CHAPTER FOUR
Milo
I CARRY OUT the dead raccoon in a trash bag and into the trash bin outside the garden gate.
Raelynn seemed upset that it was actually dead. It confuses me, isn't that what she wanted in the first place? For it to be gone?
I walk back into the greenhouse to find her brushing the dirt into a pile on the floor scooping it up with her hands and placing it back into the flower pots. A broken flower pot sits on the floor that the raccoon must've dropped and she bends down to grab the pieces with her bare hands.
Does she have a damn death wish?
"Raelynn," I walk to her and touch her shoulder. But I say it too late, the piece she picked up slips, cutting her palm just as I hoped it wouldn't.
She hisses, cursing, I watch the blood seep from the wound and I huff. "How do you manage to keep yourself alive, love? I've been around you for an hour and you've nearly had a raccoon attack you and then you slice your hand open."
I grab a rag hanging from one of the benches and walk to her pained face. She brushes several curls out of her face with her good hand, behind her ear, and shakes her head.
"It's just a little scratch, it's nothing," She lies as a drop of blood falls on the floor.
I hold her hurt hand in mine and lower it, walking her along to the bench where I tell her to sit. She does so, surprisingly.
I sit on the floor in front of her and her eyes widen, staring at my trousers. "Your clothes—"
"I don't care about my clothes. I think you bleeding is more important than the material getting dirty, don't you think?" Why does she worry about my clothes so much? "Besides my trousers are black."
She laughs as I dab the cloth on her wound, soaking up the blood. "Trousers?"
"What? That's what they're called." I glance up at her smile. It brightens up her face, the first smile I've seen of hers. I notice the piercing on her tongue as well, a small metal ball towards the tip of it as she speaks. It glistens under the hanging light above.
I find myself wondering how it feels to be in your mouth. Is it cold? What does the metal feel like against your teeth?
"And it's— Are you listening?" Shit, she was speaking.
I raise my eyebrows, looking back at her hand. "I blanked out, what did you say?"
She huffs. "I said trousers is a funny word, why don't you just say pants?"
"Pants," I snort. "It's such a strange word for trousers. The word pants is pants."
She laughs with one small huff as I continue cleaning her hand of the blood. A smile grows on my face at my success in making her laugh.
"You're strange, Milo," Is all she says.
I furrow my brows, pausing my hands to stare up at her. "Is that a good, or bad thing?"
She swallows, holding my eye contact as she answers with, "I don't know yet."
A moment passes before she breaks our gaze and takes her hand back, standing up. Closing off from me again, like a wall that was beginning to sway suddenly finds its balance, becoming sturdier than ever.
She clears her throat, walking outside the greenhouse.
I huff, getting to my feet, and follow her out. She's making me do a lot of walking, might as well skip gym days and spend them with her from now on, I'll burn the same amount of calories.
Outside, the sun is on its verge of setting, an orange tint dressing the sky. Soft warm breezes travel through the leaves and grass of the garden, I spot a squirrel running down a tree, then I spot Raelynn wrapping a bandage around her hand. She stands beside the table and I start towards her.
She grabs her purse and pulls it back over her head.
"You're leaving?" I question.
"Yes, because I came here to occupy myself without distraction and I'm not getting that, so I might as well just go home."
She grabs my coat and I take it from her, putting it on over my shirt spotted with soil. This is the dirties I've been in a while. In several different meanings.
"If you wanted me to leave, you could've just—"
"Raelynn!" A woman's voice breaks my sentence. Higher in pitch than Raelynn.
I turn my head to the voice, but Raelynn shuts her eyes. "Fuck me," She whispers.
Okay— no. Fuck off, brain.
I look at the woman standing beside the front gate, she's tanned skinned, braids in her hair and a man stands at her side. The woman grins widely and waves at me.
"Are you Milo?" She shouts.
I go to speak just when Raelynn steps in front of me, lifting onto her toes and wrapping her arms around my neck. My eyes widen as she presses her body against mine. My lips part, eyes darting between both hers.
Oh fuck.
She holds a hand full of my hair at the top of my head and lowers me just an inch away from hers. I place my hands on her hips to balance myself, or else I think my knees might buckle below me.
"What are you doing?" I whisper.
She presses her lips together, swallowing. "Just... go with it."
She lifts her head and kisses me.
My breath cuts off at the feeling of her lips against mine, soft and plump, electricity flowing through them travels down my body and to my groin. I stiffen and squeeze her hips in my hand, pressing myself harder against her.
I forget there are people around us at all, I forget the sidewalk is visible and anyone can walk past and see us, I forget the woman and man standing meters away, and I forget that I only met Raelynn a few days ago.
The only thing that stays on my mind is keeping her here, against my mouth. She parts her lips slightly, allowing my tongue to break through the barrier her lips made and find her own. We explore each other, a soft breath of hers brushing against my top lip as she exhales deeply. The piercing I've seen minutes ago now grazes my own tongue, the metal smooth and addictive. I stuck on her bottom lip as she sucks on my top, and right now I want nothing more than to have her in my apartment, in my office, on my desk—
My body burns and my hand lowers down to her bare thigh just as she breaks away from the kiss.
I'm left panting, flustered, and a fucking mess. A mess she's created.
She curls her lips in between her teeth and darts her eyes down between us, clearing her throat.
I breathe, "What was..."
"Don't let it go to your head," she says. "That was for her." She nods her head to the side at the woman I now remember is watching us.
Right, of course it was. Why would it be for anything else? "So you're going along with my idea, hm?"
She lets out a breath, whispering. "Only because I have no other choice."
"Helloooo," the woman says. "Amazing show, but I'd like to meet the cast!"
Raelynn rolls her eyes, "She's my sister," she quickly whispers to me. Then switches her face to a smile, a fake one. "Gia!" She names the woman. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
She grabs my hand and threads it with hers. I stare at them, her cool rings against my skin. Fucking hell.
What did I get myself into?
Raelynn opens the door and on the other end is her sister, Gia, with a man in her hand who I'm assuming is the fiancé. He's shorter than me, which most people are, not everyone can be blessed with a height of 6'5".
There's a wedding in two weeks I remember her mother saying. It must be theirs.
"I wanted to surprise you at your new apartment, but you weren't there so I came here, it's the only other place you go around here," Gia answers.
The sisters hug and I turn to the man. He grins, and I extend my hand. He grabs it and pulls me into a hug, patting my back. I'm surprised for a moment before I laugh shortly and pat his back as well.
"Nice to meet you. Milo, right?" He says as we part. I nod and he tells me his name. Dallas, it is.
But I find it hard to concentrate on what Dallas is actually fucking saying to me when Raelynn is at my side caressing my arm.
Her hands in mine, pressing her body into my arm, practically hugging it. She leans her head against my shoulder and I slip my hand in my slacks pockets, attempting to hide the growth between my legs. I stay like that for the majority of the conversation.
"So the wedding," Gia says to us both. "The theme is white, red, and black. Two months, be there!" She's walking backwards with Dallas towards a car.
Raelynn nods and waves at her. "We heard you the last four times Gia." But it's not loud enough for anyone but me to hear. Her sister and fiancé gets in the car and drives off.
Turning to me, Raelynn lets go of my hand and sighs, digging her hand in her hair. She pulls so hard I nearly go to stop her.
"I can't tell them yet," She says. "About this not being real, about you not being real."
I raise an eyebrow, "So what am I? Fake?"
She looks up at me with a dead expression. "You know what I mean, us in this lie."
We start walking down the street that leads to our building several minutes away. "We can always keep acting," I suggest. "You get to keep your charade for your family and I..."
She looks up at me. "You what? What would you gain from any of this other than having to 'be' with someone you don't want to be with."
I look away from her. I don't think she could get any more wrong. But she clearly has no thought of us ever being something more than a illusion to her family. So the thought leaves my mind and I find an answer to her question.
"My ex-girlfriend," I say. "We we're dating for a while, she became a part of the family quickly, my mother loves her, wants me to marry the woman. But she's fucking crazy. I need to prove to her I've moved on, and—" I gasp looking down at her. "Here's my fake girlfriend to do just that."
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and she rolls her eyes. If she keeps doing that they'll get stuck, I swear it.
Raelynn laughs, "So you want me to run your ex-girlfriend away because.... what? She's too... obsessed with you?"
I pause, "Yes."
"Do you know how full of yourself you sound?"
"Love, she poked holes in our condoms. If I hadn't noticed them I'd be stuck with a baby from a woman I despise."
Raelynn jaw drops, "Oh my God."
I nod. "The woman is fucking crazy, I'm telling you."
She hums, "Okay, fine. I run your ex-girlfriend away, and you help me convince my family I have my shit together." I nod. "But," she starts. "No touching me when we don't have to."
She glances at my arm around her shoulders and I take it off her, nodding.
"No kissing when we don't necessarily have to, and absolutely no..." she pauses. "No..."
I draw my eyebrows together at her loss of words. "No what? Sex?" I fight the urge to smirk when her eyes dart away. "Of course there won't be any sex, Raelynn." I laugh now, ignoring the boner that still sits in my trousers.
Hopefully Raelynn doesn't notice, she has a reputation of staring at my dick.
She hugs her self with her hands as if becoming embarrassed all of a sudden. "Yeah, no sex."
I nod, "Deal." My hand slips from my pocket and I hold it in front of her.
She take it, her rings rubbing against my skin as she shakes my hand, "Deal."
*****
[A/N]
WC: 2074
Mhm, no sex. Nope, nada, definitely zero sex from these two guys 😀
There was no class today so I spent my time writing. Does anyone watch euphoria? Stupid question, you all probably do. Anyway, stan Lexi and stan Fezco.
Milo is pronounced "my-low" btw, I saw some people ask.
I'm eating Frosted Flakes cereal while I type this. (For all you have read Clarity lol)
Don't forget to vote!
-Kayla R.