two.
"you just need something that can take the pain away." -unknown
another day, another horrible shift. new customers were here. ones that questioned my signing and freaked out. one older couple thought i was doing cult signs and called the cops. it took awhile to explain and almost cost my job.
i was halfway through my shift when it happened. this boy bumped into me, as i was carrying a whole tray of coffee cups, spilling it all over my shirt, in my hair, and breaking the cups. he mumbled curses under his breath while looking down at the mess he made. then he looked at me and his eyes locked with mine. i could feel myself start to blush as he looked at me longer.
"shit, im so sorry." he says, still looking me straight in the eye. i bite my lip and look down at the floor.
'it's okay,' i sign.
"she said, 'it's okay'." eli tells him. i look back up at the boy and he looks confused.
"wait, is she deaf?" i smile and shake my head.
"she doesn't speak." his lips form in a perfect 'o' and i notice how pink they are. his dyed red hair makes them pop out and seem even more prominent.
"i'm michael, by the way and okay um i want to make this up to you." he runs to the counter and grabs a napkin, then pulls a pen out of his pocket, and scribbles something down on it. next, he comes back over here and hands me the napkin. i look down and a phone number is scribbled on the bottom.
'is this real life?' i sign to eli and he laughs loudly. michael has a sad look on his face. 'what's wrong?'
"she said 'what's wrong?'" eli tells him.
"are you too, like, together?" he points to us and eli starts laughing loudly again. i shake my head again and smile widely.
"no, man, she's like my sister, she's all yours." michael smiles, then waves at me before turning and walking away.
'no one ever gives me a glance, what the hell was that? am i dreaming?' i sign to eli and he shrugs.
"i know one thing, you sure as hell weren't dreaming. he is into you." i smile, beginning to blush and cover my face with my hands. "oh, and you better clean this up, boss man is glaring at us." i roll my eyes and push eli over. i bend over and start cleaning and eli tries to walk away. i grab his leg and tug on his jeans a bit. he looks down at me with a grin on his face.
'help. me.' he groans but complies and gets down and starts to pick up the shards of glass.
. . .
i finally get done with my shift and eli drives us home. he lives with me and my 'family'. my parents took him in off the streets and hired him to translate for me. they aren't the greatest parents since the accident. it's like they're whole other people. they drink, smoke, hit me, belittle me, and emotionally hurt me along with physically. i do have a cell phone, but i pay for it myself with my job at the coffee shop. as soon as we walk in the door we see my parents sitting on the couch with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other. eli covers his nose and runs upstairs. i go in the living room to confront my parents but before i can get a word in, my dad stands up and smacks me.
"that's for what you get for letting that happen to them!" he screams, then grabs my hair pulling it and then throws me down to the ground. the alcohol does this to them. my mom then stands up and kicks my stomach, causing me to cough to regain a breath. surprisingly they let me get up off the floor. i stay cautious, knowing that they wouldn't let me go this easy. my dad finishes off the last sip of whisky then looks me right in the eye. then, he raises the bottle and throws it. i immediately cover my face and bite my lip, hoping it doesn't hit me. i feel no pain, and look behind me and there is the broken whisky bottle. i count my lucky stars, before taking off up the stairs. eli is sitting outside by his room, with his knees pulled up and his head resting in his hands.
"i should've came down to see if you're okay." he whispers, as he hears my footsteps walking past him. i lean down and sit next to him. i lean my head on his shoulder, and grab his hand. he looks at my other hand.
i sign to him, 'they would have hurt you'. he shakes his head and grips my hand tighter.
"that doesn't matter i could've stopped you from getting hurt. i should protect you."
'you don't get paid to do that.'
"i don't care i'm tired of them hurting you, i'm tired of sitting up here and listening to all the pain they inflict on you. i should take action, or buy us an apartment, something."
'they wouldn't allow that.' he sighs.
"i'm sorry, roan. i'm so sorry you have to live like this every day of your life."
'don't apologize, now let's go to sleep'. he nods and i give him a hug before going to my room. first, i change into pajamas. then i grab a cigarette off my bedside table, my phone, and the slip of paper michael gave me. i open the window to my room then go out and sit on the roof. before the accident my parents decked out the roof for me. they put a fence, so i wouldn't fall, and added some flowers. i grab the lighter i have stashed out here, along with some of the weed i had bought a week ago.
i light the weed and inhale the smoke, loving the feeling it gives me. i close my eyes and just breathe. after awhile i am high and then i light the cigarette. it burns at my lungs, but the pain helps me forget everything wrong in my life. i pick up the napkin from the coffee shop and my phone. then i'm putting the number in and without thinking immediately text him.
-this is the girl u bumped into @ the coffee shop. my name is roan btw
while i await for his response i climb back inside and grab the rest of the pack of cigarettes. i light another and lift it to me lips, inhaling deeply. my phone rings and i look down, seeing michael was the one to send me a text.
-i love ur name, roan, it's beautiful like u
-can i come over to ur place or u come to mine?
-come to mine, parents aren't home
-ok, pick me up?
-sure, address?
i text him the address, then change into a pair of skinny jeans, a long sleeves crop top, and black combat boots. i grab my cigarettes and lighter then leave the house. i wait outside, and decide to light another cigarette. after one more whole cigarette, a car comes to a stop in front of my house and michael gets out of the car.
"cigarettes?" i nod and finish the cigarette and drop it to the ground, then stomp on it, until it goes out. he motions for me to follow him and i do so. he opens the passenger door for me, and i smile at him. he runs around to the drivers side, then speeds off. it only takes a few minutes to reach his house.
"how am i supposed to talk to you without your translator?" he asks as we enter his house. i pull out my phone and and wave it around. he nods and pulls his out.
-how come u asked to come over?
-i was lonely nd u seem cool as fuck
i look up and michael is smiling at me. his lips look even sweeter than at the coffee shop..
i find myself putting my phone down, then wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling his body to mine. i attach our lips and kiss him hungrily. he hesitates for a minute, before grabbing my hips and kissing me back.
"jump." he mumbles against my lips. i do as he says and he grabs my thighs then places me on the counter behind us. i run my hands all along his chest and back. he bites my lip and i open my mouth, knowing he wants to french kiss me. he moves his tongue all around my mouth
as he rubs his hands along my hips. i move my hips back and forth against him and he moans a little. "you taste like cigarettes..i like it." he says against my lips.
i tug on the bottom of his shirt and he pulls it off for me, then reconnects our lips. this is such a great distraction from the world. with every touch, and movement of his hands and lips, i forget more and more. he's like alcohol, i'm drunk off of him.
he pulls on my shirt and i let him take it off me. he bites his lip as he looks at me, and i smirk at him but start to blush. his lips go to my neck and he's kissing and biting and licking up and down it. i move my head towards his neck and kiss and suck on it as he does so to mine. he gingerly touches my boobs and i moan slightly against his neck. i touch him through his jeans and then he freezes.
"roan..we barely know each other." he states pulling away from me. i then cover my chest, realizing what i did. i grab my phone off the counter.
-im sorry. when i started kissing u i was high i was trying to forget some things
he grabs his phone, once he hears the ding. he looks at the message then sighs. "let me take you home, ro." i nod, and grab my shirt off the ground. michael grabs his keys and i follow him out the door.
• • •
hi hi hi i have updated chapter dos (two for those who don't know Spanish) thank u all for reading