A Frozen Heart

Part I.

“No. No! No way, Violet. You can’t. We don’t have time. You always do this.”

“Oh come on babe,” she snuggles her face into my chest, and glances up curling her lips while flashing irresistible green puppy eyes, “It will only be five minutes.”

“It is never JUST five minutes. That is the bigge — ” before I could finish she had already pranced across the room.

Within a moment, the bathroom door slams shut, and I can hear the water pelting down.

“Too late,” I mutter to myself.

I lay sprawled out on my belly when suddenly, I feel a body dive onto my back.

Part II.

“UUUUFFF. Get off babe,” I chuckle, and instantly the weight subsides.

“How on earth did you shower that quick? That has to be an all-time record.”

I roll over, and… and… Wait, WHAT?

My girlfriend’s sister perches on the edge of the bed peering down at me.

“Alex — uh, what are you doing here?”

Twirling her hair, she gazes into my eyes and whispers, “Oh, I just thought maybe we could hang out.”

Like a cat, she pounces on top of me.

“Uh — sure.”

Somehow leaning in even closer, and whispering even quieter, she proposes, “We could like… do something.”

“Um, okay. What did you have in mind? I could turn something on.”

Climbing onto my lap, Alex teases, “I’d rather turn you on.”

“Uhhhh — Alex I don’t think we should do this — ”

“That's what makes it so fun,” she bites her lip still staring into my eyes.

“Bu — but Violet is like in the shower.”

“Oh you know how long she takes, and I can guarantee you won’t last that long,” Alex winks then reaches out, and slowly slides her hand down my chest and…

“WHAT IN THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING?” Violet shrieks at the top of her lungs.

Giggling, Alex jumps off my lap, bolts across the room, whips open the door, and skips away.

Oh, God. I am fucked.

Part III.

Rays of light seep through my window shades, a perfect day, but after the epic debauchery that was yesterday, I am paralyzed, and all I can manage to do is study my blank white ceili —

bing bing

I rip off the covers, spring onto my feet, and bolt across the room.

Please be Violet.

My head spins as I glance down at the phone.

“Did you do your laundry? ❤️ Mom.”

Damn.

You idiot. She’s done with you; you blew it.

I trudge back towards my bed groaning as I slump onto my rumpled sheets.

bing bing

Dude, it’s not her.

What’s the point of even checking?

It’s probably just your Mom again.

It’s over.

I glance up at the ceiling.

Aaahhh, screw it.

I dart across the room, again, and… AND…

IT’S VIOLET. YES! YES! YES!

My hands twitch as I flip open Snapchat.

A blank screen reading, “Sal’s at 8.”

Part IV.

Fiddling with my hands, I approach a silver-haired, rail thin woman in a mud-streaked green apron and oversized cargo pants, “Um, excuse me ma’m?”

“Darling, how can I help you?”

“Uh, so like my girlfriend, well I hope she’s still my girlfriend…”

The florist flashes a toothy grin exposing her mangled, mustard colored teeth.

“Uh, her name’s Violet. Sss — so can you help me get like violets, and not just one, like a bunch, and they have to be like ultra super good ones like ones that will wow her.”

The woman rolls her eyes.

“You messed up, huh?”

All I can do is nod.

Part V.

In a red satin dress, her piercing green eyes glow in the moonlight. Standing at the entrance of Sal’s Pizza Parlor, Violet glowers at me with an annoyed death stare.

Not a single car had been in the parking lot, and it was so silent you could hear the cicadas buzz.

I approach wielding the bouquet behind my back.

“I guess I uh — didn’t get the memo that this was uh — fancy thing.”

Silence

Drawing the bouquet from behind my back, I stutter, “Uh, well I brought you violets.”

With a perplexed glare, Violet fixates on the flowers, “Those are marigolds you idiot.”

"What are you talking about? I specifically asked the florist for violets."

"Violets are purple, these are gold... like marigolds."

I hesitate looking down at my muddied Nike sneakers.

“Its fine.” A cheery smile flashes across her face as she yanks the bouquet out of my hands and takes an audible whiff.

She continues, “Marigolds smell better anyways.”

“Uh, yeah. Of course.”

An awkward silence separates us

“So — is it open? Looks empty?”

“Nope. I talked to Antonio and he left me the keys.”

“Oh — okay.”

“Come on, follow me, loverboy.”

She tugs on my hand pulling me through the tinted glass door.

Loverboy? Things might not be as bad as I thought.

Part VI.

She stares into my eyes again torturing me with utter silence.

“So, uh — how have you be — ”

“We need a vase for these. Don’t want these pretty little things to die.”

Before I could respond, she had jumped up and bolted halfway across the seating area back towards the kitchen.

Without turning around, she hollers, “Well, what the heck Wall. Aren’t you gonna come with? You know I get scared being alone.”

“Okay.”

Eager to please, I hop out of the booth and stride towards her.

She yanks my hand, tugs me forward, and rushes through the kitchen, past the stovetops, cuts past the shelved boxes, takes a right past the plates, and stops.

She turns around, points at a silver set of doors, and sporting an overly excited smile, pleads, “Can you go in? Y’know I get scared.”

“Isn’t that the freezer? Why would a vase be in the freezer?”

She rolls her eyes, “Antonio stores them in there. Cold vases make flowers last longer. Duh.”

“Alright, where are they?”

“It’s so easy, go past the ice cream, and go to the back. Way way back. Once you see the logs of pepperoni in the back, right below that to the left.”

“Alright.”

She jerks open the large steel door, smiles coyly, and pats me on the butt guiding me forward,“Go on Wal-Wal. Nothing in there will bite you.”

The frigid air stings my face as I wander towards the back of the freezer.

I look to my left at the cartons of ice cream and turn back for reassurance.

“Further! Way back,” she encourages.

“Okay.” I continue inching towards the back and…

Suddenly, everything goes black.

BANG

The door had slammed shut.

Shit.

Part VII.

I can hear my teeth chatter as I sit perplexed on the icy concrete floor.

Is she going to just leave me here?

Part VIII.

I can’t stop my body from shaking.

I reach my arms into my t-shirt in an attempt to halt my shivering.

You idiot. You goddamn idiot. Why the hell would a vase be in a freezer?

Part IX.

My face begins to burn from the frigid air.

I gaze at a carton of ice cream.

Should I?

It might be your last meal.

UGGGGHHHHH.

It’ll just make you colder.

Part X.

She’s really gonna kill me.

God, I am such an idi —

A bright light burns my eyes.

Violet stands above me, with one hand hidden behind her back, and in a sweet voice inquires, “Learn your lesson?”

“Ye — Yes babe. I am so sorry. I am so so so sorry.”

“Good.”

She leans in, and her breath feels like a furnace as she whispers in my ear,

“Next time, you will actually die.”

Her warm lips press against mine.

Then, the sensation fades.

She steps back, exposes her hand wielding the bouquet of marigolds, and splits them over her knee.

Her voice hisses, "And by the way... I fucking hate marigolds."