Page 33 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
It’s difficult to witness, but I tell myself that the best thing I can do is to make sure she knows she’s not alone, get her whatever she needs whenever she needs it, and let her live in whatever reality she’s in at any given time. Including not correcting her when she references the wrong decade.
“Okay, thank you, Carter. When will I see you again?” Her voice is distant.
“I’ll see you in two days,” I tell her. “I love you.”
“Love you too, dear. Take care,” she says, then hangs up.
The doctor mentioned that board games help with brain function and feeling more secure despite the vastness of her mind’s confusion.
I take a deep breath and begin walking toward the escalator. I’m looking forward to being home for the next few days before flying back out on Monday.
I wonder what Lina’s schedule is like for the next few days and if she’d be up for going on another run together. I can’t get her out of my head, especially after havingher so close to being wrapped in my arms at the park. She likes to play coy with her flirtatious and cheeky remarks when we’re together, but we both know there’s an intense attraction there.
“Are you going home, Captain Hernandez?” Annabelle, a familiar face from our airline, warmly smiles from only a few stairs behind me.
“I am. What about you?” I ask casually, walking off the escalator and toward the double doors to the sky train.
“Just getting home as well. Any plans for this weekend?” she asks in a sweet, high-pitched voice.
Annabelle is a flight attendant who I had a flirty exchange with a couple of months ago in Ontario. We were out for drinks on that trip with a few others from our flight crew. Annabelle is nice to look at. She has long blonde hair, large, bright eyes, and a bubbly personality.
Later that night, she invited me to her room. I almost went but couldn’t get Lina’s face out of my mind. What would she have thought about me hooking up with someone we’d both worked with? It shouldn’t have mattered what Lina thought back then, but it did to me.Why anyone else when Lina exists?I turned Annabelle down, and ever since then, she’s tried to pick up where we left off.
“I have a few.” I’m vague with my answer, trying not to give her an opening to ask me to hang out.
“Is it possible that any of them could include me?” she asks bashfully.
I wish I were more into her, but I’m not.
“I would love to, but I have things to do.” I let her down softly.
“I’m starting to think you’re not into me, Carter,” she replies, focusing on the tile at her feet.
I cock my head to the side, then rest a comforting hand on her arm. “It’s not you.”
“Someone else then?” She pulls her lip between her bottom teeth.
From the corner of my eye, I see Lina ascending the escalator only a few feet away from us. Annabelle has her back turned in that direction, but I’m facing Lina fully. She captures my gaze. Her eyes widen as I catch a steep rise in her chest before they drop to my hand, gently clutching Annabelle’s arm.Oh fuck.
I release my hand immediately. Annabelle senses my distraction and whips her head around to see Lina standing about ten feet away from us, staring in our direction.
Her shoulders straighten. “Oh, I see.”
I drag my eyes away from Lina’s and back to Annabelle, but I’m speechless. What do I say? What can I say? I owe neither of these women an explanation, but I feel like I do because Lina looks bothered.
I blink a couple of times. “Lina’s my partner for the charity run.”
“Of course she is,” Annabelle says sarcastically, flashing me a weak smile.
Her comment barely sounds like background noise. I need to speak with Lina. She should know there is nothing between Annabelle and me.
“It was nice talking to you.” I smile, then pat her shoulder. “Have a good weekend.”
“It all makes sense now.” She brings a palm to the side of myface. “She’s a lucky girl to be partnered with you. But women like Lina get everything they want, don’t they?”
“I don’t understand,” I reply, moving my face away.
Annabelle shakes her head, glances over her shoulder, and glares at Lina. “Never mind.”
