Hijacked

by Sonia Esperanza

  Lily walked past me, hissing a warning at me. “Behave.”

  We all went our separate ways. I walked down the long corridor, sliding the glass door open before closing it behind me. I drew the shades, enclosing us in the dim light of the hospital room.

  Matt’s eyes flicked open as if he felt my anger palpitating through the room. I could barely see his face, gauze wrapped around his jaw. His uncovered eyes said everything his mouth couldn’t. Hatred spilled through his irises. “What the hell do you want?”

  “How’s the jaw?”

  He glowered at me. I took a seat next to his bedside, leaning back and folding one leg over the other. “I’ll survive,” he gurgled.

  Annie never talked about him. I think the last time his name was even uttered in my presence was when she announced she’d be returning to work. I wanted to kiss her so badly, sometimes it hurt to even steal a glance at her lips. I’d never force myself on her. I’d learned from the night I met her, if Annie wanted something, there wasn’t any stopping her until she got it. “Why’d you do it?”

  He reached up, rearranging the gauze around his jaw. “I’m in love with her.” He shook his head, closing his eyes as if the pain of realizing his feelings weren’t reciprocated from her hurt worse than his jaw.

  “How could you be in love with her? You don’t even know her.”

  A humorless laugh escaped him. “Funny. She said the same thing.” His eyes snapped open just to close into slits. “But you know her. I’ve been begging her to let me in for two years and in three months, you’ve managed everything I couldn’t.”

  He needed to get this off his chest and though I wanted to pound his face until he was unrecognizable, I stayed rooted in the chair. “And the fuck of it all is that you wouldn’t even be in the picture if I hadn’t put you there.”

  I grunted. I didn’t like to think about the possibility of never crossing paths with Annie. The idea felt so farfetched.

  “She loves you.”

  Three words and my world stopped. “What did you just say?”

  “I don’t even know if she realizes it. I’ll walk into her office and she’ll be lost in a memory of you. A smile, a fucking smile so big, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes I wouldn’t believe it as she stared into space. She used to sometimes stay and hangout with me after her shifts. Until you. Everything she used to be is tied to you. There was Annie before you. And now there’s just the version of her after.”

  “Which version do you like better?”

  He huffed. “I’m a selfish bastard. I want her. I might always want her. But she’s happy with you so don’t fuck it up.”

  I snickered. “That a seal of approval?”

  “Get the fuck out of here, Hector. Go home to your woman.”

  Gladly. I rose from my seat and planned to race back home to the woman who made my life better. I turned back before I closed the glass doors. “Matt?”

  “Hmmm,” he hummed, the painkillers kicking in.

  “Don’t lay your hands on her again.”

  He raised two fingers in the air before promptly passing out.

  Three words bounced in my head, warmth spreading against my breastbone, almost painfully.

  She.

  Loves.

  You.

  The second I opened the door and kicked my shoes off, I went in search of her. The door to the study was cracked open, a soft glow from the lamp basking the room. I creaked open the door to find Annie, her hand stretched across the desk, her sleeping face resting on top of her bicep, a pencil still curled in between her fingers.

  Soft Annie had made her return and the image brought a smile to my face. One that made me feel absolutely obnoxious and certainly not my age. “Annie,” I tried, closing the distance. She didn’t budge. I walked around the desk, preparing to carry her up to bed when a few lines scrawled next to her cheek on her open notebook snagged my attention.

  His hard body. My soft curves.

  His intense brown eyes. My weak resolve.

  Oh, how I miss those lips on mine.

  My eyes fell shut as I gathered her in my arms, guiding us both upstairs.

  “Hector,” she mumbled sleepily.

  “Yes, bonita.” I laid her down on the bed, bringing the covers over her. I tried to entangle her arms from but she refused to let go. I grabbed her fingers and tried to pry them apart but her grip only tightened.

  “I think you’re beautiful.”

  I chuckled, unable to resist kissing her forehead. “Go to sleep, beautiful.”

  * * *

  A million people will look at you in the span of your lifetime. While you’re traveling, through work, anywhere, really. Your face has been the object of someone else’s eyes, some strangers and some not.

  But if there was one thing knowing Hector has taught me since the night we met, it was the knowledge that most people look at you, but only a couple people actually see you.

  No one has seen me in the way that Hector has.

  No one has ever cared to.

  And I saw him. I saw him even when he wasn’t near. Even with my eyes closed. Even when I didn’t want to.

  The only other person who made me feel seen was Nolan. Ever since that day he burst into the range, and we spent my lunch hour signing up for a bank account and eating subs, I’d started to notice him. He’d follow from a distance, under Hector’s orders I was sure. That didn’t fly with me.

  The first day our eyes locked, his guilty emeralds clashing with my accusatory blues, he slunk out of the shadows, falling in step with me. I slid my arm through his, and once we reached my favorite spot for lunch, I ordered for the both of us.

  After we fought over who was going to foot the bill (he won), I made him make a promise to me, maybe holding over his head the fact that his best friend would do anything I asked of him. “Within reason,” he relented.

  “You can hide from the world, Nolan, but please don’t hide from me.”

  He placed his hands on top of my shoulders, his light green eyes darkening. “What would Hector do if I kept you for myself?”

  I pushed him away. “I don’t think you want to find out.”

  Every day since then, I shared my lunch hour with him.

  “Did he tell you about me?” Nolan whispered from underneath his blacked fitted Phillies hat.

  He took control of our lunch date today, driving me to the outskirts of New Hazle to a low-key restaurant. It was the perfect spot for this humid summer day. The inside consisted of a bar where you ordered your takeout or a hostess escorted you to the dining area, a spacious patio that felt like home. Some people sat at glass tables, an umbrella protecting them from the sun. Some sat on a fortress of blankets and pillows. It had as much of a summer feeling you could get in urban Pennsylvania.

  Nolan chose a set of wide stairs for us to eat our shared pizza on. “He told me a little bit.”

  “I was every parent’s worst nightmare. They waited nine months, brimming with excitement to meet this beautiful thing that they created. And instead, they got me.”

  I frowned. “Nolan. You’re gorgeous.”

  He pulled the lapels of his jacket up, hiding his face from me. I pulled at his arm. “Why are you telling me this?”

  He righted his jacket back into place, turning toward me and gathering my hands in his. “As you know, Maria adopted me at a very young age and the one thing she ingrained in my head was to be selfish.”

  I blinked back my surprise. That didn’t sound like the woman Hector spoke of. Nolan laughed, catching my wary look.

  “She was the perfect mom because she knew what each of us needed. I was too soft and Hector wasn’t. Hector was strong and secure and I wasn’t. She taught me to be selfish. No matter how much Hector felt like a brother and Maria treated me as if I came from her womb, I clung to the fact that I would never be normal. I would always be known as the outcast. I would always be known by the kid whose parents didn’t love him. Every day, until the day she was rippe
d away from us, she pounded selfishness into my head. And it wasn’t until after she was gone that I knew what she was trying to tell me all of that time. I had to love myself enough to live. I had to be my own anchor. I realized if I couldn’t do that, it would only be a matter of time before I drowned.”

  “Nolan.”

  He shook his head. “I’m telling you all of this because I like you. I don’t just like you because you’ve got my brother wrapped around your fingers.” My lips tilted at that comment. “I like you because you treat me like I’m normal. I like you because you look at me like there is something there to love.”

  I let my head fall against his shoulder. How did I ever think, when Hector pitched a six-month deal, that I would just survive it? I wasn’t surviving it. I was living it, picking up people to love as I went.

  “You’re a bad ass woman, Annie. So, I hope you don’t get too pissed off at me trying to protect you.”

  “Protect me from what,” I whispered.

  “Life.” I think it was too late. For the both of us.

  “Hey, guys.” A peppy voice had our heads snapping up. A girl around my age beamed down at us, thrusting out a piece of paper toward me. I took it from her. “There’s a poetry reading tonight at McNutt’s. I’m sorry if this is rude but I swore I saw you there last time.”

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, the one with Aliyah.”

  “You should come. This one’s supporting a great cause.”

  She turned on her heel, walking back into the restaurant. Once she disappeared from my line of vision, I finally looked down at the paper.

  My heart stopped beating at the sight of another woman. If I thought I was entranced by Aliyah’s face, then this woman’s face completely consumed me.

  The photograph perfectly captured this woman’s happiness. Her black tight curls fanned against her face as if the shot was taken while she spun around in the middle of the street. She smiled so widely. Her brown eyes glinted underneath the sun, a curious tint to them.

  All of her bright, sparkling features almost distracted me from the protrusive scar marring one side of her face, like someone took a knife from her lower eyelid down to the tip of her chin. Her name was in big, bold letters: Eliza Reyes. The bottom of the page listed the date and time as well as a disclaimer of all proceeds being donated to Philadelphia’s only women’s shelter that helped women escape and move on from their abusive pasts.

  I curled my hands around the paper, unable to take my eyes off of the woman’s face. Though they looked nothing alike, this woman reminded me of my mother. The woman’s scars were visible while my mom’s hid underneath her clothes but they somehow felt connected. Like they had the same story, shared the same memories.

  This is what I have been waiting for. My second poetry reading.

  I looked down at the flier again. Excitement coursed through me knowing I’d get to hear her story through prose. But my heart thudded with fear knowing this woman’s story would hit a little too close to home.

  “Nolan.”

  I tilted my head toward him, finding him studying me. “Yes?”

  “I need a favor.”

  The rest of the day at the range passed at a snail’s pace. I couldn’t relax, a swarm of emotions sitting heavy on my gut. I was excited to go to a live poetry event. I was curious about Eliza Reyes, the story behind her beautiful face. But I was scared shitless about what she would say. Even more of the impact her words would leave on me.

  But I was certain of one thing. I needed Hector. I needed him to go with me. I needed to feel his warmth next to me in case my world shattered. And even if it didn’t, I still wanted him there.

  I wanted to share with him this new part of me I discovered. It was time I finally came clean to him. The moment the clock struck five, I rushed out of the range and into Hector’s idling car.

  I didn’t say a word to him the entire drive but he didn’t pry, well accustomed to my growing silence for the past two weeks. I followed him into the house, stalling by the doorway to see where he headed. He went straight upstairs as I was rooted in the same spot. It wasn’t until I heard the shower running that I shook out of my anxiousness and followed him.

  I trudged upstairs, past the bedroom, and stormed into the bathroom. “Annie,” he called out, even though his eyes were still shut, water running down his face. Enough nerves plagued me; I didn’t dare follow the trail of water with my eyes.

  “There’s another poetry reading tonight. I’d like to go.” Before he could say anything, I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “With you.”

  He immediately shut off the water, opened the glass doors and reached for his towel hanging on its rack. From his silence, I already knew what his answer would be.

  He walked into the bedroom, leaving me no option other than to follow him. “When we made this deal,” I said, my voice steely. “You said whatever I’d want, you’d make it happen. This is what I want.”

  He pulled a pair of boxers up over his hips, ready to follow them with a pair of sweatpants but I snatched them from his hands before he had the chance. His gaze snapped up to me, his nostrils flaring. “I know I’ve never spoken this out loud but I know you’re not dense enough to know that I’m not the type of man that you can be seen with in public. My answer is no,” he said, easily ripping his pants from my grip.

  He put the pants on in one swift motion and brushed past me, heading downstairs. I followed him. “Okay, so you don’t want me to be seen with you in public, there are ways around that.”

  He groaned, slapping a palm over his face. “Annie,” he groaned, his voice holding a warning I easily ignored.

  I was never much one to back off when he used that voice. He should have known that by now. He walked into the kitchen, turned on the speaker and blasted the volume, effectively silencing me.

  A growl slipped passed my lips but I didn’t linger. I jumped in the shower and got myself ready, timing the process perfectly so I had time to bitch out Hector before Nolan was due to arrive. I wore a sage green silky button-up top tucked into a pair of high-waisted blue jeans with my normal white Vans. I pulled half of my hair up in a bun and let the rest flow down my back in waves. I went downstairs just as Nolan texted me that he was outside.

  The music was turned down to its normal level and Hector was making two plates. “I’m not eating,” I announced.

  He turned around, looking at me, his apology written across his face. His eyes telling me that as much as he wanted nothing more than to make me happy, there was a line in the sand and this was it. “I’ll drive you and heat this up when I get back,” he told me, already grabbing plate covers.

  I shook my head. “Nolan is going to drive me.”

  His head snapped up, his hurt eyes clashing with my determined ones. Maybe it was wrong of me but I couldn’t help it. I needed him in a way I swore I wouldn’t ever need anyone. “You are the one who asked for this. You demanded I needed this time. Time to find my anchor to keep me grounded to my humanity. I was fine with who I was before, but you thought it was a great idea.” I closed the space between us not stopping until our heaving chests bounced off of each other. I stabbed at his chest with a single finger. “For me to explore who I was. This is your fault.” He closed a hand over my finger and I jerked away from him. “You are going to get glasses, a scarf, a hat, I don’t care what,” I said, taking the folded flier out of my jean pocket and slapping it against his chest, my other hand taking his and putting it over the space so I could let go without the paper falling to the floor. “You are going to change your clothes, jump in that fancy car of yours and meet me in the city in a café. And you are going to sit next to me, stand behind me, be close enough to me that I can feel your presence, and you are going to be there for me, damn it.”

  I turned on my heel and walked out of the front door into Nolan’s sleek black two-door car. Once I was buckled in, I let out a sigh and Nolan started to drive. I managed to calm down by the time we made it into the city but I
didn’t feel any lighter.

  I wondered if he would show up. I wondered if the one person I let myself be vulnerable with wouldn’t be there when I really needed him. I knew one thing for certain, whether he showed up or not, tonight would change our relationship forever.

  Nolan dropped me off, promising to pick me up in two hours unless Hector directed him otherwise. We both knew he wasn’t going too far. His warning of his overbearing protectiveness from earlier resonate in the air between us.

  I let him lie to me and slipped out of his car. I paid the admission fee and roamed inside, searching for an empty table, hoping like hell he would show up.

  I ordered a beer and sipped on it, watching the lights dim and one of the workers set up the stage. I tried not to look around the room, not pay attention to the revolving groups of people coming through the doors.

  I tried not to be hopeful. I tried not to be desperate for this man to show up for me. But the truth was that I was hopeful; I was desperate. I wanted to know for once that someone cared enough about me to pull through. To be there for me despite the consequences and the fears.

  The lights in the cafe dimmed and I reluctantly tore my eyes away from the entryway and focused on the stage where a bartender was busy doing a mic check.

  “Hello everyone and welcome to McNutt’s Cafe. We’re happy to bring you another poetry night in the city.” In true Philadelphia fashion, a scattered group of people cheered almost indecently and raised their glasses. “We have two special guests tonight. Carly Evans will open the show for us and then we’ll open the floor up to you all before the beautiful and incredibly talented Eliza Reyes takes the stage.”

  He bowed and promptly rushed off of the stage. A blonde woman took his place and the light chatter filling the room fell quiet. The woman walked slowly to the center of the stage, her head bowed, eyes glued to the floor. Her long blonde hair covered her face, but the leggings and loose silk shirt she wore hugged her skin to perfection.

  Only when she reached the stool did she look up, revealing hazel eyes and a face so angelic I thought I was dreaming. A round face framed by two rosy pink cheeks, full lips, and eyes that made you want to become her new best friend.