returning {to the past} -crystal

[~echo~]

Anita got her own money out and looked at Alex. "So.... do you want to set up a time to meet to talk to Carlos?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Alex set the money on the table and then pulled out a slip of paper and a pen. He scrawled an address on the paper and slid it over to her. Really, his messy handwriting hadn't changed much at all. "Meet me there at 6:00 tomorrow."

[~echo~]

She studied the address, committing it to her mind, and then nodded. "I will. Thanks for meeting me for lunch... it was nice," she said quietly. She paid for her lunch, then headed out, but not before murmuring, "Goodbye."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Alex got up and left a few seconds after her. He headed back to his mother's house, and didn't leave until the next day when he was supposed to meet Anita. He showed up at the address a few minutes early, parking his car in the small lot and just sitting there, watching the tall apartment building.

[~echo~]

Anita drove her beat up bug to the address he had given her, clutching the little scrap of paper in her left hand. When she arrived, she parked and looked around for Alex.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Alex spotted her car as she pulled up and stepped out to meet her. He walked over as she parked, forcing a smile to his face. His stomach was twisted at the thought of seeing Carlos again, and now he was bringing Anita into it too.

[~echo~]

Anita walked over to him and gave him a tight smile. "Hey. Are you ready?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Alex nodded. "Are you? You know you can still back out of this."

[~echo~]

"I don't want to," she said firmly. "All I care about is getting Carlos out of this gang. I don't want him going down the same path as... well, as you did. Let's go. Lead the way."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Alex nodded and then made his way toward the adjacent building. He climbed the steps to the third floor and then walked down the hall to the fourth unit. He glanced at Anita one last time, waiting for her to back out, and then knocked on the door.

[~echo~]

Anita tried to arrange her face in an expression of calmness, but it was hard; she was nervous.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

A young, short Latino man answered the door and raised his eyebrows when he saw the two of them. "Si?"

"I'm looking for Carlos," Alex said. "He lives here?"

[~echo~]

Anita stayed silent but studied the young man who had answered the door, remaining neutral in the face as possible.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The guy shrugged. "Yeah," he said. Then he leaned away from the half-open door and shouted, "Oye, Carlos. Some guy and a hot chick are here to see you."

Alex couldn't help but glanced at Anita to see her reaction, an amused smile on his lips.

[~echo~]

Anita's upper lip curled and she looked him up and down, trying to decide whether it would be worth it to kill him. She crossed her arms, shifted her weight onto her hips, and glared at the man.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The man stepped away and Carlos appeared. As soon as he saw Alex, his eyes widened and he tried to slam the door, but Alex threw his weight against the door, throwing Carlos back. "Ánimo, Carlos," he said. "I just want to talk."

Carlos took a few steps back and sneered at his brother. "You brought the chica?" he said. "Low, dude."

[~echo~]

Anita looked over Carlos imperiously, but uncrossed her arms and swallowed. "We just want to talk. There's no reason to be insulting."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Carlos shot her a glare. And to think, at one point he'd liked Alex's girlfriend. "This has nothing to do with you," he said. "I thought you and my brother broke up."

[~echo~]

"I never said we were back together," Anita replied calmly. "But let's not focus on me. How about you? Still in the gang?" Her voice hardened at the end of her sentence.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Carlos's jaw tightened and he turned his glare on his brother. "What I do with my life is my choice. It's none of your business." He jerked his head at Anita and said, "And it's certainly none of hers."

"We just want to help you!" Alex said. "Believe it or not, I care."