Authors: N.L. Echeverria
I tuck the cell phone in my purse and open the door to the coffee shop, hearing the bells on the door chime as it closes. Looking around I don’t see Eric so I decide to order a black coffee and I find a table off to the side near a window. It doesn’t take long before I hear the bells on the front door again and I look up catching Eric’s brilliant green eyes peering at me. He’s white teeth showing through the grin on his face. His blonde hair mangled and sexy and I can see the ripples of his muscles through his white shit. His tan skin glistens in the light of the sun. I wouldn’t doubt if my jaw is on the ground right now. He’s stunning. I notice now that he has a tattoo on his forearm. I hadn’t noticed it the last time. I may have been in shock. He walks over to my table and I stand doing my best to control my shaky legs and he leans into me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a hug. As my cheek is pressed against his chest I inhale him and my knees almost buckle. He leans down kissing my cheek before releasing me from his grasp. He touches me as if he’s been doing it the last ten years. The feel of his body close to mine seems as if no time has passed at all.
“You look gorgeous, Steph,” he says looking me up and down. I’ve still got my sun glasses on in an effort to hide my bruise. His eyes linger on my hand longer than what I would like, but he doesn’t say anything.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Eric,” I compliment, teasingly and subconsciously placing my hand on his abs and once I touch him my face flushes pink with the heat that surges through my veins. I drop my hand doing my best not to show my reaction, but he grabs my wrist and holds my hand up to his chest.
“I’ve missed you so much, Steph.”
Now I’m red! I quickly pull away and sit down. He follows my movements and pulls the chair from the opposite side of the small round table over by me and he takes a seat as his knee rubs against my leg. I look down at my cup of coffee, taking a sip, afraid that if I gaze at him I might lose all control. I study the tattoo that appears on his arm and trails up and under his shirt. Thick dark designs that make me want to trace the lines with my fingers and find out where they lead to. It’s beautiful and fits perfectly on his muscular forearm.
“Stephanie?”
I look up to meet those brilliant green eyes. “Yes?”
He reaches up to my face and before I know it he’s pulling off my sun glasses. “What the fuck! What the hell happened?” his voice echo’s in the small coffee shop and has everyone staring at us. I attempt to snatch my glasses from him, but he pulls away quicker.
Shit!
I didn’t realize it looked that bad!
“Nothing, Eric,” I grit through my teeth, angry with embarrassment. However I’m not angry with him, I’m angry with myself for letting it happen. He peers at my bandaged hand again, then glaring back at me with fiery in his eyes and I duck my head in fear. I know that rage. I know it in Travis, too well.
“And your hand? Is that nothing too, Stephanie?” he whispers this time, but the anger still seeps through his voice. “I swear to God if he hurt you, Stephanie… I will fucking kill him!”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?” I whisper back, praying to God he won’t push the issue.
“Okay,” he replies calmly. “For now.”
I sigh in relief I feel the tension in him ease and his eyes become warmer as he looks at me. “I’m sorry, Steph. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just don’t know what I would do if someone was hurting you.”
“Do you want a coffee?” I ask changing the subject.
“Actually I can’t this time. My trainer is getting hard on me with the fight coming up and all. So nothing goes in my mouth unless it’s to better my health.” He winks and my gaze falls to his full lips and the memory of them on me, tasting me. “The coffee was for your pleasure and so I can admire the way your lips look every time you bring your cup to them, I love watching your mouth as it parts and presses against the rim.”
His eyes now on my mouth, a chill runs up my back, “Eric?”
“Yes?” His gaze moving up to meet mine.
“We can’t be more than friends,” I blurt out needing the reassurance from him that this is all it is.
“You’re married,” he replies. No agreement just a statement as if it’s the only thing defining the fact that we’re friends.
“Yes,” I reply not knowing how to respond.
“Tell me Stephanie, tell me why you never called me?”
Looking into his beautiful eyes I have to give him an explanation. I never realized how much I hurt him. I always thought it was for the best. “I didn’t want to hurt you Eric… my dad forced me to live with my aunt and knowing I wouldn’t see you again I didn’t want to drag you into all my problems. I thought you would be better off without me. You were too good for me, Eric. You still are.”
He inte
rrupts before I can continue, “don’t ever say that! You’re beautiful, smart and full of so much love. Any man would be lucky to just be in your presence. You have to see yourself for more and stop letting the shit your dad told you hold you down. He was a prick, Steph. Everything he ever said to you was bullshit. He was a drunken asshole and that’s what you need to take him as. I told you this, ten years ago! I told you to get away from him and yet you still let his words get to you. Don’t you see how wonderful you are?”
Shyly I look down to my lap and he grabs my c
hin pulling it up so that our eyes meet. “And this,” he says rubbing his thumb along the bruise on my face, “this is something you should never allow to happen. I know he did this to you, Steph. You can’t lie to me. I can help you… let me help you.”
I pull away and his hand drops back to the table
. “Travis is my husband and everything he does is to help me… protect me. He means well, Eric.”
“So he hi
ts you because he means well?” his anger surfacing in his voice.
“I don’t want to talk about Travis and me. Please tell me what you’ve been doing over the years. What’s it like being a fighter?”
“Fine, Steph. Have it your way. I’ll pretend like nothing happened to you, but I swear to god if anything happens again I will find him and kill him,” he grits through his teeth and I wince at his remark, but do my best not to show any reaction. How can he just step back into my life and feel like he can pick up where we left off ten years ago? He doesn’t know anything about my life or my marriage. At the same time though, the attraction, the love, the need that was between us before is still there. I feel it in every look I get from him. I feel it every time he touches me. It’s as if no time has passed at all.
“Now as far as what I’ve been doing over the years…
I barely made it through high school without you and once I graduated my parents sent me to a four year university. Like I told you the other day I started fighting underground for money and my name got out there and in my junior year I got a call from the MMA asking me to fight for them. I agreed. Being undefeated it didn’t take long to make it up to the big time. I’m now fighting for the UFC. Fighting is an outlet for me. When I lost you I had so much anger built up and fighting was a constructive way to release it. Too many times I smashed people’s faces in out of peer anger. In the ring I can still do it, but it’s organized and I can’t go to jail for beating people up. I finished college and have been fighting full time ever since. I love it and wouldn’t want to do anything else. I’m good at it.”
“That’s amazing
, Eric. I would love to be able to see you fight,” I respond thinking about how he must look with his shirt off and my eyes trail over his chest.
“You can
, Steph! I fight next month. I would love if you came with me.”
“I would like that too
, but I don’t know if it’s possible. I’ll check and see what I can do.” I take another sip of my coffee and imagine Travis’ reaction if I asked permission to watch a live UFC fight and to specifically watch an ex-boyfriend. He would have a fit.
“Great!
And what about you? Tell me what you’ve been doing. You still talking to your dad?’
“I don’t talk to him much; maybe once or twice a year.
Same with my mom. They’re still wrapped up in their drama and he’s still drinking. I only call to check in. Make sure they’re okay. Mostly to make sure he hasn’t put my mom in the hospital. I finished high school while living with my aunt and then started working right away. I got an office job which I really enjoyed. It allowed me to save some money and move out on my own. I haven’t really done a whole lot. I worked and spent a lot of time by myself. I had a few friends but then that I really enjoyed being around outside of work. I met Travis almost three years ago now. He was sweet when we first met. We dated for about nine months before he asked me to marry him. I said yes. Obviously. We’ve been married for just over two years now. I don’t work anymore. He insists on taking care of me,” I whisper the last part not wanting to give too much away about my marriage. I hate talking about it because whenever I say the way Travis is, it makes him sound so bad.
“I don’t know anything about your husband or your marriage
, but I want you to know I’m not going anywhere and if you ever need anything please let me know. I’m here for you; always have been.”
“Thank you
, Eric. Travis and I have our problems like all marriages, but everything he does is to protect me. I know sometimes he can be a little overbearing, but it’s for the best.”
“Are you happy
, Steph?” he asks and I hold my breath not sure how to respond. I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that before. I don’t even know if I’m happy.
“Most of the time.”
It’s all I can think to say. I can’t lie to Eric.
“That’s not enough. You need to be happy all the time.” He grabs my small hands placing them in his. “I wish you would’ve given me the chance to make you happy.”
Tears reach the corners of my eyes because deep down I wish the same thing. I wish I c
ould have stayed with him. Moved back with him once I graduated, but I didn’t. I didn’t because I knew I’d only bring pain with me. I can see the beauty in him and I don’t want to be the one to destroy it.
“Life happens
, Eric.”
“Yeah…
it does,” he sighs dropping my hands. “You want get out of here? Go somewhere more private?”
“I…
I don’t know if I should.”
“I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself,” he replies throwing his h
ands up in the air in surrender. “Just friends.”
Butterflies swarm in my stomach
, but I can’t help it, I want to go with him. “Okay.”
He stands grabbing my hand helping me up.
Keeping our fingers linked as we walk out the front door of the coffee shop and I get this feeling, deep down that my life is about to change. I put my sunglasses on as he walks me down the sidewalk passing several businesses on our way.
Before I know it he
comes to a sudden stop. Turning to me as he looks me over and I’m unsure what he’s doing, what he’s thinking, but I definitely know it can’t be good because all I see in his eyes is desire. He doesn’t say a word grabbing me by my hips pulling me into him as he backs up into the alley between two buildings. I gasp in shock at his sudden movement. He turns to the building pinning me against the wall, the cold brick chilling my back. He places both his large hands on the wall behind me as he hovers in close. Trapping me between him and the wall my heart rate speeds up and I feel it pounding in my chest.
“I can’t take it! I’ve been craving you ever since I saw you
the other day. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you disappeared ten years ago! I need you, Steph. I’m sorry…” he says leaning in and my eyes widen in realization of what he’s about to do. I want him. I want his lips on mine, but I’m married!
“Eric…” I barely get out before his lips meet mine. He stops, not moving and his mouth lingers only an inch away
from me. “I can’t,” I exhale.
His head drops as he backs up l
etting go of the wall behind me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn’t put you in a situation like this. I think you were right, it’s not a good idea for us to be alone,” his voice is low and husky and I’m still struggling to catch my breath.
“Maybe I should go?”
I ask, not wanting to leave, but knowing it’s for the best.
“I’m sorry
, Steph,” he says, fear now in his voice as he leans back towards me grabbing my hips. “It won’t happen again. Please don’t say we can’t be friends. I have to be able to see you.”
“I don’t know if I could
survive not being able to talk to you, Eric. I just think maybe I should go. Let things cool down. We’ll see each other again.”