AUTHOR NOTE:
This song matches so much with this chapter. I was listening to it the whole time writing this chapter because I knew that this was exactly the vibe I wanted to project in the scene with Ace. OKAY, I WON'T SPOIL!!!!! Listen to the song at the same time if you want. Let me know what you think.
"What do you mean you got me a job interview?" I stood up and walked to the kitchen where Joe was standing, cooking us breakfast.
"I heard you tell Ace that you want a job and to get you busy he gave you a task anyone can do," he started, "so I went to talk to Rob and he told me that he will be waiting for you this Friday."
"I sat on the stool on the island and started thinking about what he said, "who's Rob?"
"He was a very good friend to Frank. He knows us all."
"Does he–know what you do?"
He looked up at me for a few seconds, scoffed and shook his head. "Yes, he works with us." I gulped, unsure of what the job was. I didn't want to get involved in what they did and I didn't want to work with someone that has something to do with the drugs they sell. "Don't worry, his company is outside of the things he does under the table." He explained and I stayed silent, not wanting to tell him my thoughts not to offend him but based on what he said, it sounded like he understood. "I will be gone till then though," he added.
"Why?"
"Because we have a mission and Ace is driving all of us crazy." He raised his eyes to steal a quick look at me then continued mixing whatever he was cooking. "Don't worry, Talia. You're safe here. And you have my phone, if anything happens call me."
I nodded. "So you're not coming back tonight?"
"I will be gone today and tomorrow. I will be here before your interview." He assured me. I sighed. "You know I have to go right?"
"Of course. Don't worry about me. I will survive."
"How sweet! You can't live without me now." He teased. I giggled.
When he left I felt like the house got dark, boring, insipid. I lit the television but my eyes weren't watching. I watched the view I fell in love at first sight but the sky was gloomy. The clouds were dark and dull making the morning bitter. I walked to the room and the first thing my eyes fell on was the flowers Joe got me a little more than a week ago. But they weren't fresh yellow. The once vibrant petals had relaxed to a brown-infused pastel of what they once were. They were dry, lifeless. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to push the image of my father that barged in, unwelcomed. I sat on the bed next to the vase. But this also reminded me of Ace. The flowers looked dead but in fact were still fighting to survive. Under the surface of the dry petals, there were still soft ones, begging for a life they were not given to them, silently screaming for an opportunity to feel alive again. I softly touched one of the flowers but still managed to make a few dead petals fall down, revealing a healthier colour underneath. That made me wonder if that will ever happen. Will I be able to find less dark Ace if I dig deeper? Or was he is past the stage? Is he already brown or does he still have lifeful ones deep down he is keeping safe?
Someone knocked on the door making me gasp. I placed my hand on my mouth and quickly grabbed my phone to call Joe. They knocked more forcefully as I dialled his number. But he didn't answer.
"Answer, Joe, please." I whispered. I placed the phone again to my ear, ringing him again. I tiptoed to the door, wanting to look in the peephole. I tried as much as I could to not make noises to not give hints that there was someone inside. I stood on my tiptoes to look from the peephole, I saw Ace. He was looking down but I quickly recognized him and my heart which was beating from fear started beating faster for an unfamiliar reason. I hung up the phone and took a few seconds then opened the door.
Our eyes met, again silently speaking. He softly smiled, "aren't you going to invite me in?" He dug his hand in his pocket and the other one was still in the cast.
I nodded and opened the door wider for him to walk in. He walked straight to the couch and sat down. Something about him wasn't usual. I followed him.
"Do you want something to drink?" I asked. He scoffed.
"It's–it's your house now?"
He was drunk. I recognized this side of him because it reminded me of when he was sitting on the pool. I took a deep breath and chose not to answer him.
"I don't want anything, thank you." He corrected himself. He looked at me taking a seat next to him. "Why are you here, Lia?"
The nickname he gave me flattered my heart and I wondered why was I feeling all these feelings when he never gave me a reason to love him? Do I even like him? Is this just the attraction to the forbidden?
"I like him." I raised my head to look at him. I wanted to see if he was affected by what I said but his eyes were a great, dark void.
He scoffed, "like him?" He shook his head, "you know, the only reason why I am not killing him is that I don't want to see you crying over him."
"Kill him?" I turned my whole body to position myself to face him, ready to fight back but I was quickly reminded of him being intoxicated. I just sighed, "Ace. There is no reason for this. You told me you don't do love, right?"
"So you are with him just because I can't love you?" He raised his eyebrow.
"No,"
"No?"
"I liked him in the process."
"What process!"
"Ace, what do you want?"
"Answers."
I paused, breaking the back-and-forth useless answers then calmly asked, "why did you come, Ace?"
He hesitated to answer. I wasn't sure why, maybe because he was looking for the right words to say or that he didn't want to say what he had in mind. Or that simply he just didn't know why he came.
"I–I want you to come home with me."
For some reason, it felt good hearing this from him. He felt that his words affected me so he pushed even more.
"I need you, Talia." He moved closer to me when I didn't reject him, "I need you next to me." He whispered.
I tried to shake my head but he scooched even closer, shutting all the thoughts that were telling me that he was only there because he was drunk. He wouldn't say these words sober, he wouldn't be able to hold me, to care for me, to love me.
"I missed you, Lia."
My heart flattered but I refused to let his drunk words affect me. Or maybe it did and I just didn't want to show that. I couldn't find the right words to say. I didn't know if I should agree or ignore him so he leaves. My phone started ringing so I looked down at the phone in my hands to find Joe's name on the screen. I looked up at Ace and cancelled on him.
"I felt horrible when I was wounded and you chose to leave with him," he said. "I–I don't want to lose you." He pulled me into his arms and I didn't have the courage to push him away. Instead, I closed my eyes, saving his cologne in my memory, feeling his arms around my body, feeling his slow and heavy breath hit my neck. He placed an innocent kiss there making me gasp. "Come home with me, Lia. Please."
He pulled away, his eyes were barely opened. I caressed the wound on his forehead remembering the bandage that was around his head. I wanted to ask how he got into an accident and what happened but I didn't want to break the moment we were having. I looked into his eyes that were simply trying to stay open. He leaned closer to my lips and my heart was pounding. His soft lips brushed against mine. His finger joined, touching the remaining of my bottom lip. Besides the effect he had on me, I knew he wasn't in the right state to know what he was doing so I refused to let him kiss me. I moved back.
"No," he groaned, "no, don't leave." He grabbed my chin, moving me closer to him again, he licked his lips, just watching mine. They slightly parted, taking my bottom lip between them, simply tasting it. They were warm and soft. I could smell the heavy alcohol that intoxicated him. "Come home with me, baby." My eyes widened at what he said but when his lips pressed against mine my brain didn't know what to concentrate on. I kissed back the bitterness of my feelings and the sweetness of my desire. His hands cupped my face, bringing me closer as he hungrily devoured my lips. When he pulled away, he placed small kisses on my cheek, neck, shoulder, unconsciously appreciating my presence. "You're coming me?" He asked, placing a couple more, "you're going to come with me?" I simply nodded.
"Careful! The door." I held him as we walked into his room. I was glad that the whole house was asleep and thankfully Ace was half asleep so the drive was silent and walking him to his room he also didn't talk. As soon as I let go of his hand, his arm fell off my shoulder and his body fell on the mattress. I pushed his legs on the bed and covered him. I turned to leave the room but his hand stopped me. He held my hand in his and blinked with his half asleep eyes and said with his low voice, "stay."
I nodded.
"You're staying?"
"I am." I caressed his hand but he didn't let it go.
"You're staying." I wasn't sure if he was asking again or confirming to himself but before I could say anything else, his eyes closed and his breath became heavier and slower.
I took a deep breath and sat next to him in bed. How was that the same Ace who yells at everyone, who kills, who sells drugs? It was like he turns into a different person when he is drunk. Or maybe alcohol brings out his true self.