She Belongs To No One

hina'

AYDAY , this is Nov

ds, I grip the seatbelt straps over my shoulders and press my back hard against the wool cushion of my seat as if pushing mys

n't crash

ing out a stream of words in her native Spanish tongue. C

r down a little, but the plane suddenly shakes and jerks sideways. Overnight bags, left unzipped since the start of the flight

lane drops. "Brace for impact!" the pilot yells ju

ndic wind blasts my face. Strands of my hair sti

My heart pounds fas

und me as I toss and bounce in my seat. Something sharp stabs into my arm. Something heavy lands on my leg. I grip th

y desperately pounding heart and my fri

.. If anyone is out t

yes open, though I cannot see anything through the red blur. The last thing I hear is

e of a fire, to the sound of breathing my own. The smell of fresh c

up through the snow outside the window. I turn my head. I am staring up a

re

ing multiple bandages under torn clothes. I am hurt? I cann

n my way to do research for my company, but the we

hit, and find only a few layers of gauze. I loo

nst my cheeks, lettin

urv

good

ut Marisol a

g up the blanket from the rug and wrapping it around my shoulders like a cape, I leave th

quickly, and open the third. A small bedroom. Empty. The blue sheets do not even have wrink

orry. The room is empty. Counters. Appliances. W

are

id not

elbow hits the knife block, the lone knife in it wobbl

his eyes, and then flow past his shoulders, where drops of it are scattered across the pale skin of his bare chest and arms. With just that veil of hair and a pai

rthy. Both pos

en heard h

fingers creeping closer to it as he ste

it something more striking his scent, like an aged bottle of

rac

strong jaw. The broad shoulders. That stunning torso with its solid muscles sh

, pieces of a starless night. The breath I did

e of the mugs of coffee to me