My Sweet

LIV

I look up at the stranger.

Oh, devil. I roll my eyes internally.

He’s a pretty boy. I’m not fond of pretty boys.

Tall and handsome, dark blonde hair and striking green eyes. He really is very pretty.

Yes, pretty..

He looks like a model that just stepped out of a magazine.

Not my type at all. I'm into the rugged looking type.

"Oh no, don't worry. My sister is already in line."

"Please, I feel really bad. Let me buy you a cup. I'll throw in a muffin." He tries again.

"Really, I'm fine. My coffee is fine. Looks like you were in a hurry. Really I'm fine."

I try to get rid of him. I really don't need a distraction. This vacation is for me and my sis. She, to get the hell away from her deadbeat husband. Me, to get over my dead husband..

Can you get over it? At least try to move on.

"Hey, lucky for me the line wasn't that long." Oh hell no, Em is back and she's going to love this!

My day started so well, I roll my eyes, this time in plain sight. No way she's going to let this poor guy walk away now.

She stops in her tracks, with her devilish smile.

" Well hello.. I'm Em, the sister.” She shakes his hand

“ What do we have here?" She asks with mischief in her eyes.

Since Chris' death she made it her mission to get me out of my ‘emotional cage’, whatever that means.

"I'm James. I just bulldozed over your sister here. I really want to buy you another cup of coffee" He begs.

What the hell. It's just coffee.

"And a muffin" I smile at him..

"And a muffin and of course one for your sister too." He says with a lopsided smile.

Wow, he isn't perfect after all. I like…

" Well James, do you always pick women up this way?" Em, starts with her interrogation. Poor man.

"No, I have to say this is a first for me. Never had to work so hard to buy someone a cup of coffee"

" I have to tell Hank, I'm not easy at all. Hank is my dickhead husband. That's his favorite insult for me. I seriously don't know why I stay with him..." Poor James has no idea how to respond to that.

"Hey, don't scare the man. At least not before we get our coffee."

"And muffins" he replied with his special smile.

I could get used to that smile..

~

Em and I sit at a booth while James is stand in line..

" You have no idea who he is, do you Liv?"

"No, but he must be a model or something like that. He looks way to perfect." I answer her while I'm watching the people passing the big window.

I just love people-watching. Chris and I could sit in a mall or park for hours and make up our own stories about the people.

I shift my attention to the people inside the coffee shop. I realize most people are looking at James..

Okay, he's someone famous. s**t a devil!

"Really Liv, you should start reading newspapers and tabloids again. You have no clue what's going on around you."

"Em, I don't have to know about everybody's shits and sweets. I have enough of my own s**t to deal with."

"Here lovely ladies. Coffee. My drug of choice." He sits down and see we are just staring at him. His body tenses.

Em, because she knows exactly who he is. Me, because I have no clue and I'm trying to place him.

" Nope, sorry I have no clue who you are. Don't tell me you're a politician. I draw the line there." James relaxes a bit and give me a gorgeous smile, it's contagious.

For just a little while I was getting lost in a man's imperfect smile.

"Well I do," Em announces proudly.

"Should I tell you?" Em is in her element, she knows exactly what just happened..

"James, do you mind?" Em asks.

James reluctantly looks away.

" Have to say, I kind of like that you don't know who I am."

"Just the basics. Then the pressure is somewhat off him. He may look perfect, which make me think his life definitely isn't.."

James looks at me like I just knocked down one of the many walls he built around him. This man hurts everyday, I can see it, I know it. I feel it every second. This must be worse, because he is hurting in public.

"OK.. This is James Edgar O'Brien. Music Producer. He is f*****g fantastic at it. No girlfriend or wife. Never been married. You did have a girlfriend but she ran away with your best friend and most of your money..."

I look at him, he is in a daze. He is somewhere else.

He is reliving it.

"Em.." I try to stop her.

She continues like she is reciting a essay.

" EM! STOP!" I slap her arm so she can stop.

"That's enough.. I don't need to know."

James is trying to get control of his emotions.

"s**t," Em says.

"I'm sorry, me and my big mouth"

" Well now you know." James tries to make light of the situation.

"After that there isn't much more that can shock you or scare you away" a ghost of a smile appears but doesn't quite get there.

"I'll go get us some muffins or something" Em excuses herself and scurries off. She feels like s**t. That doesn't happen often.

I try to get his attention. I take his shaking hand in mine. He watches our hands then look up at me. Still in a daze.

"So," I say

" You had a shitty girlfriend and a shitty friend. s**t happens. It doesn't make it hurt less. It could’ve been so much worse."

"Really? Tell me what broke you, that you had to run away to another country to 'find' yourself." He snaps at me. He tries to hurt me, because he is hurting.

" My husband died..." haven't said those words out loud, ever. I push on….

"... right in front of me, tragically. There was nothing I could do about it. In 5 seconds my whole world collapsed."

We are both quiet for a while, just sitting there, sinking in our sorrow.

" Aren't we a couple of sad sacks" he smiles a sad smile.

"Scorned Souls. We should start a club." I give his hand a squeeze.

Like that, we are good. Em comes back with a tray full of baked goods.

We sit and talk and laugh about trivial things. Like we've known each other for years.

To soon we had to say goodbye but promised to get together again.

Soon.

Tomorrow to be exact.

~

I turn to catch up with Em, a woman walks right up to me and hisses:

"You f*****g w***e. You leave him alone."

Before I can register what just happened, she's gone..

Baffled, I tell Em.

It must be mistaken identity.

Yes, that's it.