Ain't this strange. A new chapter for HM,LM after all the neglect I had on it.
I'm deeply sorry for not updating this story and the others. I've lost interest in writing because I didn't have any motivation but now I do. (Even though fall semester is starting). But here ya go.
I hope you enjoy it and THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the continued support. I love every one of you.
Oh! Forgot to put this little warning label ;)
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Hate Me, Love Me:
Chapter Twenty-Seven: When the Bookworm Becomes Bold
(WARNING: Mature Content)
"So, Ivan's going to be a dad?"
I looked up from the menu to two pairs of eyes that belonged to Riley and Evelyn. Riley continued to look shocked at the news of Ivan being a father. I was too but not as much as him. Evelyn...not so much. She looked disinterested as always but I knew she was happy for him. Since Riley went back home to Kat, he looked more...at ease. As all the troubles that kept him up at night flew from his mind. That glint in his eyes returned and his smiles weren't forced but more...joyful. He was his old self again. Nothing dark was plaguing his mind nor the fear kept him chained. I knew seeing Kat back home relieved him.
"Yeah..." I muttered, remembering when Ivan gushed out the news a couple days ago.
"Are you serious?"
I couldn't grasp the idea of Ivan being a father. It was too farfetched. Ivan had always said he wasn't ready for children when he was with his old girlfriend for three years. Our parents would ask him if he saw himself with a family with her but he would simply shake his head no. Now, Ivan sat there in the counter with a huge grin on his face and joy in his eyes as he stared at the ultrasound. He was going to be a father and he was excited. Our parents would be jumping in happiness and hugging him tightly. My mother would be sobbing in pure glee as she would start baby planning, perhaps calling the mother of Ivan's child to arrange everything from baby showers to baby rooms.
"I'm serious," Ivan smiled at me, glancing at me for a brief second before looking back at the ultrasound. "She's six weeks pregnant – "
"Wait. I'm confused. How is she six weeks pregnant and you're telling me this now? Who is she? I hardly seen you with someone, Ivan. How did this happen – no, don't tell me. I already know how it happened. Were you ever going to introduce me to my future sister-in-law or keep her hidden from me until the baby is born?"
"Mabel," Ivan stood up and grabbed my shoulders firmly, grabbing my attention. "I recently found out she's pregnant. I've...been ignoring her after we broke up. Those girls who kept leaving letters with you for me, they were from her – from Shannon. Her friends thought it was their job to make things right between me and her. They knew I wouldn't answer their calls so, they went to find you. The letters explained that she was pregnant and she didn't blame me if I didn't want to be a part of the baby's life. But Mabel, I want to be in the baby's life. They're much as my kid as hers. I want my child to have a mother and father in their life like we did. I'm going to be making things right with Shannon even if it means having her move in with us. Is...is that okay?"
I was shocked.
This was a new Ivan. He was becoming even more responsible knowing he was going to have a child soon. And I wanted to help him. He had so much on his plate with being my guardian, the house, the bills, and now his future child. He can't go through this alone. I didn't mind having another person living here. Hell, I want to help Shannon – whoever she is – be as comfortable as ever here. She was going to be the mother of my nephew or niece.
"Ivan, she's the mother of your child. She can live here forever, I wouldn't mind," I gave him a smile. "I need to meet her. I never met any of your past girlfriends but I see that this Shannon means a lot to you."
"I fucked up in the past and I regret it every day. I won't let her slip through my fingers again. She's the love of my life –"
"Oh, Ivan!" I hugged my brother, finding his sweet nature adorable. "Make things right with her and bring her home."
His arms wrapped around me and tightened, "I wished Mom and Dad could be here to see their grandchild."
And in that moment, we both broke down, crying in each other's arms.
"Mom and Dad would be proud of you in seeing how you've become," I whispered to him, knowing he needed to hear that by the way his arms tightened around me.
And it was the truth.
They would be proud of Ivan. He was turning out to be more responsible and not letting any of this take him down. Ivan was growing up and handling his shop well. He was going to be a great father, I knew it the moment he told me of his child. I hope whatever damage he and Shannon have can be fixed. I want her to see that Ivan wasn't the same guy she'd known a few years ago. He was a changed man through and through.
The sound of a bell chiming snapped me out of my thoughts where I glanced to the entrance of the diner. My entire body stiffened as I saw the familiar face of Josh entering with a few of his friends. They were all laughing, uncaring to those around them. I hated the way Josh could continue to go on with his day not having at least an ounce of guilt that he hurt not only me but his ex-girlfriend, Gladys. The many wrongs he had made in spurts of anger brought so much hate for him.
"What are you looking at, Mabel?" I heard Evelyn say, grabbing my attention immediately.
"Nothing," I muttered, looking down at the menu.
I hoped she wouldn't see Josh who was sitting across the room with his friends. Riley would ignore them but not Evelyn. Her and Josh hated each other. With Evelyn humiliating him the other time at school as she bashed his face onto the table as well as witnessing Josh abusing Gladys.
"Mabel – "Evelyn began but was cut off by the one person I didn't want to interact with.
"Well, well, well," Josh's spiteful voice made the two people sitting in front of me tense and square their shoudlers.
I didn't dare look up from my menu. Perhaps it was the fear that was crawling up my spine or I was just being a coward. But I hated the way it showed how much power Josh had over me. The fear he used against me made him powerful and I didn't like it one bit.
"What do you want, Josh?" Riley gritted out.
I could hear that bastard dramatically gasp as he clutched his chest, "Oh, Riley, don't be rude. Can't I come over and say hello to my bff?"
"Leave her alone – "
"I didn't know Mabel needs her friends to speak for her. How. Pathetic."
I suddenly felt his hand grab the back of my head and forced me to look at him. His eyes held that sinister look in them as he grinned down at me. My heart pounded hard against my chest as I remembered the way he kicked my stomach and stomped on my wrist; the way he choked me as his friends shielded us from any prying eyes.
"Aren't you going to say hi, Little Mabel?" He chuckled, tightening his hold.
"Leave me alone," I mumbled, swallowing back the fear that was freezing my body.
He quirked an eyebrow at me, "What was that?"
He was mocking me. He knew he had power over me. He probably seen this so many times from the many girls he'd tormented. I couldn't imagine how Gladys had felt when he towered over her, frightening her. This was only a taste of what I could experience if I didn't stand up for myself. I needed to have a backbone. I can't rely on anyone in situations like this. I knew Riley and Evelyn wouldn't hesitate to stand up for me but I needed to do this for myself.
"I said," I cleared my throat as I looked into his eyes. "Leave. Me. Alone."
Something in Josh snapped.
I could see it in his eyes. The irritated fire brewing in his eyes grew. His grin fell into a thin line as he released my head and stood to his full height, staring me down. The air around him changed. It was darker and it made me be more cautious of him. His friends must have noticed it because they appeared behind him, looking at their friend, their bodies tensed.
"Hey man," One of his friends reached out to Josh, grabbing his shoulder, an unsure look on his face. "Let's go to some other spot. This place blows."
Josh didn't respond. He continued to look at me only for his hands to ball up into fists.
"Josh," Riley stood up, his voice hard – a waring in his tone. He partially blocked me from Josh but didn't grab his attention. "I suggest you listen to your friends. You know damn well if you leave one mark on her – "
"I know what will happen, you piece of shit," Josh hissed, finally tearing his hateful eyes off of me. "Just know that your cousin can't always protect her."
"Is that a threat, Hamilton?"
Josh smirked, sending one glance my way before shrugging. "Maybe."
He laughed and walked away, leaving the diner not before looking back at us and winking.
I let out a breath I didn't know I held in. I looked around to see the few customers that were eating and the employees staring at us before finally snapping out of it and returning to what they were doing. A short man who had a black polo shirt with the diner's logo on his breast pocket rushed over to us and quickly asked us if we were okay. All three of us nodded and decided our appetite was gone. I rubbed the back of my head, the feeling of Josh's hand on my head didn't go away...and I don't think that I would forget the way his tight grip would ever leave my memory.
~*~*~
Ever since Ivan told me about his future child, he had been spending more time with Shannon – which I didn't mind. I wanted him to be happy and look forward to that future that consisted him having his own family. As I sat there on my bed, enjoying the last school day before spring break officially started, I couldn't help but think of Kat. I hadn't seen her since Ace told us she was back home. Those following days were meant for Riley to be with her and I couldn't get between us. As much as I wanted to be in her presence and feel her body against mine, I didn't want to take that time from Riley. I was ecstatic she was safe in their home...although, I was a little sad that I won't see her for a while.
Maybe it was me making myself miserable. I could simply just visit Riley and see her just to get through the day but it was difficult. I wasn't the type of person to go out of my way to see someone I like. I was shy and contemplated things left and right. Seeing Kat was being contemplated at this moment as I continued to imagine the many scenarios of what could happen. The most prominent one was Kat not wanting to see me. It hurt my heart that a make-believe scene playing in my head was bothering me deeply.
Grow some balls, Mabel, I scolded myself.
If Evelyn was here, she would drag me by my ear to Riley's house, repeatedly telling me how stupid I was for feeling like this. I was glad she wasn't here.
I groaned out, collapsing back in my bed. "Why do I make things complicated?"
The sound of the doorbell ringing resonated through the quiet house. The one thing I missed about Ivan being home was that he was the only one who answered the door. I was too lazy to answer it and it annoyed Ivan. Most of the people who visited us were his friends. The doorbell kept ringing making me groan again as I got up from my bed and headed downstairs.
Once I reached the front door, I swung open the door ready to rehearse my usual 'Ivan's not home right now, I can tell him you stopped by when he's here' but my monologue was stuck in my throat as I stared at the person standing there in all her beauty. Those amber eyes smiled as she ran her fingers through her black waves. Her full lips spread into a smirk as she enjoyed the way I gawked at her. I don't think I could ever forget the way she smelled. The familiar smell of lavender and cigarette almost smelled like a safe haven. A haven that I desperately wanted with Josh still running around, threateningly. She was dressed in a black hoodie with black ripped jeans. Her white vans were the only thing that stood out from her black apparel.
"Hey," she said, her alluring voice almost made me close my eyes.
"H-hi," I answered, looking away from those amber eyes. I played with the hem of my shirt, glancing up at her through my eyelashes. "U-umm, Ivan's not here –"
"I wasn't here for Ivan," she quickly said, her lips spreading into a grin. "I came to see you."
"Why?"
"Why? I thought I made it clear before. I like you, Mabel." She took a step forward tentatively, carefully taking in my reaction. Seeing that I didn't step back, she took another until we were a few inches apart. "I'm not letting Ace come between us."
My eyes widened, "Is this a dream?"
Kat chuckled, grabbing a hold of my face in her hands. "I hope not because I would like to remember this."
"W-what do you mean?"
Kat smiled, leaning further. "I want to remember everything before...before anything happens."
I didn't quite understand what she meant but the moment her lips touched mine, the questions I had for her for what she said flew out of my mind. I was consumed by her and I greedily took it. I didn't know that the time we were apart could be expressed in this kiss. We kissed each other hungrily, desperately showing to each other how much we missed each other. Kat pushed me back in order to close the front door and dragged her soft hands down my arms to my waist. I couldn't get enough of her. I missed the way her lips felt against mine. I missed the way her body felt against mine.
I missed her.
She broke the kiss and dragged her lips down my throat. I could feel her tongue lick my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt. A silent gasp escaped my lips as she continued to lick and suck. She skimmed her teeth down my throat before nibbling my collarbone. She slipped her thigh between my legs and I rubbed myself against her boldly. My hands flew to her shoulders as I continued my movements, moaning into her ear which seemed to rile something inside of her as her kissing on my throat grew rougher and one of her hands fondled with my breasts.
"Oh, god, I missed you," she whispered.
"Don't stop this time, Kat," I told her, holding onto that hope that she won't stop this like the other times. I wanted to continue this so badly. I didn't know how much I wanted her until this moment.
Kat drew back her head and gazed at me. Those amber eyes held so much of that lustful hunger. Her lips were red and bruised that I couldn't help but lean forward and tug her lower lip with my teeth.
"Fuck," she hissed before she dove in and kissed me.
I continued to rock myself on her thigh heightening that amazing feeling between my legs. "Kat..."
Those amber eyes narrowed as she began to unbutton my jeans and drag down the zipper. What I had thought was an amazing feeling of rocking my hips on her thigh suddenly vanished when she slipped her hand into my underwear and I felt her soft hand on the one part of my body she never touched.
I gasped, my hand flying to her hair as I gripped it. She rubbed me slowly, watching my expressions as she maneuvered her hand back and forth. I moaned, gripping her beautiful hair. Her movements slowly sped up and as that feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, I felt one of her fingers slip inside of me. My body tensed a little at that. Kat's face softened as she leaned forward and gave me light kisses on my lips before pulling out and pushed it back in slowly, letting me get accustomed to it. It was a weird feeling to feel something go inside of me then back out and have the process repeated it but Kat did something – I don't even know what maybe it wasn't her but the way she moved her fingers – but the pleasure she brought was heightened.
My hips rocked with her fingers as she fucked me with her hand, creating that beautiful feeling that growing inside of me expand even more. My eyes were screwed shut as I felt like I was going to burst.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I moaned out, gripping onto Kat who continued to kiss me, swallowing the rest of my moans.
All I could hear was our heavy breathing and the wet sound of her fingers going in and out of me.
"Kat," I moaned out as that feeling I felt was slowly growing closer to its peak. "Oh, Kat! Please, please, please!"
"Just cum, baby," she whispered, tugging my earlobe into her mouth.
Her movements increased even more making it hard for me to keep myself together before I burst. My grip on her tightened as I screamed out, letting that feeling that was growing between my legs finally burst. I could feel the tingles be enhanced even more as she continued, sucking on my collarbone. The sexual high I felt was beautiful. I never felt something like that and I don't think I ever want to stop from feeling that. I collapsed against the wall, thankful Kat was there to hold on to me. She dragged her movements, pulling her fingers out of me as she rubbed my clit making me jump and tremble in her arms. Her amber eyes held so much hunger that I tiredly leaned forward and kissed her.
I smiled at her and watched in shock as she smirked and brought her fingers – the same fingers she used – to her lips and suck on them. Entranced at the way her tongue licked her fingers, I could feel the simmer of that sexual desire for her to light up.
"I don't think I can get your taste out of my mind now," she smirked, kissing my lips softly.
"Don't be weird," I looked away, my cheeks burning as I smiled.
"You don't know how badly I want to taste you," she whispered, unabashed as she buttoned up my pants.
"What's stopping you?" The boldness I had surprised her.
Her eyes widened before she lazily looked me over. "You're treading on thin ice, Mabel."
I chuckled, running my hand through her soft hair. "Am I?"
"What happened to my little shy bookworm?"
"You corrupted her already."
Kat laughed, leaning her forehead against mine. "You don't know how much I missed you – "
"Did he hurt you?"
Her amber eyes that held such softness towards me hardened, her demeanor suddenly changing.
"Kat...don't close yourself from me."
"He told me that you three went to pay him a visit. He had told me what he told you. You put yourself in danger, Mabel. Don't ever do that again. I'm taking care of this by myself –"
"But you're going to get hurt!"
"Mabel, don't argue with me. I want you safe from Ace. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."
"But –"
"Mabel," she warned, her amber eyes narrowed. "Drop it."
"Fine. But if you're in trouble, I won't stand back. You don't know what your disappearance did to Riley."
"I know," she sighed, placing her head in my neck. "I promised him I won't do it again."
But I knew that promise was lie just like she did.
A false promise that might break Riley to the core.
"I need to go."
"Stay with me...just for tonight?"
Kat stayed silent, probably thinking of her answer. But she didn't say anything only that she grabbed my hand and walked up the stairs with me staring at her from behind. This woman didn't know how much she held my heart. I was in love with Kat Blacksmith, I knew it the moment she came into my life.
And I knew my love her wasn't nearly close to the love she had for me.
Yep, that happened.
Thanks for reading! <3