When I woke up the morning after dealing with a wasted Zedlin, I laid in my bed and stared at my galaxy covered ceiling.
Thinking, waiting for it to give me all of the answers that I needed in life.
What was the purpose of having a boyfriend if your heart wasn't all in it? Maybe my problem was the fact that I was salivating badly at the temptation that was being dangled in my face every single day.
I yawned and stretched, rolling over onto my side, facing my bedroom door.
Dang, I was so tamed, because that temptation slept a few layers of wall plaster away from me.
"What is wrong with me?" I muttered, before dragging myself out of bed and trying to get a start on my day.
Shoot, what day was it?
I sifted through my pillows and bedsheets, looking for my phone. When I found it, I unlocked it to see a few messages from Elise, Mason and a couple of emails from my gym and the community center that I do my daycare at.
After making sure nothing was life threatening emergencies, I threw my phone back onto my bed and proceeded to go take a shower.
It was Saturday. Yippee.
Which meant Mason was gonna try and spend the entire day together.
Yawning again, I shuffled out of my room and into the bathroom, starting the shower so the water could warm up.
While waiting, I took off my shirt and sat on the toilet seat. I sat for a minute or so before the bathroom door swung open.
"Hey! What the--"
I'm snatched up by my arm and thrown to the side. Zedlin dropped onto his knees and flung the toilet seat up, throwing up violently.
Figures, he was wasted.
"God, you're such a jerk!" I fumed, while watching his inked up back shudder with the heaves.
After about five rounds of throwing up, I felt bad and left the bathroom to get a cup of ginger ale.
When I came back, Zedlin was slumped against the sink cabinet with his head in his hands.
"You know, it's Saturday and you're already hungover... I hope you're having a quiet night in tonight." I leaned down and handed him the cup.
His fingers brushed mine for a second, before I pulled away and stepped over him to reach our bathroom cabin with the aspirin in it.
"Who are you? My mother?"
"Here." I ignored him and held out the aspirin.
He took it with shaky hands.
Watching him, I made a note that all of my hot shower water was wasting away.
"Okay, get out. I gotta take a shower."
"I don't have the energy to move, Sienna. I'm so fucked up." Eyes closing, he sprawled his long legs out across the tiled bathroom floor and just laid there.
"Zedlin!"
No answer.
I tilted my head a bit to see his eyelashes resting along his cheekbones.
He was out cold again.
I reached down and snatched the empty glass from his hands and watched him sleep.
God, he was painfully attractive.
He looked uncomfortable, head slumped with his back against the sink cabinets and his legs splayed outwards opposite from one another.
"Zedlin."
Snore.
"Zedlin!"
Bigger snore.
Forget it, if he was this knocked out, I was taking my shower.
Quickly, I stripped out of my clothes and gathered up a towel to have ready in case he revived himself.
My face was scalding just by being naked in the same room as his unconscious body.
I stepped into the shower and forgot he was there.
*
When I emerged from the shower, Zedlin was still on the ground. He was now laid out on his back, head straight upwards and mouth wide open.
"Sloppy, Zedlin."
Stepping over him, I brushed my teeth and even went as far as brushing and blowing drying my hair out.
No reaction.
I finished my morning routine in peace.
*
Alright, now to seriously address this.
I crouched down and smacked Zedlin's bare chest. It rose and fell with each breath he took.
At least he was alive.
"Zedlin?" I shook the closest limp leg to me.
"Hmm..."
"You're on the bathroom floor. Let me help you back to your room."
"...fine here..."
"No, not acceptable." I disagreed.
I felt a pang in my chest as he rolled over and tucked himself into a fetal position.
"My stomach... can't move... dying."
I noticed he was sweating bullets and I don't think it had anything to do with the steam from the shower.
A roll of my eyes, "You're not dying. Let's do it slow. As slow as you want."
"Sienna... please."
He was begging me.
"You'll feel better in your bed. Come on."
I leaned down and took his hands in mine, blushing for some stupid reason.
His hands dwarfed mine and made me warm.
"Fuck." He groaned as I helped pull him up into a sitting position. His blonde hair stuck up in every direction.
"Halfway there."
"Liar." He looked at me with annoyed gray eyes and lifted himself up.
Finally, we were standing and he was putting a lot of his weight on me for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.
"You owe me, I've been doing nothing but taking care of you."
Instead of answering me, he grunted and pushed his face into my head. I felt a slight inhale and thought he could've been smelling me, but dropped the thought instantly.
We walked the short trip from the bathroom into his room and at the door, he once again abandoned me from entering into his room any further.
"Thanks."
My brows furrowed, "I'm not sure you can make it to the bed by yourself... let me just--"
I watched him grasp the door frame for all that it was worth and he swallowed deeply.
"I got it... just go, Sienna. You're so... clingy." He spoke gruffly.
I gasped and stepped back, "Sorry for helping you when your too crap-faced to help yourself!"
Whirling around, I stomped my way towards my room and slammed the door.
Jerk.
*
I was starting to hate Zedlin.
I never really confirmed that I had a thing for him and he chose every moment to attack me for it.
His comment this morning about being clingy... unnecessary.
With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed my bag, phone in hand and walked out of my room.
Zedlin's door was closed and I hoped he stayed in it all day.
"Afternoon, Sienna." David greeted me from the couch in the living room. Sports was on and he was enthralled.
"Thanks for helping out last night." He continued.
I smiled and decided to keep the repeat of this morning a secret.
"No problem, David. Now, I'm off."
"Hanging with the boyfriend?"
My shoulders lifted, "Maybe later. I'm going to meet up with Elise for lunch and then we're probably gonna go hit the town. Shopping, a movie... whatever we're feeling."
"Sounds fun, here's a little spending money." He extended his hand out to me and I stared at the fifty dollar bill.
"David, I-"
His eyes met mine, "You're a good kid and a real trooper in my situation, so please. Accept it."
I felt awful as I held the bill in my hand.
"I don't want to be paid off, David. I'm cool with what's going on and I keep quiet about it from my mother because I know how she gets. Please, promise me no more money, David." I emphasized.
Giving me a broad smile, he chuckled.
"Promise. Now have fun."
"Thanks." I ruffled his hair and continued out the door, fifty dollars richer than yesterday.
*
I met Elise at her house and we carpooled in her ride to get lunch. She listened as I rambled about the irritating men in my life.
"Mason is great, but very persistent about sex. I feel like he's getting impatient with me. I recently told him about my sex status and he seemed to understand, but I'll see how he is today."
I stared out the window, watching the scenery whirl by.
"Ah, what the hell... give the guy the goods, Si!"
"Elle??"
She glanced at me before turning her attention back to the road.
"He's sweet and hot and he probably knows how to stroke it."
"Elise, chill. I can't believe you want me to just spread eagle for him!"
She rolled her eyes, "He's your boyfriend and you've been dating for almost two months, I think you're good to go. You're just nervous and making up excuses to keep your virginity safe. It is okay to lose it to someone you like. You don't have to love the guy in order to fuck him, jeez."
"You're mean." I muttered.
"And you're being ridiculous. I get being nervous, but he's such a sweet guy."
"I know he is, but I get some weird vibes from him."
Elise parks the car in front of a Olive Garden and frowns at me. "What's up? Something dangerous?"
"No, just... I don't like the way he speaks to me sometimes, that's all. You may think this is weird, but I almost feel like he puts me down with his words sometimes, like--"
"Abusing you? Verbally?"
Hearing it that way screams the red zone to me.
"No! God no, I shut him down when he does, but I feel there's always an undertone of sarcasm from him, but it's not funny to me. I don't know, I'm just overly sensitive, probably." I shrugged.
Elise let out a deep breath, "Don't scare me like that. I thought-"
"I know, let's not even speak of it. Come on."
We climbed out of the car and entered the restaurant. It was fairly busy for an early evening time, but a table for two was available instantly.
The host seated us and announced our waiter would be with us soon.
"Man I love this place." Elise whispered in awe, drooling at the pictures in the menu.
Giggling, I looked up and scanned the place, noticing a familiar broad figure seated at a table across the room from us.
"It's Mason." I said in surprise.
"Where?"
Elise whipped her head up and followed my gaze. "Who's he with?"
"I'm not sure, let's find out."
Taking a breath, I stood up and made my way over. Mason glanced up and smiled quickly.
"Babe." He stood and hugged me tightly, pulling away with a soft kiss on my lips.
"Hey, fancy meeting you here. What are you doing?" I asked.
He grinned, "Same reason you're here, grabbing lunch. I'm with my cousin."
"Oh, that's cool."
"Yeah, she just got out of a bad break up and I'm doing my aunt a favor by getting her out of the house." He rolled his eyes.
I frowned, "Don't be rude. She's hurting."
"Sorry, want to meet her?" He looked hopeful.
"Sure, Mason."
"Great. She's back from the bathroom."
I turned my head and widened my eyes as a beautiful raven haired girl walked up to us with a nervous look.
"Steph, this is my girlfriend Sienna, Sienna, this is Steph, my cousin." He introduced us.
"Hello. Nice to meet you." I said.
"Hey, Mason talks about you sooo much!" She grinned and I blushed and looked up at him to see muscles in his jaw ticking.
Mason quickly grabbed Steph by her arm and pushed her towards her seat. "Great, you've met. Sienna, I'll come pick you up later so we can hangout, alright?"
"That's fine. I'm with Elise right now, but I'll text you when I get home. See you later and nice meeting you, Steph." I smiled.
She wiggled her fingers at me with a small smile. I pecked Mason on the lips once and pulled away to see his eyes wide with shock, before he recovered. He squeezed my side once, before letting me walk back to my table.
Elise had her face scrunched up, "Who was that?"
"His cousin." I said and she shrugged, smiling.
"Alright... let's order!"
*
After we ate and walked off the calories at the mall, I drove back home from Elise's house and saw the time. I had been out for about six hours and it was scraping six thirty.
I walked into the house and was surprised to find it empty. I wondered where my mom and David ran off to.
My feet took me to the stairs and I sat on them, letting out a calming breath. Mason texted me back, letting me know he was on the way to get me and I confirmed.
I threw my head back and stared up the stairs... thinking about what Elise and I discussed.
Awhile must have went by, because I heard a car door slam and then the doorbell rang.
"Come in!" I yelled.
I heard the door open, then Mason's head popped up from around the corner.
"Hey, Mase."
"Hey, babe. What are you doing?" He chuckled and sat on the step below me. His hands rested on my knees.
"Just thinking. Relaxing."
"Mmm." He grabbed my hands and pulled me down a step, placing me on his lap. He smelled good, like fresh water and soap.
I stared into his blue eyes and he did the same. I wondered what he was thinking, but I didn't want to ask.
"Sienna, I really like you." He spoke softly and I opened my mouth to reply, but a door slamming shut cut me off.
Seconds later Zedlin came around the corner wearing gray sweats and a form fitting t-shirt. His eyes zoned in on Mason as a smile started to slither onto his face.
"Hey guys. What's up?" He casually asked.
Being extremely petty, I kicked my chin up and looked at Mason, "You ready to go?"
"Yes, babe." He grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet.
"Sienna." Zedlin spoke my name in a heavy voice and I rolled my eyes towards him.
"What?"
He grinned, "Thank you. I remember what I said to you this morning and I didn't mean it. I just wanted to say something to get you to leave me alone and it worked. Seriously, I appreciate you helping me last night and this morning."
Ugh, he just had to mention it now in front of my jealous boyfriend.
"No problem. See you later, Zedlin." I smiled at him tightly and he crossed his arms and rose an eyebrow at me.
"You need to learn how to get over things. You're so dramatic."
"Shut up." I snapped.
He smirked, "I'll fix your attitude problem in due time. Don't worry."
He actually freaking winked at me
"You-" I go to shriek, but my face is grabbed and lips slam against mine in a rough kiss.
Tongue is thrusted into my mouth and huge hands are grabbing me, molding me into a hard body.
I didn't get time to react back as Mason released me and stared at Zedlin with dark blue eyes.
"We're leaving."
I looked towards Zedlin and his arms were still crossed, but his head was also tilted in an amused way.
Mason tugged my hand pretty hard, causing me to gasp, but he kept pulling me along.
"See you tonight, Sienna." Zedlin's voice said behind us, before we turned the corner and exited out the front door.
When Mason finished dragging me to his car, I snatched my hand from his tight grip and scowled.
"Stop! Just stop getting like this when he's around!" I snapped.
"Are you fucking blind, Sienna? The guy wants in your pants so badly and you think it's harmless how he acts because he's your stepdads kid."
The nerve of him...
"It is harmless, because he's a jerk. I've already lived with him for months to learn these things about him. He's in my life now, so you need to accept it and grow up!"
"No, fuck that. I won't accept my girlfriend to be hit on every second she's in her home by some guy who was in prison. You're so disrespectful to our relationship!"
I laughed with no joy, "Disrespectful? You're disrespectful. The way you talk to me, disrespectful. The way you touch me after we talk about how I hate it, disrespectful. The way you handle me when you're angry... DISRESPECTFUL!"
Oh yeah, he's got the ball rolling now and there's no stopping it.
Blue eyes blazed forth, "What the fuck is that suppose to mean? What the fuck is your problem?" He stepped closer to me, pushing me against his car.
Panic set in momentarily, but I shoved it back.
"You're jealous for nothing. Angry for nothing. I can't stand the way you act."
Mason closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. For a second, I even thought I heard him faintly counting under his breath.
While he collected himself, I realized it wasn't healthy to hangout, like this towards each other.
"I'm gonna go back inside. We'll hangout another time."
His head snapped up, "You think you're going back in there with just him? No. Get in the car, Sienna. Please."
He sounded so sincere, but I didn't feel right about it.
"I can't. I'm sorry." I moved to step out of his presence, but he slammed his hands on either side of my head. I flinched back onto his car.
"Sienna... please. Get. In. My. Car." His voice was so low I felt as if he was whispering to my soul.
Moisture glazed my vision, "Mason, you're starting to scare me. Move."
He scowled so hard and opened his mouth to say something else, but a deeper voice came out instead.
"That's enough. Come on back inside, Sienna."
I looked up to see Zedlin standing on the sidewalk by the curb Mason was parked on.
Slowly, I shouldered my way out of Mason's presence and flinched when he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from leaving.
"Bye, Mason." I snatched my wrist away from his grasp and ran towards the house, straight past Zedlin and not looking back.
I wouldn't even care if Zedlin decided to beat the crap out of my stupid, overly jealous boyfriend.
In fact, I'd probably welcome it.