Page 6 of Cherish

Melanie is never one to mince words or hold back on her feelings. Fiercely loyal, you always know where she stands.

“I don’t want to talk about her. And since when do you think I’m a good guy? You hated me for a decade.”

“I was jealous of you because of our toxic parents. I never hated you. Come on, smarty-pants, come help me unpack. Can you lug my air mattress from my trunk? It will have to do until I can afford furniture.”

I lie down on the couch and cover my face with both hands. “I’m tired and still hungover.”

But Mellie doesn’t care. She grabs my hand and I let her exert herself by trying to pull me up. After several attempts, I get up and follow her to her room.

“As you can see, it’s just a few stops on the red line. And I’m going to pat myself on the back for buying a house within walking distance of the train. Thanks to gentrification, my property value has already increased,” I say to Mellie as we take the walk from the Charles/MGH stop to the hospital. She’s in awe as she holds onto my arm. We cross the street at the stoplight, and I point.

“That’s Bean Town Cafe. Amazing breakfast and lunch. The owner’s pretty nice, too.” I take a glance through the window and stop short when I see a woman sitting inside. I can’t see her face completely, but from her side profile, her skin appears to be flawless. Her lips are a pale pink as she stares across the room. I can’t see who or what she’s looking at, but her gaze is focused. She purses her lips as if she’s deciding on what to do. It’s as if she’s stopped breathing. After a while, she exhales, wipes her lips with her napkin, and stands up. She walks to the back of the restaurant toward the bathroom and out of my sight.

When I turn back to Mellie, she’s looking at me with her eyebrows arched. “She’s cute,” she says.

“You think so? Then you should go talk to her,” I tell her. She hooks her arm through mine again and we continue our walk to the hospital.

“She doesn’t have the right equipment to keep me satisfied.”

I step inside the elevator after walking Mellie to her new office, and just as the doors are about to close, I remember Mel’s wallet is in my bag. I stick my hand through the closing doors and step out at the same time I’m trying to pull the heavy wallet out of my backpack.

I take two steps out of the elevator when I collide with another body. The wallet goes flying out of my hand and the other person drops down to pick up a fallen bouquet of flowers at the same time that I bend down to do the same thing.

We’re at eye level, and I’m lost into the clearest pair of gray eyes I’ve ever seen. When I hand her the flowers, our hands touch and the unexpected sensation of her hand against mine almost causes me to lose my balance and fall over.

I know who she is immediately. It’s the girl from the restaurant. Her dark curly hair with the light highlights gives her away.

She smiles at me, revealing deep dimples on each cheek, perfect white teeth, and soft pink lips that blend with her fair skin.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft but concerned. She stands up and offers me her hand. When I put my much bigger hand in hers, my body awakens, and I’m jolted back to reality. I stand up more clumsily than I normally would.

She smiles at me again, shyly, prettily, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

With my hand still holding onto hers, I take her in. She’s of average height and build. She has on a long skirt with flowers and a blouse tucked into the skirt. The giant belt around her waist gives her a tapered look. She smiles again and pulls her hand out of mine, leaving me feeling empty.

“Are you okay?” she repeats, slower this time.

I nod and point at her in an attempt to ask her if she’s okay.

“I’m not the one who fell on my ass,” she sasses. She walks around, takes a few steps then opens the door to an office, leaving me standing there like an idiot. After a few seconds, I snap out of my trance, pick up Mel’s wallet, and follow her inside.

I find Mel in the middle of the room talking with another female. I watch as she’s introduced to the woman I just met. The woman from the hallway turns and catches my eye and gives me that same smile that reached me all the way into my soul.

I stop breathing as she breaks away from the group and walks over to me. It’s as if all the air has left the room. The only sound is my heartbeat and the pounding of the blood between my ears as she walks over.

My eyes roam her body, but they end up on her ample breasts, which are securely contained in her buttoned-down shirt.

“Are you lost?” she asks as she approaches.

I know what I want to say, but the words won’t come out of my mouth. I open my mouth to speak but promptly close it. Like an idiot, I hold up the wallet and wave it in the air.

“Can I help you find someplace?” She talks slowly, enunciating each word. She offers me a soothing smile, almost as if she’s trying to reassure me that I can trust her. “Do you want me to call someone for you?” she asks, dropping her voice to a soothing whisper.

I catch Mellie’s eye as she stands with another woman with a nose ring. Mellie crosses her arms over her chest, arches an eyebrow at me, and waits for me to speak. She has a smug look on her face as she watches the scene before her.

The angel in front of me turns away, and I’m still unable to form a word.

“I think he’s lost,” she says, her attempt at whispering failing miserably. She looks at me again. Despite knowing that I’m standing there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open, I can’t seem to move or speak.

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