Sinful Compensation

“Ma’am?”

A stern female voice yanked me from my mental haze. Startled, I snapped my head up from the book that had been cradling my head. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, and a woman with wiry brown hair and weary eyes stared at me.

“We’re closing in ten minutes.” She said, frowning apologetically. “Sorry to wake you.”

I nodded, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. How had I allowed myself to fall asleep while waiting for him?

“Thank you. I’ll be out of here soon.” I replied, my voice hoarse from sleep. The employee nodded and turned away, her apron swishing with her as she moved.

I stretched my arms above my head, cursing my circumstances. Idiot! How could you possibly fall asleep? Also, where is this fool? I’ve been waiting forever!

My hands fell to the empty mug of coffee in front of me that I had ordered hours ago. The ceramic surface was cold, the coffee that had once filled it now a distant memory. I drummed my fingers along the mug as I peered out the glass doors of the cafe. The world was now blanketed in darkness, hiding everything except for the street underneath weak lanterns. Glittering snowflakes lazily spun in the light as they fell toward the dark concrete. Everyone else appeared to have had the sense to stay home in the snow.

Sudden pain pricked my forehead and I rested my face in my palms. No, this was not a headache. It was tendrils of guilt trying to writhe their way into my mind. I knew this whole meetup was wrong, but what choice did I have?

I lifted my face to look at the clock, which read 4:52. Sweat began to greet my brow. His text had promised he’d be here by 4:00. Where was he? I could feel the gaze of the woman on me as she wiped down the counter top. I had overstayed my welcome.

I could not help but give a sigh of frustration as I rose, and I practically threw my book into my backpack. So much for being a form of entertainment that would salvage me from boredom. I picked up the mug and walked over to the counter, placing it in front of the woman. Our eyes met. Hers were hazel, and her face was actually quite pretty, as it was kissed with a sprinkling of freckles. I forced myself to smile despite the frustrating circumstances.

“Thank you for letting me take a nap, even though that hadn’t been my intention.” I said, trying to conceal the exasperation in my voice. I quickly stole a glance at the clock. 4:53.

Instead of a short, polite response, her gaze grew steely and she grabbed my wrist that had just set down the mug. I yelped, trying to retract my hand, but she had an iron grip as she stared at me with a tight frown. Her hand was ice cold.

She leaned closer, speaking quickly under her breath. “Listen. If I were you, I would get going. Staying out after dark in the winter doesn’t invite good things.”

An intense shiver crept up my spine. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I appreciate it.” I spoke slowly, unable to break the intense eye contact. Her chilling statement piqued my curiosity, but I somehow could not bring myself to question her. “I’ll be on my way now,” I croaked as I pulled my wrist from her grasp.

I turned on my heel and walked briskly towards the exit. The bell on the handle tinkled innocently as I practically pushed myself into the door, and a gust of frigid wind greeted my face. Once fully outside, in a weak attempt to ground myself, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

“Oh, there you are.”

My heart jumped into my throat at the sound of a sickeningly sweet voice to my right. I screamed and whipped around to the sight of a tall man staring at me from under a street light several feet away. Snowflakes settled into his jet black hair, and his sharp cheekbones rose into a smirk at my reaction.

“Anthony! What the hell is wrong with you? Where have you been?” I demanded, closing the space between us. He raised his hands at the sight of my balled fists. Mischief danced in his light green eyes.

“Hey, hey. I didn’t mean to startle you, alright? I was running late attending to.. other matters.’ He said as he smoothed his hair with his hand, his watch gleaming in the weak light. His tone was apologetic, but knowing this man, everything was a joke to him.

His eyes traveled behind me to the cafe. “Here, let’s just go back in there real quick. This won’t take long.” He suggested as he began to walk towards the entrance.

I shook my head as I crossed my arms for warmth. “No. They’re closing soon. I would know because I waited for you for so long.” I said, not even attempting to hide my aggravation, but he had already opened the door. I rolled my eyes and followed him, secretly glad to return to a refuge from the winter weather.

The woman at the counter locked eyes with Anthony. Their eye contact went on for a slightly uncomfortable period of time before he said, “Hi there. May we just sit and have a quick conversation while you close up? We’ll be out soon.”

She raised a mahogany eyebrow while contemplating his request. “Fine.” She sighed, slightly glowering when she looked at me, making me shiver. “Just make it quick. I’m not a fan of being here after hours.”

He flashed her a charming smile as we made our way to the table I had previously sat at, this time sitting in the chair that had my back to the counter. Since that strange conversation with her, I wanted the woman out of my sight as much as possible. I swallowed hard as I looked at Anthony, not wanting to be the one to start this conversation. For once, he seemed to be at a temporary loss for speech.

The words reluctantly made their way up my throat, as it felt that speaking them into existence would make the circumstances true. “I-I saw you.” I blurted out weakly. Anthony refused to meet my eyes, staring intently at the table. “And I know it wasn’t Tara with you.”

My mind flashed back to the scene. A few nights ago, as I was walking my dog Charlie down the icy street, I had paused in front of my best friend Tara’s house as he stopped to sniff the hedges. There were two shadows visible through the thin blinds. They were interlocked in the embrace of one another, hands sliding down each other’s figures. Knowing that Tara was at a concert, I sped home while trembling.

When I had burst through the front door and grabbed my phone, I had stood there paralyzed for a second. A form of evil that I did not know I was capable of possessing overtook me as I typed in Anthony’s name instead of Tara’s.

“You’re right.” He mumbled. Suddenly, his eyes flashed up at me, holding mine in a hardened stare. Any playfulness or carelessness that he may have carried a few minutes ago had vanished.

“You’re right, but to blackmail me? To ask me for money instead of telling her or even talking to me about what you saw? I thought I had gotten to know your character well over the years, Amelia, but I’ve definitely been misled.” He growled, his voice growing louder. I whipped my head around to see if the woman was listening, but she was no longer at the counter.

“Ironic of you to judge my character when you’re the cheater,’ I hissed, my cheeks heating up in anger. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I could not look pathetic. I had to hold my ground. “You know that I lost my job last month. I need to pay my rent tomorrow, and I have no other way to pay it.” My heart rate skyrocketed, and my hands were shaking profusely at this point.

Anthony sat there, contemplating me for a second, then a strange half-smile entered his face. He leaned forward until there were only a few inches between our faces. I gulped.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” He said smoothly, “But I’m afraid that money is not how I’ll keep your silence tonight.”

I gasped as someone grabbed me from behind and held a smooth metal blade to my throat.

“Hi, my love.” The voice of the woman at the counter purred at Anthony as she held me tightly.