Page 69 of Frankie and the Fed

Ayala

Iwake up from the light outside streaming in through the blinds. I’m not sure what time it is, but I think it’s late in the morning. Trying to move reveals that I have a weight on me. I have an arm on me. I try to shake off the cobwebs of sleep and turnover to discover Ethan in my bed.

What is he doing here? What happened last night? Wasn’t it a dream?

I was sure that what I felt was my mind’s desperate attempt to calm me down, but the sleeping man next to me seems completely real. I reach out to touch him.

His skin is warm and pleasant under my hand, and my touch involves a sigh, and he moves. He’s here.

My hand wanders over him, and when I look up at him, I see that he’s awake and looking at me. Not a muscle on his face moves.

“Ethan,” I whisper. “Are you really here, or am I crazy?”

“I’m here, beautiful,” he whispers back. “I promised I wouldn’t betray your trust again.”

He still doesn’t move, letting me feel his skin under my hands, giving me time to be convinced that he’s real.

“But you left yesterday morning. You flew to New York.”

“As soon as I got to New York, I heard what happened, and I flew back. I tried to call you, but your phone was off. I called your parents, and they didn’t know where you were. It was the longest flight of my life. I was afraid you’d done something...” His voice breaks.

I know he’s remembering what happened with his sister.

“Where were you?” he asks.

“I hid in the bathroom at the office until everyone left. They were all staring at me,” I confess. “I couldn’t...” My face crumples. “Why did this happen?” Tears flood my eyes again as all the emotions surface.

“Michael's parents decided to destroy me. Us. Apparently, they’ll stop at nothing. They’re the ones who published the pictures.” He strokes my hair. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here with you yesterday, and you had to go through it alone.”

“But you came back.”

“Not fast enough. When I saw the pills by your bed yesterday, I almost lost it.” He bites his lower lip.

“I thought about it,” I admit. “How can I ever go out again after everyone saw…?” My tears wet his bare chest.

“We’ll get through this together. We’ll be fine. I’m here with you.”

This is the first time I have him to support me, the first time I’m not alone. The situation is unfamiliar to me. I’m not used to leaning on someone. Can I trust him? He has let me down before. But he came back from New York for me.

“Where are my parents?”

“I sent them home to rest after I arrived. They were very frightened.”

“Ethan, everyone saw!”

“What did they see? That he hurt you? What that maniac did to you? His parents are the ones who should be ashamed, not you. You should be proud. Not only did you survive, but you’re stronger than he ever was.”

“They’re saying you killed him because we were in love.”

“I know.”

“What if they reopen the criminal case? What if they accuse you of murder?” I’m not sure I could stand something like that.

“Don’t think about it. We know it’s not true, and we’ll prove it. I’ll take care of it.” He lifts my head so I can look into his eyes. “Nothing will happen to me.”

I stay in his embrace for several more minutes before we get out of bed.

We’re sitting in the kitchen, and I’m playing with the fork in the omelet Ethan made. The pictures aren’t in the newspapers, but it’s too late. Everyone has already seen it.