Page 13 of Get to You
I drop the contaminated vase and flowers right into the trash and empty the half full container. I take the bag out back to our shared trash receptacle, making sure I prop the door on my way out. I don't want to get locked out and stuck in the ally on top of all of what’s happening today.
As I drop the lid in place, I take a minute to try and relax. I close my eyes and breath deeply. A few breaths in, I hear the door creek open, then slam shut. My eyes snap open.
I hear a male voice mutter, "Shit." I back up slowly, not knowing who it is, and move closer to the front of the ally, but it's still a good block away.
Should I run?
I'm crouching behind a large trash bin when I hear, "Sam, you out here?"
I don't recognize the voice, so I don't answer it.
"Sam!" He sounds more urgent. "Samantha!" he shouts again.
I hear rapid footsteps coming my way.
Don't see me and just pass by, I think over and over as I crouch further behind the trash bin. The footfalls pass me. I'm able to see a large male frame, much larger than him. As the man turns around upon reaching the end of the ally, I notice a blue baseball cap in one of his hands.
"Beau?" I croak. As I say his name, his head snaps in my direction.
I stand quickly realizing I'm cowering behind a dumpster.
"Why didn't you answer?" He sounds agitated. Which makes me angry, he’s the one who scared me.
"I was scared," I yell at him.
How this man invokes the complete opposite response from me than any other is mind boggling. I was just frozen in fear of a man half his size, and now I'm yelling at an angry behemoth. The only explanation is---I am losing my mind.
"Of what?" He asks crossly. I don't know why he's so mad at me, but I can’t find it in me to care right now.
I throw my hands in the air saying, "An unfamiliar guy yelling my name and running into an alley where I’m basically trapped.” It’s not the entire truth, but I keep it at that, “Why wouldn’t I fucking hide?” It's a lie. We probably both know it.
He walks up to me close enough to see my face; he stops and stares. He must come to some conclusion, because when he speaks again it's much gentler.
"At first, I couldn't find you then when I saw you down here, I thought you were hiding from me on purpose." he explains regrettably.
I can see his whole face uncovered. His eyes are a fresh grass green and his messy hair is longer and lighter than I expected. Taking in these small details gives me pause.
"I didn't know it was you," I say as a way of explaining.
His eyes squint and he asks, "Who did you think it was?"
By the way he asks, I jump immediately to the conclusion that he knows. He knows that I was hiding from someone specific. I try to derail that thought, because it’s impossible.
I say with more conviction than I feel, "I got spooked. That's all."
He doesn't believe me. He frowns at my answer, but doesn't push further.
Looking back towards the door, I ask, "Was that the door I heard slamming?"
He looks down embarrassed, "Yeah, I tripped over the wedge."
"No shit?" I ask through a fit of giggles. Now that I know I'm not facing my nightmare, the adrenaline needs a place to go. I start roaring with laughter. He looks over at me as if I'm losing it. I snort, and he starts laughing too.
When I finally wind down, I tell him, "Thanks I really needed that. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time." I frown at the overshare and vow to better censor myself in his presence. "Well I'm locked out, so I need to walk back around front." My side hurts, and I'm still breathless as I recall reading a book where the heroine is forced to laugh herself to near death. Cursed by a fae, I think. I don't ever want to experience that, so I breathe deeply now, trying to contain my sense of relief.
We walk up the alley together.
He doesn't speak until we reach the store fronts, "Sorry I yelled at you. I got scared when I couldn't find you." His hat is already back on his head, covering his face again. I feel more comfortable looking at him but wish I could meet his eyes again.
