Page 22 of Eat Your Heart Out
10
Ali
The spa had men’s and women’s changing rooms. I was alone, and my body trembled. When I glanced at myself in the mirror, the scars on my stomach still seemed so blaring. I doubled my towels so he wouldn’t see that my breasts had red lines from where they’d cut me and the seat belt to get me out. Plastic surgery was too expensive, so the lines from the scars were still deep and vivid. I pulled the towel higher so it covered everything, just as my clothes usually would. I swallowed my fear and headed out.
Four women stood in the corner, waiting, but my gaze targeted Gerard as he sat on a table with a towel covering his underwear.
My gut twisted as I realized I wasn’t the only woman there. And every one of them was beautiful in their own way, though some were probably slightly older than us. They were all serene. Gerard’s focus was on me.
I swayed my hips as I went to him then asked as I pointed to the other table, “So, I just lie down here?”
He nodded. “Next to me.”
Adrenaline raced in my veins. I had to be sure he didn’t see me. I lowered myself onto the table and put my head in the part with a hole, as I’d seen in movies. “I feel like I should be the one rubbing your back.”
He reached out from his table and brushed his hand against mine. “Just relax and enjoy yourself.”
Someone put a blanket over me, and I breathed, not minding that my towel came off. Then she pressed into my back, and my muscles fired up before releasing. A few minutes later, I was in heaven.
When she asked me to pivot, I tensed. However, I held the blanket and faced up. No one said a word about my scars, and I relaxed.
She lifted my legs and moved me in ways I hadn’t thought I could bend, but my muscles soaked up the motions like they were normal.
My eyes flitted closed, and I let my fears go.
Minutes or hours passed. I had no idea.
“I’m happy I no longer work those hours,” Gerard said.
I took a deep breath and asked, “What is it about your work that you decided you just didn’t want to do anymore?”
“I spent years trying to prove I was worthy of my inheritance, but honestly, I was always stressed out. And my parents have each other, and I have no one. I figured a year off could clear my head.”
The masseuse moved my arm as I said, “That sounds like a good plan.”
Soon, I was lost in the tranquility of the therapist as she rolled my head back and forth.
Once the massage was done, the workers left us alone. I sat up, grabbing the towel, and maneuvered it back around my body so he wouldn’t see how broken I was.
He was less shy, and I saw his blue boxer briefs as he threw the towel on. “And to share a secret, I missed my brothers and childhood. Part of me, for a long while, thought I didn’t deserve the blessings in my life.”
I stood and went on my tiptoes as I waited for him to turn toward me. When he did, I said, “I… understand that. When I was a girl, all I had was my mom. When she died, I fell apart.”
His eyes widened, and for a second, I thought he would hug me. I tensed, as wasn’t sure what I would do if I touched that muscular body of his. However, he didn’t, and we took a few steps to go to the changing rooms.
“How long ago was that?” he asked.
We stood near each other, and my skin tingled. “Six years ago is when my downward spiral started.” My heartbeat doubled. I never talked about it.
He quietly asked, “What were you like before?”
“Happy,” I said and met his gaze.
Before I’d destroyed my life in a day, my mother used to cook dinner for me every night, and we would talk every evening for hours. She’d been my best friend and mom combined.
I sighed as I remembered that.
Gerard brought me back when he said, “And now that you’re here, what are you?”
