Addicted Book 4: 2021 Bonnie & Clyde [COMPLETED]

Part Twenty-Three

~Winston~

"Wait, so you're really allergic to carrots? I've never met anyone with that allergy." Alice chuckled.
"Yeah, I mean they make my mouth itch and makes me look like a puffer fish within 10 minutes." I shrugged as I ate my steak.
"What's the oddest allergy you've heard of?" She asked.
"My father was allergic to money, actually. The material didn't cooperate with his skin all too well, surprisingly."
"Money? So your mom did everything handling actual cash?"
"Yeah." I chuckled. "It was quite a time."
"Wait...you said was. Can someone just get over something like that?"
"No." I responded flatly while making eye contact with her. She slightly bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. "My father died when I was 7."
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She said lowly. I smirked.
"It's all good." I said before finishing my plate. As I ate, I noticed a pair of people staring at me and talking to each other. I pretended not to notice. "So, wanna come watch a movie over at my place?"
"Yeah sure, why not?" She smiled. And with that, I got the check, paid it and we left. Just like that.

"It's really nice being able to see you again after such a long time, Winston. I had such a nice time with you." She said, grinning after we got onto the highway.
"I'm glad. I enjoyed the time with you too." I smiled at her.
"Remember when we were kids and we would sneak off at night to catch fireflies when out parents wouldn't let us out?" She smirked. I smiled to myself and nodded. When we were kids, she didn't live that far from me. Maybe about 3 blocks. She was 8 and I was 7, and right before the incident with my father happened, about 2 days prior, we had snuck off together to swim in the lake and talk about so much. She was the only person I'd ever been open to tell anything to. I told her about my abusive father. I told her about how I felt like I didn't belong. I told her how I feel trapped in a box.
She also told me about her home life, how her father was a drunk, her mom constantly slept with other men on a daily basis and she basically has to take care of herself. She was such a bright spirit even while having to go through so much.
When we were kids we'd talk about other galaxies, life on other planets, origin of human life, all the while sitting by the nearby lake and looking at the stars while sitting down on the ground or using a telescope. Alice was also my first kiss.
We were in a swampy area, I forget exactly what we were doing at midnight. Playing a game I believe, because she wore a leaf crown and a handcrafted seaweed hula skirt over a pair of spandex. The skirt was made by a family friend. We were in the middle of climbing trees together when she sat on a branch, panting.
"William, look." She smiled, pointing up at the stars. I sat on the branch beside her, wearing nothing but cargo shorts. No shirt or shoes. "The North Star." She grinned. It was, from our view, about 20 feet opposite of the full moon that lit up that night and brightened the water in the lake below us. I smirked.
"Now we know where we are." I replied. "I really wish I could bring my family to come see things like this."
"Same here." She sighed, looking down. She then looked to me. "At least we have each other." She slightly shrugged, then looked over to me and softly grinned. She put her hand on top of mine. I grinned back. At 7 years old, I couldn't define the feeling but now that I'm older, I remember feeling like everything was alright if she was there. I grinned back at her, and slowly but surely we began to lean into each other for a kiss.

"You're living here?" She asked as she sat her purse down on the coffee table.
"Just renting for a little bit." I replied. I walked up behind her, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Please, let me take your coat."
"Yeah, sure." She said, sliding her light grey coat off. Under it, she wore a nice formal shirt and dress pants with heals. She had gotten off of work a little before we got a bite to eat. Her wavy golden-blonde hair fell over her shoulders.
"I know you just got off of work, did you want to shower? You can wear one of my shirts." I asked. She nodded. I led her upstairs to the bathroom. "Just uh...come down when you're done. Enjoy." I said awkwardly. She laughed and went into the bathroom. I went into the bedroom and grabbed a large sized shirt of mine for her to wear and laid it on the bed. I began to think of all the nights I would do the same for Donna. All it took was one thought for me to get sucked into thinking about her. It hurt deep in my heart having memories of the beautiful bright soul Donna once was. I found myself stuck thinking about her a lot. Before I knew it, Alice was finishing up in the shower. She walked out, wrapped in a towel with a surprised look on her face.
"I--uh-I'm so sorry, let me---" I began as I got up and began to exit the room.
"It's fine, it's your room." She said dropping her towel and walking toward the clothes. My eyes widened and immediately darted away from her as she slid the towel on.
"How--how was your shower?" I asked, staring at the curtains.
"It was great. But either those drapes have the best thread count you've ever seen or you're trying very hard not to look at me." She chuckled. "We go back, and plus it's not like you've not seen a woman's body before. It's alright, love." Her elegant accent tip toed over her words. I slowly looked back over to her, her fair skin illuminating, somehow reminding me of clouds.
"I'm uh...glad you're so comfortable with yourself. Pardon me, I just ended this thing with my ex and I just feel very...odd." I nodded, hoping what I said came out right.
"Donna? The beautiful woman I met up at the bar when I saw you? How could you ever, she's beautiful."
"Inside or out? I can't tell anymore." I rolled my eyes. She gasped.
"Winston!" She bugged her eyes.
"It's...its complicated, Alice."
"Can't be. She's a woman, not a machine." She said, plopping onto the bed. I gave her a look. "I...I get your point, continue."
"She pretty much slept with her...someone else. Regardless of who it was, it just shot a hole through me like a cannon ball." I said, feeling weight slowly lift off of me. It was like clouds from a storm clearing up. "And I hadn't actually loved a girl before her...loved a girl like her at all. I just don't understand what happened, how everything came crashing down. I thought we were on the same page all this time. Now we're both 1 step from falling." I began to ramble. I caught myself and looked over to her, and she was listening to everything.
"What do you mean you all are 1 step from falling?" She asked, leaning back onto the pillows. I sighed and got under the blankets with her and started a movie on Netflix.
"You smoke?" I asked, beginning to roll up.
"Not much, but I will with you." She replied. I didn't speak much after that, then she added. "I won't force you to talk to me but I will be right here." She said it very softly as she reached over to grab my hand. I stopped and looked at her hand wrapped around mine, then to her angelic face, then her bright blue eyes. She gave a small smile before leaning over to press her small, soft cherry colored lips onto mine. Dear Lord it felt amazing, but i pulled her away softly.
"I...I don't want to lead you on. I value you. I don't want to use you as a substitute then leave you hurt when push comes to shove. You're one of my closest friends, Alice." I sighed. She looked down before looking back into my eyes.
"Then just don't hurt me." She shrugged before pressing her lips to mine again.