Chapter 25 Sebastian #2
Was Marfil aware of her best friend’s past?
“It’s nothing. What else can I do to help you?” I asked.
“Yes, Tami, what else can we help you with?” came Liam’s voice from behind me.
Tami shot daggers at him. “I don’t want your help. I didn’t even give you permission to come here.”
“When you say here, are you referring to this shithole you call a studio?”
Tami remained silent, and Liam and I watched, surprised, as her eyes filled with tears.
“Hey, asshole! Leave her alone,” I said, stepping in front of her.
Liam looked me up and down. “Look who it is. The little toy soldier.”
I didn’t let that moron ruffle my feathers. Too many years of training to lose it all over some idiot.
“Liam, can’t you see you’re not wanted here?” Tami said, stepping out from behind me.
Liam glared at her, the hurt visible in his eyes. Tami’s words had affected him more than he’d ever admit. Still, he managed to compose himself before speaking. “Marfil told me we were meeting here to help pass out donations…”
“What’s going on over here?” Marfil said, walking up to the commotion. Her smile froze as she noticed how tense the three of us were, her gaze shifting from Tami to me and then Liam.
“Your little friend wants me to leave.”
“Tami!” Marfil exclaimed angrily. “Liam just brought in ten boxes of provisions, and he got a big group of his coworkers together to help pass them out…”
Tami looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. But I’d heard the way Liam had antagonized her. Tami hadn’t known about the boxes, and she had every right in the world not to allow certain behaviors.
“If you want, I can tell them to take the donations away and go home,” Liam said, staring at Tami.
He liked her. I could tell by the way he looked at her. But she’d never fall for someone like him.
“No!” Tami practically shouted, fidgeting nervously.
Liam gave an evil grin.
“Enough, Liam,” Marfil said, finally intervening. “We’re thankful for your help—go tell your friends they can come up.”
Liam nodded, his eyes still on Tami. “You’re not going to thank me?”
I wanted to punch him in the face.
“Those in need will thank you, don’t worry,” Tami said.
Liam smiled as if what she’d just said was somehow funny.
“People like you, Tami? Don’t worry, I’ve got what you need.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said, as I stepped in front of him, unable to stand by any longer.
He moved to push me, and I acted so quickly that, when his face hit the floor, Marfil and Tami were the only ones who noticed. No one else was even aware of what was happening in that corner of the room.
“Leave her alone, did you hear me?” I said very quietly in his ear. “You’ll never get with her, not in a million years.”
Liam squirmed uncomfortably, and I released him.
“This bodyguard gig is working out great for you, isn’t it?” He got quickly to his feet, apparently unaware that I could kill him using just one hand. “Watch out, Mar. It looks like there’s something going on between your best friend and your little soldier.”
Marfil looked at us, and I cursed between my teeth when I saw a shadow of jealousy cross her face.
How the hell had I gotten myself mixed up in this childish drama?
Liam walked away, and Marfil shot us a look that I didn’t know how to interpret, before turning around to continue organizing boxes.
“Thanks for defending me,” said a small voice behind me.
“You don’t have to thank me for anything,” I said, facing her and observing the way her blue eyes followed Liam across the room. “Tami, he likes you. You know that, right?”
Tami blinked and looked back at me. Then her cheeks went bright red, and she shook her head. “He doesn’t like me… He hates me. He can’t stand me… And I can’t stand him,” she stammered.
I nodded and went back to lifting boxes. My part in that drama was over.
When it finally came time to make our rounds—I had chosen our route myself to make sure it was as safe and as short as possible—I was amused to see that Marfil was still so angry and jealous over something so stupid. I couldn’t believe she really thought I liked her best friend.
We went out in a group of ten people, and when we got to our designated area, we divided into pairs to walk around and pass out coats and hot food to anyone who needed it.
The cold wind was so intense that it seemed to blow straight through the coat I had on.
Marfil walked beside me, her red jacket and pink hat like a target, catching the attention of anyone passing by.
I let her take the lead, watching as she talked to the people on the street, brightening their days with her smile, offering not only blankets and food, but her kindness, her warmth. Who wouldn’t be awestruck by her?
“Ma’am…” she said to an older woman who seemed to have already hunkered down for the storm, huddled onto a section of cardboard. When she opened her eyes and looked at us, I saw something in her expression… Hope?
My heart sank.
“We have blankets and some delicious hot soup a good friend of mine made,” she said to the woman, leaning over and offering her a hot thermos.
“Oh, child,” the woman said, accepting the blanket as if we were offering her a lifeline.
“Take some more warm stuff,” Marfil said, picking up another blanket, a hat, a scarf, and some thermal socks. “Here, it’s going to get even colder. This will help you get through the night.”
The woman accepted the items and slowly began to put on all the clothing Marfil had offered her.
“Are you warmer now?” Marfil’s voice shook, and I had the urge to comfort her.
“Yes, thank you so much, child. Thank you so much,” the woman said, taking Marfil’s gloved hands and smiling gratefully.
Marfil nodded and stood up. We said goodbye to the woman and continued on our way, but I noticed that Marfil was uncharacteristically quiet. It started to snow, and I pulled her into a doorway for a few seconds.
She was crying.
“Hey…” I said, leaning over to wipe her tears with the tips of my gloved fingers.
“It’s so unfair…” she said in a faltering voice.
“What’s unfair?”
She shook her head and closed her eyes to clear her vision. “I have so much, and she…”
“We don’t choose the life we’re born into, Marfil,” I said, understanding how she felt. “What you’re doing today is what makes the difference…”
She laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t matter what I do, how many blankets I pass out. What about all the people who won’t have anything tonight? What about everything else I could do?”
“You can’t save the world.”
“I’m selfish… and spoiled, you’re right about that. And I’m a bad person… I’m…”
“Stop,” I said, taking her chin in my hand. “Why would you say that?”
She looked up and fixed her eyes on mine.
I felt a chill run down my back. I knew it wasn’t the time, but she was just so mesmerizing, so beautiful…
“Before… I hated Tami for a few seconds. I hated her because I thought that…”
I nodded silently.
“I know there’s nothing between you, but just imagining it…”
“You’re human, Marfil, and you’re still young. But the fact that we sometimes have dark feelings doesn’t make us bad people.”
“What we’re doing here tonight… we do it to feel better about ourselves, at least partly. Isn’t that horrible?”
I shook my head. “Nothing is purely selfless, Elephant,” I said, rubbing her cheeks, which were bright red from the cold. “But small actions can make a difference. There are a bunch of people out here who will have you in their prayers tonight, and that’s never a bad thing.”
Marfil sighed. “I’d bring her home with me if I could, you know?”
I frowned. “Who?”
“The little old lady.”
Oh God, I could just picture it…
“I know, I know. But please, promise me you’re not going to let any strangers into your apartment, no matter how sorry you feel for them.”
She rolled her eyes, but she promised she wouldn’t.