“Alright. Thanks for lunch.” I went in for a casual hug. I might’ve held on for slightly longer than was necessary, but she didn’t object. If anything, I could have sworn that she was sniffing me. Good thing I’d put on more deodorant.
“Thanks for climbing with me! It was so fun!” We walked to the door.
“When will I see you again?” I asked.
“My onsite is next week! Maybe I’ll see you then?”
“Okay.” I held the door open for her as we exited the restaurant. “I’m this way,” I said, gesturing to the left.
“I’m this way,” she said, pointing right. “See you!” She gave a little wave and walked away.
I put my hands in my pockets and turned to walk towards the subway station. I nearly collided with a short guy in a beanie and a leather jacket who had been standing close behind me. I muttered an apology and kept walking.
Chapter 11
-Anna-
Well, that was awkward.
I wasn’t sure what had induced me to invite him to lunch. I knew that he climbed with Lina all the time, but the thought of leaving them alone together, while I went home by myself...I didn’t want to be alone.
And I should’ve let Lina come. Maybe she was a nicer person than I’d thought, and I definitely could’ve used another friend. I should’ve given her a chance.
But if I had, then Ian wouldn’t have held me close on the walk over. We wouldn’t have played footsie under the table, and shared that sweltry moment. I was exhausted from the day, but I still felt a flutter at the memory, at the keen look in his eyes.
Unfortunately, we’d gone to a Chinese restaurant, of all places.
Chinese food was delicious, and the place he’d taken us to was really quite good. But whenever I smelled the familiar mixture of oil, garlic, ginger, five spice...my memories always dredged up.
My parents couldn’t afford daycare (hadn’t even considered it, really), so they often took me to the restaurant that they worked at. The other employees and the customers all doted on me (let’s be real, I was adorable)...but my parents were strict. Mean. And they fought viciously, both with me and with each other, whenever my dad made a mistake on an order, or whenever my mom flirted with a customer for tips. Whenever business was bad. They put on a good face for everyone else, but I didn’t count. With me, they were brutally honest. They each confided in me, cursing the other, telling me their deepest, darkest desires.
I wish we’d never met.
I wish your father were a real man.
I wish I were dead.
I wish he were dead.
The memories made me nauseous.
I pushed the thoughts away and trudged home, taking stock of my body. It’d been a long time since I’d last exercised, and climbing was tiring. Every muscle, from my core out to my limbs, fingers, and toes, was already beginning to feel sore. My apartment was only a couple of blocks away, but it felt like miles to my aching legs. I had to walk slowly, limping ever-so-slightly with each agonizing step.
Footsteps behind me. I turned to look—
My purse was wrenched from my shoulder and I was shoved from behind. I lurched forward and fell to the pavement, grateful for the thick fabric of my peacoat. My hands grabbed for the purse, but they were weak from climbing and could not resist the hands of my mugger, who tore the purse away from me. I whipped my head around and watched as a figure ran off in the direction I’d just come from. Shit! I got up to chase after him, cursing my tired legs as he turned the corner.
When I arrived at the corner, I fully expected to find no sign of the thief. Instead, he was in a game of tug of war with Ian—and Ian was winning!
As the thief swung an arm back, I shouted, “Ian, look out!” Ian ducked, his face narrowly missing the thief’s fist, then countered with a knee to the man’s gut. The thief let go and fell backwards, clutching his stomach and wheezing. Ian leaned over and panted, then muttered something to the man, stood up, and walked towards me with my purse. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be harmed. But a moment later, the man rolled to his knees and started to get up, his face twisted in a snarl.
“Ian, come on!” I waved at him to hurry.
He glanced behind him, then sprinted towards me as the man began to rise. I grabbed Ian’s hand and ran with him for two blocks until I finally pulled him up the steps of my apartment building. The man didn’t seem to be following us, but I didn’t dare stop for breath. With shaky hands, I reached into my purse and pulled out the keys. As soon as the door opened, I pulled Ian in and shut the door, then secured the deadbolt. Only then did I lean against the wall and allow myself to breathe.
“Are you—are you okay?” I asked Ian, who was leaning against the other wall.
“Yeah, I think so,” he panted. “You?”
I nodded.
We stayed like that for a few minutes, calming our breaths, not saying anything. Finally, I asked, “Do you want to come upstairs for a bit? Maybe just until we’re sure that guy has disappeared?”
“Yeah. I think we should report what just happened.”
He followed me up the stairs to the third floor apartment. I was a little bit embarrassed by how old and decrepit my apartment was, but it was all I could afford, and my landlord didn’t care to fix anything. The stairs leading up to it were covered in dirty orange shag carpet. The walls, once white, had water stains and peeling paint. One of the stairs had fallen in and I had
