Chapter Eleven (Who's That Boy?)

Previously, on "Memoirs Of A City Girl":
Ch. 10 (Big Girls Don't Cry)
-Jackie's owner turned out to be my neighbor.
-I found out that Mr. Nunu belonged to the previous owners of the house.
-I received an email from Brad, telling me how worried he is and he still loves me.
-Reading his email made me very emotional, so I clung to Mr. Nunu for comfort.
-I saw a ghost across the street.

*Strong Language*



Location: 1012 Pomona Promenade
Date: Wednesday, 10/26/11
Time: 11:24 a.m.

I've never been so happy to wake up with the sun beaming down my face.  Seeing that ghost last night really creeped me out, and it took me almost an hour just to fall asleep.  Paranoia set in, making me wonder if it would appear by the foot of my bed, staring at me.  Now my heart is racing thinking about Brad's email.  His words keep playing in my head over and over.  God, I miss you.  I think about you all the time.  I have never stopped loving you.  It's as if he's whispering them to my ear right now, and I can still feel his warm breath on my skin, making me shiver.  At the same time, I'm not sure if I should respond to him.

I do, however, feel ready to talk to Adam.  I received five emails from him last night, wondering where I'm at and if I'm okay.  I'm starting to worry that my family might think I'm missing, and they filed a police report.  Now I'm wondering if Brad told them that I ran off in a cab, never to return.  I take a deep breath as I dial Adam's cell phone number.  This is my first attempt at contacting my family since I left.

"Hello?"

"Hey Adam, it's me."

"Who is this?"

Hearing his sweet 16 year old voice drown me in guilt, and my heart feels heavy.  I take quick breaths just to avoid choking on my own words.

"It's Lyn."

"Holy shit!! Where have you been, sis??"

"I had to leave town.  I'll explain later."

"Where are you?"

"I can't tell you right now."

"Are you in trouble?"

"No, sweetie.  I just needed to get away."

"Dad was going to report you missing.  Then Brad told us that you guys had a fight and you left."

"Did he tell you why?"

"No.  He just said that you were really upset and you took off in a cab."

Of course that motherfucker wouldn't say why.



"I figured.  Adam, I can't talk too long but I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay."

"I miss you, sis.  I thought something happened to you."

It's too late.  My tears are escaping now, and I have to bite my lip to keep my voice steady.

"I m-miss you too sweetie.  Can you j-just tell everybody t-that I'm okay?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'll tell them."

"Do me a favor.  Don't give anyone my new number.  I'll call them when I'm ready, okay?"

"Okay.  Are you sure?"

"Yeah.  Just tell them I called from a payphone."

"Okay."

"Be good, okay?  And I'll call you again soon."

"I will.  I'm glad you called, sis."

"Me too. Bye."

"Bye."



Finally I feel ready to start working again.  I was going to wait until I adopted a dog but I haven't had any luck lately.  Staying in the house all day will just give me too much time to think.  I'm hoping they will have positions available at the hospital, even if it's something clerical.  It will take some time to establish my residency again, and I will still have to tie up some loose ends at the hospital in Bridgeport.



It feels good to see the town again.  I will have to check out the shops and restaurants one of these days.  Maybe Geri and I can go shopping and have lunch.  I'm already excited about having a new friend!  I can invite her over for dinner, we can watch chick flicks all night, talk and just be girls. She seems to live alone.  I wonder what her story is?



Location: Wolfson's Hospital And Research Facility
Time: 11:40 a.m.

As I walk towards the front of the hospital, I become very nervous.  It must be because I haven't worked in nearly two weeks, and I'm starting to feel rusty.  I'll have to get used to the hustle and bustle of the hospital again, dealing with patients, paperwork, deadlines, pesky insurance companies and pushy pharmaceutical companies. The closer I get to the entrance, the more uneasy I become.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's more than nervousness about a new job.  It's as if something is telling me not to go any further.

I see a man in a gray suit talking on his cell phone with his back to me.  My senses are on high alert, sending tingles all over my neck and arms.  There's something very familiar about the way he's standing.



As if sensing my energy, he turns around.  Oh my God, it's him!!  Those pale blue eyes are wide open, burning right through me in shock.  My mind is processing a million thoughts, my heart is beating a million times, my breathing is so rapid, I am nearly choking.  Yet my body is frozen.  It won't even let me blink.  Everything seems to be at a standstill as we absorb each other's presence from what seems like miles away, yet it feels like he's only inches from me.  So close that I can almost reach out and touch him.



Then my heart remembers.  He is the man I fell  hopelessly in love with, the man I spent the last two years of my life with, the man that I shared my hopes and dreams with, the man that makes me weak in the knees, the man who's child I was carrying and the man that my body craves.  He is also the man that had my heart in his hands, only to throw it on the ground and step on it until it can't bleed anymore.  Suddenly, I start to feel stabbing pains in my chest.  It becomes so sharp that I'm unable to breathe, causing me to let out little gasps.



Everything around me starts to look dark and blurry as the pain starts to threaten my sense of balance.  From a distance, I can hear echos of cars passing by being drowned out by the enormous banging of my own heart.  It feels like a drum being pounded a million times by a million hands.



I catch a quick glimpse of myself standing in front of the hospital before being catapulted into utter darkness and deafening silence.



Slowly, the darkness fades away.



Location: Bridgeport University Library
Date: Tuesday, 6/11/09
Time: 4:22 p.m.

I find myself sitting down at a table at the college library.  Across me is Jamie Morgan, a friend I met in my Biology class this semester, my junior year.  She's  from Sunset Valley. We are studying for a test coming up tomorrow. She's also a Science major, and she wants to become a pharmacist.  I'm still not sure what I want to be, but I know that Science has always been my favorite subject in school.  I especially love Astronomy, Physics and Biology.  The way the world works amazes me, and I've been on a search for answers since I was a kid.



When I get up to put a book away, I stop dead in my tracks at the sight of the most amazing pale blue eyes gazing at me.  Damn, who is that??  I feel as if I've seen him before, I just can't put my finger on it.  Even from a distance, his eyes burn right through me, as if he knows my secrets, as if he knows something I don't know.  My heart pounds faster with every second that our gaze lingers, which makes me very self-conscious.  The whole room feels like a blur, and the only thing I know is me. And him.  Right now, excruciatingly aware of each other's presence.  This is crazy.  Why do I have this overwhelming need to put my arms around his neck and taste his lips?  Why do I want to know the smell of his skin?  I've never seen him in my life.  He flashes a warm smile.  Oh dear.  My knees start to lose their strength.  Instead of smiling back, I look away and pretend I don't see him.

"Don't know who you are
But you look like a star
And everybody have me thinkin' 
Who's that boy
Wanna take you home
And getcha all alone
And everybody here is thinkin'
Who's that boy"



"I just leave them on the table.  They'll pick it up." A slightly deep, silky voice appears behind me, catching me off-guard.

I turn around to find those pale blue eyes again but this time less than three feet away from me.  Oh dear.  Stay cool.



"Oh..." I stammer, trying not to look at him directly.  He is even more handsome up close, with the kind of boyish good looks that has probably broken many hearts.  His lashes are black and thick, creating a striking contrast against the lightness of his eyes.  They hypnotize me, making me want to dive in a pool of liquid blue,  until my body is completely drenched and helpless, until my mind has lost any type of sense.  God, yes.  Whatever you want.  I'll do it right now, damn you.



"I didn't see you." I try to sound as composed as possible.

"Sorry.  I didn't mean to sneak up on you."  He smiles again.



"Well, at least you didn't say boo." I smile back, trying to sound cool.  Inside, I'm a wreck.  He seems like the type of guy that never has a shortage of girls around him.  They'll probably find any excuse to talk to him on campus, even if they have to flash him...or kidnap him.

"Haha.  I didn't want to get smacked with a five pound book." His grin brings my gaze to his lips, which look luscious.  I just want to bite them.  I just want to suck them.  I look away again.



"Ouch.  That would really hurt." I sneak another peek at his eyes.

"Would you smack me?" There's a playfulness in his smile.

Hell yeah, I would smack you.  I would smack that ass.  Wait, what am I saying?



A stunning girl with strawberry blonde hair and pale hazel-green eyes approach us, and she doesn't look very happy.  Is that his girlfriend?



"Bradley, I've been waiting for you downstairs.  Are you coming?"  She purrs, trying to divert his attention away from me.

Bradley?? His name is Bradley?

"Yeah, I was just...uhh...putting a book back."  He explains, but his eyes are on me.

"I'm starving.  Let's go."  She grabs his hand, giving me a "back off, bitch" look.

As she pulls him away, our eyes meet one more time before he turns around to catch up with her.



Figures.  Guys like him always date gorgeous girls like her.  What was I thinking?  Did I really think I had a chance?  I need to be careful or I might end up on his "been there, done that" list.



A few weeks later, I run into him at the gym.  I'm on my way to the weights area when I see him on one of the nautilus machines.  Shirtless.  Holy shit.  Must. Not. Rape. Strange. Man. In. Gym.  I imagine my hands tracing his chest, feeling how hard it is.  Then they would start to move lower...



At that same moment that I recognize him, he gets up and looks in my direction.  It's as if he sensed my presence.

Our eyes meet again.  My heart stops.  My mind races.  I can't move.

"I've been staring atcha
And I could do it all night
You're lookin' like an angel
That kind of body
Needs a spotlight"



With a killer smile, he heads in my direction, displaying everything that a shirt would normally hide.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear.

*Copyright 2011 Lyn C.S.*
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"Who's That Boy" by Demi Lovato
Video by: therealdemilovato