Page 10 of Two For One

I tensed at O’s words, not ready to leave.

Not yet. I signed.

“Then stay,” he clipped, turning around.

I threw my notebook at him. What happened? I signed.

“Not what I wanted,” he growled in irritation, making his features even more pronounced.

I rolled my eyes, getting up, searching the club for Xiomara. She was coming back to the table watching O warily.

“I have⁠—”

O took the glass, throwing the drink back like it was a shot.

“I—”

“Thank you, Xiomara,” O said interrupting her, grabbing money from his wallet, handing her two hundreds.

“Uh, yeah. No problem,” she said, looking between us.

Her curious look made me want to smile again. I grabbed my wallet and handed her more money, happy to give her a lot more because I knew she was working for a good cause. Maybe I could order something from her website?

Maybe I could hex O for shits and giggles?

“Oh, this is⁠—”

I stood up leaning over her, stopping her from speaking again, nodding hoping she understood me. I didn’t have many instances where I wished I could speak, but this time I wished I could say what I wanted.

O watched us with those calculating blue eyes. He would have a barrage of questions as soon as we left. I wasn’t ready for that mostly because I probably didn’t know the answer to half of them. We walked away from her, an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach the further we got away. It was weird, something I had only felt once before, and I wondered if it was foreshadowing what might become of her and me. One last glance before we left, she looked at me as if she was doing the same. She couldn’t see it, but I smiled. This wouldn’t be the last time we would see each other.

Being awake during the morning was criminal. It was one in the afternoon—this was technically my very early morning—on Xiomara’s day off and I was following her to who knows where. We were going on an hour drive, making me regret my choice to watch her today. Marigold was the next small town over. We got off the highway going through small roads until we entered the town square. They had blocked a few streets off, taking us to a small area that looked like a parking area.

A few cars arrived with us, allowing me to blend in and grab a parking spot, keeping her in my line of sight. She exited her car with a basket and several bags, in a long black dress with various flowers on it. A big hat sat on her head protecting her from the sun, looking so different from how she looked at the club.

I let her leave before getting out and inspecting her car. It was an older Volkswagen Beetle that looked like it had seen better days. Who the hell drove this car anymore? Looking around before I leaned down, I put a tracking device under her bald tire that needed to be upgraded. I looked at the rest of the tires, they all seemed to be in the same condition. I wondered if she would notice new tires? Opening my notes app, I clicked on the folder with her name and added a note to replace her tires and run full diagnostics on her car.

After making a few more notes about her car, I walked in the direction she was going, seeing a huge market in the center of the town with more people than I was expecting. I kept my cap low, keeping my head down to keep a low profile when I found her. She was laughing, throwing her head back as an older woman laughed with her. They chatted for a few minutes, and I could see the fondness Xiomara had for her. She bought a big bundle of something before moving on, saying hi to a few people who all knew her name.

Xiomara shopped at a few different vendors. After an hour and a half, all her bags were full, struggling to take them back to her car when one vendor came to help her. He was a young guy who looked to be infatuated with Xiomara, touching her constantly, making my blood pressure rise. He gave her a hug that lasted too long and if I had the blanket of night, he would be disappeared in five minutes. She didn’t seem uncomfortable about the interaction, so he might keep his life. Maybe…, doubtful, and this is why I hated to be awake during the day. I was limited as to what I could do.

We left the small town, driving back to Climax, yes the town next to Valentine Town was called Climax, talk about a fucking coincidence. Xiomara grabbed takeout before she headed back to her apartment above a coffee house. The building looked to be shoddy, and I hoped like hell the inside was a lot better. The more I saw, the more I hated that she lived without the comforts she deserved. I saw what she had sacrificed for her grandparents, and that made me admire her even more.

While she was in her home, I went to the coffee shop to use the restroom and get myself something to eat. The woman who helped me was nice, asking questions until I told her I was nonspeaking on my phone. She apologized profusely, looking overly embarrassed, when Xiomara entered the coffee shop from the back. I thanked her quickly, and turned around so she couldn’t see me.

I sighed. She was supposed to be in her damn apartment.

“Xo!” The woman at the cashier said excitedly.

“Hey!” Xo responded, just as excited. “How is the boyfriend?”

“Good, still can't believe we are together,” the woman said. “Thank you so much!”

“Girl, don’t say that, you are a hot woman and I’m just giving you props,” Xiomara said.

“Ezra!” I raised my hand, walking around Xiomara keeping my back to her, still listening to her conversation.

She smelled like lavender and herbaceousness and it was alluring. It made me want to press her against the wall and have my way with her. I rolled my eyes at myself as I grabbed my coffee and sandwich, slowly leaving so I could soak up as much information as I could without being suspicious.