Page 24 of Her Passionate Hero

“Cut the shit, Alia. I am happy. Being your friend makes me happy.”

“I thought so. But I know better now.” She started to shut her Bible, but the yellow caught his eye.

“That’s the sunflower. Why were you looking at it? I mean something to you? Don’t I? If I do, why are you throwing me away?”

“I’m not Hunter,” she wailed softly. “I’m saving you. You have to go now.”

“Not until you make me understand.”

She gave the harshest laugh he’d ever heard. It sounded like something out of a horror movie.

“You never want to understand this, Hunter. It’s too ugly. I’m too ugly. I’m a burden. Having me around will cause you to die.”

“That’s bullshit. Where did you hear that bullshit? Are those bitches at school feeding you some kind of line again? What have they said?”

She got up on her knees and hurled her Bible against the wall. He watched as the dried sunflower and his letter fluttered to the ground.

“Get out! I want you gone. We’re done.”

The light turned on, and it was Mrs. Novak. She saw him and screamed. He jumped out the window. That was the last time he saw Aliana Novak.

He sent her letter after letter for six months. They all came back return to sender. Even he caught a clue after that long.

***

“Lottie, what is this? I could barely zip up these jeans, and you know I would never wear a t-shirt like this. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking you needed to loosen up.”

Hunter recognized the husky voice with the Czech accent. He turned the corner and came face-to-face with his past. She was scowling at a curvy Hispanic woman. Aliana’s hair was still incredibly long. He watched as she gathered it up and started to pile it on her head.

“Look at her, she’s all bruised. I told you she needed your help. The poor baby,” his grandmother said in Spanish.

The two women in the hospital room turned to stare at them.

“Do you just collect hot men?” the cute woman asked as she turned to look at Aliana.

Aliana was frozen, her hair falling from her hands, a golden mass shimmering all around her. He saw her mouth open and silently form his name. She took a stuttering step forward, her hand out, as tears welled in her beautiful blue eyes.

He felt a wrenching in his soul, something shook loose, and he smiled as he moved toward her. But then she stepped backward and brought both her fists to her gut and pressed in like she was in pain. She shook her head at him, and he stopped.

“Alia?”

“No. Please, no.”

He stopped.

“Who is this?” Aliana’s friend asked gently. She could tell how upset Alia was.

A toilet flushed, the door to the bathroom opened and out walked Mrs. Jankovic.

“Hunter, you came.”

“Babička, what’s going on?” Aliana asked hoarsely. It killed Hunter to see how much pain Aliana was in. She looked like she had been run over by a Mac truck, and it was clear his presence was adding to it.

Her friend did what he wanted to, put her arm around Alia’s shoulders and whispered something in her ear. Then she turned to Aliana’s grandmother.

“Mrs. Jankovic, who is this?”