Page 36 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

I nodded and kept looking around. I was fascinated by the bright colors down the street and the artwork on every wall.

“The bathroom is down the hall. If you need anything, my room is next to yours.”

“Wait, you never told me your name.”

“Yoselin.”

“Thank you, Yoselin.” I grinned.

She smiled and walked away. I turned back to the window and took a deep breath. I already loved it here. Maybe it was the bright colors uplifting my mood and taming the darkness inside of me.

I walked to the door and tried to close it, but it only closed halfway. I ignored it and lay on the bed. I placed my palms on my baby bump and sighed softly. I couldn’t hide the truth from them. Soon, the bump would be visible to everyone, and I was hoping Mrs. Rodriguez wouldn’t kick me out when she found out I was pregnant.

My phone rang, and I reached for it quickly. I stretched my swollen legs as I answered Belvina’s call.

“When are you coming back? It’s been two months. I thought you meant two weeks when you said you were going on a long vacation.”

I was quiet, not sure of what to tell her. I didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.

“Chloe?”

“I still need some time,” I whispered.

“I miss you,” she cried.

“I miss you too.”

“Is everything okay? Are you having fun, too much fun that you don’t wanna come back?”

“I just wanna be away from everything,” I admitted.

“I get it. Just let me know when to expect you. I miss you yelling at the TV when we are watching a show. It’s lonely without you,” she said.

“I wish you were here, Vee,” I whispered into the phone. My throat itched to tell her the truth, to let her know it’d been hell and I wasn’t having the time of my life. “I miss you too. I promise I will come back.”

“Fine. Now, tell me the places you’ve visited. Any pictures? Why won’t you let me FaceTime you?”

I did what I’d been doing for months—make up stories.

***

I started my job at the flower shop. Yoselin taught me how to arrange and package the flowers in different vases and baskets. It took me a while to understand the color schemes when making a bouquet. I enjoyed working here, meeting people from different backgrounds, watching tourists walk in here and admire the bouquets on display outside, and listening to Yoselin gossip about some of the customers with her mother.

Some days, I tried to hide the stress and ache of standing all day. I was saving some money for my antenatal. I knew I was behind on checking the baby’s health. The baby had been kicking a lot. The first time it’d happened at the dining room, I gasped, getting everyone’s attention. I had to cover it up with a cough.

Friday, I was watering some of the flowers packaged in cute woven baskets while Yoselin attended to some tourists who seemed happy to find someone who could speak English. Some guy arrived with some boxes, probably containing flower food. Yoselin left the tourists and went to see him.

I wanted to look away, but somehow, my eyes kept finding him. He smiled softly at her, the type that lit up his eyes and made his lips curl so beautifully. His perfect white teeth glistened from here. I concluded he had an attractive mouth. His wavy, shoulder-length raven hair suited his sharp jawline and angular face. He looked like the guy you would see on a romance novel cover. I looked away quickly when he suddenly turned, as if he had felt my intense gaze on him. I grabbed an empty vase to arrange some flowers inside and put them outside for sale.

I could tell they were now talking about me because I heard my name. Soon, I heard footsteps, and an earthy and citrus scent hit my nose.

“Hi,” I heard beside me.

I turned to the tall frame towering over me. His brown eyes stared down at me, a small smile plastered on his face.

“Hey,” I said and turned away. I wiped my wet hand on the apron tied around my waist.

“I’m Javier,” he said.

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