Chapter 13

Eve helped Brandon to the bed, though he didn’t much need it. If he could have chosen where to end his sexual dry spell, Brandon probably wouldn’t have opted for standing up in a shower on a bad knee with the muddied balance of a recent concussion victim, but he wasn’t complaining about that, or the walking aid. In fact, Brandon felt better than he had in as long as he could remember; broken ribs, concussion and all. It’s amazing what another person’s body can do for a man. In Brandon’s case, it reminded him that life was, from time to time, absolutely perfect, even if those times were few and far between. He sat on the bed and positioned the pillows behind him to help keep him sitting comfortably upright against the wall. Once Eve was sure he was settled, she crossed the small expanse of his room to the bags she’d left on the counter. The towel she wore barely covered anything important but she floated about the room with the same comfort she had fully clothed. He was grateful she wasn’t shy.

He couldn’t quite make out what Eve was taking out of the bags, food of some sort, but exactly what was in the boxes and cans were beyond him. The single burner he called the “stove” was the only means by which he had to cook, which certainly would limit her options when preparing a meal. For all Brandon cared, she could just pretend to cook as he watched her flutter about his small apartment wearing next to nothing and speaking to him pleasantly about her work. She seemed slightly stressed out about how it was progressing, but not so much as to let it ruin her mood. Brandon shifted uncomfortably after a few minutes, wishing he had thought to ask for a prescription of pain killers before he left the hospital. He made a mental note to go back and ask after a few days (once he was confident the agency had paid the tab.) In the meantime, booze would have to do, he decided.

“I hate to interrupt what you’re doing,” Brandon began but instantly felt uncomfortable asking for help.

“What do you need? It’s why I’m here,” Eve seemed to sense his immediate uncertainty.

“Think you could pass me that bottle and a glass?” Brandon pointed to the scotch on the counter. Eve smiled as though she had expected a more substantial request and thought it was funny he’d even worry about asking.

“You’re not very used to being taken care of, are you Brandon?” She asked him as she poured a bit more into the glass than even Brandon probably would have. The towel nearly came loose as she handed him the glass and Brandon’s heart skipped a beat. Even after having sex with her, the idea of seeing her naked was still exhilarating.

“I’m not even used to having someone in the room,” Brandon chuckled and took a sip.

“So you don’t invite all the pretty tourists to this bachelor pad?” Eve looked around symbolically, mocking the décor.

“As a rule, no.” Brandon leaned back into the pillows and relaxed once again. He took another long sip of the scotch and took a deep breath as he let it do its work.

“What do you mean, as a rule?” Eve was back to chopping and dicing with kitchen utensils Brandon didn’t even know he had.

“I mean I don’t invite anyone to my place,” Brandon answered nonchalantly, still hoping the scotch would kick in and take the edge of the pain in his ribs, hand, back, head and knee. He’d settle for any one of them.

“Like ever?” Eve stopped chopping and turned to look at him. Somehow her eyes were even greener now than before.

“Ever,” Brandon half grunted. The pain was mounting and he was having trouble keeping it from effecting how he spoke. Eve put the knife down on the plate she was using as a cutting board and turned the rest of the way to face Brandon. Seeing her square on, her brown hair hanging wild and barely touching her shoulders, the towel desperately clinging to her naked body, Brandon forgot anything hurt. Eve crossed the room in two steps and put a knee on the bed to allow her lips to reach his. They kissed for a moment and the towel came loose. Brandon brought his left hand up and placed it on her naked back and pulled her down onto him. It hurt, but it was a calculated decision. They kissed deeply for another minute until her weight on his chest proved to be too much. She felt his face tense under the pain and pulled away abruptly.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you!” She had the tone of a parent nursing a child, but somehow it was no less seductive. She could probably have said anything and it would have been no less seductive.

“No, no I shouldn’t have pulled you down,” Brandon tried to adjust his weight as she slid off him and onto her side. She laid there for a minute, nude as the stucko walls in Brandon’s apartment, with her head resting on her left hand just looking at him like he was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.

“Who are you Brandon Webb?” She asked, her eyes surveying his face. The question hurt. He knew she didn’t mean it in the literal sense; she meant she wanted to know what made him tick or something to that extent… but it didn’t soften the blow. He closed his eyes, allowing it to appear as though the pain was preventing him to speak. He wished so badly that he could tell her his name, his real name. He wanted to tell her that he was from New England, just like her, and that one day they could go back there together. He wanted to tell her anything she needed to hear to never leave. More than anything, he wanted her and he was sickened at the idea of having to share her with Brandon Webb.

“Right now? The luckiest man on Earth,” was a sincere answer at least. He placed his hand on her hip. She was so small his thumb nearly reached her belly button; it wasn’t often that Brandon had a physical reminder that he was a pretty big guy.

“You’re pretty smooth, ya know that?” Sincere maybe, but his line was still cheesy and she wasn’t going to let it pass without mentioning it. She leaned in again and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, “you must be starving,” she announced as she started to slide back down off the bed. The towel was still where Brandon had left it, “and this is no outfit to cook in.” She walked over to Brandon’s dresser and opened the top drawer but found only socks and underwear. She opened the next one down and pulled out a well-worn, plain white tee shirt and slid it on. It went down a bit further than the towel, but the fabric was thin and nearly see through; Brandon couldn’t have chosen better himself. She walked back over to the counter and began chopping again. Brandon picked the glass back up from his nightstand and finished it off.

He didn’t know how she’d done it, but somehow Eve had prepared one hell of a meal in his sad excuse for a kitchen. Turkey, rice, gravy and an assortment of vegetables mixed together into a single pot might not be what most would consider a delicacy, but considering the circumstances it was verging on miraculous. In the two days he and Eve had spent together, Brandon had eaten better than he had in as long as he could remember. A guy could get used to this, he thought as he finished his last bite, but the idea soured as it reminded him that he really didn’t know what he and Eve were doing or if he’d get a chance to “get used to” anything. He shook the idea from his mind and finished off the glass of vodka and ginger ale Eve had prepared for him from her grocery bag of goodies. Eve stood up and took both of their plates off the bed where they’d been eating and placed them in the sink. It was already almost eleven o’clock and Brandon had the sinking feeling that Eve would be leaving him to head home soon.

“It’s getting late,” Eve must have read his mind.

“I guess so,” Brandon tried to mask his disappointment, “I can’t thank you enough for cooking… for everything,” Brandon stumbled over his words.

“I’m the one that should be thanking you. You wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me,” Eve reasoned with him.

“This situation…” Brandon echoed.

“Ya know… I don’t have to go,” Eve came back from the sink and sat back down on the bed.

“I wish you wouldn’t.” Brandon looked into her eyes and brushed a few stray hairs back behind her ear.

“Well, if I’ve learned one thing from you it’s that Honduras isn’t the safest place to be roaming around at night…”

“I’ll say,” Brandon rubbed his left hand on the brace that was still tightly bound around his right.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll stay here tonight where you can protect me.” Eve’s smile was childish and adorable.

“I’m not gonna be much use as far as protecting goes,” Brandon lifted his braced hand in the air.

“Hmmm, then I guess we’ll have to find some other use for you then.” She said as she gingerly slid back onto him, bracing most of her weight onto her knees on either side of him. She leaned down and began to kiss him and Brandon’s ribs screamed their disapproval. Brandon didn’t care what they had to say.

That night, Brandon didn’t sleep much. Bouts of sharp pains originating from any number of his laundry list of injuries kept him fidgeting and he spent the spans of time he wasn’t in pain just appreciating being so close to Eve. His left arm had long since fallen asleep, but he didn’t dare pull it out from under her. At one point, she woke up a bit and saw his eyes open. She didn’t speak, but made a contended mmmm before kissing his cheek and falling back into a deep sleep. She couldn’t know how good a feeling that was for Brandon.

When the sun came up, Brandon awoke from what was more of short nap than anything. His eyes drifted to his alarm clock, knowing it would be interrupting the majesty of their sleepy embrace with an awful shriek any minute. He considered trying to silence it in advance, but knew he’d have to pull his arm out from under Eve to do it, which would inevitably wake her up anyway. He pondered his options for a minute before finally opting to simply enjoy the warmth of her body for a bit longer, alarm clock be damned. Seven minutes later, the shrill beep of the clock startled them both and as Eve shifted, Brandon pulled his long dead arm out from under her and slapped at the clock clumsily until it fell silent.

“Morning you,” Eve mumbled. Her eyes were a bit swollen as they tend to be in the morning, but no less beautiful.

“Good morning,” Brandon smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. He had needed to pee for the better part of the night and now seemed as good a time as he’d had to take care of it. He shifted until his feet hung off the bed then took a minute to prepare himself mentally for what was about to happen. He took a deep breath and pressed his weight mostly onto his good leg and used his nightstand for leverage to help him stand. The commotion made Eve open her eyes again and Brandon glanced back at her to find her looking at him lovingly. He smiled before facing away again to hobble toward the bathroom.

Brandon had always been self-conscious about making a lot of noise when he urinated around a woman. Letting the stream hit the water in the toilet bowl made a conspicuous sound that seemed too crass in the presence of someone like Eve, so he did his best to keep his aim directed at the porcelain between the top of the water and top of the bowl. His intent concentration on the matter made him laugh a bit to himself; another thing James Bond never seemed to address. When he finished, he stepped in front of the sink and surveyed the damage in the mirror. His eye was still nearly swollen shut and the swelling was turning dark shades of purple with a yellow shadow drifting midway up his forehead and almost all the way to his nose.

“Well, it looks like my modeling career is probably over,” Brandon called out to Eve.

“Oh, I dunno, I think it gives you a ruggedly handsome vibe,” Eve spoke as she came into the bathroom. She stood next to him for a moment, taking a closer look at the swelling on his face before concluding, “some chicks are into that sorta thing.”

“Some chicks?” Brandon turned to her.

“This one in particular, I guess.” Eve chuckled and kissed him on the non-swollen cheek. Brandon assumed she needed to use the bathroom too, so he took that as his cue to leave. Once he’d made his way back to the bed where he could sit down, he heard the sound of Eve going to the bathroom and he laughed. You definitely never hear a girl take a piss in a Bond movie. He stacked up the pillows and slowly leaned back on them until they supported his weight.

“What do you wanna do for breakfast?” Brandon asked as Eve emerged from the bathroom.

“I’m never that hungry in the morning, maybe just coffee?” Eve suggested. Brandon smiled; he knew just the place.

It wouldn’t have taken that long for Brandon to get himself dressed, but somehow having Eve’s help prolonged the process. Like two teenagers with their parents out of town, they found every opportunity to sneak a kiss or playfully grab at one another. Brandon hadn’t laughed this much in who knows how long, but more important to him, Eve seemed to be having a good time too. Maybe, just maybe, this girl was really interested in him, Brandon thought, not that it would make anything less confusing if she was. If anything, it would only serve to complicate matters. He decided not to worry about such things for now.

Brandon picked up his backpack on the way out the door and Eve didn’t seem to notice. He still had protocol to adhere to, after all. The two stepped out of his apartment and she waited patiently by his side as he fumbled to lock the door with his left hand. His knee was doing a bit better today, he was happy to realize, and walking was coming a bit easier. His headache was still present, but fading and his hand really only hurt when he’d forget it was injured and try to use it. His ribs, on the other hand, were still trying their best to ruin his good mood. Despite them, Brandon was walking at a near normal pace, stopping only occasionally because of accidentally bending against the broken ribs or to take a deep breath (which hurt like hell each time). Eve held his hand and talked to him about literature, or at him. Brandon didn’t have much to contribute in a conversation about Faulkner. He was happy just to listen.

When they reached Ramon’s, Brandon walked in first and greeted his friend, “Morning Ramon.”

“Good morning my friends! It is so good to see you!” Ramon exclaimed when he noticed Eve walking in behind him, “what can I get for such a beautiful young couple on such a beautiful day?” Brandon laughed. Beautiful wasn’t a word tossed in his direction very often when his face didn’t look like it had been put through a grinder.

“Just a coffee for me, please.” Eve requested courteously.

“Same for me,” Brandon nodded.

“Coming right up! Please, you go sit and relax. I bring your coffees to you,” Ramon began busying himself with getting coffee cups pushing buttons on his big, obnoxious machine. Eve pulled a chair out for Brandon that faced away from the entrance and he thanked her before sitting. He was really unaccustomed to being cared for and it was still rather uncomfortable. She had moved on to explaining why she loved Hemingway’s style of writing but thought his stories were too boring to read more than once. Brandon had never read anything by the man and doubted his in-depth knowledge of two Ian Fleming books would serve the conversation in any way. Instead he continued to simply nod and agree. Ramon delivered their coffees without a word, though Eve paused her impromptu lecture to thank him before moving on to Hunter S. Thompson and her take on “Gonzo Journalism.” Brandon found every word she said absolutely riveting, though it may not have mattered what she was talking about.

“Buen dia,” Brandon heard from behind him. He hated facing away from the entrance. He nonchalantly turned, or at least he tried to but the pain in his ribs prevented him from looking casual in any way. It was the poor woman from a few days prior, her son by her side just as he had been. Ramon barely grunted a response as they took their seats at a table on the opposite side of the room. Brandon smiled lightly and nodded when he caught her eye, but she simply looked back down at the floor. It broke his heart.

“I’ll be right back, gotta hit the bathroom again.” Brandon interrupted Eve’s lesson in literature and slowly came to his feet, “hey Ramon, mind if I use your bano?”

“Not at all, right through the back,” Ramon replied. Brandon slipped his hand into his pocket as he walked behind the counter and pulled out two bills. He placed them on the counter so only Ramon could see as he passed by then continued through the door to the kitchen that Brandon knew doubled as Ramon’s bedroom. Aside from the cot, now folded up and leaned against the wall, you’d never know that Ramon lived there. Brandon wondered if Ramon had another place to stay as well, seeing as there wasn’t much in the way of personal effects. He didn’t have to pee, so he just washed his hands for a minute and returned the way he came. As he came back through the door, Eve’s eyes met him. She was staring at him with what looked like love, or admiration, or maybe just intense interest. Whatever it was, it felt awkward, but nice. He glanced over at Ramon busily placing bagels and glasses of water on the table of the poor woman and her child, then glanced back toward Eve who was still staring, but now with a broad smile.

“Ramon says you’re going to drive him out of business if you ever stop buying these people breakfast.” Eve whispered to him as he sat down. Brandon looked over at Ramon flabbergasted. Ramon knew exactly why and simply shrugged with a devious smile on his face.

“It isn’t much,” Brandon clarified.

“It is. I just can’t seem to get you figured out,” Eve took his hand into hers.

“Keep at it. You’ll get there,” Brandon smiled.

“Well, for now I really should get back to my place and get some work done. I’d like to see you again soon… if you don’t mind,” she fidgeted a bit. This early in a relationship (is that what this is?) made lots of things feel awkward.

“I’d love that.” Brandon answered quickly.

“I’ll come by your place again tonight?” Eve asked. Brandon nodded his approval. With that Eve stood up and waved toward Ramon.

“Thank you for the coffee, Ramon.” She said as she walked toward the door.

“Anytime my dear,” Ramon waved to her. She stopped for a second at the door and looked back at Brandon. This time though, it was different than before. For a split second, her eyes lost their shimmer. Sadness overwhelmed her pleasant features and then, just as quickly as it came on, it passed and she smiled at him before walking out the door.