Hopeless Hero

Less than five minutes after I found a bench, Alicia crossed the street right in front of me. Moving quickly, her hips swayed slightly and I could see every curve of her body beneath her tight dress. Her dark hair caught the light so perfectly captivating.

“Alicia!” I called, on my feet instantly, hurrying toward her.

She glanced behind her, deflating when she realized it was me calling her. She slowed down but didn’t stop.

I jogged until I fell into step beside her.

She crossed her arms and raised her chin, her eyes remaining firmly focused in front of her. She wore an expression I knew all too well—the same look she’d gotten every time we argued. Whenever I said something stupid or upset her, she would cross her arms, raise her chin, square her shoulders, and glare into the distance.

“Zane,” she said with the tiniest of nods.

“I was going to say hi at the wake, but you ran out of there pretty fast.” I studied her face, waiting to see a reaction I recognized.

“Yeah, it was getting crowded,” she said emotionlessly.

“Well, it’s good to see you,” I said tentatively, desperate to crack the ice so that I could see the real Alicia again. “I’m sorry about your uncle.”

“Thank you,” she said, her voice still cold.

“How are your parents taking it?” I asked.

“They’re fine. Sad. Like all of us.”

“Well, the wake was nice. They did a great job. I’m sure Jimmy would have loved it.”

“You didn’t even know him.”

“No, but I knew of him,” I reminded her. “You told me stories about your whole family, remember?”

“That was a long time ago, Zane. Things have changed.”

“Like what?” I asked. I knew she could hear the desperation in my voice; Alicia always knew me better than I knew myself.

“Everything.” She sighed. “Everything has changed.”

I walked silently beside her. There were so many things I wanted to say, but none of them felt important enough. I glanced over at her every few seconds, hoping to catch her looking at me, but she never did. Her blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight and she looked angrier than I’d ever seen her.

Shit.

Nevertheless, it amazed me how someone could be so angry and so beautiful at the same time. Even when she wouldn’t look at me and wanted nothing more than for me to go away, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.

“Not everything…You’re still just as beautiful as ever,” I said, immediately regretting my words when she flinched. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you want, Zane?”

“I just wanted to see you. To talk to you.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s been five years…”

“I know,” Alicia said, her voice tight. “Which is why I don’t understand what good this will do. Why bother coming to Jimmy’s wake? Or chasing me down now?”

“I told you, I just wanted to see you.”

She glared into the distance, tightening her arms around her chest and picking up her pace—her way of telling me it was time for me to go away.

But now that I was finally talking to her, I didn’t want to stop.