Chapter ５

“Has it got as good views as this place?”

I glance quickly down at her, finding her looking up at me.

“It can.”

She takes a quick breath and laughs, almost nervously, before turning back to the scenery.

“If I grew up here, I would’ve been walking this path every day.”

“I’m glad someone’s appreciating it. I don’t think Leonid’s been down here since he was a boy and I forced him to come with me. He was never one for outdoor activities. If it had a vending machine and public toilets nearby, it was okay.”

“That liar! He seduced me with tales of the countryside of his childhood,” she yells in pretend anger. Despite a twitch of something like jealousy, I can’t help myself from laughing, and she joins in.

“How did you and Leonid end up together?” I ask as we make our way back, trying to steer the conversation on a topic that will keep my head in the right place. She isn’t making it easy for me, though, walking in front of me, swinging that sexy pert ass from side to side.

“We had a class together and were in the same study group. For several months, Leonid never even looked at me. Then one day, his eyes just found mine. At first, I thought he’d exhausted the females in the group and that I was the only one left that hadn’t been with him—next by default, kind of. And I had absolutely no interest in that kind of thing. But he was relentless and persuaded me that he was serious about me. Not having much experience in boys flirting with me, I was completely ambushed!” She laughs quietly. “Guess I didn’t stand a chance against his charm,” she adds wistfully.

“What do you mean, you don’t have much experience in boys flirting with you?”

She laughs then, loud this time. “Machel, do you think I’m some kind of popular girl that’s being hit on constantly?”

“Why not? You’re pretty, sexy—” I swallow. Her eyes widen, and that blush that I’ve come to adore is back. “You’re smart and kind. Why wouldn’t guys be hitting on you?”

Looking down, she says, “I’m shy. I don’t put myself out there.”

“Are you saying you’ve never been hit on?”

“Well, when I was twelve,” she says, looking up at me with a cheeky grin. “This popular boy took an interest in me. But regretfully, one of my girlfriends liked him too.”

“Oh dear… please tell me he had the sense to choose you.”

“Not really… This girl was very powerful, and she started bullying me. A lot. It got so bad that I actually dreaded going to school.”

“Kids can be so cruel. I know she was only twelve, but I want to kick her!”

“Thanks for your support. It’s more than I got at home!”

“What do you mean?”

Her face falls a bit. I don’t think she meant to say that. Yet after a few beats, she continues. “I—I eventually decided to tell my dad. I expected him to blow a gasket, demand the girl’s name, contact her parents and my teacher. He’d done that on a few occasions whenever my sister Stacey had trouble with kids in school. But he said, ‘Arlene, you need to learn to stand up for yourself and not let anyone treat you with disrespect.’ Then he asked me to make the bacon-and-pasta dish that everyone liked, said it would take my mind off things. Then he took off to pick up my brothers.”

“I want to kick your dad too,” I say quietly and put my hand on her back. Her eyes are watery, and she swallows.

“It was only when I got older that I understood that Dad had treated me with disrespect that day. And I have yet to learn to stand up for myself.” She smiles weakly.

“What happened in school?”

“I learned to stay under the radar.” She shrugs, then takes a deep breath. “Sorry, this was supposed to be a fun story, not a tearjerker.”

I smile down at her and pull her a little closer. I hate it when we reach the fence and I have to let go of her. I scale the fence, and like a pervert, I can’t take my eyes off her when she again struggles in her skirt. She’s straddling the fence when I step closer. I grab her narrow waist and lift her over.

“Machel!” she gasps, her hands holding on to my shoulders. I lower her to the ground, and she’s so dammed close, looking up at me with her hands still on my shoulders. She smells of sweet flowers. If she just leaned in a tiny bit, she would find out how much she’s affecting me. I peel my hands from her waist and take a step back.

“I put coffee on just before we left. It should be fresh still,” I say as I force my eyes away from hers.

“That sounds nice.”

It’s only as we walk into the house that I realize I’ve been spending my precious morning solitude with another person. And it hasn’t been bad at all.

6ArleneI can’t believe I told Romanabout the bullying when I was younger. After the failed attempt at telling Dad, I never spoke about it again—not to a soul—although I’ve come to acknowledge that it played a part in forming who I am today. But the words just spilled. I’ve never met anyone that I can talk so easily with.

The muscles on Machel’s arm are flexing when he holds the full pot of coffee and pours me a cup. The same, strong arms that so easily lifted me over the fence. I’ve had this strange feeling in my belly ever since, and my breath is shallow. I feel light. Free.

“What are you doing up so early?” a groggy voice asks behind me, and I almost spill my coffee.

“Leonid!”

Sometimes I forget how good-looking Leonid is, and standing there in only a pair of boxer shorts with his hair mussed and sleepy eyes, I should have been a puddle on the floor. But all I can see is how his eyes turned dark and hungry last night when we met Daphne.

The party had been at Belinda’s house. People were hanging out in small groups, chatting, laughing, getting more and more drunk. Most of them were back in their quaint hometown for their summer break, just like Leonid was, and were eager to catch up with their old friends. Some were kind enough to talk to me—the shy stranger in the room—but only for a few minutes. Even when Leonid was by my side, which he wasn’t, most of the time, I felt so desperately alone.

He wasn’t there when I met Daphne.

It was Belinda who introduced me to her. “Leonid brought a girlfriend from college,” she explained, looking pointedly at Daphne.

“Oh.” Daphne’s face fell. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.” I wasn’t sure how to respond, but I didn’t have to. The two of them continued their conversation without any input from me.

“No, it came as a shock to us all,” Belinda said with a smile, but there was a twang to her voice. “I always thought he’d end up with someone from home.”

“So did I.” An awkward silent settled, and I realized one of them, or even both, had their eyes on Leonid.