MINE TO PROTECT

You know those moments when everything keeps crumbling no matter how hard you fight? I was living one right then.

Whatever was between me and Eduardo felt like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Was it guilt? Fear of losing him? I couldn’t name it. I’d fought tooth and nail to carve out a few minutes to talk before work. Benjamin’s interruption was bad enough, then the real problem walked in.

Before I knew it, I was locked in Benjamin’s arms. He didn’t hesitate; he crushed me against him right in front of Eduardo. I twisted to look back. Eduardo stood rigid, jaw clenched, eyes shut, knuckles white around his wrist.

“Damn, girl! You’re smoking hot as always. Let’s skip straight to my penthouse.”

Benjamin was the walking cliché of the high school bad boy. Baseball captain, reckless, crude, the kind of rebel teenagers swoon over and adults see for the loser he is. I was the It Girl; the whole school crowned us the perfect match. Teenage brains get influenced easily so they are wired for mistakes.

He’d always been reckless, disrespectful, irresponsible... That very moment, I realized Benjamin wasn’t half the man Eduardo was. Cutting him loose senior year of college was the smartest thing I ever did. He only got worse, proving he was nothing but a lesson in regret. Years later, he still hadn’t grown an inch. Calling him my ex made my skin crawl.

Every second I felt Eduardo slipping away. I had to act.

“I’m seeing someone, Benjamin. Let go. Now!”

He didn’t. His hands kept roaming.

“Benjamin, for God’s sake, grow up.”

“I’m drinking morning coffee instead of last call tequila. That’s growth, right?” He leaned in, whispering, “Besides, we did plenty of grown up things together.”

I shoved with everything I had. Eduardo’s words from the morning in the shower flashed back to me. “How could you think of someone else touching you like this when you know I’m at your service? I’d sacrifice my life to protect you from anyone touching you against your will.” How could he think this was what I wanted? Couldn’t he see me fighting?

That’s when his voice exploded with pure rage: “Let go of her!”

Then his voice cracked like thunder and emphasized what he said. “Let. Her. Go.”

Even I shivered with the tone of his voice yet Benjamin had the guts to talk him back. He shot Eduardo a sneer. “Mind your own business big guy? Step off, she’s mine.”

That broke me. Not the claim on me, but the knife it twisted in Eduardo. My hand flew; the slap rang out.

Benjamin raised his arm to strike back. I threw my left forearm up to shield my face. A heartbeat later, only his scream remained.

“Fuck! Let go of my arm!”

I opened my eyes. Benjamin was faced down on the marble. Eduardo had both his wrists pinned behind his back with one hand, knee jammed between the shoulder blades, perfect leverage, impossible escape. His free hand fisted Benjamin’s hair, slamming his head into the floor again and again. He was going to kill him.

“When a woman says no, it means no. If no one taught you the easy way, I’ll carve it into that thick skull of yours the hard way.”

Benjamin was seconds from blacking out. I couldn’t let Eduardo ruin himself over trash. Besides, Benjamin wouldn't even worth a slap.

I dropped to my knees and gripped Eduardo's arm to give it a shot to stop. “Eduardo, enough!”

“Don’t interrupt me on duty.” he responded.

“Eduardo, please, you’ll kill him.”

His face enlightened with a dark grin. “Yeah? Guess I wear my intentions on my sleeve.”

“Babe, please! Let him go! ”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. I called him, 'babe' out of nowhere. I didn't even imagine myself calling him babe or such things like that. That was the moment, I was sure about my intentions of Eduardo; I wanted to be with him for real. I was his and I wanted him to be mine.

The words sliced the air. He froze, eyes wide, searching mine. Then he released Benjamin, let him slump to the floor, and walked out without a word.

I ran after him. My chauffeur had left the car, assuming we’d take it. Eduardo kept walking; I followed.

“Eduardo, where are you going?” I shouted.

“I quit.” he shout back.

“As your boss, I refuse. Get back to work.”

He spun, fury blazing, seized my arm, pulled me close, forehead to forehead. “I can’t believe how far you’d go to protect him. That cuts deeper than being your boy toy, Emily.”

“What are you talking about, you fool? I was protecting you. He was half dead, I didn’t want you in trouble over such scum like him. He’s not worth the dirt on your shoe. All I cared about was you.” I cupped his cheek. “And you’re not a toy. I respect you. I value you. I care about you more than you know.”

“You sang a different tune in the shower.”

“You played a different game in the morning.”

“My head’s a mess. You can’t be my boss and my woman at the same time. Though you’d still be the boss when you’re my woman but that’s different.”

His words made me giggle. I felt his thumb gently touching my lips.

“Entre tu sonrisa y tus labios me pierdo; no sé cuál deseo más, si mirarte… o besarte.”

(Between your smile and your lips I lose myself; I don’t know which I desire more; to look at you… or to kiss you.)

The first Spanish he’d ever whispered to me and enough to take me over the Moon.

I answered with action, rose on tiptoes and pressed my lips to his as the answer; to deny all the misunderstandings this time.