un·der·bel·ly
/ˈəndərˌbelē/
noun
A hidden unpleasant or criminal part of society.
"the dark underbelly of a ghetto"
"I do for me and mine how I see fit. Even if I have to wage war against everything in my path." His voice so powerful it felt like i...
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Killian Rubis Andrade Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
I stacked the books neatly in single file order, from tallest to shortest. This set was the hardcovers, at the beginning of my shift I had stacked the paper back books already.
"Who's your favorite author?" The bubbly girl asked from behind the counter.
"Easy. Mahmoud Darwish." I gave her a small smile and went back to stocking to shelves.
I met Ameena the first day I started working here, she was always very nice to me. I liked her effort with the friendship, but I preferred not to get close to anyone. I learned to keep my distance incase I have to run again.
"All roads lead to you," Ameena began, "Even the ones I took to forget you." We finished together, and I smiled at her. She was just the sweetest girl, and her energy was contagious. At 23 she seemed to have a great head on her shoulders, she came from a decent sized family. She has an older brother who she doesn't talk to very much, and I learned that she's North African; Moroccan to be exact.
Since I started working here, her mom has made us meals to share at lunch time. It felt nice to have a home cooked meal every once in a while. It seemed I didn't make good on going to see my mother when faced with death.
"We're almost off wanna grab a fish and chips." She chirped, and I had to laugh because that was the most British thing she's ever said since I'd known her.
"No, thanks boo. We can always chill another time." I mention, packing up the last book. She blushed and I looked at her weirdly, "Andy that little New York accent of yours makes me question which side I'm on." Ameena fanned herself.
I gasped, "Are you flirting with me Meena?" Batting my eyelashes.
"Hell yes. You are so effortlessly beautiful Andy. Seriously." She says fixing her work station.
"Thank you Ameena. Preciate' you for real." Her compliment made me blush. I accepted her compliment, but I didn't think so.
We said our goodbyes and I went back to a little cottage not too far from the book nook. Since leaving Sheperds Bush I settled into a simple life in Cambridgeshire. It was nice here, quiet how I always intended on living my life. I found stay at what was suppose to be a bed & breakfast, but the older lady allowed me to rent a room. For the past seven months I've made a decent means for myself working at the book nook, and found a second job to hold myself over. It was quite a bit of travel from the town I stayed in, but it kept the lives separate. I was able to land a dancing job at a club in Shoreditch named Que.
While in Cambridgeshire I didn't wear contacts, only at my second job. I didn't dye the patch in my eyebrow here either. I still kept on dying my hair, to keep a sense of normalcy.
The club is what was helping keep more than afloat, three weeks ago I walked away with 15,000 pounds after the club took their cut. That was after one night, the men in my section were more than generous.
