Page 14 of Crash

He was right. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I was looking at my phone when we collided, and it was like walking into a brick wall. I remember his touch. My hand in his giant paw. I remember the jolt of electricity that coursed through my body at his touch. But most importantly, I remember his eyes. Green, with flecks of brown around his irises. I remember that feeling in the pit of my stomach as we continued to stare at each other.

That was not something I needed or wanted in my life.

I was upset that day because my father refused to let me live with my aunt for the upcoming school year. He was only willing to cover the tuition if I lived at home. I wasn’t allowed to have a car, so I had to take the train to UMass Boston each day.

“When you graduate, you can live here for as long as you want. If I had the money, I would pay the tuition for you,”my aunt had told me as she held me that morning.

I already had one man in my life controlling me. I didn’t need another who could control my body too, so I went on the defensive.

By the time I found out his brother was marrying my favorite cousin, the hate was mutual.

As I close my eyes and start to drift into a peaceful sleep, his eyes are the last thing I think about.

CHAPTER 3

VIVI

After taking much too long in that luxurious shower in the guest bedroom, I put on the pair of leggings and sweater Sandy gave me the night before. They’re too big, but they will have to do until I get my own clothes, or until Tash brings me some of hers.

I tiptoe down the hall towards the kitchen, thinking about the breakfast I plan to make for Sandy and Jake as a thank you, but I find I’m too late. Sandy is at the sink and Jake is kissing her as if they didn’t just wake up in the same bed.

“I think I love you, Mrs. Clark,” he says between kisses. I lean against the wall and watch them, a small smile on my lips.

My mind flashes back to when I first met Jake. Sandy told me she was going to bring her boyfriend to the bakery, and when I saw them walk in holding hands, I almost dropped the cake I was carrying. She smirked when she saw my expression, knowing full well she left out one important detail when she had described her boyfriend to me the night before.

“You think you love me?” she asks playfully, and he nods. “Well, I know for a fact I love you. You know why? It’s because I was up on a Saturday before seven so I could walk your dogs. Mr. Clark, I’ve picked up dog poop this morning, and Zeus does not exactly drop pebbles. So, yeah, I love you.”

“They’re your dogs too, gorgeous. Where is Luke? He was supposed to walk them?” I bristle at the mention of Luke’s name.

“I haven’t seen him, and the dogs were antsy. I didn’t want to risk them having an accident in the house.”

“Fucking Luke,” he says.

“Good morning,” I say, making myself known. “I was going to make you two breakfast as a thank you.”

“I got it, but you can get the coffee,” Sandy says.

The aroma of coffee, bacon, and pancakes fill the room, causing my stomach to growl. Sandy giggles at something Jake whispered to her as I walk over to the coffee maker.

I pour three mugs of coffee and pull out the cream from the fridge. Just as I take my first sip, I hear loud footsteps.

“How are you all up before me?” He starts whistling like a lunatic. “Zeus! Lady! Let’s go.” Big oaf. He’s in sweats today. Navy blue ones. It should be illegal for him to wear that color. He was wearing blue the day we collided in the parking lot, too.

“They’ve already been out,” Jake says, but his whistling brings the dogs to the kitchen. Zeus sees me and approaches. On instinct, I jump out of my seat and run behind Sandy.

“He’s not going to hurt you. He likes you,” Jake says. He grabs the dog’s collar and brings it to me. He sniffs my hand before he licks it. I jump at the sudden assault and run back to my seat.

“For someone with such a big mouth, you sure are a wimp,” Luke mutters as he pours himself some coffee. Thankfully, the dogs soon get bored and leave the kitchen, and I decide to ignore the jerk and focus on my coffee.

“Sandy,” I say, “I can’t believe you’re making pancakes. You don’t even like them.”

“But her husband loves them, so she makes them all the time.” He squeezes her hips when he says that, and she lets out a squeal.

“You two seem so happy. You and Tash are the only happily married people I know. I don’t know if I could ever be with a white man, though.” Luke glares at me, and Jake snorts as he takes a seat at the head of the table.

“Funny. That’s the same thing your cousin said to me. And look at her now.”

“Vivi!” Sandy says. “And that’s water under the bridge, Jacob.” She places all the prepared food on the island, next to a stack of clean plates.

---