Eli Krauss & the Starry Eyed Girl

Fiona lives with a man named Jake Rhys.

They used to be together, but now they aren’t. It is very awkward to say the least.

The two occupy a tiny studio apartment above the liquor store on 9th Street on the worst part of town. They meant for Jake to move out, for him to stay with some friends. But it never happened. It’s been three months since the breakup, but Jake can’t afford to live with his trust fund buddies, and can’t afford to live on his own. So he is stuck with his ex girlfriend until further notice.

Fiona decides to pretend she doesn’t care. She tells him repeatedly that it’s fine if he brings girls over. It’s fine if they don’t spend time together. She’s moved on.

But she gets sick with heartbreak and unwanted jealousy when she hears another girl’s giggles from the creaky futon in the living room and catches that noise Jake makes when he kisses.

And sometimes Jake will get up when Fiona is readying herself to go out. He stands at the bathroom doorway like he used to when they loved each other. Watch her comb her hair and braid it. Watch as she brushes rosy powder on her cheeks. Jake has always liked to do that, watch women get ready. They are interesting creatures, he thinks. And when she finishes, she looks at him and they get confused again. It is like they are saying, Why are you here?

Fiona feels like he is always there, probably because he is such a big man. He is over six feet tall and brawny. When he gets home he runs a hand through his dark hair and it seems that his entire body absorbs the apartment. Fiona tries not to acknowledge him too much. A stiff nod on either end suffices.

Fiona doesn’t want to be with Jake though. And Jake doesn’t want to be with Fiona. But they don’t have a choice because they are together in that tiny fucking apartment.

_____

“Shit,” Eli curses.

He has never been good at the domestic thing. And so he has burned another can of beans on the stove. He feels a smarting in his eyes, and hits the white tiled counter in irritation. “Do not fucking cry. Don’t,” he murmurs gruffly.

The strange thing with grief is that it comes at the most unexpected times. When the police officer knocked on the door and told him she died, he stared at the wall for the rest of the day. At the funeral, he didn’t shed a single tear.

But when he picked up his dry cleaning and found her favorite pink blouse in the bundle, he bawled like a baby. And today, he cries because she used to cook and she was great at it. And he misses her.

Just as the tears start to run down Eli’s cheeks and dribble onto the dark hair on his face, his cell phone rings. He coughs and answers it, “Hello?”

It’s Brad. “Yo, Eli! Get down to the bar. Shit is getting crazy. This guy got in a fight with this other guy and it was so cool because I broke it up like a real bouncer would.”

Eli can hear Fiona’s laughter in the background and he closes his eyes. It sounds like Rachel’s laugh too. Soft and piercing at the same time.

“I’ll get down there soon,” Eli states and hangs up the phone.

_____

It is Fiona’s third night working at HOME. She enjoys the raucous laughter of tipsy people and watching grown men wail at football. Brad is funny and she gets good tips. It’s perfect.

Except for Eli Krauss.

She will be serving and feel pinpricks on her neck. And she knows that he’s watching her. His soft hazel eyes cloud over when they land on her face, like he is reading a book, or trying to remember a very vital fact.

Fiona has learned to avoid him because she truly believes he dislikes her. She smiles and tries to be friendly, hoping that it will win over his seemingly skeptical thoughts about her. But it only seems to make him more disgruntled.

This is why she stiffens when she sees Eli walk into the bar. She immediately turns around and serves a blond woman her beer, “Thanks, hon,” the woman states and salutes her with the bottle.

Fiona gives her a weak grin and walks back to the bar. As soon as she gets close to Eli, who is fiddling with the register, their heads shoot up and they stare at each other for three seconds. Fiona knows because she counts. There is a thrill in her heart as she walks past him.

Then Eli gets a very annoyed look on his face and Fiona turns very red. She feels terribly nervous around him.

But for some strange and very embarrassing reason, Fiona likes it.