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The Bruises
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
No Return Complicated
Jay rested his shoulder against the window by her side, giving her the latte. She looked so calm, so composed, like she’d never told him what had happened to her, or like it hadn’t happened to her at all. But he’d seen the bruises.“There you go, with that song again,” he said softly.She smiled to thank him for the coffee and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s just catchy.”Break Free? Jay almost choked on the word. “Catchy?”Silvia noticed he’d taken offense and quickly added, “Well, not really. It’s actually gloomy, that’s why it’s catchy for me.”“You make a funny use of adjectives, y’know?”“You think?”“Don’t pull my tongue, ‘cause you don’t wanna hear my inner bastard.”“It’s okay, I like him.”“That’s why you are where you are, woman.”“You’re right, maybe I don’t like him that much.”They chuckled together.After having their coffees, they decided to give a personal touch to their corner of the waiting room. They turned the couch around and placed the coffee table before it. That way, ins
No Return The Icing on Your Cake
After moving around while they talked, changing spots on the couch, the coffee table, or standing by the windows, they sat together again for a five-fork lunch of snacks and soda from the vending machines. Then Silvia retreated to the end of the couch and curled up there with a cigarette, watching Jay speak.She wanted to remember as much of him as he could. Because, in a very straight and non-dramatic fashion, he’d saved her. His company had allowed her to take the first step to leave the hurt behind and start moving on. He’d given her something to recall on her long way home, other than that insane, violent episode that had shattered all her dreams for good.He patted her feet, pointing at his own legs. “Rest them here before your knees cramp,” he said.She squinted—what? Jay’s smile could’ve melted the iceberg to save the Titanic. In minutes.“Hey, we’ve already slept together, right? No need to be shy.”Silvia could only chuckle, and did what he wanted. They talked for another thi
No Return Emotional Rescue
“Hello?”Jay and Silvia jumped to their feet, turning to the hall door. A stout prototype of the all-American farmer grandpa stood at the doorway, water overflowing the brim of his hat to rain down on his thick jacket to his rubber boots.“You’re the ones needing a ride to town?”“Yeah! That’s us!” Jay replied.“Then bring your stuff and let’s get out of here while we still can.”The old man spun on his heels and strode away down the hall.Jay stopped Silvia when she was wearing her jacket. He’d already figured out that what had made her refuse to go back to town was that she didn’t want to face those people again, after starring on such a scandal.“Here,” he said, handing her his own jacket.“And what about you?”“Guess you’ll have to keep me warm.”The loud honk from outside made Silvia shrug and accept the jacket. Jay replaced her woolen cap with his black cap and smiled.“There. They shouldn’t recognize you like this.”Silvia froze, finally understanding what he was doing, and loo
No Return Poetry & Steam
Later on, Silvia would have time to process and fully appreciate Jay’s protective attitude. Right then, she just let him guide her up the steep, creaky stairs, designed to get rid of annoying guests with but a little push.She let him do the talking and place himself between her and the owner, who chattered like an old housewife about how many times Jay’s brother had called to ask if he’d arrived yet. The man’s grandson came two steps behind her with their bags.It took them what felt forever to reach the second floor and go to the last door at the other end of the hall. As soon as the man opened the room in the corner of the building, Jay motioned for Silvia to walk in first, standing between her and the owner again.She looked around only to find the bathroom, and hurried across the room to get in there and lock the door behind her. She noticed her shaky hands when she produced cigarettes and lighter. Her heart hammered her chest, and she was already regretting ever leaving her safe
No Return Five Ways to Kill Time
Jay was still laying back on the bed, lost in Twitterland, when his belly growled as to scare the dead. Damn, he was frigging starving and Silvia was still in the shower. Enough waiting. He stretched out his arm and knocked on the bathroom door from the bed.“Hey! I’m ordering dinner! What d’you fancy?” No answer, only the muffled murmur of the shower. “Hey! You there?” Crickets. He got up and opened the door, only enough to stick his head in. “Hey, what d’you wanna have for dinner?”She replied right away, like him breaking into the bathroom while she was taking a shower was the most natural thing on earth.“I’d kill for a steak with fries, if they have anything like that. And a garden salad. I need something fresh too.”Jay tilted his head. The cheap curtain hardly blurred her body. She was still under the warm rain, head down, rubbing the back of her neck.“Okay. Wine?”“A soda, please.”“Beer?”“Later. A classic Coke or just tap water with dinner.”So carefree? Jay smirked. Did sh
No Return Dinner with Candles
The owner didn’t take long to bring their dinner, but he hadn’t been able to fit their drinks on the tray, so Jay volunteered to go fetch them, with a six-pack for later in mind. Silvia laid the table and left the tray on the chest of drawers, where she found a candlestick behind the TV. Jay was back in a couple of minutes, and smiled when he saw the candles burning in the middle of the table. That was a nice touch. Silvia was by the window, as if she hadn’t moved while he was downstairs. Jay approached her from behind and rested both hands on her shoulders, his face brushing her hair. “Let’s eat,” he said softly. She nodded, smiling. It was so odd. His presence helped her feel so calm and confident, and at the same time, she didn’t care knowing that in the morning he’d be out of her life for good. He’d played his part in such a straight, honest way, that it was only right that he could get rid of her and on his way within a few hours. Ten years earlier, she would’ve tried everyt
No Return Save It for Tomorrow
Jay tilted his head in the following silence. “Listen,” he whispered. And Silvia listened to… nothing? Jay saw her questioning frown and smiled. “It’s not raining.” He stood up and circled the table, waving Silvia over. She joined him by the window, curious. “Look,” he said, pointing at the sky over the dark fields. “A star!” she murmured, and he thought her simple, pure awe sounded as if she’d been the first human being that had ever seen a star. His arm came up out of its own volition to rest around her shoulders, and he brushed her hair with his lips when he said, “Yeah, the storm is over.” Silvia was aware he would feel her chill, but there was nothing she could do about it. True, it wasn’t raining anymore and the storm seemed to be finally clearing. But those words meant so much more for her, and they both knew it. He felt her shiver and spoke out of a whim, like he always did so many things, his lips still against her hair. “I never told you my full name.” His voice w
No Return Back Down to Earth
Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog growing louder woke Jay up a whole year earlier than what he wanted. He felt the nightstand until he found his phone and picked up, rubbing his eyes. “Fuck you.” “Get up, dude. I’ll be there in thirty.” “Two hours.” “It’s gonna rain again in the afternoon. You gotta get outta there now.” Silvia stretched by his side like a cat, her arm still across his chest, one of her legs between his. Jay felt her fingertips stroking his skin softly, and held the phone with the other hand to guide hers down his belly. “One hour,” he grunted on the phone, closing his eyes when she went on without further directions. “You have someone there with you?” “One hour. Come alone.” Jay disconnected and dropped the phone on the bed, enjoying her touch. Silvia’s lips pursed by his shoulder when she giggled. “Dude, really.” “We still have an hour.” He grunted when her hand left his groin, and forgot about complaining when she lay on top of him. “No way. I can’t feel my le
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No Return True Freedom
Silvia woke up to Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus.The sun was setting and she was alone in bed, tucked in soft sheets that smelled of lemon and the fat white comforter. Jim had left a few hours ago to let her rest, because after those weeks apart, it was plain to see she wouldn’t get any rest with him around.She’d fallen sound asleep, exhausted, and now she had the persistent feeling of being still lost in a dream. But she wasn’t. This was not the Black Rock. It was the Ashtray, her new home, and that music had to be a phone ringing.But not hers. She’d never used that song as a ringtone.She followed the music to the other nightstand, where she found a new phone still inside its open box with a red ribbon. And she laughed out loud when she grabbed it and saw the caller was My Personal J.“Hey, you awake?” Jim asked when she picked up, still chuckling.“Hey, you just woke me u
No Return Yours
They staggered into the bedroom and fell on the bed as they kissed, their hands struggling to get rid of their clothes.Silvia pulled Jim to bring him on top of her, yearning to feel his weight. There was no other body to hers, no other hands to touch her, no other lips to drive her crazy, no other skin to stroke hers. She wrapped a leg around his waist, pushing him down, and moaned when she felt him inside of her, his fire sweeping it all away, and she gave in to his need and his exasperated anxiety.Because that was exactly how he was feeling. He’d never missed her body, he’d never needed her like this. Yet there he was, fighting himself back to keep from going off like a frigging teen, growing crazier with every moan he pushed out of her mouth, every move of her hips, every touch of her fingers, every brush of her lips. Like he would never have enough of her.Why was he feeling this way? Why nothing seemed enough? When had all bodies lost their ap
No Return The Ashtray
Silvia exited the Customs Office feeling stunned and a little dizzy. After such an emotional last week in Bariloche, she’d had to go through the long flight that had taken her to another time zone, another season, another country, another culture, another language. She looked around, feeling she was running on fumes and she was about to pass out any moment now.Jim threw the sign she hadn’t seen into a bin to come stand before her, hands in his pockets and a smile under his black cap.“Looking for somebody?”Silvia just dropped everything to fall into his arms. He held her tight, kissing her hair, and felt her shiver nonstop. She needed a whole minute to fight back her tears and get a little grip on herself. When he assessed she would be able to walk, he took her hand, grabbed the luggage cart with his other hand, and took both to the parking lot without a word.Silvia just let him lead the way. She was there, with him, finally. Sh
No Return Storm Alert
Silvia left before her friends and siblings even registered what she was doing. One minute they were all toasting to her for the hundredth time in the bar, and the next minute she was hugging every one of them, telling them how much she loved them. And then she was gone, all alone.She walked down the street, gazing up at the sky, admiring the colors in those minutes before the early sunrise. Her feet didn’t need to consult with her brain to head straight to the downtown beach, walk down the stone steps and take her right up to the lake shore.She sat down on the cold pebbles and lit a cigarette, face to the east. It was her last sunrise of the only life she’d ever known. The last sunrise with her lake and her mountains. Like so many times before, she wished she could capture every little detail as far as her eyes could see, carve it all in her memory and keep it inside of her, true and unchanged, forever unfading.She watched the sun come up behind
No Return December
Tobias and Leandro had done their best to clean up the Black Rock before Silvia came back home. And the outcome made her smile, because the house was squeaky-clean and smelling of flowers. They were surprised to see Mika there too, but Silvia’s look kept them from asking any questions.Knowing the siblings needed time alone for their reunion, Leandro left for Beltane, to have dinner with Claudia. At the Black Rock, Mika went to the supermarket, to restock the fridge with something that wasn’t trash food and make dinner for the three of them.The moment she walked out, Tobias asked Silvia what had happened to their sister to make her lower that proud head of hers, admit her fail and come back home. It was just natural he would take mortal offense when he learned why Mika was actually back. But Silvia would have none of it.“I’m telling you the same I told your sister,” she said. “You don’t want me to keep treating you guy
No Return Lil' Sister
It’d been six months since Silvia had last seen Mika, and one look was enough to tell her all her little sister had been keeping from her.Rob and Juan had planned a Saturday night out after dinner, but Silvia resorted to the such-a-long-flight excuse to stay behind.“Would you lend me a hand with the dishes?” she asked Mika.The others understood and took off, leaving the sisters alone.“I thought Lorena was coming too,” Silvia said as they picked up everything from the table.Mika hesitated, found her sister’s eyes and shrugged. “We broke up.”“Oh. You never mentioned it.”“It happened three days ago. I didn’t wanna write to you about it. It was your last days with Jim, and I knew we were meeting today.”They took everything to the kitchen and Silvia asked Mika to make mate while she did the dishes. The girl knew better than trying to beat
No Return The Thing
Silvia almost missed her flight, too absorbed staring at the tiny thing on the table before her.What on God’s green earth was that thing doing there, and in her keep?That white-gold band with a little, discreet diamond.An engagement ring.That frigging coward! Throwing it at her from ten feet away!But no matter the delivery method, Jim had given it to her.His mother’s, he’d said.Bring it back, he’d said.She felt lucky her brain was able to register the last boarding call. She looked up, startled, and jumped to her feet. She was about to hurry away when she remembered the ring. Actually, it was more like feeling a leash tugging at her neck, stopping her from walking away from the table.She spun around on her heels and scowled down at the damned thing.“You…” she growled.The moment she had it in her hand again, she realized how small and light it wa
No Return Catch
It was sort of weird. Being with Jim usually involved having people around, but now they were all alone, making their way through the usual crowd in LAX. Come to think about it, both of them loved having an active social life. Maybe that was why she hadn’t needed any major adjusting over the last ten days in LA.…?Silvia would’ve punched herself best Fight Club style. She had only minutes left with him and she was pondering about their social habits? Really?She checked in for her flight and they headed to the boarding area in no hurry.“So you think you can be back by January ten.”“Yup. I gotta report to work with Jo on the fifteenth, but I want a couple of free days before that.”They walked a whole minute in silence.Silvia wondered why all of a sudden they didn’t seem to have anything left to say. Why were they avoiding eye contact? Why did she feel like getting into the boarding
No Return Jam
“Hurry up or I’m calling a cab!”“Bet you’re dying to do it, you chicken.”“Please, Jay!”Silvia finished raiding the master bedroom one last time, to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything.“Jay!”“Coming.”She snorted and went to canvass the ground floor. She was just done when Jim came down the stairs in no hurry.“Can we go before I have a heart attack, milord?”“Cool down, woman, we have plenty of time,” he said, grabbing her duffel bag on his way to the front door, where she waited with her rucksack. He paused at the doorway to poke her nose. “Really, such a rush to leave me.”Silvia wasn’t about to explain she was always that upset whenever she had a bus or a plane to catch, so she just scowled at him and followed him out.“Got everything? Tickets, passport?”Silvia ch
