Page 62 of Mr. Perfect
“Okay,” Jude ceded with ease. “I’ll answer every question you have.”
“The whole truth or just enough to appease me?”
“I’ll be an open book for you. Just tell me when and where to meet you.”
Felix stepped out of the building and fished his key fob out of his pocket with his free hand. The remote start was his favorite feature on the car. He just had to hit the button twice. The lights would flash, the horn would sound two short beeps, and the engine would turn over. A running motor meant the air-conditioning would be blowing too. Since Todd had parked his car at the furthest point away from the front door, chances were the interior would be cool by the time Felix reached it.
He aimed the key fob at the Fusion and pressed the button twice. Nothing happened. He thought maybe he was too far away and waited until he walked another ten feet before trying again. This time, the lights flashed twice as usual. The first horn beep was weak, and the second sounded like a dying animal.
“Damn it,” Felix said as he increased his pace. Had that fucking Todd sabotaged his car? Felix hadn’t been smart enough to start it and make sure everything was kosher before letting the son of a bitch drive off.
“What’s the matter?” Jude asked.
“I think there’s something wrong with the starter.”
“Where are you?”
“Work,” Felix grumbled.
“I’m just around the corner. I’ll come get you.”
“This can’t be happening.” Felix pushed the remote start button two more times. The lights flashed weakly, followed by two metallic clicking sounds. “What’s wrong with this—”
KABOOM!
Felix’s car erupted into a ball of fire. The deafening blast shook the ground and propelled him backward through the air like a ragdoll. Like an action scene in a movie, time seemed to stand still. No, it didn’t stop completely; it downshifted into slow motion.
Felix’s head bounced off the pavement hard enough to rattle his teeth. The asphalt shredded through his cotton T-shirt as his momentum turned the parking lot into a massive cheese grater and him into a block of cheddar. Black plumes of acrid smoke billowed through the air, catching on the wind and performing a macabre dance for an audience of one. Chunks of metal and slivers of glass rained down from the sky, cutting his flesh and burning holes in his clothes wherever they landed.
He should do something. Cover his head or protect himself, but Felix could only watch in muted horror as the fabric of his shirt smoldered and turned black in places. A high-pitched noise pierced his head. A smoke alarm? Then Felix realized it was his ears ringing. Every other noise was muffled and sounded like it came from a great distance, even the enormous ball of fire where his car had once been. What should’ve been a loud roar was barely a rumble.
Time upshifted to full speed once his body came to a halt. The drastic change had a dizzying effect, and his stomach pitched and rocked. Bile burned a path as it rocketed up his throat. Felix had just enough time to roll to his hands and knees before the putrid green foam spilled onto the asphalt, covering his shredded skin which looked like ghoulish confetti.
From a great distance, someone called his name. The voice was stretched out, so each syllable was drawn out cartoonishly long. “Feeeeeliiiiiiix.”
He retched and heaved until there was nothing left, and even then, Felix’s body quaked from the aftershocks.
“Felix!”
The voice. It was Jude. They’d been talking when the car exploded. The phone had fallen from his hand when he was thrown backward. Where was it now?
“Felix!”
Jude’s voice sounded louder and frantic, or maybe the ringing had ebbed a little in his ears. Felix carefully looked around for the phone, but the world around him started spinning again.
His arms buckled, and Felix pitched forward, narrowly avoiding the puddle of bile on the pavement. The blacktop burned Felix’s face, but he was suddenly too tired to care. This felt like an okay place to die.
“Felix!”
A pair of navy blue Chucks came into his line of sight. The color reminded him of Jude’s eyes. Deep and bottomless. The shoes drew nearer as their owner ran toward him, not stopping until they reached his side.
“Felix.” It was Jude. He was here. “Baby,” he said in an anguished voice, his strong arms lifted Felix off the pavement.
Jude shifted Felix’s body, cradling him against his chest. Felix cried out in pain when his tattered skin came in to contact with Jude’s body.
“I got you, Ace,” Jude whispered, pressing kisses in Felix’s hair.
Jude carried him to a grassy area far away from the blast site, then gently sat down, continuing to cradle Felix in his arms. Water droplets splattered onto Felix’s face. He squinted up at the sky but only saw fluffy white clouds. He looked at Jude’s shattered expression and realized it wasn’t raining. Jude was sobbing.