Page 12 of Accidentally Mine
“Thanks,” I said, tapping the side of my head.“It’s gonna be one of those days.”
One of those days…like all the rest of them.Wandering through the random blank spaces my mind left for me, with no idea where the fuck to go.That was my life in a nutshell, since the accident.
“I feel you, honey,” she said, sauntering to the register after I laid a twenty down on the check.
I glanced at a story in theGlobewhich had given me an idea for the new apparatus we were going to begin testing in the fall.I pulled out my phone and opened up my Memory Key.
The Memory Key was as important to me as one of my limbs these days.Since I started back to work, I’d modified it to give me reminders of upcoming dates and names and important ideas I couldn’t forget.Without my Key, I was lost.
As I leaned over to take a sip of my coffee, the bell over the door jingled and a woman walked in.
My fingers loosened on the open newspaper, and it dipped to the counter as I did a double-take.A mess of blonde curls were pulled up under a navy-blue Red Sox cap.She was wearing dark sunglasses, leggings and a giant sweater over whatever curves she might have had.The overall effect gave off the idea that she was trying hard to hide, especially when she tucked herself into a corner booth.
Except she wasn’t quite pulling that off.I couldn’t stop looking at her.
Folding the newspaper into fourths, I watched as she pulled a laptop out of her bag and set it in front of her.She slipped the sunglasses off her nose and looked around carefully, her eyes somehow missing mine as she scraped her top teeth over her bottom lip, drawing it into her mouth.Looking more confident now, she leaned forward and shrugged off her cardigan.
The waitress went over to her and greeted her like an old friend.“I know I can interest you in crepes,” Anita said, giving her a napkin rolled around silverware and setting down a mug on the table.“Blueberry, chocolate, or cherry cheese are the specials of the day.”
I couldn’t seem to stop staring at the woman.I’d lived in this city a long time, since I’d moved here for MIT, and never left.I’d hopped neighborhoods, from a dorm in Cambridge to an apartment in the Back Bay to my current home in Beacon Hill.I knew this city pretty well, thought I’d seen every type of person there was to see.
ButI’d never seen anyone like her before.Fucked up memory or not, I’d remember those pretty heart-shaped lips and that flawless pale skin.She was absolutely stunning, enough so to make my every pore gasp in surprise, and my cock stand at attention.
“You know me,” the woman said in a sweet, high-pitched voice, smiling brightly at Anita as she filled her mug with coffee.“Chocolate, please.”
At the lilt of her voice, I found myself in the grip of a strange sense of déjà vu.There was something vaguely familiar about the sound of her voice.
And her face.Her eyes.A unique color of blue.Had I seen her before?
No.If I had, I’d remember.I was sure of it.It was probably my memory, pulling a fast one on me once again.Though that didn’t seem quite right, either.My memory was prone to crapping out on me, creating black holes.
I found myself leaning forward, almost falling off of my stool.Even if I hadn’t seen her before…I wanted to know her.I wanted her to look my way.To see me.
Anita sashayed by in her short skirt and apron, and I raised a finger to her, beckoning her over.
“Yes, honey?”
“Hey,” I said, my eyes never leaving the familiar woman as she began to tap away frantically at her computer.Writing a thesis for school, possibly.There was no shortage of college students in this city.“Do you know who that woman is?”
“Oh, her?”Anita shook her head and lowered her voice.“She’s a little mystery.She started coming here about four days ago.I think she might be a private detective, trying to track down clues on a big case.A female Sherlock Holmes.”
I gave Anita a doubtful look.
She was tapping her chin thoughtfully.“Also, a writer.I think she’s writing a book.”
That seemed more likely.“A book?And you know this because…”
“Because I may have snooped and seen a page or two.She’s good.Plus, she’s always looking around.Like she’s up to no good.Either that or she’s looking for characters to put into her book.I think I might be the main character.”
I tried to look impressed.“You’re observant.”
She grinned.“I don’t just serve croissants, honey.I give all my regular customers life stories,” she said brightly.“You’re a dashing and debonair businessman who owns a chain of gyms.”
I raised an eyebrow.“How’d you come up with that?”
“Because I can never tempt you with my specials and you’re always reading the Health or the Business section of theGlobe.Plus, I’ve never seen you in anything but a suit.”
I laughed.“I’ve been coming here since I was seven.And back then, I didn’t wear a suit, and I did take advantage of the donuts.Trust me.”
