by JM Darhower
She awoke the third Saturday in September just as Carmine was getting out of the shower. She lay still in the bed and watched him quietly dress as he tried his best not to disturb her. He stood in front of the closet, and even in the semi-darkened room, she could make out the definition of his back muscles and the lines of his tattoos. His skin glowed in the faint light filtering in from the open bathroom door, mesmerizing her. Even his scar shined silver in the light as he absent-mindedly rubbed it.
If there was one image of Carmine DeMarco she never wanted to forget, it was this one. It was the image of him exposed and vulnerable, sneaking around his own bedroom in the dark. It was something few would ever see, but it was an image she couldn't bear to lose. Most people knew the selfish young boy, spoiled and irresponsible, but she was one of the lucky few that got to see Carmine for who he was. Completely stripped down to the core, so compassionate and caring, a gentle soul despite his scarred exterior.
The quiet contentment he oozed when he thought no one was watching took her breath away. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and just the fact that, after everything, he could still stand in front of her as he was spoke volumes. He was a part of her, and she was certain nothing could ever take that away.
He sighed and slipped on some clothes before grabbing a pair of Nike's from his closet. He kicked the corner of the bed as he walked by and cursed profusely under his breath. Haven tried to stifle her laughter but failed, his head snapping in her direction when he heard her.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked, sitting down to slip on the shoes.
She sat up. “Just a few minutes.”
“And you were what, watching me get dressed?” He playfully nudged her with his elbow. She blushed, hoping he couldn't see it in the darkness, but nothing escaped his notice. “Yeah, you were.”
“I couldn't help it. You're too beautiful not to watch.”
“And you're half-asleep and don't know what the fuck you're saying.” He kissed her as he stood back up. “I have to go or I’m gonna be late.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks, tesoro. I'll see you in a few hours.”
She listened as his footsteps descended the stairs, an odd feeling overcoming her. It felt like all of the happiness had been sucked from the room.
* * * *
Haven was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of juice, when she heard a door close on the first floor. She tensed instinctively as footsteps started in her direction.
Relax, she told herself. It’s just Dr. DeMarco.
“Good morning,” he said when he walked in. It was the most he'd spoken to her in a few days.
“Morning, sir.”
His appearance was disheveled, dark circles under his eyes. He was worn down by life, and Haven wondered, as she gazed at him, how much of that she’d caused.
“I’m leaving for Chicago. Do you need anything before I go?”
The Mazda was in the body shop getting fixed, so Carmine had been driving the Audi around. “I’m fine, thank you.”
He nodded. “Okay, then. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too, sir.”
Dr. DeMarco departed a few minutes later. Haven spent a good part of the morning dusting the same things she dusted every other day that week. It was sometime after eleven, and she was cleaning out the pantry when a vehicle pulled up outside. Walking to the window, Haven gazed out at the unfamiliar blue car in the driveway.
The driver's side door opened, and Jen, the nurse from the hospital, stepped out. Haven headed for the foyer, but the sound of the doorbell ringing stopped her dead in her tracks. Something about it sent a chill down her spine, coldness radiating through her so quickly she thought she’d be sick.
Something wasn’t right. She could feel it.
She grabbed the phone from the family room, hesitating before pressing the speed dial for Dr. DeMarco's cell phone. Leaning against the wall, she waited while it rang.
“Is everything okay?” Dr. DeMarco asked. She’d never called him before. She never thought she’d have to.
“I’m not sure, sir.”
“What's going on?” he asked as the doorbell rang again, the sound making her flinch. “Is someone there?”
“It's the nurse you work with.”
“Jen?”
“Yes. I was going to answer, but—”
“No,” he said sharply, his tone frightening her into immediate silence. The doorbell rang a few times in succession before Jen started knocking on the door. “Don't answer it, child. Get a hold of Carmine right away. I don't want you alone right now.”
Something was definitely wrong if Dr. DeMarco sensed it.
“Set the alarm. The code’s 62373. I don’t know if Carmine told you it yet or not.”
He had, but Haven wasn’t going to say anything.
“And don't open the door,” Dr. DeMarco said. “I don't care who shows up. Don’t open it for anyone but Carmine.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hanging up, Haven clutched the phone as she tip-toed over to the front door. It was unlocked, and she held her breath as she turned the deadbolt. Jen was still knocking as Haven glanced at the keypad, punching in the code and pressing the button to activate it.
Jen stopped knocking after a moment, her muffled voice carrying through the door as Haven pressed her ear to it to listen. “What do you want me to do? She isn't answering… Yes, I’m sure she's in there… He left this morning like he was supposed to.”
There was a pause as Haven’s heart pounded furiously.
“No, she's not with him. He’s taking a test, remember?”
Jen continued, the distress in her voice alarming. “I know, but please don't be mad! I promise I'll make this work. I know what it means to you. See you soon.”
Haven’s knees nearly gave out as Jen started pounding on the door again. “Hello?” she hollered. “Are you in there?”
Haven scampered over to the side, huddling in the corner as she dialed Carmine's number on speed dial. It went straight to voice mail, and Haven let out a shaky breath as Jen repeatedly pressed the doorbell again.
“I’m going to break in if you don't answer this door!” she said, her demeanor turning from eagerness to anger. “I’m not leaving here without you. I'll be damned if I’m going to let you ruin this for me!”
Jen started beating on the windows then, and Haven looked back down at the phone. Before she could react, a shrill ring sounded through the house as someone called. Haven’s heart nearly stalled at the sound, and she trembled as she answered it.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
“Dr. DeMarco?”
More silence.
“Carmine, is that you?”
She heard it then, the shudder of a breath on the line. The sound made her skin feel as if it was trying to slink away. There was a click as the person hung up, the sound of loud beeping assaulting her ears. Without hesitation, she hung up the line before her fingers dialed the number that popped into her head.
555-0121
She’d stared at the paper with the number so much that it seemed to have been burned into her mind.
It rang as she curled into herself, fighting to keep her composure. The phone was answered after the forth ring, the voice tentative. “Uh, hello?”
“Nicholas.” She spoke as quietly as she could. “It’s Haven.”
“Haven? Did something happen?”
“Yes. Well, no. I’m okay. At least, I think I am, but I need help and I don't know who else to ask. Dr. DeMarco told me to get a hold of Carmine, but his phone isn’t on. He broke it, I think.”
“Sooo... you're calling me instead?”
“Yes,” she said, “to find him.”
“Wait, you want me to track down your boyfriend?”
She sighed. “Yes, I need him to come home.”
“And you think me doing this is a good idea? No offense or anything, but I’m not in the mood for another fight.”
“I know, but it’s important. Please?”
“Fine,” he said. “I'll help you.”
“He's taking a test at the high school,” she said. “The SAT thing.”
“Jesus, you not only want me to tell Carmine what to do, but you want me to trespass on school property and drag him out of the SAT? He's going to kill me. I’m going to die today.”
“He’ll understand,” she said as Jen started wiggling the knob of the front door. “Thank you, Nicholas.”
It was noon when the banging stopped. Everything grew eerily silent before an engine started up outside, tires spinning in the driveway. Haven stood up and stepped into the kitchen, peeking out of the window to see Jen had left.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked to the family room, but her footsteps faltered when she looked through the large window. Someone stood down by the tree line. Haven’s knees went weak. She wasn’t alone.
The person was covered in black from head-to-toe, a ski mask concealing his face from her.
Haven closed her eyes, willing her frantic heart to slow down, and when she reopened them, the man was gone. The back yard was empty, everything once again still.
* * * *
The room was bright and cold, so silent Carmine could hear the clock ticking behind him. Glaring at the paper on his desk, he read the question for the twentieth time, but he was no closer to an answer than he had been five minutes ago.
He groaned as he slouched back in the hard plastic chair, trying to shift position to get comfortable. The girl sitting beside him shot him an annoyed look, and he cocked an eyebrow at her, daring her to say something. She huffed dramatically before focusing back on her test. He stared at her, unable to place her name.
Michelle? Mandy? Monique? He couldn’t fucking remember.
She cut her eyes at him again and mouthed, “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” he said, turning back to his paper. He didn’t care about her. He barely noticed anyone anymore. They were all the same, and there wasn’t a single thing any of them could do for him. Haven was everything he wanted, the reason he was sitting in this room, stressing over this ridiculous test, so he could take her away and start a new life somewhere.
The administrator announced there were only five minutes left, and Carmine sighed loudly as he read the last question once more. He tried to wrap his brain around the analogies on the paper, but he didn’t know what half of the words meant. He gave up and dropped the pencil, not even bothering to answer it. The only analogy that mattered to him was ‘weed is to smoke, as pussy is to fuck’, because that was the only thing he was interested in then.
Time wound down and the tests were collected before they were dismissed. Carmine headed for the exit, rolling his neck in an attempt to get the tension out of it. He strolled out to the parking lot with the rest of his classmates, where the sound of squealing tires stopped him in his tracks. He looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion when the old pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot.
“Isn’t that Nicholas?”
Carmine cringed as Lisa spoke behind him. Nicholas parked his truck and climbed out, glancing around in a rush. He looked in Carmine’s direction, muttering to himself as he started toward him. “Carmine, I need to talk to you about Haven. She—”
He didn’t even have time to finish. Carmine’s nerves were still on edge, his frustration getting the best of him. He drew his fist back and swung. Nicholas’s head snapped to the side when it connected with his jaw.
Staggering backward, Nicholas glared at him. “There’s something wrong with you! I told her you’d go psycho if I came here!”
“Excuse me?” Carmine grabbed a hold of Nicholas’s shirt. “What do you mean you told her? When did you talk to her?”
Nicholas pried his hands off, shoving Carmine away. “Twenty minutes ago when she called me.”
The words stung. “What do you mean she called you?”
“I mean—ring, ring—she called my phone,” he said. “What else would ‘she called me’ mean?”
Carmine lunged at him, but Nicholas was prepared this time. He barely stumbled before striking back, jabbing Carmine hard in the ribs. He gasped at the unexpected shot. Before he could recover, Nicholas struck him in the nose.
Carmine’s vision blurred as the sharp pain shot through his face, blood flowing instantly. Someone grabbed his arm before he could get his wits about him, and he turned to see a crowd had formed.
“Is this how you two always greet each other?” Graham asked, glancing between them. Carmine laughed dryly and wiped his face with the back of his hand, smearing blood all over himself. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pinched his nose with it, trying to stop the bleeding.
“Don’t you know?” Nicholas asked, licking his busted lip. “This is how he says hello to his old friends.”
“You’re not my friend.”
Nicholas shook his head. “You know, you’d think you’d at least show some damn gratitude. I didn’t have to come here.”
“Why did you?” he asked. “Trying to fuck up my life some more? You’re wasting your time. You’re not gonna come between us.”
“You think I’m trying to break you up? Stop being so paranoid and listen for once! I came here because Haven called me.”
Before he could say anything, Lisa’s sharp laughter rang out. “You two are fighting over that girl? This is unreal. She’s nobody.”
“Shut up, bitch,” Carmine snapped, turning to glare at her.
“Don’t say that,” Nicholas yelled. “She’s a good person.”
Carmine turned back around, prepared to jump on Nicholas again for talking to him that way, when he realized his gaze was centered past him. Irrational jealousy hit him. “You don’t even know Haven.”
“I know she has all the reason in the world to be disgusted by you, but she loves you for some reason,” Nicholas said. “And are you seriously going to stand here and argue with me about this? I’m wasting my time even bothering.”
“Then leave,” he said. “I didn’t ask you to come here.”
“No, but she did,” Nicholas said. “She didn’t have anyone else to call, and she needed you to come home. I try to do her a favor, and instead of listening, you’d rather fight me for no reason.”
“Why did she ask you to come get me?”
“I think someone was there or something.”
Carmine tensed. “How do you know?”
“I don’t know. I just heard a doorbell and she seemed edgy.”
Carmine pushed past Nicholas and sprinted for the car. He knew his father was leaving town, so there was no one that should be at the house. Nicholas yelled after him, but Carmine didn’t respond as he jumped into the car and threw it in reverse.
He sped through the streets of Durante. The only thing that would alleviate his concern would be seeing her with his own eyes. Fresh skid marks aligned the driveway when he arrived home, ruts dug into the path. There weren’t any cars in the yard, and the house looked just as quiet as he’d left it a few hours ago.
Parking near the porch, he climbed out and looked around. Everything seemed still, nothing raising any red flags. He unlocked the door and disabled the alarm when it beeped, his blood running cold when he saw the phone lying on the floor in the foyer. Glancing around suspiciously, he tried to remain calm as he made his way upstairs. He didn’t find Haven on the third floor, so he slipped into his bedroom and pulled his gun out of the top of his closet. He’d hid it there a few days ago when he dropped the Mazda off to be fixed, not wanting to carry the gun in his brother’s car. After checking to make sure it was loaded, he slipped the pistol into his waistband and started back down to the first floor.
His footsteps echoed in the seemingly vacant house as he headed toward the kitchen, stopping abruptly in the doorway. Haven stood behind the island, her arm drawn back as she clutched a rolling pin. Carmine could see her trembling from where he stood.
If he hadn’t been so confused, he mi
ght’ve found it amusing. “Are you okay, tesoro?”
She nodded. “Are you?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
She blinked a few times and continued to gaze at him. “What happened?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking that?”
“Yes, but your nose…”
Carmine grabbed his nose, wincing. In his panic, he’d forgotten all about his injury. “Just had a little scuffle with Nicholas.”
She gasped. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
“No, he got me worse than I did him this time.” He cringed, not wanting to admit that. “Why did you call him? What happened?”
“Jen was here. Dr. DeMarco told me to call you, because something wasn’t right. You didn’t answer, and Jen was upset that I wouldn’t open the door, so I called him. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “So, did Jen give up?”
“I don’t know. She threatened me and said—”
“She threatened you?”
“Yeah, but then she left, and—”
“What the fuck did she want?”
“I don’t know. I looked outside and—”
Her words faltered as the roar of an engine approached. Carmine walked over to the window to look out, seeing the truck pulling up in front of the house. “It’s just Nicholas.”
Nicholas headed for the house as Carmine went into the foyer and opened the door.
“Everything cool?” Nicholas asked, stopping a few feet away.
“It’s fine,” Carmine said. “You didn’t have to come. Hell, you shouldn’t have come.”
“Carmine,” Haven scolded as she stepped past him. Her eyes darted around as she stepped off the porch and loosely wrapped her arms around Nicholas in a hug. “Thank you. Not many people would’ve done that for me.”
Nicholas stood frozen before half-heartedly patting her back. “Ah, no big deal,” he said, but Carmine knew it was a big deal. He almost felt bad for hitting him, but the throbbing in his nose counteracted any guilt. “So, crisis averted and all that jazz?”
