Page 9 of Pretend
I shake myself out of that eerie thought.
Sometimes, I’ll get texts that sayhior something random, but this feels too real. Too personal. It’s too thought out because usually when I get random texts or calls, there’s a number attached to it. But this is different. I hold my screen, still staring at the text with an unrecognizable number. It just says unknown.
Me: Who is this? I think you have the wrong number.
I quickly tap my response and hit send, and I’m not sure if that was the best idea, but something inside me was urging me to reply. Usually, I ignore messages because they’re just wrong numbers looking for the wrong person.
“Alessia!”
A familiar voice calls out for me, a voice that belongs to a Navy SEAL.
I look up to find Zeke Akana entering Chrome Beans, still in his uniform like he just got off work. He has a wide smile pulling at his lips. His dark hair is cut short, and he’s clean-shaven. His dark brown eyes light up when he spots me sitting two tables away from the door. I return the smile with an awkward, shy one.
Zeke and I have been friends for years.He’s been flirting with me for two of them, and recently, his persistence has a new edge to it. It might be because he hasn’t seen Violet since she returned to Texas.
We became friends when Ravenmore hosted a BBQ for my high-school graduation party, and that’s where I met SEAL Team Executioners Paul Alvarez and his team. Paul Alvarez died almost two years ago, but his imprint is still felt throughout the community.
My heart sinks as another dreadful familiar face follows behind Zeke.
Frankie.
Frankie is an ex-sailor who had multiple violations in his short career and was thrown out of the Navy.
We went to high school together, and somehow, he’s weaseled his way into finding a friendship with Zeke.
There’s a reason why I cringe whenever he’s in the same vicinity as me. He’s harassed me multiple times whenever we catch ourselves at El Devine at the same time.
They both stalk towards me, and my heart thumps against my rib cage. Frankie has a creepy grin on display. He’s balding, with a few strands of hair left, and he is wearing a baggy jacket and jeans.
I close my book, ready to leave, wanting to get as far away from Frankie as possible. I’m sure he won’t try anything publicly, especially in front of Zeke. Still, I wouldn’t put it past him to try.
“Zeke. What’s up?” I scoot out of my chair, grabbing my things slowly. “I was just leaving.”
I startle him unintentionally. He pauses, stopping merely a meter away from me, with his hands ready to help me in any way I need.
“Leaving already?”
“Yeah…” I quip faster than my tongue can keep up. “I gotta get home. I was just stopping by for a quick coffee.”
They both continue to watch me, and I take a step forward, but Zeke gets in front of me, blocking me from the doors.
“You look sad. Why the sad face? Trouble in paradise again?” His question throws me off. A whip of deja vu hits me, and a frown replaces my shy smile. Whoever this unknown person is asked me the same thing.
What a coincidence.
He knows about Jack, and he’s always held a slight jealous cloud over my relationship. I’ve opened up to him about past arguments drunkenly at El Devine—something I regret doing.
“Oh, uh,” I shrug, “I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’m getting deployed, but I’m sure you know that. We’ll be working together the last time I checked.”
“Right… We leave in just a few days. I’m looking forward to it. It’s your first deployment, right?” Zeke finally moves, and I can feel Frankie’s eyes burning holes in my back. Zeke holds open the door for me at Chrome Beans.
It is my first deployment. I went through multiple schools to get to this point in my career. Jumping through several challenging hoops, and I’m excited to domy job. At the same time, I’m well aware of the dangers and risks. The brutality of war has my nerves in knots, but I’m confident about what I signed myself up for.
“Yup,” one foot is outside, ready to dart out to my car, but I turn to give Zeke a proper goodbye. He doesn’t deserve the cold shoulder I’m giving his friend.
“Are you going to El Devine before we head out? You know one last party?” He asks as he puts his hands in his pockets. I shrug.
Gabe asked me the same thing earlier. Gabe is the owner of El Devine and used to be a Navy SEAL but medically retired two years ago. After he retired, he opened up his own business, and that’s when El Devine was born. It sits about five minutes from the Navy base, and sailors and marines are about 90% of its customers.
