Chapter Five: Welcome to the Never Ending Story
"hard to hold this fire inside me
all I know, sometimes it's frightening
hard to hold this fire inside me
it's not really like me to lash out."
~ alice merton
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M O N I C A
"You're probably a slut. Just like your mom," a cold, but sickly, familiar voice whispered in my ear, while my eyes looked around the darkness.
"I bet you want it," it mumbled, causing a chill to run down my arms, as if they were caressing me. But when my eyes looked to my pale skin, there wasn't a trace of another person. "I bet you spread your legs to anyone who says I love you. I bet you scream when you get fucked. Do you, Monica?"
No. Fuck this, and fuck him. "Go to hell," I bit out, but the second the words slipped passed my damn quivering lips, they sounded... broken.
I hated sounding broken.
"I broke your mom," he whispered with a humourless laugh. "I broke you, too."
My breath got caught in my throat the same moment I felt every bone in my body tense. "You never broke me."
"I broke you. The family. Which means, I broke you," he chuckled next to my ear once more, bringing me to unintentionally lift my shoulder as the cool feeling. "I may be gone, but that doesn't mean I'll leave you."
I sucked in a breath as he dropped his nose close to my neck, inhaling my scent sharply. Although he wasn't touching me, standing behind me, just being in his proximity brought my arm hair to rise. "Stay all you want," I forced my voice to drop several degrees. "While you're in my mind, I hope you burn in hell."
He only laughed. "—he's so cute, though!" I heard a voice whisper, and being so shocked by how smooth and feminine it sounded through all the darkness, I jumped up, startled.
Clarity began to develop in my mind as I heard his deep chuckle behind me, but all it did was rise my frustration and anger. "I hate you, you royal piece of horse shit," I clenched out, no longer afraid by the man I'd seen for so many years.
Before he could reply, my body twitched, as if I had been hit in the stomach. "You idiot," voice hissed, but a giggle followed. "Be careful!"
Slowly, the darkness was faded and replaced with a golden hue. It took me a few moments to realize that I had been asleep, and seeing how bright my eyelids looked, despite them being closed, I knew it was morning.
"Get your tit out of my face," a voice said. That was also a reminder of my current company.
"Bitch, you used to suck on tits," a voice laughed loudly. After a second, I concluded that it must have been Karen since her voice was deeper than the others.
There was an awkward moment of silence. "Not me," a sweet voice piped up softly—definitely Maddie. "I was bottle fed. My mom said that it was because she didn't want me to be too dependent on her. But dad just told me how since she pushed me out, he had to feed me."
"I was all up in my mom's business," a voice scoffed out a laugh. "She hated it though. Apparently, she had to breast feed me until I was over one—so you know what, bring your booby here, Kar."
Why was this conversation currently happening?
Forcing the brightness aside, I opened my eyes, slowly at first. But instead of being met with the ceiling, all I saw was Sophie—well, actually, her double chin. This angle was beautiful, with her looking at someone on the other side of the room, head tilted up, with her cross-legged next to me.
I must have made some sort of sound because suddenly, Sophie snapped her head to the ground, where I was currently laying on. "Hey," she grinned, flashing her white teeth. But I couldn't help but look into her eyes. Although we both had green eyes, hers differed in shade which looked so well on her golden, tan skin. "Thought you'd never wake up."
"Well, I'm up," I mumbled with dryness as I lifted my weak limbs—starting with my arms. I pressed the palms of my hands against the carpeted ground myself and the girls slept on before pushing myself up.
Once I was leaning back against the couch, I looked around my surroundings. Sophie was still next to me, in a tee-shirt and underwear with her hair in a full bun on top of her head. On my left, however, I first noticed the coffee table we pushed away, giving all of us enough space to be on the carpet in the living room together.
After looking away from the table, I found Karen, Maddie and Angie lying on one another. It was hard to see who's leg was overlapped with who's, but after focusing more on their strange position, I noticed that Maddie was on the bottom, stomach pressed against the floor with Angie on top of her diagonally, so that the first thing I saw of her was her ass in my direction. Karen, however, was vertical, and when I saw one of her breasts out of her tank top, near Angie's face, I remembered their conversation moments before.
Rubbing my face with one hand, I used the other to point at their awkward position. "How did that happen?" I yawned, bringing all their attention toward me.
After the club, we found ourselves Ubering to Sophie's place, were we continued drinking while watching parodies of horror movies. But halfway through the movie, I stopped myself from drinking and began to hydrate myself, so a hangover wouldn't greet me the next morning.
I don't exactly remember how I fell asleep, but I wasn't surprised that the five of us passed out on the grey, fluffy carpet in front of the couch. It wasn't bad, actually.
"Maddie wouldn't get up, so Angie jumped on her to wake up. Then Karen did it and... yeah," Sophie chuckled by the end, shaking her head. "It was pretty amusing."
Then she playfully narrowed her eyes on Maddie. "By the way, cute isn't a good term to call guys. They hate that stuff."
"How do you know?" She said quickly, only to frown when she saw Sophie's raised eyebrows and quirked lip.
There was a sudden, awkward silence after that. Looking at all the girls and realizing after a few moments that they wouldn't start talking, I focused on Sophie. "Who's she talking about?" I asked, not that I really cared. I just needed the silence to be gone.
She responded with a grin, just as I noticed in the corner of my eye, Maddie's body jerking—well, as much as it could, being below two females. "One of my regulars," Sophie explained when my eyes focused back to her. "When Maddie visited a while back, she saw him and liked what she saw."
"Have I seen him around?" I asked, furrowing my brows before she shrugged.
"Not sure, he sits on the other side of the diner," she explained, smirking. "The man is hot, though."
The term, hot, instantly brought my mind to handle guy, since he was hot. But that wasn't a strong enough description of him—gorgeous, maybe. Dark, brooding, handsome. "Do you know the guy that usually sits in my section?" I found myself asking, but when I noticed everyone's curious stares, I further explained. "He sits by the back, near the hall that leads to Darius' office and the bathrooms."
Sophie stiffened next to me, making my back straighten slightly. "What?" I said hesitantly, watching her next movements.
"He's been sitting in that booth for the last few years," she admitted cautiously, but when I looked to her friends, I found them looking at her with the same interest I probably wore on my expression, too.
She had been tense for the next few seconds, bringing me to realize that this was clearly a touchy subject. "Well," I drawled out as I dropped my knees on the carpet before standing up. The girls eyes were on me as I pushed my shoulders back to crack my back. "I should get back home. Chris is probably worried."
My common excuse to get out of situations, but I knew he was too occupied with his lady friend. But I didn't find any other excuse to stay here, with the girls. It wasn't like getting drunk with them, especially Sophie would bring me to their crew.
It was a night out—that I needed, no doubt, but a single night out, nonetheless.
Just as I walked across her apartment so I was in stranding next to the white front door, I felt a hand clasp around my wrist, resulting in me looking to the side. Sophie stared at me, almost pleadingly, by the looks of it. "I hope we can do this again," she said hesitantly, but when I didn't answer—because I didn't have it in me to lie to her face—her eyes darkened before she stepped forward.
Now my shoulder was digging into her chest, since she now stood so close to me. "Come on, Mon," she whispered with a pout. "We both know that our dads would want us to be friends. They tried so hard, all those years ago," she said, smiling as she shook her head at a memory.
But all I could do was stiffen, remembering how close our dads were.
"I'll never leave you, Monnie," dad's voice whispered, sounding like he was just next to me. Although I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me, all I could think about was our milkshake drinks and stargazing nights.
"Maybe," I mumbled, looking at my feet, but I wasn't sure what I was saying maybe to. Maybe they did want us to be friends. Maybe we should give it a shot. Maybe dad was looking over me.
But one thing I was sure of, was that I wanted to leave.
So after mumbling a goodbye to everyone, I stepped out of Sophie's apartment before taking an elevator down the five floors. I was still in my dress and I hadn't fixed up my hair, but it was in a small ponytail that I had done before I fell asleep.
My appearance, though, didn't seem like a top priority—since I really didn't care about what the town thought of me. Let them believe that I'd just returned from a one night stand. Maybe they'll assume that the salsa Karen spilt on my dress last night was blood. Go at it.
While I was walking home, the effects of my hangover were going on full blast, with a throbbing headache and weak muscles. The back of my throat was ready to throw up last night's contents, and my eyes were sore, desperate to be closed again.
So when I stepped inside the house with the spare key that was usually hidden in the mulch next to the front door, I took a deep breath, enjoying the cool temperature on my burning skin.
I paid no thought of the half naked girl sitting on the kitchen counter, only in a shirt and underwear as she ate something from the fridge. Inside, I stepped inside my bedroom, closed the door and laid face down on my comforter before letting sleep consume me.
┉
I was so utterly exhausted, for no reason at all.
Was I productive after I got home? No. Was I drained to the point that I took three naps throughout the day? Yes.
Why, you must ask? Because I was tired.
Like, a shocking amount? I don't understand my body?
Luckily, the next day my social battery was fully charged before I ended up going to work, talking to customers and eventually, handle guy. He had shown up both the second and third of July, but not much words were exchanged between us. But now working at Mel's for over a week and realizing that he was not a chatty person, I didn't push conversation.
But I did ogle. Just the slightest bit.
When Saturday hit—which also happened to be the fourth of July—I naturally woke up around noon with ease. Chris was probably at work, which explained his lack of appearance at that current moment.
Once I had dressed myself in dark denim shorts, white floral bralette and a shear white, long sleeve shirt, I got into the kitchen to make myself an iced coffee.
My hand shook as I sat on the couch when I heard the doorbell ring. My eyes ended up automatically narrowing on the door on my right, but since there wasn't a coffee table anymore—Chris wasn't pleased when I threw it out—I brought my drink with me.
When I threw the door open, my eyes met Xavier's dark ones before lingering on his police uniform. "You okay?" He frowned at my expression, giving me a chance to notice that my lips had been pursed while I looked over him.
"Yeah," I mumbled, but instead of inviting him in, I leaned against the door. "Why are you here?" I asked, slowly sipping my drink.
Either he was avoiding the fact that he was unwelcome or simply didn't care because he paid no mind to my blank expression as he grinned. "Food," he explained simply as he lifted up a white plastic bag in his hand—one that I hadn't noticed until now.
Two options faced me: lie and tell him how I ate and was about to head out, or invite him in. The pros of lying? Avoid social contact, especially from Xavier who wanted to learn more about me.
Cons: I hadn't eaten, nor have I gotten groceries yet, so we didn't have anything that I could munch on. But, I did have peanut butter and...
Damn! No bread.
So against my wishes—and dreams—I stepped back, giving him enough space to enter. He did so with a wide smile, walking over to the small kitchen table once his shoes were off. "It's my lunch break so I don't have too much time," he explained, placing the white styrofoam containers out of the bag and onto the table.
Thank God.
As I closed the front door, I took slow steps toward the table before dropping my hands on top of the chair, balancing myself. "What'd you get?" I asked, but instead of answering, he opened the carry-out container, revealing carnitas. In the other one, there was small soft taco shells.
Being around Xavier throughout high school also brought me around a lot of Mexican food—which actually got me into liking some of their courses. "Looks good," I nodded my head approvingly as I sat on the chair that I was holding.
He did the same a moment later, keeping his eyes on me. The silence was kind of annoying, so I asked, "what are you gonna do after this?"
"Well, my partner and I have a case on... some things going on," he spoke vaguely. I should have been offended, since giving a lack of information was my thing, but I found myself not caring. Which was so surprising.
"Don't get yourself get killed," was all I said while I prepared my food. Once I was holding the tortilla in front of my mouth, I eyed him once more. "What cases are there even to take? I'm not saying we have zero crime, but there's not much to do illegally here."
He smirked. "I can tell you spray painting on buildings is illegal," he spoke condescendingly.
"For fucks sake," I rolled my eyes. "That was in high school. Get out of the past, Xavier," I basically spat out without a care, but there was more to what I said. Xavier was always bringing up old memories, instead of making new ones.
Not that I necessarily cared—I didn't want to make new memories with him anyways.
Instead of being offended, he smirked in my direction before shaking his head. He ended up scoffing out a laugh, making me annoyed, in a way.
For a moment, I got myself to question why I was annoyed that he wasn't hurt at my blunt comment, but I chose to consider it unworthy to think about. Many things were unworthy to think about—mom was included in that long list.
"Trust me when I say that life was much more interesting in the past," he remarked, making me scoff. It was more interesting because he had Kevin.
"Please," I laughed dryly as I dropped my food on the container in front of me. It splattered slightly, but I didn't care, too focused on Xavier who was raising his thick eyebrows in my direction. "Don't tell me you found high school to exciting. You're not even twenty-three, you're a cop and single. There's much more adventure out there for you. Stop having low expectations."
His eyes suddenly narrowed on me, and my heart began to pound—not from fear though, but rather, excitement. Yes, Xavier. Yell at me, tell me the bull shit you believe.
And he did a moment later. "You actually think life was better after high school? Everyone left, you included."
I had to stop him there. "Please, you didn't mourn for my departure," I scoffed, now crossing my arms over the table. "You were gonna miss Kevin. You were gonna miss how fun he was, and your crazy adventures," I rolled my eyes as I air quoted crazy.
Because they weren't crazy. Swimming in that one lake and swinging on the rope was as crazy as it could get, if you didn't count the parties, alcohol and drugs.
Kevin was the life of the group, super outgoing and friendly—which was how he got through to me and my weird ways. We met before shit hit the fan and I completely shut off, which was why he was so important to me.
But shit changed. A lot.
"It may not have been what you see in movies, Mon, but he was my best friend," he clenched out with a glare, and in that moment, I remembered how stubborn he used to be as a teenager. "He's a good guy, and he made living here more bearable."
I couldn't help but laugh, standing up from the table before moving away from him. "Please, Xavier. You're gonna make me choke on air, hearing your idiocy."
Before he could respond, I lifted a finger, stopping him. "If Kevin was such a good guy, why did he leave you? Why did he do the things he did?" Why did he hurt me? But I didn't fucking dare say those words out loud. I didn't care. He could go suck my spiritual dick. It was bigger than his, anyway.
But just because I didn't say the words, didn't mean that they didn't hurt. A lot.
So my body reacted the same way it always did when I thought of toxic people who broke my trust: I shut down.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I ended up mumbling without thought as I stood from my chair. I didn't wait for his response as I walked around the table, stepping into my room. Taking my time on the toilet, I began to read the back of the shampoo bottle, then the baby wipes, since I forgot my phone on the table.
Ten minutes must have passed until I finally got out of the bathroom. I hadn't realized that I was hoping Xavier left until I saw him standing in front of the hallway entrance, smiling tightly. "Hey..." he mumbled, shifting his feet.
The awkwardness could have been cut with a knife, but I couldn't find myself caring, feeling my expression as blank as I felt on the inside. "You should probably go," I said calmly, but when he looked upset, I surprised myself when I continued. "I have work soon."
He nodded slowly before taking a deep breath. "I'll take some food, but I'll leave the rest for you," he said, his usual smile back on his lips. "Eat the rest, okay?"
"Sure," I breathed out. For the next minute, I watched him put some food in the other styrofoam container before walking to the front door. Once he slipped into his shoes, he waved carelessly before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.
I let out a breath, one that I didn't know I was holding before walking to my bedroom. But instead of walking to the bathroom right away, my legs moved to my bed instead.
"Why are you like this?" I hissed to myself once I sat on the bed, dropping my hands to the side. Anger tickled my chest, at an abnormal rate.
My hands clenched around the comforter, holding it tight enough that after a few moments, they felt numb. The feeling soaked itself inside me, until I felt still all over. My mind, body and soul.
And it felt wonderful.
Slowly, I released the fabric, taking slow, deep breaths as I stared at my closed bedroom door with a blank expression. I felt like an alien in my own body, and I accepted it.
Until my hearing cleared up, as well as my vision, the blurry haze fading away just as I heard my phone ringing in the other room.
"Mother fucker," I mumbled randomly under my breath as I strolled to the kitchen table, picking up my phone to read the contact information. "Double mother fucker," I sighed before hesitantly answering the call.
"Yeah?" I asked coolly, rubbing my forehead before walking back to my room.
"So, I was doing this forty-something year old's palm reading when I was at work, and I told her, 'you're way to stressed out and need to calm down,' and whatever—cause her life line was really faded, but she went off," Sophie ranted into my ear with frustration, making me cringe as I pulled my phone away from my ear, just the slightest bit.
"She was defending herself about how perfect her life was, and I'm just saying... relax! If you weren't so stressed, your balls wouldn't be tied up in knots!" She yelled, making me chuckle. The action actually brought me to release some tension on my shoulders.
The last few days, Sophie had been determined getting closer to me. It was during this time did I realize how curious Sophie was—not just about me, but about everything. She was curious about her customers personal life, but then she went to talk about their aura and astrology sign. She did state that she couldn't read much about me, but she did go onto say that I shared a few common Virgo characteristics, whatever that meant.
I ended up learning what she did, other than working at the diner. Across town, she had a type of psychic shop, where she reads people and gives advice. Since she's at the diner from three to eleven, she works in the mornings and at midnight for two hours.
"Did she end up paying you?" I asked, surprisingly interested. Sophie admitted two days ago that she had an angry customer that refused to give her money for her service, which was ridiculous to me.
"Yes," she mumbled. "Because then I explained to her why she was reaching the way she did, and she started to cry. Then she threw the money at me and left."
Ah, yes. I've also come to gather, with Sophie trying to get closer to me, that she over analyzes everything and person.
When we went to work on Tuesday—the day after I left her apartment and had a napping binge—she whispered in my ear as she analyzed her customers. It was actually... dare I say, funny, at times.
And what was worse was that sometimes, she was right. Right about their personal, romantic or work life. Like yesterday, since it was Friday, it was jam packed. This one woman who came in alone was red-eyed and wanted a slice of strawberry shortcake. Sophie was quick to explain her aura and what life had been affected to me before walking up to her with the woman's order.
After saying, "I'm sorry about your job," the lady burst into tears—apparently freshly fired from her job as an assistant to some Karl guy.
Sophie was a witch—the modern kind, and nobody could change my mind.
┉
"—I'm telling you!" Sophie glared at me, persistent to get her argument across. "Roses are more than basic," she defended, spitting out the word I used to defend the flower just five minutes ago.
"But I doubt they're used for love spells, Sophie," I drawled out as I rolled my eyes. Since my back was pressed against the counter, I leaned back further so my elbows could comfortably rest on either side of me. The diner barely had anyone inside, since it was the Fourth of July and people were out, doing fireworks or getting drunk.
It was just passed eleven, and the both of us were waiting for Aliana to come in for her shift. So to spend the time with conversation, Sophie chose to talk about the importance of roses. "They have a magical property, Mon," she said with determination in front of me as she plopped her hands on top of her wide hips.
"Roses have actually helped me psychically. I make sure they're always in my house because it's... it's like protection," she faltered when she saw my bemused expression.
I took my time responding, to drag on the silence that was currently in the diner.
First, I straightened by back, dropping my arms so they were loose on either side of me. I met her forest green eyes with a face void of emotion, and I found myself actually trying to bite back a smile as I stepped forward. "How does a flower act as protection?" I said slowly, wanting to silently ask why they hadn't helped me and my family.
She inhaled sharply, eyes hardening as her fists now clenched. "They. Just. Do," she hissed, determination flashing across her face. "Their petals have Vitamin C, minerals, tannic acid and some other things. They're good for your health too, meaning, therefore, that they're the superior flower."
My lower lip pursed. "Interesting," I nodded once, and for a moment, she grinned with satisfaction that I hadn't instantly turned down the idea.
"But they aren't the best flower," I broke the news. "You can have your opinion, Sophie, but I can't relate. Sorry," I sighed, pretending to be upset, but inside, I was crackling.
Before she could speak—likely to go off and convince me some more—the bell above the door went off, causing both of our heads to tilt to the side.
Xavier strolled in with a carefree grin, dressed in a white button up tee-shirt and dark jeans. His black hair was styled the same it usually was, and he stared at me the same way he did this morning—before I went off at him.
"Hey," he greeted the both of us. "How was work?"
I shrugged. "Fine," I responded, which wasn't a lie. It was the same as it usually was, but I actually enjoyed coming in. It got my mind off things.
He nodded slowly before his usual smile split onto his lips. "When do you think you'll get off?"
"Not sure. Until Aliana comes," I explained while Sophie looked between us with confusion.
"You guys have plans?" She asked with curiosity before settling her eyes on me. I nodded once, looking at her with my expression relaxed. I wasn't sure why she looked upset at the idea that I hadn't told her something. I haven't told her a lot of things.
But it wasn't me who vocally answered her question. "Yeah," Xavier began, looking at me with glee. "We're going to see the fireworks."
"You can come if you want," I offered, seeing Xavier's shoulders instantly sag as Sophie turned to me, her eyes glistening with excitement. "We're going as friends anyways. The more the merrier."
She agreed to join just as Xavier sighed softly, standing behind Sophie. Although I was happy that she was glad about the invite, my reasons for doing so wasn't altruistic.
If Xavier had someone to talk to when we went out, he might end up talking to her instead of me. Which therefore, meant that he wouldn't bug me with questions.
Just as my lips parted, wanting to ask where the fireworks would be happening, the front door opened. Thinking it's Aliana, a sigh with relief left me as I turned my head to the door, only it wasn't her.
It was handle guy.
And he was bleeding. A lot.
"Oh, my God," I rushed out before jogging around a stunned Sophie and confused Xavier.
His bright, ocean blue eye met mine—and when I say eye, I do mean eye. Since the other was already becoming swollen. "What happened?" I whispered, panic continuing to rise in my chest as I looked over his physical injuries.
He seemed to put more support on his left leg, while the right foot was tilted to the side. Since he was wearing jeans, I couldn't see if he sported any bruises or cuts there. So, I lifted my eyes, looking at his white shirt that was now spotted with blood, along with his knuckles.
When I looked back to him, my eyes continued to roam around his face, seeing bruises on both of his cheeks and under his stubble. But when my green eyes met his blue ones, I sucked in a breath, neither of us looking away at first.
He seemed to suck in a breath just as a finger twitched, which helped bring my attention back to his current predicament. Turning around, I glared at Sophie, who was still standing, frozen. "Get a first aid kit," I rushed out, but continued to glare at her when she didn't move a moment later. "Soph, now!"
She jumped with surprise before doing what she was told. "Xavier," I said, taking a deep breath. "Get a bucket from the janitor's room and fill it with water in the bathroom. Tell Sophie to bring a rag after she comes back," I told him, but he surprised me with a smile before saluting.
Once he was down the hall, I turned back to handle guy. "Let's go?" I whispered soothingly, and for a moment, he didn't speak.
"Yeah," he mumbled out after a moment. I started to walk toward the nearest booth, only to see him unable to walk straight. So without thinking, I stepped next to him, looking at him with my eyes slightly widened.
Seeming to get where I was going, he slowly brought his arm around my shoulder, putting just enough pressure to help him walk to the booth. "Can you tell me what happened?" I whispered as he sat down, watching me with... confusion?
Before he could even try to appear that he was going to answer, both Sophie and Xavier strolled in and brought me all I asked for, leaving them next to me before walking closer to the counter to exchange some words.
While they were whispering, I dumped the rag into the water before looking at him, only to notice his attention already on me. "Can you move in a little more into the seat?" I asked softly, and not another moment passed before he shuffled himself to the end of the seat, giving me just enough space to sit down.
Not wanting to snatch his hand, I brought my hand between us, palm up, as I eyed him with an amused smile on my lips. "May I?" I said teasingly.
Although it was sudden and quick, I noticed how his lip twitched, just briefly before he dropped his hand on top of mine. From there, I went to work, wiping away the blood off his knuckles.
"Fuck," I mumbled under my breath, seeing several scraps on the back of his hand once the blood was out of sight. But I didn't let my surprise deter me as I opened the first aid box, grabbing the supplies I needed before wrapping up his first hand.
The next one took the same amount of time, and when I finished, I looked up, breathing out softly when my eyes met his expected gaze. Had he been staring at me the whole time?
My heart raced at the thought, but instead, I turned my head over my shoulder, looking at Sophie and Xavier. "Sophie, is there a work shirt he can have? Or just any shirt, I don't know," I sighed, using my forearm to rub my forehead since my hands were stained with blood and ointment.
Xavier turned to Sophie with a raised eyebrow while she nodded. "I can check if we have spares," she explained, looking over my shoulder to smile softly at handle guy. "Give me a minute."
I nodded, watching Xavier call out for her as he followed her down the hall.
When I looked back to him, I noticed his attention solely on me. But I couldn't help but notice the dry blood on his face. "Okay, um..." I whispered, not knowing how to put what I wanted to do with words.
Instead, I used my index finger to slowly tilt his head up, but when I touched him, he seemed to stiffen, sucking in a harsh breath at the same moment. "Sorry, I-I need to clean your face," I explained, but when the words left my lips, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Clean your face, Jesus, it sounds like I'm about to do your night routine," I explained, because he must have had one. But then I remembered most guys had blemish free faces, which I envied at times.
Still, his chiselled jaw was clenched before he looked over my shoulder. Deciding to use this time wisely, I dipped the rag in water before squeezing out the remains. Slowly, I dapped it on his cheek, only to see him cringe. "Sorry," I said, but like the evil person I obviously was, I chuckled under my breath at how his nose scrunched up. "I'll try to be lighter."
His eyes were now focused on me while I cleaned his face. Although my mind knew that I shouldn't feel weird, my body acted differently, with my heart racing and goosebumps trailing up and down my arms.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Someone grumbled, giving me a few moments to realize that it had been from him.
My eyes snapped to his, widened over double its natural size while I looked at his cool face. "Xavier? My boyfriend?" I found myself snorting unladylike. "You make me laugh. If the man is dating anything, he's dating my brother."
Slowly, I began to continue wiping the blood off his face, but avoiding his eyes while I did so. "Between you and me," I whispered, biting my lip as I rubbed the rag over his swollen eye. "I'm pretty sure they're both gay for each other, despite their loud arguments."
Once I finished working on his eye, I met his gaze and smiled. "And by loud, I really do mean loud," I teased. "Now that I think about it, maybe they're loud for different reasons."
"Such as practice," I whispered, wiping under his jaw.
Suddenly, handle guy twitched under my hand, only for me to lean back to see that he had actually smiled. Well, maybe smirked, clearly amused by my little rant.
But still, what a nice smirk it was. It gave me a chance to realize that I was now done wiping the blood, I could see his face much more clearly that before. His eye definitely got it worse, but other than that, the bruises on his cheeks weren't awful.
After allowing my eyes to roam around him, I realized that I had been leaning into him, just the slightest bit. "Sorry," I cleared my throat as I pushed myself back quickly.
Feeling my cheeks heat up, I turned my back in his direction as I dropped the rag in the now red strained water. As I was cleaning it off, I felt him shift behind me.
Hating how cowardly I was acting, I pushed my shoulders back, left the rag hanging off the edge of the bucket before turning to face him. "So now that I wiped blood off you, are you gonna tell me your name?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "I feel like we went from strangers to intimate, since I felt your face up."
His lip twitched again, holding my gaze for a few moments before shaking his head slowly. "Liam," he confessed, his voice just as deep as I remembered. "Liam Belkin."
I couldn't help but grin with victory. "Well, then. Nice to officially meet you," I told him, just as he dropped his eyes to my name tag, which was clipped on the fabric of my uniform, above my heart.
"Now since I'm on a roll on getting my questions answered..." I began, tilting my head to the side as I smiled at him curiously. "What happened?"
For a moment, he was silent, hell, the diner was. Until I heard both Sophie and Xavier's voices getting louder behind me as they stepped back into the diner.
"Thanks," I mumbled to Sophie after she handed me a dark green tee-shirt. It looked small for Liam, but nonetheless, I gave it to him.
His eyes lingered on me before taking off his shirt, making me gasp. "Shit," I blurted out with a hiss, seeing the bruises on his stomach.
"I'm fine," he whispered... soothingly? I wasn't sure, but when I looked back to meet his gaze, he smirked. "I'm more tough than I look," he defended, but I doubt that was the case. Liam Belkin looked tough. Strong. Masculine.
Fuck, why was my panties twisted at the damn thought of him?
Before I could retort, he slipped into the snug shirt. Without another word, he gently touched my knee, bringing a jolt down my legs before he pushed them away.
Suddenly, he was walking toward the exit, causing me to stand up, quick on my feet. "Wait!" I said without thought, making the muscles on his back stiffen before he slowly turned to face me.
His baseball hat was still on, preventing me from seeing his hair still—which I hated. But nonetheless, I walked toward him, until there was just a foot between us. "Are you gonna be okay? Your leg..."
He took a deep breath as my eyes dropped, looking him over before I met his expected gaze. "Sprained my ankle. I'm okay," he told me, his lip twitching.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke—I wasn't sure for his reason, but I sure as hell couldn't look away from his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered, making my heart do a weird jumpy thing.
Damn fool, stop moving and beat regularly.
"Thanks for... you know, for doing all this," he mumbled, lifting his hands but still didn't look away from my eyes.
My lips parted, but no words came out. He must have noticed my inability to respond because his lips cracked, forming the smallest smirk. "Night, bangs," he murmured, leaning forward so I could really get lost in the depths of his eyes before slowly turning around, walking to the exit.
When the door closed behind him, I finally managed to mumble, "what the actual fuck?"
┉
happy Friday everyone! I'm pretty
sure school started for most of you,
so because of that — good luck
my professors are already sending
us everything we need to do before
class. it's exciting :)
anyway, I have begun writing my
murder mystery/romance/enemies
book and I'm so excited to share it
with you guys soon!
I'll see you lovelies in the next one x