Chapter 38 - Mary
Mary
A weird sensation washes over me when I unlock the door to my apartment.
For the first time since I’ve lived here, it doesn’t feel like coming home.
Instead, it feels like visiting a place where a good friend once lived.
A little old, a little dusty, scattered with beautiful memories that became the bones of a new life, but no longer containing my essence.
It flares through my chest like a dull ache and makes me pause.
“Hey, Marilouise,” Phill suddenly drawls from behind me, his voice dripping with sweetness.
I jump a little at the sound and turn to face him, not sure if I am more creeped out by how quietly he snuck up on me or by how he addressed me.
To this day, I still don’t know how he found out about my birth name. Everyone in this building simply knows me as Mary. No last name, no background, like a freaking rock star. Except for him.
“It’s Mary.”
“Hm, we both know better.” His lip curls up in something predatory as he draws his gaze over me. “You look even more gorgeous than usual, Marilouise. Are you going out again?”
My heart hammers against my ribs for all the wrong reasons, but I jut my chin out regardless. His smirk widens as his eyes drop to my shaking hands, and he takes another step toward me.
“I’ve missed you, you know. Where have you been off to, princess?”
“I’m not your princess, Phill,” I snarl at him. “And where I’m off to is none of your business.”
My jaw clenches, and I curl my hands into fists.
For a moment, I don’t know what to do. I want to rush inside, but that means I’ll have to turn my back to him, and I don’t trust him.
If I push past him, he’ll get a chance to grab me, too.
But I can’t show him that, right now, I’m rooted in fear.
He’ll be on it like a shark smelling a drop of blood.
Phill glances past me toward the keys in my door as he slowly draws closer.
I instinctively step back, pressing my back against it.
He immediately plants his hand firmly next to my shoulder and leans in so close that I can smell the alcohol and inflamed gums on his breath.
I almost gag, but refuse to give him that satisfaction.
I glance around the hallway. There is no way out. I am all alone.
My brain races through the few options I have, given the way he has me cornered. Cat would never let this happen to her. She would… she would… My head snaps up, and I bore my gaze into his.
“Move,” I say, my voice cold as ice even though everything inside me is twitching.
“Don’t be coy with me, Marilouise,” he says in a soft, low voice as he tries to pin me with his gaze.
“I said move.”
“Make me.”
I flinch as he steps closer, and the flow of air feels constricted. He smirks, and something in me just snaps. I shove him back as hard as I can and cry out.
“Mrs. Alfonso?”
My suddenly loud voice booms through the hallway. Phill flinches and quickly glances over his shoulder, his face faltering slightly.
“Come on now, Mary. There is no need for that.”
“Mrs. Alfonso, are you home?” I holler, even louder now.
There is the click of a lock, and the door next to my apartment opens up. Phill reacts as if he has been burned, and he jumps back another two steps, his hands up in a defeated gesture.
“Mary, hija. ?Estás bien?”
“No, Phill is bothering me.”
Her eyes instantly snap to his watery ones, and he backs away even more.
“No such thing,” he says quickly while shaking his head. “Just a misunderstanding is all.”
“Then misunderstand your way back into your apartment,” I hiss, and Mrs. Alfonso steps out of her doorway toward me.
“Hija, do you want me to call the police?”
Phill’s face turns as white as a sheet.
“Now, ladies, there is no need for that. I’ll just see myself back in, yeah?”
He turns on his heel and flees into his apartment, leaving Mrs. Alfonso alone in the hallway. I swallow hard, my jaw still tense, as I turn to my neighbor. My lips part to thank her, but no words come out. She just smiles and nods.
“You did well, Mary. Are you okay? Do you want me to stay with you for a moment? It is understandable if you don’t want to be alone right now. That creep…” she trails off, glaring at Phill’s door. “This will not be the end of it.”
I give her a weak smile and shake my head. It doesn’t exactly feel well to my body yet, but I don’t want to give it any more attention.
“Thank you,” I whisper in a voice so hoarse it hurts as it rasps against my throat.
I turn toward the door, finally push it open, and step inside its safety.
The moment the door clicks shut behind me, my whole body starts to shake, and hot tears stream down my cheeks.
Holy fucking shit. I take out my phone with trembling fingers and hover my fingers over the keys.
Then I make a rash decision and press the call button.
“Hola, Maria,” Rosa’s warm voice rings in my ear, and I have to suppress a sob.
“Hola, Rosa,” I say, trying to be brave, but she hears it instantly.
“What is wrong? What did Cat do? I swear that girl—”
I let out a strangled laugh and shake my head, even though she can’t see it.
“No, Rosa, no. Your daughter is perfect.”
“Hm,” she grumbles, but doesn’t protest any further.
“It’s my neighbor. He… he… Would it be too much if I asked you to pick me up?”
“Mija, of course I will,” she replies before the last word falls from my lips. “You just text me the address, and I’ll be there. And then you will tell me everything about this neighbor.”
That’s it. No questions, no inquiry into why I called her instead of Cat, not even reluctance, even though she has only met me once. I slide down the wall to the floor and finally allow myself to completely break down.
“?Cómo?” Rosa says, her eyebrows shooting up and her nostrils flaring.
She glances over her shoulder toward the door, as if she can see right through it into his apartment.
Her hand, which is resting over mine, twitches briefly.
She takes a long breath before she turns to face me again, and the way she restrains herself reminds me of Cat.
Huh, I would’ve thought she’d gotten that from Eduardo.
“Mija, no puedes quedarte aquí…” she says slowly enough for me to understand. You can’t stay here.
“I… I know,” I admit reluctantly. “But finding a new place in this area is—”
“A new place?” Rosa leans back in surprise and studies me. “Is that what you want?”
I frown until I understand the implication of her question, and then I shake my head. She nods once, but doesn’t speak any further on the matter. My stomach turns. The last thing I want is for Cat’s mother to run interference and push her toward something she might not be ready for.
“Maria, my daughter is practical. She has a sensitive soul but an analytical brain.” Rosa smiles fondly.
I let out a small huff, and my lip twitches up. She is spot on.
“Katherina has never done this before. You need to help her a little.”
“Help her?”
“Claro que sí, carino. You have to tell her what you want and need. Talk it through with her so that she can make a choice with you.”
I tuck my bottom lip between my teeth and nod.
Rosa is right. I can’t expect Cat to just magically understand my wants and needs, especially not since I am learning them myself as we go.
If what happened with Phill hadn’t happened today, would I have even questioned my living situation?
No, if I am being totally honest. So how could I expect that from Cat?
“Gracias, Rosa.”
“De nada. Now, let’s go and get some coffee before I commit a murder.”
***
“Hola, mi amor,” Cat whispers close to my ear when she kisses my neck in greeting.
The hairs on my arms instantly rise, and a hot-cold sensation spreads throughout my chest and drops down to my core as I melt against her.
“Mmmhi,” I half moan while she keeps kissing me.
Cat chuckles softly and pulls me a little closer against her, her breasts pressing against my back. Her arms snake tightly around my waist, and the warmth of her body wraps around me like a blanket. I let out a soft hum and close my eyes.
“How was your day? Did you meet up with mamá?”
“Hm-mm,” I muse, still leaning into her. “But we do need to talk.”
Her body instantly stiffens behind me. There is a small falter in her breathing before she scrapes her throat and answers me hesitantly.
“Okay…”
I turn into her arms and press my lips against hers.
She lets out a small sigh of relief before she deepens the kiss.
My eyes flutter closed again. Even after all these months, the taste of her is absolutely intoxicating.
No longer foreign and new, but morphed into home and belonging.
Our tongues dance around each other, each stroke deliberate and yet without thought.
We know what the other person likes now, but there is still so much left to explore.
I smile and moan softly when her hands cup my butt and she squeezes gently before she finally breaks away and leans back.
She glares at me with mock anger, and I let out a tiny chuckle.
My cheeks heat up under her intense stare.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” she grumbles, but there is no bite to it, only amusement.
“Sorry, doctora,” I tease.
I run my finger along the line of her collarbone and watch her pupils dilate. A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips.
“But we really do need to talk.”
Cat lets out a little growl, grabs my wrist, and pulls my hand toward her mouth.
Her lips brush the inside of it before she closes her eyes.
Her nostrils flare when the faint traces of my perfume reach her, and she kisses me once more.
When she lets me go, I can feel the reluctance.
Not just in her, but in me as well. I shift on my feet and smile softly at her.
“I need you to stay calm,” I start, and her jaw ticks instantly.
Cat doesn’t say a single word while I tell her about my run-in with Phill, but the way her face contorts, she balls her fist, and her lip twitches into a snarl tell me all I need to know.
By the time I get to how he retreated, she is seething with an anger so intense that it almost vibrates off her. I run my finger over the patch of skin between her thumb and index finger and slow my breathing, willing her in silence to follow along. She does.
“Your mother picked me up,” I continue. “She told me I can’t stay there, and I know she is right.”
“No. You won’t spend another night in that place,” Cat says, her voice deceptively calm.
I pause for a moment, unsure what to ask. I’ve never done this before, and now my stomach is suddenly filled with knots and tangles.
“Cat, I…”
“I’ll make some calls, amor. The cops first and then I’ll arrange for a moving truck to be there by tomorrow afternoon.
Most of your stuff is already here, so it shouldn’t take more than one trip.
Tell me what you want to do with your furniture.
Is there anything you want to keep, I can put it in storage? ”
She looks up at me when I don’t answer. When she sees my eyes brimming, her features soften, and a warm smile washes over her. She pulls me tightly against her and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Oh, amor. I was only waiting for your lease to end.”