Their Broken Pieces by Jessica Gomez
Chapter Forty-Six
Jasmine
I can, with one hundred percent certainty, say that my last night in Hawaii sucked. The walk on the beach in the setting sun was the best part, but coming home to see Alex’s new mating style in motion was not what I wanted to witness. I stayed up most of the night, not wanting to see him, but hoping he’d come back at the same time.
He never did.
Checkout time is at one, and we’re supposed to have everything packed and down to the lobby before the shuttles to the airport arrive. Lucky for me, I still have my assigned seating next to Alex on the way home. I wanted to avoid speaking to him, or even looking at him. I want nothing more than to ignore him until we’re home and finally free of each other.
The laundry service folded all of my clothes, making it easy to place them neatly into my suitcase, then place the white dress I wore yesterday in a plastic bag and toss it on top of the clean garments. A silky, blue sundress hugs my curves, wanting to leave Hawaii in the perfect outfit, while slowly gathering the rest of my things, not quite ready to return to reality. Sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the lilies Alex bought for me only days ago, I polish Jace’s pendent with my thumb.
When I return home, things are going back to the way they were before I left. Dad’s a vegetable. Grandma’s in a home forty minutes away, and Mommy Dearest is still one crazy bitch.
A single tear silently rolls down my cheek. I wipe it away with the back of my hand, allowing myself one small weakness before having to pull my armor back into place. This is the only way I can survive living with Margret. I have to admit, I’m scared to return home. Either she won’t care that I’ve been gone and go on about her drunken day as usual, or she’ll have stored all her pent-up frustrations waiting for me to return. What a pleasant homecoming.
The bedside alarm clock says it’s time to go and putting off leaving is no longer an option. The rest of my class is probably already down in the lobby. I huff loudly, blowing a couple of stray hairs out of my face, and grab my luggage. Alex will show at some point, considering his luggage is still in the room, but I will not be here to greet him.
I’m about to close the door behind me and decide to take one last look to keep the sacred memories fresh. Even though things ended this way between us, I still loved them while they lasted. A part of me always knew this would be our ending. We don’t understand how to love people, to trust anymore, so it was inevitable. The last thing I take in is the smell and beauty of the lilies left on the bedside table, spiking my dormant anger, as a flash of Alex kissing that girl flashes through my mind. Reaching out, I swipe them into the garbage, just like he did to my heart. I’m leaving all of those perfect memories in this room; nothing can come back with me… It ends here.
I opt to take the stairs, not wanting to run into anyone in the elevator. My bag turns sideways and can move on rollers, making it a lot easier to maneuver. It’s an odd feeling to move with purpose, while also postponing my departure. Finally reaching the bottom, I slam against the exit door that leads into the lobby. One step outside the lobby door and I’m knocked over, tossing my small handbag across the aisle way.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” a very familiar male voice apologizes, while reaching over and handing me my handbag.
I’m reluctant to move at first, but then, when nothing else matters anymore, it’s not a big deal. I regain my balance and take the bag from his outstretched hand.
“Thanks, Andrew.”
After he hands me my bag, his hand immediately moves to the back of his neck, where he rubs anxiously. “Hey, Jasmine…” He wants to say more, but looks startled.
“Yeah?” Impatience is thrumming through me. I just want to get the hell out of here and off this stupid island!
“I just wanted to say, I’m sorry. Really. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did the other night, and I know Alex had every right to punch me.” He laughs, which causes me to laugh, looking at his still discolored face that seems to have more marks than before.
“Yeah, you deserved it.”
He smiles again. “I know.”
“Thank you, Andrew.”
He nods and turns to walk toward our gathered classmates. Alex is easy to spot. He’s staring directly at Andrew with a livid expression. Just to piss him off that extra bit, I reach out and touch Andrew’s arm.
“Hey, Andrew.” He turns and looks at me. “Thanks again. It means a lot that you apologized.”
“You’re more than welcome. I should have done it sooner, but I feared… well, you know.” He points to his face.
I laugh. “Yeah, I know.”
He continues walking toward the group, and within a minute, the crowd swallows him. Alex is still tracking him, but then he breaks contact to seek me out. When he catches my eyes, I look away, not ready to deal with his shit. I will not play this game with him. Besides, he’s already moved on. I’m sure his brown-haired slut was a wonderful tool to wipe away my memory.
Mrs. Hubert calls attention, so I move in her direction, furthest from Alex. Hopefully, discouraging any conversation he may try to strike. Eventually, the shuttle busses come and retrieve us for the airport, making damn sure Alex gets on a different bus.
The strategy works, because I take my seat on the plane before Alex. How? I have no clue since he arrived at the airport first. The window seat will provide me with a distraction as I watch the workers go about their daily business. Two people are driving luggage carts, while others are running around to random areas, but all of them are wearing those funny orange earmuffs.
Someone shuffles in next to me, placing their bags in the above compartment, and takes their seat. My muscles tense, electricity running through every nerve, mixing with the smell of what is Alex Navarro.
After a few moments, my breathing returns to normal. I refuse to turn even a fraction of an inch, not wanting to catch even a glimpse of him out of my peripheral vision.
Legs crossed away from him, body leaning toward the wall, and eyes plastered to anything out of my window, is how I plan my flight to go. My buckle is tight, so the position remains solid, even after we take off. I’m wondering how long we’ve been in the air when the flight attendant comes down the aisle, asking what we’d like for dinner.
“Hello,” she begins in a way too cheery voice. “We have specials for your flight home, some of our local favorites. Teriyaki chicken and rice, with a side of corn on the cob, or one of our local favorites, the flaming burger.”
The air is electric. I think even the attendant knows something is off. This time, I can’t help the glance I give Alex. He’s already staring at me, a small smirk playing on his full lips. It’s impossible to hide the smile the memory entices, but I wipe it away just as quickly.
“I’ll take the teriyaki chicken, please.”
“All right.” The attendant smiles, looking expectantly at Alex.
His eyes are still on me. I can see him out of my peripheral, and they are almost pleading, but I don’t care. He’s the one who started this, now he’s going to have to swim in it, so I turn away, back to the window.
He breathes out heavily, answering the attendant, “I’ll have the same thing,” declining the flaming burger.
I’m glad I’m facing the window because the smirk on my lips is hidden. Thinking about him never wanting a flaming burger again after the experience he had here made me want to laugh. Hell, I doubt he’d want to eat any burger, flaming or not, anytime soon.
A few minutes after the attendant leaves with our dinner orders, I notice I can see reflections in the window. If I tilt my head to a certain angle, and I can make out the people and objects behind me. Okay, maybe not so much of anything but Alex… sue me.
Not in a completely stalker kind of way, I watch him. He sits staring straight ahead; the look on his face tells me he’s deep in thought. He glances in my direction, tracing my body with his eyes, before turning back around. Again, he glances at me, his mouth poised as if to speak. No words come, so he closes his mouth, shaking his head as if he’d have no idea what to say even if he had spoken. A few moments pass before he turns to me again, determination settling on his brow when the attendant interrupts with our food.
“Here you go.”
I turn and pull my tray down so she can sit the plate in front of me. After placing Alex in front of him, she grabs our drinks off the cart, placing bottled water on both our trays.
“Thank you,” I tell her as she walks to the next aisle.
“Mmm, this looks good.”
I choose not to acknowledge him and eat my food instead, silently.