Page 72 of You + Me – Against the World

“Wait, I have something else for you.”

He guides me toward the small coffee table, and we sit side by side on the couch. My gaze falls on three Polaroids, and as soon as I realize what they portray, tears blur my eyes. I wipe them away with the back of my hand and grab the photos to take a closer look. The secluded bench where we meet in the park, the wall next to the café’s front door, the bottom step in the small square where we often hang out. Our three favorite hiding places. At each of these spots, the same inscription is engraved in the stone or wood: You + Me.

“We can go see them if you want. That’ll be much better than just looking at the photos. Well, if you ever stop crying.” He smiles at me and strokes my hair.

He can make fun of me all he wants. I don’t care. I clutch the precious snapshots to my chest and bury my face in his neck, laughing.

“This is the best gift you could have given me.”

“And you thought I wasn’t romantic. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten what I need to tell you, if you still want to hear it.”

“After this, you can tell me anything,” I murmur, looking at the Polaroids again.

Vadim sinks into the couch and pulls me toward him. His solid arms close around me. I settle against his chest, sliding my hand under his T-shirt and around his waist. His skin is soft and warm, and I melt into this cocoon of happiness. Nothing bad can happen to me here.

“A few years ago, Felix was part of a Puerto Rican gang. He wanted out, but those guys don’t just let you walk away. When they’ve watched you grow up, when they’ve defended you, you end up belonging to them. If you want your freedom, you’ve got to buy it back from them. And what Fe gave them was never enough.

“You know that money I was handing over to him? It was for that. But it wasn’t enough, so I decided to help him. Maybe not the right way, but I swear, there was no other way. These guys track you down wherever you go; when you’ve been one of theirs, even years later, you can’t escape them.

“Anyway, I stole a car. A big luxury sedan, the nicest one I could find in an upscale neighborhood. Felix and I dropped the car off in front of the gang’s HQ, and they accepted it. It means his debt is paid. He’s free.”

“You guys are completely insane,” I reply, snuggling a bit closer to him. “But does that mean it’s over? You don’t have anything to do with them anymore?”

“Yes, we’re completely done with them. But the night I did it, a security camera caught me in front of the house where the car was parked. That’s why they came to arrest me. I messed up. I never usually get caught.”

“Usually?” I shoot back indignantly, sitting up straight. “Stealing luxury cars is your… hobby?”

“No, I hadn’t done that in years. And I won’t do it again. It’s behind me now.”

“So, if it was you on the camera footage, why did they release you?”

“It could have been me, but it could have been anyone. It was dark, and I had a hood on. You can barely see my face. The cops traced it back to me because I’m in their system and I live in the area, but they don’t have any proof. They were just hoping for me to confess, that’s all. And Keith helped out by providing me with an alibi for that night.”

“He lied? Your caseworker?”

“It happens. He did what it took to get me out. It was either that or jail, Alma.”

“I can’t believe it…”

“I know, but you have to believe me. I’m done with that bullshit. I have a scholarship, I go to college, and I want to make films. And I have you.”

Vadim takes the photos from my hands and stares at them for a long time. He sighs, then gives me the wildest, most intense look I’ve ever seen. His slightly parted lips move closer to my face; I close my eyes and invite him closer. A few seconds later, the photos are scattered on the hardwood floor, underneath Vadim’s crumpled T-shirt.

We kiss with the same passion, the same urgency that has been ours ever since we found each other, but then he suddenly stops. He lowers the sweater he was in the middle of pulling up over my head.

“I just heard a noise. I’m sure it was the click of a camera,” he whispers softly. “Don’t move.”

Shirtless, he rushes behind the counter in the kitchen that opens onto the living room.

“Holy shit! What the hell are you doing here?”

“Ha, ha, ha… it took you guys long enough to get down to business! I thought that conversation was never going to end. Very touching, by the way. Oh, and happy birthday, Alma.”

Felix appears, laughing and holding a camera. I have a hard time processing what’s going on until Vadim rushes at his friend and slams him against the wall, then starts yelling in his face.

“You think it’s funny? You come into my home, hide, and take pictures of us? You’re the one who’s been doing this? Fuck… After everything I did for you?”

“Alright, calm down, I was just pranking you guys!”