Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits)

I can’t believe this dude paid me two hundred bucks to trail his boring wife for a week. The woman is so dull, I can’t imagine where she’d meet anyone who she could possibly cheat on him with. She goes for a run every single morning, and then she heads to the grocery store downtown. Next she goes home, prepares food in front of the large kitchen window, after which she watches TV, again by a large window. Some days, this woman doesn’t even go to the grocery store and just has her groceries delivered.

Honestly, this guy would’ve been better off buying a home security system. He’d quickly realize that she rarely leaves the house. It’s the easiest job I’ve ever taken, and I kind of wish it wasn’t so easy, because he promised me he’d pay me five hundred bucks if I could find proof of her cheating on him.

I sigh and stretch my legs, ready for the run she’ll be going on any minute now. This lady leaves the house at exactly ten in the morning, every single day. She’s not much of an early riser, but she sticks to her schedules. I snap a pic of her when she walks out of the house and text it to her husband, letting her get a head start before I run after her.

She runs the exact same trail every single day, but today she deviates, and it doesn’t sit well with me. I started taking on these kinds of jobs a year ago, and word quickly spread about how good I am at remaining invisible as I trail people, how easy it is for me to get to the core of clients’ requests. The more I do this, the quicker I can tell when something is wrong. Today, something is definitely wrong. If I’m lucky, this deviation is going to earn me the big bucks.

She slows her pace and waves at a man seated on one of the benches in the park, and I smile to myself as I disappear between the trees, my phone ready to take photos. She sits down next to him, and he hands her a paper coffee cup. In return, she leans in and kisses him.

I snap a picture, equal parts happy and annoyed at this new development. Is nothing sacred anymore these days? Why get married if you’re just going to cheat on each other? I sigh as I snap a few more photos of the couple, part of me wishing she’d turned out to be just as boring as I thought she was. I send the photos to her husband, and he replies almost instantly, promising to wire me the money before the day is over.

I’m in a shit mood as I walk back through the park, reminded of my stepmother. I rarely think of her these days, but these types of cases always bring her to mind. She’d been cheating on my father throughout the last few years of his life, and he knew it. It still doesn’t make sense that he cut me out of his will and left everything to her, and I’m determined to get to the bottom of it. I may not have the resources that I need right now, but eventually I will. One day, I’ll take back everything that I lost. Every single thing.

“No!”

My head snaps up at the sound of a familiar voice, and I frown when I see Alanna with a boy her age. What is she doing at the park on a weekday? Shouldn’t she be at school?

I’ve been avoiding her lately. Against my advice, she started volunteering once a week, and from what I understand, Ricardo is doing a good job keeping her safe. She’s sought me out a few times, and each time, I’ve made up an excuse not to spend any time with her. Something about her just reminds me of everything I lost. The day I met her was also the day my life changed.

The boy leans into her, and she backs away, her body language conveying her reluctance. “Come on,” the boy coaxes her. “It’s just one kiss, and it’s just the two of us here.”

I walk up to them, but in her distress, she doesn’t even notice me. Not until I place my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t touch her,” I warn, my tone harsh.

She tenses and looks up at me, the stiffness in her body draining away when her eyes meet mine. She melts into me, and I wrap my arm around her fully.

The boy looks at me, his eyes flashing with anger. I’m all too familiar with guys like him. Entitled, snobby and bratty. I used to be him. I can pretty much guess what happened here. The two of them must have been hanging out, they might even have been seeing each other, but he’s asking more of her than she’s willing to give. It’s a good thing she’s finding out he’s such a pig sooner than later.

“Who the fuck are you? Get your hands off her.” Pretty Boy straightens his shoulders and puffs his chest, as though he’s actually readying himself to fight me. I wouldn’t put it past him. His ego is clearly bigger than his brains are.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Alanna says, pressing herself against me. I nod and tighten my grip on her, playing along.

“Stay the fuck away from my girl, or I’ll break every part of you that touches her,” I snap, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I even have any idea what I’m saying. I generally try to stay away from trouble, but I can’t today.

He looks at Alanna, but she turns away and tucks her face into my chest. I wrap my arms around her fully, covering her in my embrace. She’s shaking, and I have no doubt she’s feeling vulnerable right now. What the fuck was she thinking, finding herself alone with such a fleabag? Why the fuck does she keep putting herself in unsafe situations?

The boy looks at us one more time before he grits his teeth and walks away, stopping a few paces away. “This isn’t over, you slut.”

I tense, but Alanna fists my shirt and clenches tightly. I watch him walk away and cup the back of her head, holding her protectively. She’s so fucking small that the top of her head barely reaches my chin. How was she going to protect herself against this guy?

“Are you okay?” I ask when Pretty Boy disappears from sight.

She nods and takes a step back, but I keep my arms wrapped around her, unwilling to let her go just yet. In the last couple of years I’ve taken to caring only about myself, and nothing and no one else. Alanna awakens a protective instinct in me that I thought I’d lost.

“I’m fine,” she says, but she’s still trembling.

“We need to talk about your propensity for putting yourself in dangerous situations,” I warn her, my tone harsh.

She looks up at me, her expression so deceptively innocent yet alluring. Does she realize how beautiful she is? She’s only sixteen, and she already looks like a vixen. She’s got curves most girls her age could only dream of, and those lips of hers have me looking away, because she’s far too young for me to be thinking about that way. Then there’s her eyes. She’s got the most beautiful hazel eyes I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine what boys her age must think of her, what they’d want from her. The thought of her kissing Pretty Boy fills me with a sense of dread, and it leaves me feeling uncomfortable.

“What would you have done if he’d forced that kiss? What if he forced you to do more than that? This park is mostly deserted, Alanna. What were you thinking?”

I tighten my grip on her shoulders, resisting the urge to shake some sense into her. I get being young and reckless, but this just isn’t right. I need her to understand how wrong this could’ve gone.

“I’d have kneed him in the balls, Si.”

She’s only just about stopped shaking. Maybe she would have gathered her courage, maybe adrenaline would’ve kicked in, but what if it hadn’t?

“Try it. Try kneeing me in the balls.”

“What?”

I nod, my gaze provocative. “Try kneeing me in the balls, Alanna. Try getting away from me.” I tighten my grip on her, and she frowns.

“Remember, you asked for this,” she warns, and I smirk.

She moves her leg, trying to knee me quickly and with a sufficient amount of force, but she isn’t quite fast enough for me. Before she realizes what’s going on, I’ve twisted my body and have the leg she tried to kick me with wrapped high around my waist, my hand on her thigh. She gasps and loses her balance, but I pull her into me, her body crashing into mine.

“You can’t protect yourself against me,” I tell her. “If I wanted to kiss you right now, there’s nothing you could do about it. If I wanted to take advantage of you, my hand over your mouth to silence your screams, there’s nothing you could do about it.”

She swallows hard, her eyes on mine, our bodies far closer than I should allow. “Caleb isn’t you. I’d be able to get away from him.”

I tighten my grip on her thigh and bury my other hand in her hair, barely able to restrain my anger. “Damn right, he ain’t me. That still doesn’t excuse what happened today. You shouldn’t have to defend yourself at all, I know that, but the world isn’t as pretty as we’d like it to be, no matter how unfair that might be. Don’t put yourself in this kind of situation ever again, you hear me?”

She nods, and I let go of her. Alanna takes a step away from me and looks away. “Thank you,” she murmurs, her voice so soft I nearly missed it.

“What the fuck do you see in that asshole, anyway? Who is he?” I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help myself. I’m irrationally angry at the thought of her being with him. She’s too good for him, whether she sees it or not.

“I… it isn’t really like that. We aren’t dating or anything. We both had a free period, and we’re supposed to write a paper together. He suggested we go for a walk to talk it over and divide our tasks, and I didn’t think much of it.”

I sigh and shake my head. “Promise me, okay? Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. I don’t agree with you volunteering at the shelter, but I definitely don’t agree with you doing this kind of stupid shit.”

She nods and falls into step with me as we head back to the park’s entrance. “Yes, Si,” she says, her voice filled with defeat. “I promise.”

I pause and take my phone from my pocket. “If you ever do find yourself in trouble, you call me, okay? No matter when or where. If I can help you, I will.”

I hand her my phone, and she gives me her number, letting it ring once, so she’s got mine too. “Why are you so good to me? First at the cemetery, and now too.”

I look into her eyes for a moment, wondering the same thing. “I don’t know,” I whisper. The years I’ve spent homeless have hardened me, but I have a soft spot for her.

“Let me walk you back to school.”

She nods, a small smile on her face. Each time I speak to her, I’m left feeling unsettled. There’s something about her that tugs at my heartstrings, and I hate it.

I hate it, yet I keep finding myself entangled with her.