Unleash Me, Vol. 1 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series) (31 page)

“
I
was at a party tonight,
”
I
said.
 
“
I hardly wear this at
home.
”

“
You
went alone?
”

“
Not
exactly.
 
I went with my editor.
”

“
Looking
at you, I guess it must have been some party.
”

“
It
was.
”
 
But I didn
’
t want to discuss
that, so I shook my head at him.
 
“
I still can
’
t believe you
’
re standing here.
 
I haven
’
t seen you in years.
”

He cocked his head at me as if I
’
d delivered a
slight.
 
“
You weren
’
t the only one who got
out of Maine, Lisa.
 
I
’
ve been living here
for four years.
”

I screwed up my face at him.
 
“
That
’
s
not what I meant.
 
We
’
ve lost touch.
 
I
’
ve only been here since last May.
 
With Jennifer.
”

“
Jennifer,
”
he
said.
 
“
I don
’
t think she liked me
very much.
”

“
Jennifer
always has been protective.
 
You
know that.
”

“
She
’
s a fucking pitbull.
”

“
Actually,
she
’
s
my best friend.
”

“
Whatever.
”

I just looked at him and wondered if
the chill I felt at that moment had more to do with the mood he was creating
than the cold air.

“
So,
it looks as if life has been good to you,
”
he said.
 
“
Few people I know from
back home are enjoying the kind of success you
’
re having right now.
 
Rich and famous already.
 
Here
’
s
hoping it hasn
’
t
gone to your head.
”
 
He motioned toward the billboard.
 
“
I saw you taking photos of it.
 
That
’
s what caught my eye.
 
Well, that and how you
’
re
overdressed.
”

Despite the insult, I tried to keep
the moment light.
 
“
It hasn
’
t gone to my head,
Kevin.
 
In fact, if nothing else, I
still can
’
t
believe it.
 
Thus the photos.
 
I want to remember this moment.
 
It might not come again.
”

“
You
don
’
t
say?
”
 
He reached into his jacket pocket and
pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
 
“
Want one?
”
he
asked

“
You
smoke now?
”

He smirked at that, and when he did,
he was close enough to me that I could smell alcohol on his breath.
 
Whiskey,
I thought.
 
“
Yeah, I smoke.
 
Among other things.
”

What other things?
 
What was wrong with him?
 
There was an undercurrent between us
that had an edge.
 
Kevin and I had
had a messy breakup, but that was six years ago.
 
Certainly he was beyond that at this
point.
 
So why did I sense that he
had an issue with me?
 
Or was I just
reading too much into the shock of seeing him here, and in this state?
 
I didn
’
t know.
 
But
looking at him, I knew for certain that something was off.
 
This wasn
’
t the Kevin I remembered.

He lit his cigarette and blew a plume
of smoke straight at me, which I waved away with my hand.

“
Sorry,
”
he
said.
 
“
You
’
re probably going to
have to have that dry cleaned now.
”

“
Is
there a problem, Kevin?
”

“
Not
at all.
”

“
Because
you
’
re
not acting like yourself.
”

“
Myself?
 
You know, I have to wonder.
 
What is myself at this point?
”

“
At
what point?
”

“
This
point.
”

“
I
guess I don
’
t
know.
”

“
People
change,
”
he
said.
 
“
Look at you.
 
Obviously you
’
ve changed.
”

“
You
said you
’
ve
been here four years.
 
Where do you
live?
”

“
Not
on Fifth Avenue like you.
”

My eyes widened in surprise.
 
“
You know where I live?
”

“
I
might have seen you a few times before.
”

“
Why
didn
’
t
you say hello?
”

“
Didn
’
t occur to me.
”

“
Why
didn
’
t
it occur to you?
”

“
I
wasn
’
t
feeling it.
”

“
How
is tonight any different?
”

He took a drag off his cigarette and
didn
’
t
answer.
 
This time, he blew the
smoke above his head.

“
You
didn
’
t
answer me,
”
I
said.
 
“
Where do you live?
”

He absorbed that for a moment, and
then stretched out his free hand and swept it around him.
 
“
I live here,
”
he
said.
 
“
On the streets.
 
I live wherever I can find a warm alley
to sleep in, and wherever they throw out the freshest food.
”

“
You
’
re homeless?
”
I
said.

“
Did
I say that?
”

“
You
implied it.
”

“
I
have a home,
”
he
said.
 
“
It
’
s all around you.
 
See how colorful it is?
 
The rent is cheap, too.
”

Oh my God, he
’
s
homeless?
 
What
’
s
happened to him?
 

“
What
brought you here tonight?
”
I
asked.

He took another drag off his
cigarette and said around a mouthful of smoke,
“
I saw your ad in today
’
s
Times
about an hour ago.
 
I showed it to a friend of mine, and
told him that we
’
d
dated once.
 
He recognized the ad,
and said that I needed to come to Times Square to see the billboard version of
it.
 
So, here I am.
 
And I
’
m just as blown away as you.
 
I was looking up at the billboard when
you arrived.
 
Does it make sense to
me that you came at the same moment as me?
 
Not at all.
 
But here we
are.
 
So let
’
s deal with it.
”

He knows where I live.
 
Has he followed me?

“
What
do you think of the billboard?
”
I
asked, not knowing what to say about that or his situation.

“
Are
those diamonds on your lips?
”

“
They
are.
”

“
That
’
s kind of
over-the-top.
”

“
It
was meant to be.
”

“
Why?
”

“
Apparently,
to get people talking.
”

“
About
you?
”

“
That
was the idea.
”

“
Well,
with those lips, people definitely are talking about you.
 
The question is what are they saying.
”

“
So,
you don
’
t
like it
…
?
”

“
I
never said that.
 
I said I didn
’
t know what people are
saying.
 
Why are you putting words
in my mouth?
”

I looked at him for a long
moment.
 
“
What
’
s happened to you,
Kevin?
 
Why are you homeless?
”

“
Because
I
’
m a
drunk.
 
And I use meth.
 
Some would say that would easily get me
where I am today.
”

“
But
there are programs for people like you.
”

He raised an eyebrow at me.
 
“
People like me?
”

“
You
know what I mean.
”

“
Actually,
I don
’
t.
 
And I don
’
t need your advice.
 
It
’
s
condescending, especially after seeing you plastered all over the
Times
today and now in Times Square.
”
 
He came so close to me that I
actually felt afraid.
 
He pulled one
of his fingers back and intrusively flicked some of the ostrich feathers around
my neck.
 
“
You
’
re wearing this piece
of pretentious shit, and you dare to judge me?
”

I had to get out of here.
 
“
I
’
m
not judging you.
”

“
Then
give me some money.
”

“
For
what?
 
Meth?
”

He didn
’
t answer.
 
Instead, he just stared at me.
 
He was so close to me that I could smell the booze and the tobacco on
his breath.
 
My heart started to
quicken.
 
I didn
’
t feel safe.
 
I moved away from him and started to
look for a cab.