Page 33 of Honey, Honey
“You said it was a woman,” she said, wagging a finger at me and I blushed hot. I shifted my bag higher on my shoulder and ducked my head.
“I ran into that friend after dinner.” Was all I said, but Juana’s eyes narrowed at me and I knew she’d probably heard way more than I would have ever wanted her to. God, this is why I went to the Cairn and didn't bring men back to my apartment. Juana would have a fucking heart attack if she knew what I got up to. Last night had been tame. My skin prickled and I remembered Law ordering me to keep my hands flat to the table. Okay, last night was tamer than some, but not all.
I backed away towards the stairs wanting to be anywhere but standing around chatting to my sweet neighbor lady who had probably heard me cum on Law’s face last night. And all of it during a thunderstorm that should have let me scream bloody murder and get away with it. Shit. Just how fucking loud had I been? “I gotta run, Juana. I have a-”
“Well, he must be a good friend if he got the lights fixed this morning, mija,” she said, and I froze, one hand reaching out to steady myself on the banister.
“My what—he did what?” I managed to splutter out. Juana padded out into the hallway, wearing a lilac housecoat and fuzzy funny slippers that swished when she walked. She pointed a bony hand above us towards the lights and I followed her finger to see that the old fluorescents and their cheap metal coverings were gone. In their place were sleek new LED track lighting that ran the length of the hallway. I turned to see that not only were the lights replaced in the hall but also all down the stairwell.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, leaning over the banister to see that the lights went all the way down to the ground floor. “He couldn’t have.”
“He did. He must really like you,” Juana said, coming to stand beside me. She smiled hopefully at me and patted my shoulder. “Tell him thank you, will you? It was so nice for him to do it. They came early and were very quiet.”
“How do you know my, ah, that my friend did it?”
“Because the work men asked for you when I wanted to know what was going on.” Her hands went to her hips and she drew her small frame up, making me laugh. Of course Juana had wanted to know just what the hell was going on and who had ordered it, even if it was an improvement to the building. She was always in the know about stuff like that. “Said that it was for Honey, courtesy of,” she paused and scrunched up her face, biting her lip, “Ay, mija, como se dice el nombre de su novio?”
Novio.
Fuck. Why was she pushing for me to get a man so badly? Didn’t she know that relationships were just a mess? That they could leave you scared and looking over your shoulder? Questioning your own perception until you were so messed up you were angry his new woman didn’t look like you?
Didn’t Juana know?
“He’s my friend,” I replied, batting away her word choice with the deftness of a tennis pro.
Juana rolled her eyes. “Friend. Novio. He sounds Russian.”
Yup. It had been Law all right. Sokolov was as Russian as it got around here.
“A mister Justice Soko-love?” she tried.
I burst into a belly laugh. “Close.”
She shrugged and looked up, giving the new lighting a happy smile. “Tell him thank you,” she said again, hands clasped against the pretty lilac of her house dress.
I nodded and gave her a fake smile, because I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was never seeing Law again. She looked too happy for me to tell her the truth.
“Of course. I’ll tell him.”
“Bueno, bueno.” She clapped her hands and then gave me a push. “Go on, or you’ll be late for work. You’re always rushing around. It’s bad for you.”
I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’m fine,” I told her, but I let her fuss. I liked it when she did. She waved me off and I hurried down the stairs, my eyes on the lighting the entire way down so much that I almost fell twice because I missed a step. I don’t know why I was so focused on the new lights. It’s not like there was going to be a note from Law attached to one of them. I pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, phone out and checking the directions to my shift in Tribeca. It was only a five minute walk from the Cairn which would make tonight easier.
Thank god.
The walk to the subway was quick, the routine of the transit lulling me into an almost meditative trance. It was easy for me to zone out, go on autopilot and I welcomed it, letting the calm rush over me. My thoughts seemed to be nothing if not obsessed with bouncing between Law and Christian. The less I thought about either man the better.
When I arrived for my shift at the coffee shop, a trendy little spot with zero counter space but a steady supply of heavy tippers from what I remembered, I was happier. My smile was still brittle during my shift but as each hour crept by it relaxed some. The knowledge that my escape was that much closer edged me towards manic. At the end of my shift, I was practically bouncing off the walls, my blood singing in my veins with energy. My smile was infectious and all of the customers I spoke to left with more pep in their step. I knew I’d be getting a direct request through the app the next time the owner, Sally, needed a fill in.
“Always a pleasure, Honey.” She smiled at me in the genuine way someone did when they wanted you around, and I liked that. It made it easier for me to imagine what it might be like if I did take the job with Tiffany at A Different Brew. I pulled out my phone and glanced at our messages from the night before. She’d let me know she was home and we had texted for a minute or so before she’d most likely fallen into a drunken slumber. I, on the other hand, had just really started my sobbing and brooding for the night.
‘How you feeling today?’I texted her.
She replied nearly instantly.‘Amazing. That driver was smoking hot and that car drove like butter.’
I smiled down at my phone while I walked.‘I’m glad you enjoyed the ride home.’
‘It was fucking awesome! I can’t wait to get plastered around yourfiancéagain ;)
