Chapter 10

I have the patience of a saint. Saint Cunt McFuckoff.

-Coffee Cup

Rafe

Three weeks later

I went home to what should have been my empty house and instead found the she-devil standing at my door.

She had a baking dish in her hands, and she was smiling at me with a smile so white and bright that it was blinding.

I really, really disliked her.

But, after talking to Trace, I realized that I’d been working a job.

She was part of that job.

Lucky for me I’d been sharing my findings with Trace, otherwise, I’d be just as lost here with him as I was with the Janie girl.

The Janie girl that nobody seemed to want to tell me about.

It’d been a long three weeks, and still, to this day, I’d gotten nothing out of my friend.

Why, I couldn’t quite figure, but even Trace—my old good friend—wouldn’t say a word.

And when I asked, he’d give me the same spiel he’d given me the first time. “You’ll know when you’re meant to know, and not a moment before.”

The doctors had told me not to push my memory.

I’d remember when I remembered and pushing could actually set my recovery back even further.

Which I thought was a crock of shit, but again, I wasn’t the expert. Or, at least, that was what Trace kept telling me.

“Whatcha got there?” I called as I put the kickstand up on my bike.

Yes, I’d ridden the bike home in the middle of a rainstorm.

Seemed only fair

Angelina She-Devil Jolie, also known as Elspeth Trammel, smiled sweetly at me. “Pecan pie.”

Gross.

I grimaced and tried to give her a smile, but I couldn’t hack it.

“I’m sorry, Elspeth, but I’m not feeling all that well…” and I wasn’t. “I’m gonna have to take a shower and maybe go to bed. Can we do dinner tomorrow to make up for it?”

Elspeth frowned and scooted closer, bringing the smell of her disgusting pie with her.

The feeling of her hand on my hand felt like poison on my skin.

I’d watched a movie the night before on my phone during a stakeout of the Trammel residence, and a certain scene came to mind. The main two characters that were running for their lives through the woods and were being complete dumbasses about it.

They should’ve stayed where they were because they had protection at their backs, weapons at their fronts, light so they could see and strength in their numbers. But they decided to split up, two and two. Then they all ran into the fucking woods where it was dark, split up, and never once thought about looking up with their flashlights.

So, there they were, running with their stupid flashlights that barely illuminated three feet in front of them, and not goddamn once did they think to look up until they felt the alien’s saliva drip on their skin.

The alien’s saliva burned like acid…which was what Elspeth’s touch was reminding me of.

I pulled my arm back. “You should probably not get too close. Germs.”

She smiled at my suggestion.

“If I get sick, then you can just take care of me,” she suggested.

Yeah, fucking right.

I didn’t take care of anybody.

Except for maybe Janie.

She’d look a-fucking-dorable sick.

I’d totally sit next to her and willingly be in her germ zone.

Why? I couldn’t tell you.

Which immediately pissed me off.

“Take care of yourself, Luis.”

Luis.

I gave her a fake smile and wrapped her in my arms, even though I felt like vomiting into her hair when her lips pressed against my neck.

To keep my mind off of the state of my stomach, I allowed my eyes to roam around the street, my eyes spotting a familiar car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart,” she whispered, pulling away.

Then she left with a small wave, leaving the stupid pie behind.

I didn’t so much as wait for her to get to her car before I headed inside and went straight to the bathroom for the shower that I’d been speaking of.

Once I had my clothes off, I got in the shower, my thoughts drifting to the car.

It was a familiar car, but I couldn’t say how I knew it.

Something about that car, though, brought up the stirring of memories that was making my heart pound.

And that pounding only showed up when I thought about her.

Janie.

***

Janie

The entire ride over I’d berated myself for showing up unannounced, but I had to talk to him. I had to know. I had to see.

What I saw made me realize that what I had with Rafe was gone.

He may not remember me, but he sure looked like he remembered her.

They looked happy.

I felt like my heart had just been ripped from my chest. As if someone had reached in, gripped it in their large fist, and squeezed as they ripped.

I didn’t look back as I started my car.

I didn’t think about him while I drove.

And I definitely didn’t think about his favorite coffee when I walked into my favorite little hole in the wall coffee shop that reminded me of him.

No. Not one single bit.

Also, that was a lie.

Everything was a lie.

I wasn’t sure that anything would ever be the truth again.