“Why am I here?” I asked furiously for the final time.
“I already said I am saving you right.” Ace groaned, leaning back on the bed.
I kicked his legs hard, making him fall of the bed. He let out a shriek of pain as he pulled the plain blanket down with him.
“Damn woman, it’s just 6. 30 in the morning. Too early for this shit.” He rubbed his ankles which had hit the corner of bed.
“I don’t care. I am awake from 5. 45.” I reminded, scowling at him.
“I hate girls on periods.” He muttered under his breath.
I threw a pillow at him. “Don’t piss me off more.” I warned him.
“Fine, can I at least take a shower?”
I nodded, throwing his towel at him. “Hurry up. I am hungry too. Get some chocolates.”
He went into the bathroom, saying something like ‘I hate this’. Nor do girls love it but we don’t grumble about it, at least try not to. Sometimes I just don’t understand why blood needs to come out, why can’t it be something nice . . . like fairy dust or something?
I leaned back on the bed. I had already showered and dressed up for school. It was the third day of my periods and the worst one. Ace had somehow managed to avoid the topic of staying in the motel and Anastasia but now I was done with being ignored. I wanted answers and I wanted them now. By hook or by crook.
Ace finally came out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. I blinked. Holy shit!
My eyes swallowed the sight shamelessly. Water drops on his tattooed naked hard chest like dews on leaves, extremely beautiful. I stared in wonder at his tattoo, a black dragon breathing fire on his chest. The flames dropped up to his navel and then stopped. Thankfully it didn’t cover the whole chest only the center part and the flames weren’t extremely blazing yet looked real. I didn’t really like tattoos but somehow on him, it looked smoking hot!
A drop of lucky water rolled down from his neck to the chest and to his firm stomach and disappeared inside the towel. I gulped when he bent to remove his clothes, his derrière winking at me in mock suggestions as he removed his clothes from the bag.
My dirty mind filled with the thoughts of bed, me and him, all tangled in a lovely mess of satisfaction and bliss.
He finally stood up and wore a black tee; I ignored the pang of disappointment. I was enjoying the view! Just as he was about to remove his towel and wear a jeans, I squeaked. “Are you going to change here?”
He smirked at me. “You can always turn around.”
“Oh . . . uh yeah, of course.” I stammered, slapping my face mentally.
“Am I making you nervous?” He asked mockingly as he took a step forward, his fingers lightly tugging the towel making it loosen.
I instantly scouted backwards. “Bah, of course not.” I lied, turning my flaming face away.
Get a grip over your raging hormones, Joanna!
“All done.” He said, sitting on the bed.
I turned back. His black tee hugged his muscles, making them more bulging and his shorts showed off his lean legs. He looked hot, with or without clothes.
“I do, don’t I?”
My eyes widened. “I said that loudly?” I asked in horror.
He grinned, winking at me. “You expressed your real thoughts about me.”
“Whatever.” I didn’t deny the fact he was hot. Thinking it was time to change the topic, I did just that. “Why am I here?”
His face grew serious, all signs of mirth and fun washing away. I felt a pang of guilt but I was done hiding in the shadows, I wanted the light now.
“You know that I used to do drug dealing right?”
I nodded my head. This already sounded bad.
“Well I left the gang but they didn’t leave me. They want me back.” He said, shaking his head dejectedly.
I blinked. “Oh, and?”
“I don’t want to go back obviously. So to make me join them they threatened to kidnap you.” He said in a low voice.
“Me?” I gasped my hand over my mouth. “Why me?”
“They saw that we were quiet close. I had to save you so I forced you to come with me.”
His hand reached for mine but I drew it back, ignoring his pained face. “This is fucked up. What makes you think they will leave me after one week?”
“We are calling the police on them day after tomorrow. It is a big contract and the main representatives and majority gang people will be there. Basically everyone who knows about you will be caught. You will be safe.” He assured me.
I shook my head. “This isn’t an action packed movie Bryan. Someone will escape and come back for you, for me. What then?”
“No pensar demasiado, Joanna.” He whispered, his eyes focused on mine.
I gulped, his Spanish accent, it made my insides melt. “This is life crisis Bryan. How can I not think too much?” I whispered back.
“I promise I’ll keep you safe.” His hand reached for mine once again, this time I let him hold it.
“If I get hurt remember Logan’s words.”
He snorted. “Yeah sure.”
“So this drug gang, they will all be caught?” I asked, still worried.
He nodded, his thumb caressing my wrist. “All of them.”
“How do you know about this contract?”
He hesitated and I tried to take back my hand. His hold tightened. “I pretended to be a member a few days back.”
“And you didn’t think of telling me?” I asked incredulously.
“I didn’t think it was an important matter.”
“My foot not important.” I pulled my hand back, glaring at him. “Do you do drugs?”
“What? No! Not at all.” He said, appalled at the accusation.
I relaxed slightly, grabbing a pillow. “And smoking?”
His eyes darkened. “You know I left them. Haven’t touched one in a month now.”
I nodded, smiling a little. “Thank you.” No addictions. Safe.
“Thank you!”
My smile grew a little bigger. “When were you going to tell me all this?”
He sighed, scratching his scalp. “If it was up to me, probably never.”
I gripped the pillow tightly. “What a good friend you are.” I spat.
“I was just trying to protect you.” He fortified, throwing his hands around in a ‘don’t blame me’ manner. I almost threw the pillow at him.
“Protect me? If you were trying to protect me, you could have told this at the start itself. But you avoided it like a plague. God dammit if you wanted to protect me, you could have just stayed the fuck away from me.” I shouted.
His eyes grew wide and so did mine, not believing what I just said.
“You mean it?” He whispered in dismay.
I wanted to shake my head but I couldn’t. So I decided to change the subject. “Who is Anastasia?”
He shook his head, “Answer my question Joanna.”
I gulped uncertainly, “Not really. I don’t regret meeting you or starting to tutor you but I don’t want to join my twin so soon.” I looked at my twisted fingers.
“I would never let you die Joanna. Do you think so low of me?” His questions were bringing tears to my eyes and disheartened tone was breaking my heart.
“No Bryan, I don’t. I am… I am just afraid.” I confessed.
“I thought you felt safe with me.” He murmured with doubt.
A small sigh left my lips. “I do, that’s why I am here.”
“Then why are you over reacting?” He gazed at me impassively.
I gaped at him. “I am not over reacting. You just declared that a fucking drug lord is after me and wants to kidnap me and that you are a member of that same gang now. What do you want me to do after hearing this, sing hakuna matata?
I saw his lips twitch in amusement, but I was in no mood for laughing. “Don’t smile, I am serious.” I warned.
And immediately a smile touched his face. “Hakuna matata would be better.” He admitted.
“That’s a Disney movie, this is reality. Now who is this Anastasia?”
His little smile vanished and I felt bad for bringing that topic but I needed to know. I needed to know where I stood.
“You might want to sit for this.” He said.
I hadn’t realized I was standing on the bed with a pillow clutched in my hand for hitting him. I sat down Indian style, the pillow on lap for moral support.
“I met her when I was in ninth grade and had just got into the drug stuff. She was also a member of that gang.” He started. “She was-is beautiful, I am sure you have seen her in the picture.”
I nodded my head mutely.
“I knew she liked me and I liked her too but I didn’t want to pull her into my pathetic life. She was too perfect to be messed with.”
And I am so imperfect that you keep kissing and ignoring me and lying to my face. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“One day on a drug mission, I was almost caught but she saved me. That night we kissed for the first time.”
I ignored the pang of jealousy. She’s past but then it’s our past that defines our present and future.
“After that we kept on kissing and making out and finally we did it.” He said ‘it’ awkwardly and I didn’t have to be Newton to understand what it meant. Sex, obviously.
“We finally became a couple and after a long time I was happy again. She was an orphan with her father’s money left on her name. She wasn’t very rich just rich enough for survival. She did the drug dealing to keep herself occupied. She loved the thrill and excitement.” He carefully continued. “We went to missions together, met secretly since dating the same group members was forbidden. Forbidden love always gives a rush of excitement and we were both thrilled to experience it. We were happy and I knew I loved her. I was going to ask her to run away with me from the whole gang, we both had enough money.”
A future already planned with her? Oh fuck! Why did it hurt more than it should have?
“But then in 10th year, my dad wanted me back and I thought I would tell him about Anastasia and he would help her and we could stay in the house with him. But I was so wrong, when that bitch came to know about Anastasia. She sent Sean to know everything about us. Sean is charming and endearing, as you already know, within weeks he had persuaded Anastasia to meet him behind my back and he made her blurt everything out. He said that he was just trying to help. Anastasia believed him; she told him everything, even about the gang. Unfortunately during these weeks of fake consoling Sean had fallen in love with Anastasia.”
He paused. “He fed her lies about me, my past. He made me look like a jerk in front of her. He was so convincing that Anastasia started believing him and cried. He took that weak moment to kiss her, she kissed him back. He had recorded this and when I saw it, I blew up. I broke up with Anastasia calling her a slut and whore. I punched Sean and my dad threw me out again, blaming me for everything. I waited, waited for Anastasia to realize the truth and come back but she never did. Another girl had betrayed me and broken me. I was depressed and got deeper into drug dealing. Anastasia had left the drug dealing and I didn’t know what she was doing or where she was staying.”