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“I know.” A strand of hair fell over my eyes, and Hector swept it back, tucking it behind my ear. “But I’m still glad you are back. Even if it’s to wound me,” he said.
“I um—” I cleared my throat. “I opened your gift,” I said.
Hector’s brows drew together. “My gift?”
“My birthday gift—”
He thought for a moment. “Do you mean from when I first came to Heartland Metro Hospital? The cookout for your birthday?”
I nodded.
“You hadn’t opened it before now?”
I shook my head.
“That’s a bit odd.”
“Why did you pick that book?”
“What,Jane Eyre?I do have to say I was very surprised to find a poster of it in your room. But, um, I guess you reminded me of Jane.”
“Ireminded you of Jane? And more importantly, you’ve read it?”
“Don’t get too excited. It was a college assignment, but it wasn’t bad.”
“Please don’t give me more reasons to want to stab you,” I said, and he threw his head back with laughter.
“Okay, it was good. Happy?”
“No. Not even a little. You still haven’t told me why I reminded you of Jane. I’m nothing like her. She is small, and I am super tall. She’s plain and simple, and I’m more of a fiery, in-your-face kind of a presence, or so I’ve been told.”
Hector chuckled. “Well, you are right on all accounts. But you are also otherworldly, like Jane. You can’t be from this planet. You are so . . . rare. Mainly though, if I remember correctly, Jane was Rochester’s equal, as you were—are—mine. No one else could understand either of them on a deeper level, but they didn’t have to even speak to know what was in the other’s heart.”
“For someone who only read it for a college assignment, you have a pretty good understanding of the novel. I read it once a year—atleast.”
Hector gave me a side-glance but didn’t comment further.
“What about the last seven years?” I asked him.
“What about them?”
“There hasn’t been anyone in your life in that time? A St. John—if you will?”
“No.” Hector shook his head. “I dated, especially those first few years. I was trying to forget you, but nothing ever got serious. It’s hard to try to grow feelings for someone when you know your soul mate is elsewhere.”
I scoffed. “We are scientists. How can you believe in soul mates?”
“I didn’t use to.” Hector cupped my hand in both of his and pressed it to his chest. He kept a grip on it, not letting me have my hand back. “But I’m not exaggerating when I sayeverythingchanged with you.”
A long stretch of silence followed as I thought of what to say next. I wasn’t sure why I was back here. I only knew I had no freewill to stay away.
“What about you?” Hector asked after a moment.
“What about me?”
“It killed me to think of you with Ramiro or with someone else all these years. It was excruciating not getting on a flight and claiming you as mine.”
“Really?” My anger was rising again. “It always comes back to this. What is it with you and Ramiro? He is family. Always has been, always will be.”
