Frost bite - Z.M (Book 3, Cold trilogy)

Chapter 16 - Karma's a bitch

Chapter 16

"Happy birthday!" I hear Victoria scream, shocking me to consciousness.

I frown in my sleep and open my eyes.

"It's not my birthday. " I murmur confused and she chuckles as I roll on my front to wrap my arm around her waist.

"Oh shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She whispers.

I open my eyes and gaze up at Victoria.

"Phone." She points at the cell in her hands as she mouths the word.

Right.

It's James' birthday.

I grab the phone off Victoria and she frowns confused.

"Happy birthday James."

It takes a moment for him to reply and I half smile.

"Ahh thanks man." He replies, sounding surprised.

"Too bad Amber's going out with Matt, you could have fucked her."

He scoffs. "Been there, done that."

"Smooth guy." I chuckle. "Well, I'll have birthday sex for you. See you tonight." I hang up the phone and Victoria gapes at me as I lay my head in her lap. "Go back to sleep." I murmur.

"I can't believe you just said that." She whispers breathlessly.

I close my eyes and her fingers stroke through my hair. The gesture is so plain, but so comforting to me.

"No work today?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I do have work today. I have too much on my mind to do anything."

She's silent for a moment.

"You want to talk about it now?"

I open my eyes and trail my fingers along her thigh. Goosebumps raise from her skin from my touch and I smile.

"I don't know what to say." I whisper quietly.

"We can start off from last night. You told me you put them through a lot."

I sigh and close my eyes. "I did."

"What did you do that was so bad?" Her questions lingers into silence as I think of a way to explain my troubled years.

"Yaser, when I was younger believe it or not, he was a good father figure towards me. He helped me with a lot, he even called me son as if I was his own. But I disrespected him. I would ignore him, treat him like complete shit. Tell him to go fuck himself. I hated him and till this day, I still can't seem to figure out why I did."

I shrug and roll back onto the bed to look up at the ceiling. "I deserve to be treated the way he treats me now. I know he's a hard man, but like I said before, I deserve it."

Victoria frowns when I look up at her. "No father, no matter what you've done, should never treat his son the way he treats you." She snuggles up closer to me and leans on her elbow, and her chin rests on her knuckles.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. "No, Victoria. You don't understand. I put them through hell. I didn't care about anyone but myself. If you ask Waliyha about everything that happen when I was eighteen, she'll tell you straight out that, that was the worse year I put our family through." I pause. "Her family." I correct myself and she frowns.

"You're all in the same family. Don't say that." Victoria reassures and I sigh and continue on.

"I made Trisha cry the night I got kicked out of the house. I've seen her upset with me before, but never have I actually seen her cry like that. It kind of woke me up I guess. It shocked me. I hated seeing her cry."