The Nerd [ongoing]

alethiology (49.)

alethiology

(n.) the study of truth

Ava has just left the living room to put Lily back to sleep. She woke the both of us up sometime after midnight and wouldn't go back to sleep for a while.

We started watching Dory again and she fell right back to sleep. Works like magic.

Although I really like babysitting Lily and, let's be honest, spending time with Ava, I'm kind of worried about the people who should be here.

They just left without an explanation and just expect us to babysit their baby all day? How-

All of a sudden I hear footsteps. Three sets. Walking towards the door of the living room.

I quickly but quietly stand up and grab behind me to get my- Fuck. Why didn't I bring it?

You're going on a school trip, you won't need a gun, son. He said. I'll just have to rely on my fists for this one.

Luckily Ava is still in Lily's room, far away from this entrance.

I hear a murmur of voices and then the doorknob turns. Here they come.

The first figure steps through the door. There's not a lot of light but I can just make out his body shape. Tall, large shoulders, male. "-but did you see how I did that thing with the wire?" He moves his hands as if he's pulling something between them. "You should've seen his face. He was gurgling and I swear his eyeballs-"

"Yes, that's enough. Thank you." A second figure, a little taller than the first one. "We don't need all the gory details Tim."

That can't be right. Tim? Does that mean they're back?

The trio closes the door and steps into the light. Tim, Santiago and Armani step into the light to be precise.

"Oh, hi Hunter! Had a nice time with Ava?" Tim wiggles his eyebrows at me. Then frowns at my lack of reaction.

My whole body feels frozen and I think my mouth is open. The three of them are almost completely soaked in blood. What the-

"Ah, I thought I heard you three." Ava walks in while folding a rag, looking at her hands. "Please take off your shoes, I'm not gonna clean this floor for you. Take them to the tub in Tim's bathroom. You can put your clothes in there too. I'll make sure to have someone dispose of them in the morning."

She places the now folded rag on the kitchen counter and walks towards us. Me, still frozen in place, and them, taking off their shoes.

Tim is the first to stand up straight again, dirty shoes in his hand. He looks at me, "Hey, I was just joking alright? I didn't even say anything about what I thought you had been doing. I was just.. insinuating. You good?"

No. What is going on here?

"Shit, I think I broke him." Tim runs his hand through the hair on the back of his head. "Sorry."

"You didn't break him Tim. He probably just wasn't expecting to see you all like this. Couldn't you have changed somewhere else? Before coming here?" She folds her arms. "You knew we were here."

"We didn't know you would be awake." Tim tries to defend himself.

"Anyway," Santiago butts in, "we should really go get a shower and change."

And that's when I find my voice back. "Hold on. What's going on here?"

Silence.

"Why are all three of you covered in blood? Is this just a normal friday-evening thing you guys do?"

"Pretty much." Tim shrugs. Santiago shoves him with his elbow.

"What?"

I feel my eyebrows scrunch up even more. Huh?

"Hunter, you're Jackson Blacks son, you work for us." Santiago says.

"How do you know my fathers name?" How do I get more confused the more answers they give me?

"He works for us, well, for our dad. Xavier Hernández?" Tim looks at me.

Holy shit. Suddenly it all clicks into place. Hernández.

HH, Hernández Hotels.

The bodyguards.

The blood.

And Ava knows.

I turn towards her. "Did you know?"

She frowns. "You didn't? I thought you would've figured it out by now."

What? How?

She sees the questions in my face. "After you came to Velez to ask him to search for me he came to me and I gave him exactly what I wanted him to give you, that's why it was barely anything. My last name is García, you might've heard it around somewhere at one of the warehouses or at HQ."

There is always talk about a García. I gulp. I thought they were a myth or something. I'd never seen them before. I thought. But the whole time she was right under my-

She must've seen the realization on my face because she says, "Yes that García. But believe me, not everything they say about me is true."

I let out a sigh of relief. "So you didn't cut off a man's genitals and make him eat it?"

She winces.

"No, she did do that. It was quite painful to watch actually." I look at Tim with my mouth slightly open and blink.

"I wasn't going to let a rapist get an easy death. People like that don't deserve an easy way out." She states while crossing her arms defensively.

I shrug and she looks at me. "I agree. They don't."

Her eyes soften and start to get a bit glossy. Shit, did I say something wrong? What's happening?

"Are you okay? Ava?" Should I say sorry? I should say sorry.

She swallows and smiles. "I'm-" Her voice comes out a little strained and she clears her throat, "I'm good."

Her eyes look deep into mine and I feel like she's actually telling the truth.

She's good.

"Good." I smile at her and her eyes immediately fill with amazement.

"Your dimples are so.." She struggles to find the right word. "..pretty."

I chuckle and it looks like she has a hard time looking at anything else but my dimples. "You're cute."

"I'm cute?" Her brows furrow and she tries to keep the smile off of her lips. She shifts her arms. "Says the one with the dimples."

"Omg can you guys please move all of this cutesy stuff away from the common areas? I'm way too single to stomach this stuff."

We both look up at the voice of Tim.

He has a hand on his stomach, as if he's gonna be sick.

Ava playfully gives Tim a wink before grabbing my hand and pulling me away, towards her bedroom.