Page 3 of Her Pretty Words

“Don’t call me anything,” I say, my eyes hopefully burning holes into his skin. This is a ridiculous waste of my time. I slip my phone out of the front pocket of my hoodie. Not a single missed call or text from Walter. I don’t even think he realizes I’ve left the house, let alone the state. I booked the first flight I could get, grabbing everything out of my dryer, and with the addition of the warmer clothes tucked away in my closet, I threw it all into a suitcase. I figured if I wore it in the last week, then it’ll do.

I open the airline’s app, fumbling with the screen, trying to get another flight. If I have to fly to a different airport in Florida, I’ll rent a car and make the long drive.

I just need some fresh, salty air. Maybe then I’ll remember how to love the man I agreed to marry. I’ll unlearn all his mannerisms that double as my biggest pet peeves. Like the way he clips his toenails on our dining room table and doesn’t bother cleaning it up. Or how the spare bedroom in our house automatically became his video game room, when I’m the one who works from home and needs an office.

“You look like you’re going to murder that phone of yours,” a voice I’ve grown unfortunately familiar with says.

Oh, you’re still here, is what I want to say. “I appreciate you helping me back there in the line,” I say as a way of farewell.

I pocket my phone, accepting there isn’t a single flight to Florida I can book this late into the day. It’s already almost eight p.m.

A woman to my left catches my attention. She looks to be in her mid-twenties, slightly older than I am at twenty-three. I catch the tail end of her frantic phone call. “I can’t keep these kids entertained the entire night in an airport.” She sounds on the verge of tears.

My eyes travel down to a toddler yanking on her mother’s pant leg. Another kid with the same bright blond hair jumps along the chairs in the terminal.

I sigh and go back into the gift shop I’d just left before my plan for redemption fell apart. I buy coloring books and crayons and then find the blond mother and her children again. She doesn’t notice me as she makes phone calls. I bend down, eye to eye with the little girl. She can’t be much older than two or three. “Do you like to color?” I ask.

She looks at me with two big eyes and nods her head.

“Here.” I hand her a coloring book with a box of crayons. Her face lights up when she sees the princesses on the cover. “Is that your brother?” I ask, pointing to the blond boy who stands on a chair, jumping up and down as if it were his personal trampoline.

She nods.

“This one’s for him.” I place it on the nearest chair.

I stand and grab my luggage. When I turn around, I find the guy right where I left him, except now he gazes at me with the most confused look on his face. As though he’s trying to solve a puzzle.

I need to get a hotel for the night or else I’ll have to sleep on the airport floor like several people already are, so I walk past him. My stomach squeezes, releasing a noise that gets drowned out by the thousands of people. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, other than the few complimentary crackers from my first flight. I’m hangry and stranded in New York, billions of miles from my fridge. Okay, maybe not billions, but it might as well be.

It takes nearly half an hour to get out of the airport.And I thought it was hectic inside.Horns beep, and cabs zip in and out of the lanes to pick people up. Bodies knock into me as if I’m not even standing here.

This is no Idaho. I try to book an Uber on my phone, since that’s what I’m used to, but every time it looks like I have a driver, it gets canceled right before I can confirm. I clutch myphone, about to sink onto the dirty concrete so everyone can step on me.

“Macy!” a deep voice calls, distracting me enough that I drop my phone. The moment it touches the ground, an alert flashes across the screen.“Crash detected. Enter passcode to disarm or a notification will be sent to your emergency contacts.”I hastily input the numbers so my parents don’t get a concerning notification.

The only person looking my way is the guy, who holds the door to a cab open with a raised brow. He gestures with his head for me to join him. My stomach growls again, and it feels like I might pass out if I don’t eat soon.

I don’t give the guy a single glance as I attempt to steal his cab.

“Where to?” the driver asks as I buckle my seatbelt.

I’ve never even been to New York. “Uh—” I start but am cut off when the car is filled with the scent of something woodsy, like sandalwood.

“Just start driving and we’ll let you know from there,” the guy says, making himself cozy in the cab.Lovely.In the dim space, I notice that his eyes are more silver like the full moon, and then I want to kick myself for even noticing.

You see, I was blind to anything but the color of Walter’s green eyes, so even the red flags he wore like a uniform appeared green to me, so much so that I agreed to marry him, and can’t seem to find my way out of that one. He has a beautiful face, but a hideous personality, and I refuse to be blindsided again by a pretty man.

I nearly glare at the guy just thinking about it. He merely glances at me before looking out the window. If he wanted to murder me, I’ve given him the perfect opportunity to do so, since I’m stuck in this cab. Him and the driver can split the profit on my kidneys.

“I need to get to a hotel. Do you know if there’s one nearby?” I ask, assuming he lives here based on how easily he hailed the cab.

He doesn’t respond.

“Hello?” I push his shoulder.

He turns and his eyes scan my hand with an unreadable expression.

“When someone talks to you, the polite thing to do is answer.”God, where didthatcome from?