by Mia Perry
I’m the smartest girl in the world. Seriously. See how smart I am? I accomplished mission impossible with one simple question. Who says psychology is useless? It’s a lethal weapon that can do anything.
Did I really use some powerful psychological strategy or just a simple trick born out of a lady’s jealousy? I don’t care. I revealed the secret. That’s the only thing that matters.
My excitement ends soon. The reality is, he is going to disappear from my life the moment we hit Miami. That’s today.
“You don’t eat much. You okay?” he asks.
“I’m okay,” I say. But I’m still hungry. “Can I eat in the car?” I ask.
“Sure, why not?” he says. “That’s going to save some time.”
Oops. Wrong strategy. I want to stay longer with him.
Chapter Fourteen
It’s getting pretty warm. Jack turns off the heater. The cool air comes in. It’s so refreshing.
Jack has been driving for about seven hours now. He is becoming tired. We stopped once to gas up. But the fifteen minute break was not enough for him.
I know he won’t let me drive. So I don’t even bother to ask. I switch the radio back to the classical music, hoping that will help him a little bit.
“Palm tree!” I get really excited.
Maybe I raised my voice a bit too much. Jack turns immediately. Then he laughs. “I thought you saw aliens.”
“Isn’t it exciting? We see palm trees already. We are getting so close.”
“Yeah, close. But not close enough,” Jack chuckles.
“What do you mean?”
“The traffic. This is parking.”
Jack is right. The highway is becoming really busy. Maybe people are all rushing to Orlando?
My iPhone beeps. It’s a text message from Kate, my bestie. “Hey, girl, you didn’t show up for the party. What’s up?”
“Busy studying,” I text back.
“Are you sure?”
My heart sinks. Did she find out something? “What do you mean?”
“We need to talk, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I’m going to call. Please talk to me, okay?”
“Okay.” What the hell is happening? This feels like a cat and mouse game now.
My iPhone beeps. I pick up the call, “Kate?”
“Emilie, how are you?”
“Fine.”
“Emilie, do you still trust me?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Emilie, what I’m going to tell you is not going to be pleasant. But please listen, okay?”
“Sure.” I kind of know what she is going to talk about. The college is looking. Maybe they are going to call my parents. Blah, blah. By all means, I’m listening. It’s fun.
“Look, I know you hate this. But Anthony talked to me.”
“What?” This is really a big surprise to me.
“And he cried, too.”
Cried? This is getting funny now. It was I who was hurt. Why should he cry? “Kate, are you serious?”
“One hundred percent.”
“So?” I don’t care if he cries or not. He is now a total stranger to me. He can cry, or smile, or fuck any asshole. I have nothing to do with him.
“He feels really sorry now. He wants to apologize.”
“Don’t you think it’s too late?”
“And he said it was all by accident.”
“Accident. Sure. Kate, do you believe that?”
“Well, I didn’t believe it either. But after he told me the whole story, I think ‘maybe’, you know.”
“He has a story? What story? He was turned on by that fat… Sara. Right? It was all Sara’s fault, right?”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that. Well, Emilie, you have to promise not to become angry if I tell you this.”
What the heck! It must be a big lie. But I’m really curious to know what it is. I bite my lip really hard. “I promise.”
“Listen. I don’t agree with it either. But this is what he said. ‘I was lonely.’”
I almost laughed. Lonely? You had me. And we were together. Now you are telling Kate you were lonely? How many girlfriends do you need to make you not lonely? This is really entertaining.
“Emilie, are you still there?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Here’s the real annoying part. But please, please listen.”
This Kate sounds so mysterious now. But what can I say? She’s been my bestie since high school. Who else can I trust and talk to like her? “I’m listening.”
“He said you were always busy.”
Me? Busy? Always busy? Does that mean I left him alone, so he felt so lonely he had to fuck my roommate? What a weirdo. I’m lucky now we are no longer together.
“Emilie, you okay?”
“Why not? I’m perfectly okay. I feel great. Really. Great.”
“He said he really liked your hard work. Meanwhile, he hoped you could spend more time with him.”
Now he is blaming me. I had to survive! Study, work, and make sure I still get the scholarship. It’s tough. “What can I say? Maybe he can find a better girl who can share more time with him. He has Sara, right? He should be happy now.”
“You know what? Sarah was trying to help out, too.”
What? Sara? That fat ass? She was helping? Fucking my boyfriend was helping out? Come on. This is a cheap joke. Not funny at all. “Yeah, helping out. To cure Anthony of loneliness. Do I have to thank her for giving up her body to help?”
“Did you realize Sara left the room every time Anthony was with you?”
Hmmm, she is right. That fat ass did leave the room for one reason or the other: studying, shopping, hanging out with friends, getting fresh air, whatever. But I never noticed it. I thought it was all coincidence. “Right. But I never noticed.”
“Exactly. This was all planned.”
“Planned?”
“Yeah. Anthony asked Sara to help. They planned everything.”
Well, thank you so much. But did you plan to go nude when I was not around? “Kate, I really appreciate it. But, still.”
“Emilie, it’s hard to swallow. I understand that. But what happened was an accident. A one time thing. You have the right to say no. But, please think about it. You guys need to talk.”
“Me? Talk to Anthony again?” I still feel bad about what he did. But I feel a bit different now.
“Why don’t you come back and talk to him? He had done a lot more for you, too. He wants to have a full-time commitment with you.”
“Are you serious?”
“Look, Emilie. Anthony is my close friend. I know what he did. Trust me, he is not that bad at all.”
Shall I go back? Or keep going to Miami? I can’t make up my mind.
“Emilie?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Thank you, Kate. Let me think about it and then let you know.”
“Take care, Emilie.”
“Thank you, Kate.”
I hang up.
“So?” Jack asks.
“Nothing,” I say.
I close my eyes. I feel like an iceberg is melting down slowly in my mind. I hate what Anthony did with Sara but it seemed I was responsible, too. Maybe I should have spent more time with him? Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to be the number one in the class?
Things we did together come back to my mind like movies. He does have good points—a lot. He is caring and responsible. Should I give him one more chance? Do I really want to walk away from him and start all over again?
I really don’t know. But one thing for sure is we are getting close to Miami. I can’t just jump out of the car and get back to Boston. I want to get there first. That was a goal I set. I don’t want to give up what I’m doing.
Am I a bit too strong—or too stubborn, to be more accurate? I don’t know. Maybe this is why Anthony didn’t feel what he was expecting from a “good girlfriend”.
Maybe I should go back now and talk to Anthony? Then what about him—Jack?
<
br /> Oops! Am I thinking about two men at the same time now?
Chapter Fifteen
7:30. Miami.
We exit from I-95.
“Here we go,” Jack stops the car at the South Miami Ave. I can smell the sea. The breeze is wet, but is much warmer than at the Boston beach. “So…, what’s your plan?”
Do I have a plan? Unfortunately, I don’t. I have to find a place to stay. It has to be dirt cheap. Maybe I should do a rental somewhere. Then I have to find a job. Maybe a waitress job. I don’t care how much they pay me. As long as the paycheck can cover my rental and daily expenses, I’m okay. If they provide free food, then my daily expenses are going to be very low.
“Jack, you are going to Orlando, right?”
“Right. ”
“How about you drop me somewhere close to a small hotel?”
“Then?”
“Then you can go to Orlando. It’s still early.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.” I don’t want him to leave. But do I have a choice? He is a stranger and he did way more than I could ever expect.
“Mind giving me your phone number?” he asks.
“Sure. What’s your number?”
He tells me his number. I dial. He picks up the phone. “Who’s this?”
We look at each other, smiling.
“Thank you, Jack, for everything you did for me.” I reach him for a hug.
He hugs me. He looks into my eyes and says, “Emilie, do you still think I’m a total stranger?”
I shake my head.
“What if I choose to stay with you?”
“Why?”
“I have a car. I have some cash. I can help you find a job.”
“Jack, you have important business in Orlando, right?”
“That can wait. Also, I can find new business in Miami, too.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do all this for me, Jack?” I look at him, hoping he would say something sweet and romantic.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Heck, I didn’t think about it. Did you play some psychic tricks on me?”
“I’m not a psychic,” I smile.
“Whatever. Let’s find a hotel first.” He turns the car to the beach. Soon, we see a few hotels. “Miami Marriott, let’s check it out,” Jack says.
“Jack, the Marriott is expensive. Let’s find a small hotel.”
“No way. I want to treat my girl right.”
“But I’m not your girl,” I say. My cheeks turn red. I wish I were…
“Let’s pretend.” He pulls the car into the parking lot beside the huge swimming pool.
“Let’s go.” He jumps off the car and rushes to the passenger side to open the door for me. He reaches for my hand. “Watch out.”
I get out the car. He holds my hand and walks into the lobby.
“Room for two, please,” he says.
“On vacation?” the front desk girl asks.
We look at each other. “Yeah,” Jack says.
“How many days are you planning to stay?” the girl asks.
“How many?” Jack asks.
I roll my eyes. Gosh, this hotel is too fancy. It’s going to be a rip off. “One night.”
“Okay, let’s go with three nights,” Jack says.
“Jack?”
The girl smiles and waits.
“Three nights,” Jack repeats, holding my hand tight.
“That’s seven hundred and nineteen dollars,” the girl says.
Jack pulls out his Amex card. Soon, we get two cards for our room.
We walk outside to get the luggage. “Jack, are you nuts? This is a rip off.”
“For you, Emilie, anything.” Jack grins.
“But still,” I shake my head. “This is absolutely unnecessary.” Not only that, I feel really guilty, too. I know how much a waitress can make. That seven hundred something is going to be more than my first paycheck. This doesn’t make sense at all.
“Emilie, let’s not worry about it, okay? Let’s go take a quick shower and then eat. I’m starving.”
I grab my duffle bag. Jack gets his luggage bag. We get into our room on the twentieth floor soon.
The room is big. It has two king size beds. I can see the cruise ships in the harbor. The swimming pool downstairs looks like a blue pearl, surrounded by huge palm trees.
“You go ahead and take the shower first. But, please be quick. I’m starving,” Jack says.
“Okay,” I rush into the shower. It’s big and comfy. Ten minutes later, I dash out. “Your turn, Jack.”
Jack spends less than five minutes in the shower.
“Jack, did you get your body wet at all?” I tease.
“Oh, yeah. They have big shower. Let’s go.”
We stroll down the street, holding hands. The warm breeze feels good.
“Holy smokes, this is summer,” Jack takes off his jacket. He looks so sexy in his black T-shirt.
“Mango Place, let’s check it out,” Jack gets excited.
It’s a huge restaurant. Soon, we are seated.
“How can I help you today?” the waitress smiles at us.
“Any food with Mango?” Jack asks.
“Oh, that’s the drink. We have many drinks with tropical fruits. Want to try some?”
“That’s later. I’m starving.”
“You may try the prime rib.”
“Sure.”
“How about you?” the girl smiles at me.
“The same.”
“Wow, this is impressive. Not many couples order the same food. I’ll be right back.”
Couples? Are we a couple? Do we look like one? But I really like the comment.
I peek at Jack. He’s looking at the kitchen. Food, this is the only thing he worries about.
The ribs are perfect. The freshly made mango juice is great. But it’s really, really sweet.
“Jack, do you like the mango juice?”
“Why not? Do you think I should try one more?”
“No,” I’m firm.
He looks so sad. He must feel sorry for asking for my permission.
You're lucky you are not my boyfriend, Jack. I have so many rules. I smile at him.
We walk out of the Mango Place. “Let’s go to the beach,” Jack says.
“Are you tired? Should we go tomorrow?” I ask.
“Do I look tired? No. Are you tired?” he asks.
“I slept in the car. I’m not tired.”
“Let’s move.”
We took off our shoes. The fine sand feels really good. It’s still pretty warm. A few couples walk in the far distance.
The moon looks huge. Tiny waves hit the beach. It’s so quiet and peaceful.
“Emilie, there is one thing I really feel sorry about.”
“What?”
“I should have broken my promise last night.”
“You mean doing something really bad?”
“Oh, no. Only a kiss,” he looks into my eyes.
“What if you get a second chance?”
“Are you serious? When?”
“Now.” My heart is racing. I raise my head, waiting.
His lips come close to mine.
I close my eyes.
I can feel his breath now.
My iPhone beeps. I ignore it.
“Emilie, please take the call,” Jack says softly.
I open my eyes and stare at him. You old gangster. Completely hopeless. I pick up the call, “Hello…”
“Is this Emilie Morgan?”
“Yes. It’s me. Who is speaking?”
“This is the Boston Police.”
