Walking down the street I attacked my meatball sub with extra sauce while Eva daintily dug into her roast beef sandwich.
I liked the way she wore her hair now, shoulder length the curls still wild. I remembered the way the curls had tickled my face the last time we’d been together and it made me smile.
“What are you smiling at?” Sliding her eyes sideways she narrowed them as she spoke.
“I dunno?” I answered coyly my eyes traveling up and down her long lean limbs.
“Do I have something on me?” turning she looked behind her at the back of her faded jeans.
“No.” Shaking my head I dribbled some sauce on my chin.
“Well then what?” Stopping she reached out wiping at the sauce before holding out her finger for me to lick.
“You just look good,” I paused shrugging my shoulders as I licked the sauce off. “That’s all.”
“You look good too.” Leaning in I thought she was going to kiss me so I leaned into her closing my eyes.
“What are you doing?” She asked. Opening my eyes I glanced down to where she held her hand out to the trash behind me.
“What were you doing?”
“Throwing my sandwich away. I don’t want anymore.” I could tell she was trying not to laugh at me when she spoke.
“I knew that.”
“No you didn’t. You thought I was going to kiss you.”
“So what if I did?” Tossing my sandwich in the trash I wiped my hands together looking up the street to where two guys were bartering over the price of a fake Rolex.
“Nick.” Turning back to Eva I smiled.
Placing her hands on either side of my face she paused before bringing my face to hers our lips meeting somewhere in the middle as some elderly ladies walked by us mumbling something about “getting a room.” And for an instance it was like there was nothing else in the world but Eva and me.
But what was that old saying…..”All good things must come to an-“
“CARTER.” Pulling away from Eva I took in a deep ragged breath trying to focus.
“CARTER WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” Looking around I finally spotted Slim coming right for me a pissed off look in his dark eyes.
“Who’s that?” Eva whispered slipping into the crook of my arm like she belonged there.
“A pissed off bodyguard.” I replied hooking my arm around her protectively. “My pissed off bodyguard.”
“Do you think you’re funny?” Getting up in my face Slim pressed his nose to mine as he spoke, his spit spraying me like some nasty smelling onion shower.
“Yeah I guess I’m pretty funny.” I replied rolling my eyes as Slim backed down.
“Excuse me Miss this will just take a minute.” Changing to a pleasant tone that would get him hired instantly on the Butterball Hotline Slim unwrapped my arm from around Eva moving her politely to the side before plowing his giant fist into my gut raising me up in the air before I landed doubled over on the sidewalk.
“I always told you your big mouth was going to get you in trouble Carter.” Squatting down in front of me Slim slapped me lightly on the cheek a big toothy grin on his face. “Okay either get up or I’ll get you up in front of your little girlfriend here.”
“Got it.” I said through clenched teeth as I rolled onto my knees pushing myself up slowly to a standing position.
“Nothing more to see here people.” Slim shouted to the crowd of passerby’s who weren't looking at us anyway. “By the way Rok and Bone are looking for you.” He mumbled flipping his hand up in the air to signal a passing cab.
“I bet they are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” Turning I caught Eva’s hand in mine pulling her in for a hug.
“Where are you staying.” I whispered in her ear as Slim flipped open the door to the cab loudly clearing his throat.
Wrapping an arm around my back Eva squeezed me tightly, at the same time I could feel her reach into her knapsack coming up with a ballpoint pen that she used to quickly scribble something on my arm before letting me go.
“I’ll see you soon.” Nodding her eyes found mine, reassuring me without words that we would indeed see one another again.
Sliding into the cab I glanced down at my arm at the phone number as Slim slid in behind me, memorizing the digits as the cab melted slowly into traffic.
Turning I wanted to wave to Eva one last time, to proclaim my love with some cheesy heart traced in condensation on the back window of the cab……..but she was already gone.
* * *
Slim pushed me in the side of the head as the cab lurched into the thick of the traffic.
“So what were you thinking man just taking off like that?”
I considered telling him the truth but quickly decided against it.
“I mean c’mon Nicky, how many times are you going to get attacked by teenybopper girls before you get it through your thick skull that I’m here to protect you.” Pointing at my face he then cupped his hands around the back of my head.
“What’s up with this shit?” He asked rubbing his fingertips along the stitches on the back of my head.
“I got hit on the head.”
“See Nicky that’s what I’m talking about, shit like that. If you’d take me with you wherever you go things like this wouldn’t happen, I could have saved you from this.”
“You couldn’t have saved me from this.” I replied knocking his hand away from the back of my head. “No one can.”
“What’s that supposed to mean kid?”
“We’re here.” I answered as the cab came to a slow stop at the side entrance of the hotel.