She sprinted between two cars, cursing herself for being so stupid. Impatient drivers honked their horns as she made her way past them one at a time. The post 5 o’clock traffic wouldn’t let up for another hour or so in Los Angeles and today was no different than any other. Regina regretted leaving but she couldn’t turn back. No, she had made her decision to run away and to never return to him. It was the last time she would get her heart broken by this man. This married man who truly only loved his wife; which wasn’t her.
Stan was yelling her name as she ran. She could hear the worry in his voice and the pain in his tone as he shouted “Regina, please don’t do this! Regina, come back! REGINAAAAA!!!”. The vibration of her cell phone in her back pocket continued. Knowing it was Stan, she chose to ignore it. The tears streamed down her face and she knew that her mascara would be covering her cheeks by now.
She ducked away in a small cafe on the corner of Melrose and Martel. Confusion had struck and she didn’t know what to do next. The barista stared as if he had seen a ghost. And to her surprise, Regina was embarrassed when she recognized the young man in the green apron. David Moore, from AP English. Shit, she thought As if this day couldn't get any worse. Humiliated, it would be even more awkward if she walked out the door. Instead, she tried to grasp a sense of composure.
“Regina, right?” He asked, seemingly concerned. “Can I get you anything? Maybe some water perhaps?”
She responded by nodding her head. Words had escaped her. Running in the middle of a busy Los Angeles street in the middle of summer wasn’t the best way to stay hydrated. She downed the small cup of water and tossed the small plastic cup into the trash bin beside David.
“Uh...Is there anything else I can get you?”
She shook her head. He kept his eyes on hers. His eyes were green. The most rare eye color in America. It wasn’t until this moment that Regina noticed how beautiful his features were. Dark and possibly of Italian or Native American descent. There was something about his face. It was sincere and trustworthy. The two had never spoken before and hearing his voice for the first time was somewhat calming. Regina liked to believe that she had a special talent for seeing the good in almost everyone. Even if it did get her into trouble more often than it didn’t. Such as the current situation she had put herself in with Stan. Stan had beautiful eyes as well. Grey with a hint of blue. She believed grey eyes to be wise and honest. Boy, was she wrong about that one. She burst into tears.
“Oh, man,” David sighed, placing his right hand on the counter as if to reach for her’s. “Look, I’m overdue for my lunch break. My manager went out back for a smoke and should be back any minute. I get a 30. Wanna talk about it?”
She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her red shirt which left a long black streak of eyeliner. Her heart was aching so badly that she would accept the offer from a tree if it would give her some compassion. She shrugged then nodded and David smiled. Perfect teeth.
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