Fleeting

The light of the radiant moon reflected in Hector’s eyes. His gaze was fixed on it. Something about it stirred him, an impression etching itself into him. A feeling of magic permeated the air. This wasn’t just any night. This night was special.

“Hector?”

He peeled his eyes away to look to his left. There was Estelle, seated on the grassy hilltop a few feet away. The way the light shone off her blue sundress was like a gleaming sapphire. The soft features of her face were highlighted in the glow. She had a quizzical expression painted on it. He couldn’t help smiling back.

“Sorry, was I spacing out again?” he chuckled shyly.

She giggled, her kind eyes locking with his. “Yeah, you seem to do that. I don’t mind though. The moon is quite beautiful tonight.”

Hector looked back at the moon again, taking in the sight. He could almost feel its radiance filling him. “Well, you could say I have an eye for beauty.” He flashed a sly grin Estelle’s way.

“Oh shut up!” she laughed, leaning over and giving him a shove. “You’ve got lines, do you?”

He gave a performative shrug. “I don’t know what you mean. I just know a good moon when I see one.”

“Is that right?” Estelle scooted closer, her shoulder brushing his. She hovered inches away, angling so she was half-facing him, half-facing the moon. “So you haven’t spied any other beauty tonight?”

His breath caught in his throat as he felt his cheeks warming. His response was trapped behind the thoughts of her skin so near his own. He couldn’t bring himself to turn her way, but the corner of his eye could see her lips, parted slightly. Moonlight cascaded over them.

She turned fully towards him, her eyes scanning. She leaned forwards, putting herself in front of him so he was forced to look at her. A mischievous smile spread over her face at the sight of his blush and flustered expression. She took a long, slow, exaggerated breath, exhaling just as slowly as she watched him. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt the warmth of her breath wash over his face, his body tensing.

“Well, if you happen to notice anything particularly beautiful…I’d love it if you told me,” she whispered.

Hector inhaled sharply, her voice sending tingles through him. His tunnel vision darted between her eyes and the other features of her face.

“Stop teasing me.”

“What?” She inspected his face. “What do you mean?”

He closed his eyes, scrunching his face, trying to suppress his heightened state. “You don’t really…” He stumbled through his mess of thoughts, seeking the words. “There’s no way you really like me…that much.”

Estelle paused, looking closely at him. She reached out slowly, gently touching his cheek. He recoiled a bit and she let her hand hover for a moment, then pressed it to his cheek again.

“Hector, I’m not playing at anything. I really like you,” she said, speaking carefully, trying to impress sincerity on each word. “I’m so happy to be here right now. Under the moonlight with you.”

He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze. It felt honest, but he still held tension in his body. His mind struggled to grasp that what he was experiencing could truly be reality. An anxiety grappled inside of him, yet despite any reservations there was still a swell in his heart from her presence next to him.

She kept her stare locked on him. Her face moved. Just a fraction of an inch. She saw him notice, the glint of emotion flashing in his eyes. Fear? Anticipation? Desire? Another fraction of an inch. Then another.

He finally let go. The inches disappeared. His lips joined with hers. Flesh caressed against flesh, holding on as the moment lingered. Hector's body was electric. He reached out and placed a hand behind her head, another on her back, pulling her closer, desperately clinging at each second of their kiss. They parted with a mutual gasp. Beauty looked back at him. Affection and longing hung on the sweet summer breeze that passed between them.

“Estelle…”

She was a brilliant beacon of joy as he regarded her in that moment. A reflection of the bubbly feelings rushing within him. Everything that he had ever hoped he would see in her. He felt a tether linking them, a connection he’d only imagined could be real.

“Hector,” Estelle said, her voice almost ethereal. “Would you stay with me here? Spend these fleeting moments with me wrapped in your arms, blanketed in the moonlight?”

The biggest smile spread across his face. He gazed at her. He opened his mouth to respond, the words on the tip of his tongue.

~

Hector snapped up in his bed. He oriented himself to the space. The pungent scent of sweaty clothes scattered over the floor tickling at his nostrils. The dim illumination of the light fixture on the ceiling with one bulb burnt out. Uneven shards of morning sunlight cast across the wall through the half-broken blinds of the window. A mess of various blankets tossed haphazardly over a bare mattress, indented on one side.

No moon. No grassy hilltop. No sweet summer breeze. No Estelle. A hollowness in their place.

“Hector! Earth to Hector!”

Hector blinked a few times, attempting to free himself from his groggy stupor. He became aware of the man standing in his bedroom doorway: Eric, his roommate.

“Unnnggh?” he grunted, still trying to regain his ability to speak.

“You slept in. You’re gonna be late for work. Again,” Eric said with undisguised disappointment.

Hector rolled over to the edge of the mattress, catching himself as he started falling into the dip. He leaned over a small assembly of his belongings and reached for his phone. The screen lit up. 9:20AM. Already past the beginning of his shift at the supermarket.

“Why didn’t you get me up earlier?”

Eric’s face contorted, his eyes flashing contempt. “Oh fuck off, Hector. How the hell is that my responsibility? You’re a grown-ass adult. I’m not your mother.”

“Right.” Hector sighed. He stumbled to his feet, eyes roaming over the arranged clothing piles until he spotted a half-buried uniform. His hands grasped at it, a decent tug required to free it from the heap.

“Did you even set an alarm? How late did you get to bed? It took a racket and a half to stir you from that death sleep,” Eric asked, scanning the room. Something caught his eye and he stepped into the room, shoving past Hector and nearly toppling him. He reached down to a small pill bottle in the belongings on the floor. “What the fuck is this?”

Hector gave it the slightest glance, then looked away. He quickly gathered the other things from the ground and moved towards the door. “Don’t worry about it,” he answered with a dismissive wave.

“The hell I won’t,” Eric snapped, gripping Hector’s shoulder. “Now I know why you always just come home and hide in your room. These are those dream pills. You aren’t seriously taking these, are you?”

“Whatever, dude. It’s just a bit of escapism. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

Eric gritted his teeth. “I’m sure you just think this is the new hot trend that everyone is jumping on. But I know people who have gone too deep on these things already. This is not something you wanna mess with.”

“I’ll be fine.” Hector pulled his shoulder free and ripped the pill bottle out of Eric’s hand. He stowed it in his pocket, stepping out of the room and towards the front door. “Worry about yourself, Eric.”

Eric closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. He exited the bedroom as well, watching Hector. “Alright. You do what you want. But don’t forget that I’m never going to cover for you if you can’t pull in your half of the rent.”

“Got it, Boss,” Hector scoffed, slamming the door on his way out.

~

Hector scuttled into the store, his head low as he passed through the automatic doors. He felt the eyes of his coworkers on him but he didn’t return their glances. He took a quick circuit around the edge of the store to the staff area.

“Hector.”

He stopped. The voice was unmistakably his manager, Melinda. He turned slowly to face her. The expression he saw on her face was familiar. It reminded him of how Eric had looked at him earlier that morning.

“You’re late,” Melinda said, “Get ready and get on till.”

“I’m really sorry. I meant to–”

“I don’t need to hear it,” she said, cutting him off, “I’ll be seeing you later and you’ll be written up. You’ve had your warnings. We’re not doing this anymore.”

“Okay,” he answered, “I swear I’ll do better.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. She replied, “We’ll see.” Then she turned and walked away, her attention already elsewhere.

His nails dug into his palm. He bit at the inside of his lip as he headed into the staff area. Tension squeezed in his chest. His eyes were straining with effort to hold back the threat of tears.

“You’re such a fuck up,” he whispered to himself.

~

The sun beamed down on the rooftop terrace. A smattering of wispy clouds drifted through the sky. A glimmer danced on the surface of the water in the pool. The shadow of an umbrella cast shade over Hector’s eyes as he lay on a recliner. His torso was bare, the heat leaving a thin layer of sweat over his skin. Relaxation enveloped every muscle in his body. He was free of tension. He let out a contented sigh, the sweet summer breeze passing over him.

“Hector?”

He rolled his head to the left, his gaze landing on Estelle. She was stretched out along her own recliner, propped up on her right arm with her head resting on her hand. The sunlight washed over her curves, exposed as she was in a shiny blue bikini. Her hair was shimmering gold. She was haloed against the sun, the features of her face darkened by the light behind. She had a quizzical expression painted on it. He couldn’t help smiling back.

“Sorry, was I spacing out again?” he asked. Her beauty entranced him. Yet his mind already seemed to be wandering again.

“Seems like it,” she giggled, sitting up to face him fully, head tilting slightly. “Something on your mind?”

He looked off into the sky, grasping fruitlessly at what thoughts occupied his mind just moments ago.

“I’m not sure…” he replied pensively.

She inspected his face. Then she smiled wide. “Oh well. Perhaps you were simply relishing in the beauty of this wonderful sunny day.”

“I suppose so,” he said with a nod, “It certainly is beautiful.”

She nodded back enthusiastically. Then she stood up with a flourish, skipping over to his recliner. A playful smirk played on her lips. She watched his eyes knowingly, seeing how they followed the movements of her body. He scooted over a bit and she plopped herself beside him, her back turned. She peeked over her shoulder at him.

“You’re a lucky man, you know. Having a rooftop to yourself with a beautiful woman,” she whispered flirtatiously.

“I am,” Hector laughed. He eyed her supple lips. A perfect kiss waiting for him. Yet something was there. A hesitation.

She leaned closer. Her face approached his own. Just a fraction of an inch. Then another.

He reached out, his hand cradling her cheek. He held her there, their eyes locked. The moment lingered. Seconds into seconds. Her eyes shifted, moving across his features.

“What is it?” she asked.

“What did I do to deserve you?” he asked slowly. Something deep in him needed her words.

“Deserve me?” she half laughed before seeing the seriousness in his eyes. “Hector, you’re amazing. You’ve been a perfect gentleman to me. You’re a successful businessman. You’ve given me everything I could ever hope for. What else could you possibly need to deserve me?”

He pondered her words. Then smiled. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She smiled back. She pressed against his hand and he yielded, her lips meeting his. He savoured the taste of her, cradling her close and he returned for kiss after kiss. Affection flowed between them, hearts thumping hard in their chests. They finally parted with a mutual gasp. Beauty looked back at him.

“Estelle…”

“Hector,” Estelle said, her voice almost ethereal. “Would you stay with me here? Spend these fleeting moments with me wrapped in your arms, bathing in the warmth of the sun?”

The biggest smile spread across his face. He gazed at her. He opened his mouth to respond, the words on the tip of his tongue.

~

Hector’s eyes snapped open. His room was lit only barely, the light from a street lamp outside breaking through the blinds. The door was shut. He turned over, sinking too deep into the dip in the mattress and falling onto the floor. His hands scrambled for his phone. 10:04PM. He dropped it, slumping into the layer of sweaty clothes.

Estelle was burned into his mind. Her face. Her lips.

He reached for the pill bottle.

~

The soft light of the bedside lamp illuminated the suite. The long curtains were drawn across the windows. The couch sat empty opposite the TV that was turned off. The feel of the plush comforter soothed Hector’s skin and his head rested pleasantly against the pillow. He nestled into it, treasuring the pleasing sensation of the bed.

“Hector?”

He turned to the left. Estelle was there, similarly wrapped in the comforter. She was clothed in a blue nightgown. The light of the lamp barely lit the features of her face. She had a quizzical expression painted on it. He was smiling back.

“Sorry, was I spacing out again?” he heard himself say.

“Yep,” she said, a loving smile crossing her face, “You’re always thinking, aren’t you?”

He paused. A fog hung over his mind. He tried to remember what he was thinking about. He didn’t know.

His mouth said, “You’re beautiful, Estelle.”

“Don’t I know it?” She laughed. Then she paused, inspecting his face, “Is that all I am though? A pretty face?”

He stared at her. She was truly gorgeous, the most exquisite beauty he had ever witnessed. He stared. What else was there? He couldn’t recall.

“You’re…” He struggled through the blanks in his mind to find words to say. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

She was bright with joy. “Oh yeah? You’re so sweet, Hector.”

Her beauty enchanted him. He felt so happy laying next to her. But a terrible doubt gnawed at him.

“Estelle,” he found himself pleading desperately, “Would you stay here with me?”

“Spend these fleeting moments wrapped in your arms?” she whispered soothingly, “Is that what you want?”

He gazed at her. He opened his mouth to respond, the words on the tip of his tongue.

~

Hector opened his eyes slowly. Morning light leaked into the room through the half broken blinds. He was splayed out among the clothes on the floor. He grabbed his phone.11:13AM. At least it was his day off. He reached for the pill bottle. He juggled its weight in his hand, the pills clicking against the container. He stared at it for a long time.

He saw Estelle in his mind. Her beautiful face.

Then he was standing. He threw the window ajar and tossed the bottle out. He heard it clatter and smash against the cement below. He took a long deep breath. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he felt some tension leave his body.

He pushed open his bedroom door. Eric was sitting on the couch in the living room, controller in his hand. The first person perspective of a military shooter game was on the TV. He turned at the sound of Hector's entrance.

“He lives,” Eric said before returning his attention to the game.

Hector walked over. He stood behind the couch, watching the screen. The screen turned red and the camera pulled away to show the dead body of Eric’s in-game character.

“You’re kinda shit at this game, huh?” Hector chuckled.

“Excuse me?” Eric turned again, a look of surprise on his face.

“The way you just died there. Kinda trash,” Hector said, walking around to the side of the couch to better face Eric.

Eric smiled. “If you can do better then why don’t you park your ass on this couch and show me how it's done?”

Hector lit up. He grabbed the second controller off the coffee table and threw himself on the couch. They exchanged a look, something unspoken passing between them. Then they both turned to the screen.

“You’re on.”