Page 13 of Pretend
I have a boyfriend.
I have a boyfriend.
I. Have. A. Boyfriend.
“I don’t do well with small spaces.” This isn’t good. Nausea slithers into my senses, and I can feel myself turn green at the thought of being stuck here for hours.
I get anxious with small rooms and spaces, even at doctors’ offices or MRI machines. Having to be still in tight medical machinery always makes me nervous. Don’t even get me started on planes.
“Don’t worry, Valentine. They’ll find us.” The stranger reassures me.
My heart sinks, and my eyebrows crease inwards. I tear my eyes away from the elevator buttons and look at him leaning on the wall, one leg over the other and crossing his arms. I only see two light eyes piercing through my brown ones.
“How’d you know my name?”
I’m on edge after my apartment was shot at. The police didn’t find any leads but advised us to stay at someone else’s for the night. But with my busy deployment schedule, I’m hopeful the police will find out who it is so Jack can sleep in our bedroom peacefully.
He doesn’t say anything in return. He doesn’t have to. His eyes say it all when they dip down to my chest and then up to my lips...
The way he studied my chest and lips sent a wave of unfamiliar heat I hadn’t felt in a long time from a man who hides behind a black mask. So, I do what I do best when I get overwhelmed by something that’s out of my routine: I hide. I pretend like it’s not happening.
I look down at my chest and realize how stupid I am.
My name tag sits below my collarbone on my uniform.
Valentín
“Oh, duh. It’s…Valentín by the way.”
“Sure.” He nods, and the skin around his lashes creases, indicating a sinful smile that creeps into his features. I just know it.
“Ms. Valentine.” He finishes darkly.
5
ALESSIA
After sendingHenry a few texts letting him know I was stuck in the elevator, he rounded up a team to get the elevator working again.
It would just take an hour or two.
This is excruciating.
I didn’t know what to say or do to the stranger next to me, so I started reading an E-Book to pass the time. As I finished another chapter, it dawned on me.
I’m reminded I’m trapped in a small space.
I am trapped in an elevator with vaguely mysterious eyes that look like I was transported into a frozen winter wonderland.
He hasn't said a word to me since calling me Valentine. We both chose opposite corners and settled into our own bubbles of seclusion while we waited for our rescuers.
My mind drifted to Iraq and how I would be getting space from Jack and his drunken nights.
Thank God.
I love him—I do—but I know something is wrong. Maybe we can salvage it. Perhaps he’ll change. I’ve been with him since I was eighteen, and I'm afraid of losing him entirely. A part of me wants to give it more time, and maybe our relationship will grow stronger with space.
I realize I’m no longer concentrating on my phone or the story about a small-town romance. So, I dare to take a peek at the SEAL in the corner.
