The Agent
Three knocks rang at the door. Soft, gentle, carrying an apology.
“I don’t want to talk to him,” I told Lexie when her head turned at the sound.
She frowned. “I know. I don’t blame you. But, it may be worth it to just listen.”
Shaking my head, I wiped at the tears I wasn’t able to keep at bay.
They started pouring down my face the second I crossed into the doorway.
The knife in my back was impossible to ignore.
All I wanted was to reach behind me and yank it out.
I didn’t care about the blood or the damage left behind.
The pain reminded me I wasn’t actually dead.
And I wanted to feel alive for a little while - no matter how much it hurt.
“Don’t let him in here,” I pleaded.
Squeezing my arm, she pulled me close, lending me her shoulder to cry on.
“Simone,” Mateo’s voice cut through the wood. “Open the door. I need to talk to you.”
“Say what you need to say,” Lexie spoke for me. “She can hear you.”
It was silent for a moment. I could picture him standing behind the door, gritting his teeth at the idea of putting his vulnerability on display.
“I have to leave,” he finally said. His words stabbed yet another dagger in me - this time the blade sank into my chest.
“Then, go,” I replied, not caring about the crack in my voice.
“Not like this,” he insisted. The doorknob jiggled. “Let me in. Let me see you.”
Lexie raised an eyebrow, silently asking for permission.
To save her the trouble, I rose from the bed and walked over to the door. I reached for the lock on the doorknob. At the kiss of the cool metal on my fingertips, my hands froze. “You’re not coming back…are you?” I asked, each word scraping the inside of my throat. “Is this why you set me up here?”
Another moment of silence. Each passing second weighed heavier than the last.
“I’ll always come back to you. I just want better for you. You…you deserve better than the lifestyle I live.”
“What I deserve and what I want are two different things. Always have been. I just thought you understood that. That was my mistake.”
“Open the door, Simone,” he demanded, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.
The change of tone was enough to make me comply.
Mateo’s eyes ran over my wet cheeks, counting every single streak. His hands raised, reaching for my face.
I stepped back before he could lay them on me.
His brows twitched at the rejection, and his hands fell in defeat. “I’ll be back.”
“When?”
“Soon,” he promised.
“Okay,” I murmured with a nod. I knew better than to put any faith behind his words. I wasn’t sure how much I trusted them anymore.
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. His lips lingered there for a moment, all the words he wouldn’t say hovering over us. Then, he turned and headed back down the hall, leaving me to face this part of death alone.