♡ Alaiya's POV: ♡
I wait in my car and see Carson coming over here with his usual comforting smile from practice. Relief washes over me because he looks happy which means he'll probably not drink tonight. Probably. I just hope he's not faking it.
He sits in the passenger seat and I smile at him excitedly because we may have a normal night like we used to.
"How was practice?" I ask.
"I got late and benched in the first half," he answers as he texts away on his phone, making my worry return almost instantly.
Uh oh.
I look blankly at him as I make up a thousand scenarios of what could happen tonight. He could hit me, he could go out again, he could drink a bunch. Please be none of the above and be me just overthinking all this.
"I ran out of pills, so I have to get new ones," I explain where we're going in the calmest tone I can manage as I drive.
"Okay." He reaches over and kisses my cheek.
I give a small smile towards him in hopes that he'll stay like this all day, or even forever, but let's not push our luck.
His blonde wet hair from the shower I think he took after practice drops a little flat, while his light-brown eyes show happiness, yet anger in them at the same time. His exact six-foot body almost touches the ceiling of my car, and I know he hates it. I prefer to drive a car that's closer to the ground because I can't see over big hooded cars and it's just easier for me. My five-foot-four body may need a lower height, but his tall one definitely doesn't.
"I hate your car," he states in a joking manner, though I know he's serious.
I continue to drive and try to take it humorously with a small forced laugh.
"I'm trying to work extra shifts," I promise. He nods in response as a way of saying "I know".
My dad got this car for me, so I like it. It's a white 2010 Honda Civic and it's pretty reliable in my opinion. It was a sweet gift for my sixteenth birthday, and even though I could afford a new one, I don't want to let the memory go.
Carson scrolls through his phone until we pull up to the vitamin store while I listen to my radio quietly since he doesn't like loud music or singing. I park right in front of it, and when I turn the engine off, I turn my head to look at him.
"I'll be right back," I promise, and he nods.
I step and walk towards the vitamin shop in front of me to grab the water pills. Carson prefers me to be at the weight I'm at now, so he and my mom showed me these pills that don't make me eat too much and gain a bunch of weight. I want him to be satisfied in our relationship, so I don't mind. I know if I don't do it, he'll do what he did last night and I don't want that to happen. Plus, I also happen to like the weight I'm at now.
I purchase the pills and walk back to my car. Carson turns off his phone so he can talk to me as soon as I sit down. I toss the bag of pills in the backseat. He doesn't remember about last night because his drunken phases usually blackout the events night before. Thankfully, so does his anger. Most of the time.
"I have to grab something." He pecks my lips suddenly before walking out of my car.
I watch him step on the sidewalk and then into an alcohol store near the vitamin shop. My heart immediately begins to pace and my hands begin to shake because of what he's doing. He finished his bottle last night and I thought he would at least wait a couple of days before getting new ones. What if he gets drunk again? What if he hits me again? That would be four nights in a row, he wouldn't do it again, right?
A couple of minutes go by as he returns with three bottles of vodka and whiskey, and I try to act like it's no big deal. Him getting sidelined means he had a bad day. That also means that he's going to be angry, which results in my heart rate going up to an unreachable amount of speed that I can even feel in my ear.
We drive back to my apartment and I park in the parking lot. He grabs his bottles that make a clattering sound, and I grab my pills as we walk up the stairs to the second floor which are outside. I would love to get a better place, but being a waitress doesn't pay the best. I've also had to quit three jobs because Carson didn't think the environment was good, but I've been at this one for a good amount of time. I just hope he doesn't make me quit again.
"You want a drink?" he asks, but I kindly shake my head "no" with worry written all over me.
I know what he's like when he drinks, and I would never want to see or for anyone else to see me in that state. Plus if I'm drunk, I won't be able to defend myself when he begins to lose his temper and that's all I have when he becomes angry.
He takes a swing right from the bottle, making my body stiffen. He may be a horrible drunk, but he's never had a hangover in his life. He goes to practice the next day every time as if nothing happened, and no one can even guess that he was drinking the night before which is how he gets away with it so easily.
"I have a shift to get to," I say after opening the new pill bottle and taking one into my mouth.
"Okay, love you." He walks over to the couch with the bottle in his hand.
"Love you too," I reply, trying to make it out of here before the alcohol begins to change him since he's a pretty lightweight.
I get back into my car and let out a breath of relief. My hand pulls the gearshift into reverse and I make my way to the restaurant. My uniform is in the back seat so I grab it and rush inside since I've never been late for a shift and I'm not starting now. The place I work at is absolutely huge and is the epitome of fancy. It has chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which are dimmed, the tables have perfectly clean white cloths over them, and the people who here all look like a million bucks. I was very lucky to even get this job, but Liam; my boss, gave me a chance after he interviewed me and saw how desperate I was.
When I walk through the front doors, I see Peyton working at the bar like usual. My lips tug up in a smile by seeing her, and when she lifts her head to see who walked in, instead of the usual rushed story-time I get as soon as she watches me enter through these doors, her face screams disgust. And not just any type of disgust, but the seething anger kind.
I scrunch my eyebrows and am taken a back by the face she just made, though, she doesn't seem to care as she turns her eyes elsewhere with utter bitterness.
Is she mad at me?
Did I do something?
Usually, I get told every story about her life whenever I walk in here. Even the stuff I've already heard or didn't sometimes need to hear. She's basically my only friend, so why did she look at me like that? I try to act like that was normal and get changed in the restroom to start my shift. My uniform is a white button-up top and black slacks, so it's pretty easy to put on unlike the other uniforms I've had to wear at my other jobs.
"Right on time," Liam; my boss, says proudly.
I nod with a smile, still only being able to focus on the look Peyton gave me out of nowhere.
Maybe she's having a bad day or maybe a customer was rude to her. That must be it. Peyton hates when people are rude to her.
"Table four," Ryland; a waitress announces.
I blink a couple of times to get back to reality and tell her I got it. My feet walk up to the table announced, and I see an around forty-year-old man sitting on the right with another man who looks to be a little older than him on the left. They both are wearing very nice suits and look like wealthy gentlemen, but who doesn't in this place? Liam walks over and hands me my iPad when he sees me struggling to find one in my pocket, and I thank him gratefully as he nods. I go to the main page and look up at them with an inviting smile so I can begin to take their orders.
"What can I get started for both of you?" I respectfully question.
The younger-looking man with dark black hair and a pretty good-looking face for his age orders first. He has a beard with a little bit of gray in it, though it matches perfectly with his symmetrical face and aligns very well with his sideburns. He also seems pretty tall because of the height difference between him and the other man when just sitting down. Next, the man who has a strong French accent and brownish pushed back hair orders what he would like. He also looks pretty young, but not as young as his friend so it's a little hard for me to tell who is actually younger. The first guy seems to have a strong southern accent, so I can see that it's hard for him to understand what the second guy is saying as he's ordering his food.
My mom is a little French, and although she doesn't have an accent or speak the language much, some of her family does so I've grown prone to hearing them speak.
"And...vin?" he asks for wine in French.
I nod and tap it on the iPad as he speaks.
"Mon Anglais n'est pas très bon," he admits guiltily to me and the other man.
Translation: My English is not very good.
I brush him off saying it's fine, but the man on the other end of the table just looks confused and very puzzled.
"He said his English isn't perfect," I explain to the other man kindly, making him oh.
"Thank you, sweetheart," he says with his nice-sounding southern hospitality, and I reply with a 'you're welcome' smile. "Say, would you mind helping me understand him? He's my client, and I'll even leave an extra tip," he offers with a look of helplessness in his eyes.
"You don't have to do that," I decline his offer away because I don't mind just helping. "I would love to help you though," I gleam because I love to speak French outside my family.
I'm about to tell Liam about the situation but he's already made his way over to me and is holding out his hand for my iPad. He tells the two men that he'll get right on their food, and gives me a friendly wink as he walks away. The gentleman with the country accent scoots over in the cushioned chair, leaving a lot of room for me so I don't feel uncomfortable which I find very kind. I thank him before taking a seat in the open, yet spaced out area before the man in front of me begins.
"I'm Enzo," the French man introduces himself.
I shake Enzo's hand and the other man begins to speak after him.
"I'm Noah."
"Alaiya," I introduce myself, but then remember that it's written on my uniform tag.
That's embarrassing.
I know I'm sitting with pretty grown and kind men, but I don't think Carson would think of it any different than what he did with the guy who asked for my notes. I really hope he doesn't come here. I don't know if I would be able to handle that type of yelling or hitting again. My bruise on my right hip is just starting to feel a little better from a couple of days ago, and I don't believe that it'll keep getting better if it gets hit again. He is drunk, so I hope he doesn't come here by driving. He wouldn't do that, would he? In conclusion, I just pray that he won't get the thought of coming here period.
~~~~
I translate for Noah and he thanks me sincerely. I encourage him not to leave a tip because it helped me improve my French. Did that stop him though? Nope, and it was a very generous tip may I add.
"Thank you darlin." He gratefully smiles before I reply with a "you're welcome".
"I love forward to, how you say...," Enzo thinks of the correct words. "travailler avec vous," he says towards me so I can translate it.
"He said he looks forward to working with you."
"I do as well. And next time I'll bring a translator," he promises, making Enzo chuckle a little as he shakes Noah's hand.
"Ravie de t'avoir rencontrée." Enzo kisses my hand respectfully, and I say the same back.
Translation: Nice meeting you.
They both leave the restaurant and I make my way back to the counter to continue my shift for the rest of the night. A great weight feels lifted off my chest because Carson didn't come here because if he did, that would not have been good for me.
***
✩ Roman's POV ✩
My dad walks through the door, looking happier than normal and Ivy notices it too. Rider and Sanchez decide to be annoying about it and open their fucking mouths which is never a good thing so we all take a seat back.
"HE GOT THE PUSSY!" Sanchez hollers and my dad rolls his eyes at him.
"THE PUSSY!" Rider yells louder and repeats after him.
I roll my eyes at them following after my dad who chooses to ignore them and their comments.
"Enzo agreed to the deal," my dad excitedly says.
I nod proud of him. He's been talking and stressing over that deal for the past week now and finally he can relax. Though, I doubt he won't just find more work to do and then stress over that in the matter of hours.
"Turns out he was French, but this really kind waitress helped me out so it worked out." He throws his hands out by his sides.
"Was she hot?" everyone but me asks.
Horny fucks.
"I think she was around y'all's age," he replays the memory as he remembers her.
"Was she hot?" they repeat their question more thoroughly this time.
They really need to get laid.
"What was her name?" Ivy wonders.
"I think it started with an A, but I forgot the rest." My dad shakes his head before walking over to the fridge.
In a few seconds, Legend walks in through the front door with his shoulders slouched and his entire demeanor upset, but he's Legend so that's pretty much normal since his facial expressions never change. He's the most serious guy you'll ever meet in your entire life, and I'm guessing after this breakup, he's only going to get worse.
"You were right," he groans before collapsing on the couch with his finger underneath his chin and his elbow on the couch rest.
As Legend is sulking in his own misery, Rider decides to walk over to try and give him a hug. Legend slaps his face away the minute he feels him too close, and Rider dramatically holds his cheek with his mouth open. Legend doesn't seem to give a shit as he turn his head away from him.
"I was being nice you motherfucking asshole son of a bitch," Rider yells, and we all look over at him for his kind words.
And they say I curse a lot.
"I don't want your nastyass hug," Legend fires back.
Rider grabs a pillow and hits him over the head with it before saying what's going to turn into something loud next.
"At least my girlfriend didn't cheat on me with another girl," Rider laughs, and that's all Legend needed to chase his ass around the house in a millisecond.
Rider lets out a high-pitch scream as he throws the pillow he was holding into the air and runs around the house like a fucking maniac. It makes me wonder how the hell he plays football. How hasn't he gotten kicked off the team yet? Better question, how did he get on the team in the first place?
His scream doesn't stop while he's on the run, and as my dad is minding his own business closing the fridge, Rider stands behind him and pushes him forward to defend himself. We watch him push my dad left as Legend goes right, and my dad is so used to this by now, so he just wears a neutral face while taking a bite of his sandwich and getting pushed around back and forth. Rider suddenly pushes my dad forward and makes a run for it through the other kitchen door in the back which leads to the dining room with his scream that's restarted again. After a couple of minutes of hearing his scream go back and forth in our ears in the dining room which we can't see, Rider rushes back into the living room where we all are sitting while yelling "Make it stop", so I do.
As Legend is a little far from him, I put my leg out right when Rider squeezes past the space in between the couch and coffee table, which makes him fall right on his face. His fucking high-pitch scream finally stops thankfully as his face hits the ground, and everyone throws their heads back in laughter when Rider mumbles a groan against the floor.
He snaps his head to look at me and I just look back at him blankly.
"I meant him you dick," Rider scolds me from the floor, and I oh sarcastically.
I kick him right on the side of his stomach as he's laying down, and he grabs it and whines like a little bitch. It wasn't even that hard. He's lucky I wasn't wearing my shoes and only my socks.
"That's for breaking my fucking eardrums," I explain my reasoning for kicking him, and he flicks me off in the air as he continues to lay flat on the ground like he's dead.
Legend sits back down since he got his revenge, and Eldon walks over from the floor to the couch I'm sitting on before laying his nasty-ass feet in my lap with his back against a pillow. I push them off me as soon as possible, and his body turns as he falls right on top of Rider who was just starting to get up.
Rider grunts as Eldon's fat ass falls on top of him, and Eldon does too because I think Rider's elbow just lunged into his rib.
"What the fuck was that for!" Eldon painfully exclaims.
"Your nasty-ass feet were in my face," I reply in disgust.
"Asshole," they both say in unison while Ivy, Legend, and Sanchez are all losing it in laughter.
Not my fucking fault. Who the hell puts their nasty feet in someone's lap? He was basically asking for it.
"Roman," my dad calls me over from the kitchen.
I sigh and push myself off the couch. They all begin to argue with each other about something new, so I'm kind of glad I got to leave. When I walk in, my dad holds up his phone for me and I take it a little confused. I put it up to my ear, and even he looks unsure of what's going on so I know I can't ask him.
♥ ★ ❦ ✱ ♥
A/N: I hope you guys liked the guys and Roman. All their descriptions of how they look like are coming soon and Alaiya and Roman will be meeting soon as well.
Please tell me if there are any grammar mistakes.
Word Count: 3276