same.

  She missed me like crazy. I missed her like crazy. What the hell were we to do?

  I couldn’t stand the thought of her sitting there alone and bored in her bedroom, but there was nothing I could do.

  I miss you too, babe.

  The walk home was quiet until I heard my phone go off once more.

  Video chat later? ;)

  The winking smiley made me wonder what she had on her mind. But I couldn’t afford to let my mind go there. There wasn’t anything either of us could do about it at that point, anyway. Before I could respond, Natalie messaged me again.