by Kendra Riley
Gary Rogers pressed a recorder to her face, causing her to stumble, and the stacks of chocolates fell all over her, spilling onto the floor.
“Leave me alone,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt someone lift her up, and she looked around to see two teenage staff helping her up.
“You alright, miss?” one asked her.
She nodded, tears surfacing. Don’t cry, not here.
“I’ll help her,” a female voice said.
Sara looked to see where it came from as she stood up. She was looking at a beautiful woman, with caramel-colored hair. She didn’t even know who the woman was, and yet, here she was offering help.
“Are you alright?” the woman asked Sara.
“Yeah, the boxes—”
“We’ll take care of it,” the grocery staff assured her.
“Some cut you got there,” the stranger continued talking.
“It was some random accident,” Sara replied.
“From a crocodile attack?” the stranger said, cocking her head sideways.
“How did you—?”
“I heard him say your name. Yes, you were all over the news two weeks ago.”
It wasn’t my name alone; I was associated with Zac, Sara thought. If it was just any other person, no one would have cared, and the news would’ve been forgotten in a day.
“Sorry, I didn’t get your name,” Sara began, offering her hand.
The stranger took it, with a sweet smile. “Miranda. Miranda Sweeting. Nice to meet you, Sara Wright.”
Sara froze for a moment, staring at the woman in front of her. So this was Miranda? And she dated Zac for years? Why meet her here? Of all places? The news reels from the television flashed in her mind.
“I think we were destined to meet,” Miranda told her. “Who knew? A grocery,” she laughed. “I see you’re healing nicely,” she added. “How is Zac?”
“I haven’t seen him since…” Sara paused, not wanting to give out anything, not the slightest bit of information.
“Do you know who I am?” Miranda asked her.
Sara wanted to say no, but it would be an obvious lie. “You’re Miranda.”
“Well, I did tell you my name,” Miranda sputtered out laughing. “But apart from that, what else do you know?”
“Not much. Zac talked about other things,” Sara said carefully. “His adventures and stuff.”
“Oh. He’s still at it, huh? I had hoped he’d grown up. It was the reason we ended our relationship.”
It seems like you ended it for him, Sara thought all of a sudden. There was a growing realization in her, one that said she couldn’t like Miranda Sweeting the way the public adored her.
“But Zac has been one of the kindest people I know,” Miranda continued, “and he would never leave anyone without them leaving him first. I think it’s why you survived the croc attack.”
Just like how you left him, Sara thought savagely. She didn’t like where the conversation was going. It was as if she was marking her territory, pissing on him.
“We survived because we worked together,” Sara said.
Miranda looked her straight in the eye. “What are you to him?”
What are you to him? It was a question she couldn’t answer. Yes, what was she to him? They had gone on their first date. They were just dating, they weren’t a couple. Sure, they had slept with each other, but what was she to him? He had told her he was in love with her, right? Still, it didn’t mean anything. Were titles so important to her? To him?
“I’m an intern for the Met Zoo,” Sara responded.
“Yes, the Met Zoo,” Miranda said with a sigh. “One of his baby projects. Did Zac mention my name by chance?”
Sara shook her head, unwilling to accept defeat. This Miranda Sweeting was trying to make competition out of the current situation, was she not? “Not that I can remember.”
Miranda smiled sweetly. “Well, you might hear my name soon.”
“You used to work for the zoo?” Sara asked, pretending to be completely oblivious about the fact that she knew exactly who this woman was.
Miranda’s brows furrowed a bit. “God, no. Wouldn’t be caught dead in that place, except maybe for a visit. The stench and all—well, you understand.”
“I don’t,” Sara said, as blankly as she could. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Miranda said. “We are worlds apart, anyway, you know. Do you need a ride somewhere? I can give you one.”
Extending your kindness because of Zac? How low can you get? Sara thought. “Nah, I’m good. Thank you for the offer.”
“No problem.” Her perfect teeth flashed brilliantly. “Could you tell him I said hello, if ever you meet up with him again? Zac appreciates the little things. I’d call or text him every day when we were together, just to check up on him, you know.”
“Sure thing,” Sara said, nearly gritting her teeth. She suddenly realized that she had the capacity to hate someone she just met. Miranda was perfect—and perfectly annoying— she thought. How could Zac have fallen for her wiles? Wait, Zac could have easily done so; he was a man, after all. And Miranda was by far the most beautiful woman she had met while in Melbourne.
“Thank you. You sure you don’t need a ride?”
Sara shook her head stiffly. “I’m sure. Thanks.”
Miranda nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you around.”
I don’t want to, Sara thought. She could barely nod. Miranda walked out of the grocery, leaving Sara feeling mediocre and miserable, like how Miranda had intended for it to happen. Boy, was Miranda Sweeting good at it, and Sara actually found herself seething.
People had looked at Miranda as she left, like she was some goddess. Supermodel goddess, Sara thought. She’d had nothing against Miranda- until today. Miranda had everything her childhood insecurities wanted—the body, that face, the hair, and that damned honeyed smile. Did Zac still like her? She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted the thoughts to go away.
Taking a deep breath, she exited the grocery, leaving with nothing but that feeling of utter disappointment and inadequacy.
*
“You didn’t answer my call yesterday,” Zac said. “I’d wanted a lunch date with you today. Or tomorrow, tomorrow would do.”
“I was… busy.”
“Is something wrong?” he asked her, standing in front of her. He knew something was wrong, and he wanted to pry into it. It was something deep, something serious, and she wasn’t being her usual, quiet self.
He had visited the zoo that day, on a Tuesday, when the zoo was at its lowest visiting capacity. She was alone in the office, and he had initially smiled at her, but he saw her face was strained and distracted.
“Why are you here?” Sara asked him. “Aren’t you busy?”
“I just dropped by to check on you.”
“I’m fine, as you can see.”
“Your tone says otherwise.”
“Look, I’m working.”
“If work entails you staring at an empty sheet—”
“I was thinking of what to write. It doesn’t come that easily. So yeah, try not to bother me.”
“What in the hell happened?” he asked her, losing his patience for a moment. He was in pain, and he shouldn’t have let it get to him, but it had.
Her eyes flashed at him, and he saw the anger there. She shut her laptop and took a deep breath, standing up a few inches from him. “Miranda Sweeting,” she breathed out.
Oh goddammit. What happened now? What did Miranda do? Don’t go crazy ex-girlfriend on me, Miranda. “Miranda,” he repeated. “What about her?”
“I met her, while I was grocery shopping. There was this annoying reporter, and he was stressing me out, and I thought I’d seen her somewhere, maybe on TV or in a magazine, but there she was. I didn’t even know it was Miranda until she helped me out, even wanted to drop me off.”
“What did she say?”
“Tell him ‘hello’, if we ever met
again.”
“I don’t need a hello from her.”
“And here I thought she was way over you.”
“Like I said, she broke up with me.”
“Then why was she stepping all over me? Acting like she owned you or something?”
“What exactly did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything. She implied it.”
“Oh come on, that hardly seems fair to her.”
“You’re defending her now?” Sara closed her eyes.
“I’m not, but if she didn’t say anything—”
“She didn’t. Happy?” Sara seethed out. “She was marking her territory on you."
“Oh come on, Sara, we broke up two years ago.”
“Which probably wasn’t enough for her to get over you, or for you to get over her.”
“I already told you how I feel about you,” Zac reasoned. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I don’t even know what we are.”
“What you need a title now? You need the whole girlfriend and boyfriend title?” his brows furrowed. “She broke up with me, we aren’t getting back together. Whatever news you’ve been hearing—”
“She wants you back,” she murmured, “I know it. I saw the way she looked.”
“Sara, don’t be crazy.”
“You know what’s crazy? Surviving a crocodile attack, surviving the outback, and coming back in one piece. I don’t even want to tell the story. Your sister asked. You know how hard it’s been to sleep at night?”
“We all have our trauma, Sara. I didn’t leave you there, that’s what counts.”
“But you can leave me anytime, because we’re not even together. First date, second date? Third date? Then what? I’m leaving in a month—”
“Your internship said six months. You’ve only served two.”
“Are you holding me back because of that?” Sara said, “The contract specifically said if any trauma or injury or loss occurred during the duration of my stay, I could go home, and still remain in touch with the foundation, until I finish my internship.”
“Are you calling this trauma? Miranda is trauma?” Zac gave a hollow laugh.
“I’m calling this,” she pointed to her head with a scab, “and these,” she pointed to her arms with healing wounds, “I call these, trauma.”
“The crocodile is dead.”
“I never took you for a dense person,” Sara said. “She wants you back, and we’re not even anything.”
Sara walked past him, taking her laptop with her.
“Sara, wait.”
“There’s nothing to wait for.”
“You’re the only one who made me feel this way, you made me feel—”
“Alive?” she interrupted him. “Yes, I thought so.”
“Sara—”
“You know what she said?” Sara gave a mirthful laugh. “She said ‘I had hoped he’d grown up. It was the reason we ended our relationship’. She knows you’ve matured. After that accident.”
“Sara, you’re taking this the wrong way. Miranda doesn’t care about me at all.”
“She sure made it seem otherwise. Tell me, did she visit you in the hospital? To rekindle something? Some second shot at a failed romance?”
Zac shook his head. “She came to the family villa yesterday…” his voice trailed off. He couldn’t lie to her, he just couldn’t. So he could spare her the ugly truth? Miranda came to see him, yes.
Her eyes narrowed at him. “You’re an idiot.”
She walked out of the office, never looking back. Well, that didn’t go down smoothly at all. He had wanted their relationship to progress on its own terms, no matter how slow, or no matter how fast. But it quickly took a turn for the worse.
He had not expected that at all. He found himself rooted in place, knowing that if he went out, there’d be a scene, and it was something that neither would want. Miranda and Sara face to face… and he had hoped that they would never, ever meet. Zac suddenly remembered his father’s warning. Best be careful. Careful with what? His heart? Hers? Miranda’s? He wasn’t in it to play them both. He knew just where his affections lay. It was with Sara.
*
She was glad she was alone in the office. She had given the excuse that she needed to finish something, and Danny agreed. It must’ve been obvious on her face, that distress. She typed away in silence, the only sounds coming from her keyboard. The door creaked open, and she didn’t pay attention to who it was.
“You didn’t answer my call yesterday. I’d wanted a lunch date with you today. Or tomorrow, tomorrow would do.”
Sara looked up, surprised to see Zac, still leaning on his crutch. His face looked concerned.
“I was… busy.” She hoped that didn’t sound too lame.
“Is something wrong?” he asked her, standing in front of her this time.
She was a bad liar; she knew that, and Zac knew that. “Why are you here?” Sara asked him, unable to say anything else. “Aren’t you busy?”
“I just dropped by to check on you.”
“I’m fine, as you can see.” Another bad lie, she knew, but perhaps, she could get a pass on this.
“Your tone says otherwise.”
Well, that failed, didn’t it? She readied herself for an onslaught of denials, all coming from her end, of course. He had no clue. “Look, I’m working.”
“If work entails you staring at an empty sheet—”
She cut him off. “I was thinking of what to write. It doesn’t come that easily. So yeah, try not to bother me.”
“What in the hell happened?” he asked her, his tone rising. It was unlike any other tone she’d heard from him. He had always kept his cool. Maybe he was still in pain, and she was aggravating the situation. Well, it’s your fault for coming here.
Sara then closed her laptop, trying to control her fists from clenching. “Miranda Sweeting,” she breathed out, disliking the name that came from her lips.
“Miranda,” he repeated blankly, like he didn’t know her at first. “What about her?”
“I met her, while I was grocery shopping. There was this annoying reporter, and he was stressing me out, and I thought I’d seen her somewhere, maybe on TV or in a magazine, but there she was. I didn’t even know it was Miranda until she helped me out, even wanted to drop me off,” she prattled on, and then she stopped, the memory of it making her shudder.
“What did she say?” he pressed on.
“Tell him ‘hello’, if we ever met again,” she told him through gritted teeth.
“I don’t need a hello from her.”
“And here I thought she was way over you.” Apparently, it feels like you aren’t over her either. When I said her name, you were in denial. Looks like I’m not the only one…
“Like I said, she broke up with me.”
Their conversation escalated into heated proportions from there. She couldn’t find it in herself to bite her tongue.
“She was marking her territory on you.”
“Oh come on, Sara, we broke up two years ago.” He sounded irritated, but she was as irritated as he was.
“Which probably wasn’t enough for her to get over you, or for you to get over her.”
“I already told you how I feel about you,” Zac reasoned out. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I don’t even know what we are,” she finally uttered. Miranda had gotten to her. A tiny fraction of Miranda slipped into her self-esteem.
“What you need a title now? You need the whole girlfriend and boyfriend title?” his brows furrowed. It stung, hearing that. Why? She used to not care about titles, but now it mattered. For what? A sense of ownership? She was never like this before.
“She wants you back,” she murmured, “I know it. I saw the way she looked.”
And then, “I’m leaving in a month,” she added. “I never took you for a dense person,” Sara said. “She wants you back, and we’re not even anything.” She said the last word clearly, bitingly. She had to get ou
t of here, away from him. She felt like she was going to scream, and cry.
“You know what she said?” Sara gave a mirthful laugh. “She said ‘I had hoped he’d grown up. It was the reason we ended our relationship’. She knows you’ve matured. After that accident.” I was right all along. She’s back for you because she saw you on the news, and you made it out alive, saving someone in the process.
“Sara, you’re taking this the wrong way. Miranda doesn’t care about me at all.”
“She sure made it seem otherwise. Tell me, did she visit you in the hospital? To rekindle something? Some second shot at a failed romance?”
He said that she had visited him, at his home.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re an idiot,” she told him, harshly, walking out of the room, never looking back.
*
Telling Zac that she was leaving was something she probably shouldn’t have said. Wouldn’t it have been better if she just left without him knowing? Surprise, idiot, she thought savagely. She hadn’t expected to be so angry with him. She was angry at the whole thing. She felt like he was playing a game of sorts. He was the playboy the media had deemed him to be—well, it sure as hell seemed like it.
She found herself walking toward the zoo’s outback exhibit, and she stared at the joeys for a while, in an effort to calm herself down. She hadn’t seen crocs since she had come back to work. What for? They already gave her nightmares in sleep. She certainly didn’t need one wide awake.
She had made that decision to leave as soon as she got back to her apartment. She had read the contract well, read it so well that she would have made any lawyer proud. That was a clause she could use—trauma. It was true. She hadn’t slept well since the event. Should it even be called event? It was a nightmare, a real one. The contract had been drafted twenty years ago, and it had remained unchanged for all interns. They would change it now, because of her, she was certain.
“I’m going home,” she told herself.
Two months had been enough time for her to fall in love, with her boss at that. Two months had been enough for her to act like an idiot. She had never let emotions get in the way of academics, until now.
