“No. It’ll take two hours to get there and two hours to get back, so maybe eight at the latest,” I promised as I wiped my hands on a dishtowel.
“Alright, have fun then,” he said leaning over to kiss me.
I reached for my keys, but César jingled his rental car keys to let me know he would be driving.
“Thank you,” César said to Mitch who nodded and watched us walk out of the door.
“How have you been, Liv?” he asked quietly as he pulled away from the curb.
I shrugged.
“Yeah, Alejo too,” he said as he merged onto I-55 north.
I stayed quiet. I was secretly relieved that Alejandro wasn’t in the car. I had been happy for the past few months with Mitchell and seeing him now would throw everything off balance for me.
We rode the rest of the way in silence until we reached the zoo. We stepped out of the car and when we reached the entrance César paid for both of us. He held the door open for me and let me walk through. I looked at the map and asked him if he wanted to see the Polar Bear exhibit, but he just shook his head and motioned for me to follow him.
I followed him curiously to the Seven Seas Exhibit and felt my heart stop when I saw Alejandro standing there watching the shark swim by.
“Alejo,” César said.
He turned and when he saw me, his smiled sadly at me.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I will leave you two alone in a moment, but there’s someone else that needs to speak to you,” César said seriously.
I looked at him and almost cringed when I saw Teresa approach us.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. I am overprotective of my older brother and I just didn’t want you to be someone who would use him and then disappear. He’s had enough of that in his life,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“Apology accepted,” I replied squeezing her arm.
César put his arm around his sister and led her away, leaving me and Alejandro standing there by ourselves.
He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me.
“How have you been?” he asked.
I shrugged; just as I had when his brother asked me.
“Me too,” he replied with a chuckle.
I noticed that when he dropped his hands to his side that something was wrong.
I grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeves, gasping at the revelations hidden underneath.
“What happened to you?” I asked looking at all the cuts.
“Ever since you left, I’ve been trying to relive the rush of being with you. I’ve tried almost everything and cutting myself was the closest I could get. It doesn’t satisfy me fully, but I’ve pretty much cut myself everywhere.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered looking at the little angry scars that worked their way up and around his arms.
“It’s not your fault,” he replied quietly. “I’m messed up. I always have been. Being with you ... God it was the best feeling in the world. But I couldn’t have you anymore. And I’ve missed you so much,” he said.
“I ... Never deleted that picture of us. I look at it every night before I go to sleep,” I confessed with tear filled eyes. “Alejo, I love Mitchell. But I’m not in love with him. Not anymore