REYNOLDS ✔️

CHAPTER 3

Maria put on her scarf and her short sleeve red dress. She went to her mirror and she saw that her lip was cut, her hands were bruised, and her forehead was bleeding. She touched her lip lightly and winced at the feeling. She got a cloth off the sink and wiped away the blood on her lip and the few drops on the counter. She didn't feel pain, all the times she's been hit must've numbed her to pain. James walked up behind her. She felt his breath on her neck and the scent of alcohol in her nose.
"This will be the perfect ruse to fool Alexander, he will let you back in his house when he sees you. You know what to do right?" Maria didn't answer because this wasn't a ruse, this was reality. She had to deal with James's hits and punches everyday. But she knew that the wounds had to be real, in order to fool him. She was getting tired of this, that it was "just a ruse." When it was her reality.
"RIGHT?" He shouted, his yelling brought Maria back to reality.
"Yes." She replied quickly.
"Good, now go do what I ask and don't fail me." He walked away from her and went into his room. Maria sighed heavily and walked to Alexander's house. She knocked on his door, and he opened it. He looked tired, his hair was messier than usual, he had bags under his eyes, and he slouched a bit. 

"Maria, what are you doing here?"

"Please sir, I need help."

"Damn, what happened to you?" He asked gesturing at her bruises.

"James got angry." Her voice shook with fear.

"Alright, come in, but just for a minute." He opens the door so she can come in and sit down. She sat down on the couch and wrapped her arms around her. Alexander gave her a damp cloth and ice. Maria put it on her forehead and sighed of relief. Alexander walks back into the living room to give her water.

"Are you alright? Do you feel a little bit better?"

"Yes thank you." She says taking a sip of her beverage.

"How do you live like this?" He asked to break the silence.

"Why don't you just leave?" 

Maria can't tell him the whole truth, so she comes up with something similar.

"James has my son, and I don't have enough money to leave. Also if I leave he'll find me and kill me. I have to stay alive for my son. If I don't James will treat him horribly." She crosses her arms in front of her. Her head is down so that Alexander can't see her eyes, a single tear falls onto her dress.
"Do you have someone who you can live with?" He asks. She shakes her head and sniffs.
"Can I stay with you?" She asks.
"No."
"Why not?"
" I told you! Staying with me is out of the question! What happened before, cannot happen again." He gets up from the couch, pacing back and forth.
"I have no where to go! Who else can I stay with?" She looks up at him. He sighs and bites his lip. He tries to think about where this helpless women could go. But nothing crossed his mind. How could he say no, she was a poor woman who was getting beat up by her husband, her intentions aren't bad, (or so he thought) she didn't know any better. How could she? Alexander put his fingers up to his lip and he knew he had no other choice but to let her stay.
"You can stay with me, but only until the end of the summer, after that you can't stay any longer. My wife and son will be back and they can't know you were here." Her face lit up with joy and she got up and grabbed his arms.
"Thank you sir! I appreciate it really I do!" She smiled at him, making Alexander smile back and his cheeks turn a rosy pink.
"I am just going to head home and gather a few things." She said.
"Do you need any help?"
"Oh no thank you." She turned back to reassure him.
"Well.. be careful."
This made Maria warm inside, thinking about the fact that someone worried about her well being, and cared about her. But then those feelings went away when she remembered why she's staying with him. To manipulate him. How she wished this could be over so she and her son can be happy. She goes home and goes into her room to get some bed sheets, dresses, undergarments, and some toiletries. Maria hums a happy tune to herself as she gathers her things and thinks about Alexander, Oh Alexander.....
James leans against the doorway and notices his wife's odd behavior.
"Why are you so happy?" He asks. Maria tunes out James. He stares at her for a minute then realizes what he's seeing.
"You know he doesn't really care about you, he is just using you." This makes Maria stop what she's doing, and she finally decides to speak up for herself.
"You just cant stand to see me happy can you?" She grabs the rest of her things and tries to walk out the doorway, but James blocks her.
"Just know that you're a dirty little whore, and no one will ever want you." He says looking her dead in the eyes. Maria starts to feel her throat constrict and her eyes burn. James lets her go past and she exits her home. She felt free of James's abuse for the first time in a long time. Even though she's on a "mission" she feels safe with Alexander. She arrives at Alexander's house and puts her things in the spare room upstairs. The walls are bare and the only things that are in the room is a bed and a wooden dresser. She places her clothes in the dresser, and heads back downstairs and sees Alexander in his office with his reading glasses on, his eyes squint as he reads what he has written. His desk was cluttered, so many papers, she had know idea how he kept track of everything. He eventually turned around to look at her, and he took off his glasses and said:
"Maria, you're here. Are you okay?"
"Oh I'm fine." She said.
"Good." He pauses. "Would you like anything to drink, to eat?"
"I am a little hungry."
"Well I can show you around the kitchen then."  He gets up and goes in front of her and Maria follows quickly behind.
He begins to show her around the kitchen, but Maria tunes him out instead she watches how he moves. He looked handsome to Maria, his hair shiny and tangle free, his eyes looked less puffy instead they sparkled whenever he faced the sunlight. His shirt unbuttoned lower than usual, which made her think about that night and how she wanted to do it again. To have his hands against her skin, to feel him....Alexander was standing over the sink and was telling Maria about the kitchen. But she wanted to spice things up a bit, she walks up behind him and places her hands on his chest and moves it in circular motions. She slowly moves down, but before she can reach where she wanted Alexander moves her hands away.
"Maria, please, don't." He says, not turning to face her.
"C'mon, you know you want too." She puts her hands on his shoulders. He turns around causing Maria's hands to get off his shoulders.
"I told you, we can't do this again." He said, his face serious.
"You're wife isn't here, she wont ever know." She puts her hands on his chest and moves it up so that her hands are around his neck. She bites her lip, and then kisses him slowly. Alexander denies entrance, but her lips against his feels so exhilarating and so he lets her in. He is under her spell once more, his hand on her waist and he pulls her closer to him. So close that he can feel her body against his. He picks Maria up, his hand under her thighs, her arms around his neck, and he carries her up to his room. He drops her onto his bed, and kisses her neck. Maria moans in ecstasy, leaning her head back. They both forget about the time and they just enjoy each other's embrace. Maria lays next to Alexander, his around her, her head on his chest. Alexander lies awake, guilt consumes him, but he also feels something for Maria. He doesn't know whether it's pity or love, but there's something there. Something he can't describe. Feeling her in his arms felt so wrong, but it also felt right.