Page 2 of Something Like Winter

“Why? Because we were together for ten months. Because you were my first, and I’ll never forget that. And because we love each other.”

“Carla, you told everyone that I raped you!”

She shrugged, her fine features betraying no hint of remorse. “All’s fair in love and war.”

Right. And Carla won the war long ago. Almost a year, to be exact. Tim had met her last summer, swimming with friends at the community pool. Normally Tim stuck to the pool in his backyard, but one of the girls from school had recognized him walking by and called him over. Tim, along with his former best friend Brody, had been happy for the chance to flirt. A dozen or more girls were there celebrating a birthday. Their eager faces had been a blur until Tim saw Carla, lithe in a black bikini that matched her hair.

She knew exactly what to say to Tim, how to stroke his ego just right to make him want to give her more. And he had, emotionally and physically, and it had never been anything but consensual.

“You still never told me why,” Carla said. “You owe me that much.”

“That’s why you came? You want to know why I dumped you? Fine. Because you’re so fucking mean.”

Carla shook her head. “I wasn’t back then. I was always good to you.”

Hardly. The truth was, she had often demeaned him in front of her friends, like he was a trophy she kept for bragging rights. At first that wasn’t too big of a deal. Most of their time together was spent alone, and inthosemoments she had been kind. Socially, she would parade him in front of her friends like a prized pet, which made him feel oddly proud, until her comments became more critical than praising.

And of course there were other reasons Tim had left her. Like her brother, who shared the same dark eyes that were locked on him now, waiting for an answer.

“You know what?” Tim huffed. “It doesn’t matter why. You showed your true colors when we broke up. You ruined my life!”

Carla rolled her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. It’s not like I went to the police.”

“You might as well have. I lost all my friends. The whole freaking school turned against me! Even Brody won’t talk to me anymore.”

“Probably because he’s too busy trying to get into my pants.”

“Yeah, keep twisting the knife. Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it.”

“Fine.” Carla took a step closer and put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, okay? I was mad. But this is our last day together. Do we really have to fight?”

Her eyes moved across his face, flicking down to his neck, shoulders, and chest. This was something Tim was used to, not just from Carla, but strangers as well. He owed a lot to his parents for the genes they had given him. From his mother, he had inherited the Hispanic skin tone—light enough to be mistaken for a tan—and his silky black hair. The silver eyes from his father drew the most compliments. The muscular build also came from him. Tim knew because next to her bed, his mother kept a photo of Thomas in his college rowing days, pale as ever and hair starting to gray even then, but his arms rippled with effort. No doubt those muscles had won over his mother, just as Tim’s physique had impressed Carla.

Right now Tim would trade his looks for flab and acne. He couldn’t count the number of times Carla had spoken about the children they would have, swapping their traits around to design the perfect child. Her dark eyes, his olive skin. His nose, her smile. For one chilling moment, he wondered if that’s why she was here now. One last shot at tiny versions of Carla and Tim. The hand on his arm was warm, almost hot, so he pulled away.

“I won’t look back,” he said. “As soon as I’m in Texas, I’ll forget you. By this time tomorrow, you won’t even be a memory.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“No? Why would I remember? You never meant a thing to me.”

Carla’s face finally registered anger, making it anything but pretty. He stepped past her, wanting to get away before whatever venomous words she was cooking up spewed out. He tried the front door. The stupid thing was locked, so he jabbed at the doorbell.

“I guess I’ll just go over to Brody’s,” Carla said.

She didn’t get a rise out of him. Tim couldn’t care less who she fucked now. His mom peeked out the side window, and he mouthed for her to open the door. Hurry the hell up!

“Goodbye then,” Carla said. “I’ll be sure to tell my brother that he was right about you.”

Tim stiffened. His mom opened the door and greeted Carla, who replied back in pleasant tones that belied her serpent’s tongue. Tim was terrified that she would say more, would drop a bomb that would follow him to Texas, but he made it inside and shut the door before the worst could happen.

“Are you okay,Gordito?”

“Fine,” Tim said. His mother smiled sympathetically, misinterpreting his distress. He wanted to get away from her before she said something kind about the witch outside. “I’m going to make sure everything in my room is packed.”

Once he was upstairs, Tim went to his father’s office and peeked through the curtains overlooking the driveway. Carla had gone. Exhaling in relief, Tim tried to force her from his thoughts, but those dark eyes came back to haunt him once more. Then he realized that the penetrating gaze in his mind didn’t belong to Carla, but to her brother instead. * * * * *

“You can kiss me if you want.”