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Travis opens his mouth to answer and then snaps it shut. He’s thinking about what to say. “Just some business,” he answers.
“Oh. That was vague,” I reply sarcastically.
Frankie laughs out loud, clapping his hands. “I see it now,” he says, nodding his head.
“See what now?”
“Similarities,” he says, smiling.
I roll my eyes, shaking my head. “What … they’re both smart asses?” teases Sydney.
“Girl, that’s for sure,” Frankie boasts, high-fiving Sydney.
“It’s best you don’t know anything about what I do, Addison,” Travis says, ignoring the chuckling duo on the couch. “But since I was here, I wanted to stop by. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t. But you’re right,” I say, looking at him. “It’s probably best that you don’t make this a habit either. Coming here,” I clarify.
“I won’t,” he says, looking down, playing with the water bottle in his hand. “I just wanted to see you. Make sure you were okay.”
“I’m glad you did.” When he looks up, I smile at him.
“Well, I wish we could stay longer…” he glances at his watch “…but we have to be somewhere in half an hour.” The guys stand and they each give me another hug before leaving.
I shut the door and lean back against it. My feelings for Travis catch me off guard. A small part of me would like to get to know him better.
“Well, that was interesting,” Syd says as I walk to the couch. “It’s crazy how you don’t look anything like him, but you definitely have his eyes.”
It’s those eyes, mija. Those eyes are your hell.
I snap my eyes shut, shaking my head. I fall into the couch and drop my head between my legs as my body starts to shake, hearing Rico’s words.
“Addison! Look at me,” I hear Syd say. She grabs my hands off my head. “Addison, it’s me, Sydney. You’re safe. You’re with me. Open your eyes,” she commands softly.
Her words start out muted but the more she talks, the closer I get to her. When it’s just her voice I hear, I pry my eyes open.
“That’s it, Addie. You’re safe,” she says, nodding, expecting me to understand. I nod back. She grabs my water, untwists the top, and hands it to me. I can feel drops of sweat running down my back. I hold out my hand for the cap. When I twist it back on, I run the bottle across my forehead. The coolness helps as I do my breathing exercises.
“What just happened?”
I exhale slowly. I always feel pathetic when I have flashbacks. “Rico would always mention my eyes. He told me they were my hell,” I say, picking at my jeans.
“Your eyes are beautiful, Addie. Your eyes are not your hell. He was.” I nod, agreeing with her. Yes, he was. Him and his spawn.
When I calm down, I glance at Syd sitting across from me on the coffee table. “I’m sorry,” I say and look away from her.
A pillow slams against my head. “Ouch,” I say, rubbing my head. “What was that for?”
“Stop saying you’re sorry. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” She tries to hit me again, but I duck this time. I stick my tongue out at her. “Dr. Price told both of us that this might happen. It’s part of your healing. You know you’re safe,” she says, standing up. “I’m starving, so let’s go eat.”
That is what I love about Syd. She’s direct and moves on. As we’re walking out of my building, she says out of the blue, “Frankie is so hot.” I laugh when she starts to fan herself. “I mean seriously. It’s a good thing you came out of the bedroom when you did, because I was about to jump on the man.”
“Speaking of them being here, did you let them in?” I ask, just now remembering I never buzzed them up.
“Yes, but don’t be mad,” she adds quickly. “I just thought you’d want to see Frankie. And I was being really nosy wanting to see Travis in real life.” She bites her lip, waiting for my response.
“It’s okay,” I say, bumping her with my hip as we walk. “It was good seeing them both.”
“Excuse me.”
