Baby Batter

by Alexis Angel

I go back to the front of the store. As soon as I get there Becca leaves. I’ve got nothing to do but play on my phone and wait for Eric to call me, unless a customer comes in.

  “I’m looking for an Anne Rice novel,” a customer pops in nearly an hour later, and I’m glad to stop wasting my brain on stupid phone games. I help the customer and remember just how much I love this store.

  I hope that I get to keep working here.

  Maybe even with a much sexier boss.

  Eric

  I park my car across from the bookstore. I sigh as I turn off the ignition and pull out the key then step out of the car. I’m already walking away as I press a button on my key fob to lock the car.

  I hope she likes the present that I have in my hand. I’ve given up trying to avoid calling her and just decided to come down here to surprise her.

  I get to the bookstore and pause outside as I hear Elia’s laughter from inside. I push the door open and walk inside. She’s standing beside her coworker next to a bookshelf. Her laughter dies when I walk in, and she looks up to see me.

  I almost feel bad, wanting to hear her laugh some more, but then she smiles at me, and I can’t help smiling back.

  “Hey, Eric,” she says in greeting, then freezes almost immediately, a blush covering her cheeks as she glances at the woman beside her. “It’s been a while.” Elia smiles as if she’s telling me off for keeping away.

  I want to tell her that it’s been four days and ten hours. But hey, I wasn’t counting. Not really.

  “What are you doing here? If it’s Ryan that you’re…”

  “I came to see you. I got you something.”

  I shove the box in her hand, and the dark-haired girl that she was laughing with moves away from us. Elia’s eyes dart from the box to mine as if she’s in shock.

  “Another present?”

  I nod, confirming that it’s for her and she needs to open it.

  “It’s an iPad. I bought it because I know that you love to read. Sure, you have a Kindle, but the graphics aren’t great, and an iPad has a lot more functionality than a Kindle.” I'm losing my patience with her not opening the gift as her eyes shift from the box to me. I don’t want to have fucked up like last time.

  “This is too expensive.” Elia says but the rise in her voice tells me she is flattered. “The phone was expensive enough, but this too? You’re really spoiling me.”

  Mmm, something about the idea of spoiling her makes me want to pull her close to me now and press little kisses down from her lips to her collarbones.

  I find myself, pulling away from all my random thoughts, and look into her eyes.“I know,” I cut her off with a casual shrug, sliding my hands into my pockets.

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “I know. I wanted to, though.” We stand staring at each other, neither of us speaking a word. I clear my throat and think about her actually opening the box and seeing what’s inside it. “Well, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. I think I’ll check out the books for a while. I might end up buying something again.”

  I hear a door open and close, and I assume it’s the manager’s room. I hear steps cross the room, but I don’t really want to see him. Unless he’s realized I slipped into another aisle, I’m going to keep away from him for today. After all, I’m not here for business.

  “Elia, where are you?”

  “Over here, Ryan,” she calls softly.

  I realize she’s just on the other side of the shelf to my back. I move further through the aisles even though I feel silly eavesdropping on their conversation, especially when I’ve got my PI, Will, on the case. I haven’t heard from him because there’s nothing to report, yet, but I can’t help but listen.

  Yet, curiosity gets the better of me as I stand and listen to what he has to say to her.

  “Why didn't you come to see me in the back?”

  “Because I thought you were working. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  I think that she’s lying. She sounds quite nervous, maybe because she knows that I’m in the store. I don’t know...something about Ryan, who I am pretty sure is a total creep, and Elia lying to him...it puts me on alert.

  I can’t see above the books on the shelf at my eye level, so I move a few books around for a clearer view. Shit, maybe I should just leave this detective stuff to Will. I’m out of my league, but despite my amateurish, stalkerish tendencies I feel compelled to keep spying on them.

  “Wow, where did you get one of those? I must be paying you too much,” he chuckles as he reaches for the iPad. She must have put the box somewhere because I don’t see it in her hand anymore.

  That’s a hell of a thing for Ryan to say when I know he pays her peanuts compared to the other employees.

  “No. It’s a gift,” Elia says quickly, and I can tell that she’s nervous because the closer he gets, the more she backs away. He’s now rubbing his hand over his bald head, and I wonder if he has something much dirtier in mind based on that look in his eyes. The way he’s looking at her totally fucking disgusts me.

  “From whom? You have no family here, and I don’t think any of your friends could afford it. So, who bought you a new iPad?”

  Why the fuck is she not telling him that it’s none of his business? Why is he talking to her this way.

  “Eric Vanderville. He bought it,” tears well in her eyes as she tries to move away from him.

  “So, you did go out with him,” he accuses, his tone rigid and angry. I bet you did more than just go out. I bet…”

  I don’t even wait for him to finish. I move around the shelf and out of nowhere, Ryan screams out, “What the fuck!”

  I rage toward him like a bull. He's too fucking close to her and then he had his greasy hands working their way to her. It was clear what he was going to do.

  My heart beats out of control as my fist becomes one with his face. I didn’t want to stop there, I'm a mask of fury. But as he falls on the floor and rolls over protecting his face, Elia screams, “Eric, stop. Please!”

  Elia

  I’m screaming at Eric, even though I know that he’s just helped me with Ryan, but I’m so confused at the moment. Ryan’s never gone as far as to try to kiss me. He’s stood around and rubbed his belly and head, watching me, and at times I’ve felt that he’s creepy because of the way that he looks at me. But never ever, has he tried to touch me. And I guess that’s why I never got weirded out by him before, but this is just too far.

  Eric’s violent reaction isn’t thrilling, either.

  What’s going on?

  I feel as if I’m losing my mind. Eric doesn’t call me for days. I gave him my virginity, and he just turned up with a gift. Another expensive gift. Is that supposed to make it okay that he ignored me?

  “Elia! Did he touch you?”

  I shake my head and turn to see Eric holding out his hand. Ryan’s on the floor, cursing and trying to stand up. Every time he does, he rolls back down before standing up again. I should help him up. What am I thinking?

  If Eric wasn’t here then who knows what would have happened? Then again, if Ryan hadn’t seen the iPad then he wouldn’t have been tempted to take that step further.

  Ryan spits the words, “You bitch! You knew he was here, and you did this on purpose!”

  “What?”

  “You’re taking the day off,” Eric says forcefully, aiming a glare at Ryan who's finally pulled himself off the floor.

  “You’re fucking lucky that I didn’t do any real damage!” Eric warns him, but Ryan’s not saying anything. His eyes return to me, and I shiver at how dark they look. “I’m not taking no for an answer. We’re leaving here together!”

  I reach for Eric’s hand, letting him tug me out of the store without a glance to anyone else. He’s moving so fast that I’m out of breath just trying to catch up with him.

  “I need my purse.”

  He shakes his head and shoots me a disapproving glare. “No, you don’t. You’re shaking, and you need to be as far aw
ay from that creep as possible. Come now!”

  I know he’s right. He’s telling me to leave with him. Not asking me. Kinda like how our date went...except this time, this is Eric protecting me so no matter how frustratingly bossy he is or uncommunicative he was, I’ll go with him. Once we get outside, I don’t have to deal with the sounds of Ryan cursing and calling me or Eric every name under the sun.

  He blames me for what happened, but I didn’t do anything wrong. It was all Ryan, but then Eric’s acting as if he’s my knight in shining armor. He’s not. After all, I haven’t heard from him for days. For some crazy reason I thought he was coming to apologize or even tell me that he’s been busy but I’ve been on his mind. But in my confusion, I don’t know what he was doing at the store. It couldn’t have been just to drop off an iPad.

  “What were you doing there, Eric?”

  “Come! My car’s just opposite the store, and we can get the hell out of here.”

  “But I don’t know if I want to get away from here with you. I spent one night with you, and then you…”

  “Look!” He points at Ryan who’s trying to tease me by holding up my purse. I know what he wants to do, and I don’t want him to have the upper hand. I need to be as far away from that fucking creep as possible. There’s no denying that.

  I’m sick of this whole situation. I’ve always been nice to Ryan, but it isn’t as if I’ve led him on.

  And now Eric thinks that if I don’t want him to beat the shit out of my creepy boss, then Eric can just whisk me away?

  I feel like everything is happening so fast. I can’t catch my breath.

  Eric seems to understand my tentativeness, at least, so he at least offers some level of explanation.“We’re not going to your place. Or going to mine. We’re just going to drive a bit and then we’ll talk. Got it.”

  I nod as he opens the car door. He climbs inside and shuts the door.

  We drive without talking to each other, with only the sounds of the road and the radio. A little driving does help ease my mood. I don’t feel angry or upset anymore because everything starts to decompress.

  I ask Eric to stop in front of the diner far ahead; it’s near Dana’s apartment, and that’s where I want to go. I want to be with a friend right now.

  As soon as he stops the engine I ask him the question that’s been bugging me.

  “Why did you decide to turn up?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “Eric, you buy me a phone. Then an iPad,” I say, looking down at it in my hands. “And then you don’t turn up or even call for days. I slept with you….which I guess I was wrong think that meant that I deserved something other than just being ignored!” And of course the million dollar truth is that I felt something and I thought he did, too. After being ignored for the better part of a week, now I just feel like a fool.

  He sighs. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Wow, is that all he has to say about the subject? He doesn’t even try to downplay it. How do I even know he’s sincere? He just blurted it out as if he knew it was the right thing to say. Even if he didn’t mean it.

  “So, you haven’t been busy at work?” I offer. I shouldn’t dig him out of this but I just want to understand this...understand how I could have been so stupid, really, as to think hooking up with him and expecting to hear back from him was a good idea.

  Before he can answer, I reply for him, “But if you had been then you wouldn’t have had time to buy an iPad.” God, why did I even say that? Like, he’s rich. He’s got a driver. He’s probably got an assistant. Clearly he didn’t have any actual time for me and that’s why Eric has just now shown up.

  Eric won't even look at me.

  I’m so frustrated that I want to break something. I feel a rant coming on and my words start spewing out before I even know what I’m going to say. “I don’t get you. You wanted to act like the hero and that’s all it was about. Don’t pretend that what you did just then , Eric, was to save me. It wasn’t!”

  He’s quiet but seems to be searching for something to say. No doubt another word. Something that doesn’t even describe exactly what’s going on at the moment.

  “Elia, you do need saving from Ryan. He’s not just trying to assault you, he’s paying you less than everyone else.”

  “What? How do you know that?”

  “Ryan provided the financial reports weeks ago. They show clearly that you’re being paid the least…and now I’m certain that there isn’t any appropriate reason why.” Eric grits his teeth.

  “Today is just too much…I can’t be here with you right now!” I know, I know, I’m being dramatic, but I don’t want to process this shitty news next to the only person I’ve been able to think about for days.

  I need to get out of here. I open the car door and unfasten my belt.

  “Where are you going?” Eric blurts out, maybe because no one’s ever walked out on him before. He probably does this sort of crap all the time.

  “Far away from you as possible!”

  “Why? But you don’t have your keys, and you can’t get home…” Eric rushes to explain.

  I may have been a virgin before that night, but I’m not a child. “That’s not your concern. It’s mine.” I’m just about to shut the door, but realize I have one last thing to say. I bend down to do it as I’m outside of the car and can think properly even if it’s only for a few seconds.

  “The best you can say to me for ignoring me for days and then turning up with a gift was sorry, and you offer zero explanation. I don’t even know that you are sorry, and you probably think I should just put up with it. Good night, Eric. Have a nice night. And you can return the iPad. I don’t need it,” I say, dropping it in the seat. “And I don’t want it.”

  I slam the car door and get as far away from him as possible. Ryan, my boss, is a total skeevy asshole. I’m glad I’m not there anymore.

  But Eric? Well no matter how charming he seemed, he’s just the jerk who blew me off and thought that I should put up with it.

  Eric

  I decide that there’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep for both of us to calm down. The next day, I decide to head straight to the bookstore. I’ve got to see her and make sure that Elia’s okay. I’m not even sure if she went back to her apartment, I waited a while and she never turned up. I kept myself from going out chasing after her when I knew she needed space, and only because her friend Dana’s address on her paystubs was near the diner Elia bolted from

  Fuck!

  It’s as if I’m just a stalker as I stand outside the bookstore, this time I’m really ready to make a proper apology. One that’s sincere from the heart. Because just the words...Elia’s right, they weren’t enough.

  “Hey,” I say quietly as I open the door, and she’s standing by a bookshelf.

  “Eric…”

  I don’t give her an opportunity to say anything as I’m a man on a mission with the desire to win her heart; not by fancy gifts, but sincerely telling her that I’m sorry.

  “I didn’t want to leave you alone. I know that I should, and you told me to stay away.”

  I close the door and approach her. She’s got her hair up in a ponytail, and it’s clear by the paleness of her skin and the bags under her eyes that she didn’t get much sleep last night.

  “I’m sorry, maybe I acted a bit rashly, but I couldn’t just stand by and let Ryan attack you. Because, believe me. That’s exactly what he intended to do.”

  I’m rambling on, something that I never do. Even when I’m nervous. Usually, I shut up tight until I can get everything right in my head.

  “Anyway, you’re right about the expensive gifts and then turning up like that. It wasn’t right. What I should’ve done was at least send you a text or something. But I’m not that type of guy. Not the one who even wants to see a girl again after we’ve had sex. I bought you the gift because I didn’t know how else to make it up to you. Because I was thinking about you. Because I do want to know you, Elia.”<
br />
  I sigh as I think that I’ve officially run out of words. I apologized. Explained the reason for my actions. She can leave it or take it, but everything I said is true. I feel like I’m standing here naked. While normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing, now I just feel vulnerable and bared to her. I’m worried it isn’t enough.

  This is something that I’ve never faced before.

  I’m worried that I’m not enough.

  Her brow furrows as Elia purses her lips. “I’m sorry for blowing up at you before, you did save me from Ryan. Also, he’s been acting like that for a while and I just kinda didn’t realize how creepy he was until he got bold enough to really act on it. No job’s worth being treated like that by your boss. The fact is that I hardly get paid, and I don’t know if I’ve just been wasting my time here when this is my dream job...it is starting to feel like more of a nightmare. It’s not as if this is the only bookstore in town, but without a new owner there may not be any place for me here. Not a place that I want.” She shrugs, and there’s a warm smile on her face as her eyes light up.

  I love that even though Elia’s going through tough times, she’s stronger than anything that comes at her. She’s resilient and she doesn’t take shit. Certainly not mine. “You don’t have to apologize for that.” I don’t want her to feel like her outburst at me was uncalled for. She’s the first woman I’ve actually wanted to date, and I fucked it up terribly. My behavior was total bullshit, and Elia should have called me on it.

  “But I do,” she says insistently. “That wasn’t any way to thank you for what you did. My mind froze when he touched me. It was almost as if I’d been dreading the moment for so long and I didn’t even realize it. I used to brush it off when I felt something strange about Ryan and think that I was paranoid, and Ryan wasn’t often around much so I didn’t think it would matter. But yesterday my eyes were opened to it all, and it made me feel so damn stupid.”

  “He’s misled you and mistreated you for a while. Ryan has been using the possible sale of this store to try and manipulate you. It isn’t surprising, given the number of lies he’s told, that you couldn’t see the truth about who he really was. And none of your coworkers likely knew the full extent of Ryan’s actions, either." I look into Elia’s beautiful eyes and I take her in my arms without a second thought. She’s kind, she’s good, she’s strong…I just want to protect her. Hold her. Have her.