When I looked in the direction of the scream, he was already just one step away from me, and as our eyes met, we both froze.
He was disheveled, wearing a tight sleeveless shirt that clung to his body. He had a tattoo on his right arm, and I could see the design continue onto his neck. It was strange, like a burning feather, but I didn’t take much time to inspect it. He was wearing loose pants and house slippers.
Dressed like that, he still looked great… Tell me his stupid secret. Did this guy make a deal with the devil to be so handsome?
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised. He had the same look of astonishment as me.
“What are you doing here? Weren’t you going to stop following me?!” he replied, getting closer to the woman. I stepped between them; I didn’t trust Donovan at all.
“I’m not following you! My friend lives nearby!” We were shouting in the middle of the sidewalk like two idiots. He always finds a damn way to easily make me angry.
“And what are you doing with her?” He pointed at the woman, and she jumped into his arms. I didn’t understand anything.
“Deni, she’s my new friend! Isn’t she adorable?” She looked at me, and she grabbed my hand to pull me closer. Donovan looked at our intertwined hands with an exorbitant expression. Then she whispered something in his ear that I could hear very easily. “She called me cute.”
“You are,” Donovan gave her a half-smile and then looked back at me. His guard was down; the stern expression was gone from his face.
“Is he Deni? Are you sure you have the right person?” I dared to ask.
I can’t believe the things she told me she did were with him. I didn’t realize we were talking about the same guy I know. And is she really his mother? I needed to understand this…
“Nope,” her voice sounded confident, assuring me that she wasn’t mistaken. She pointed her finger at me out of nowhere, the excitement on her face still there without a second of pause. “Deni, she brought me home.”
He looked stunned, not knowing how to act. He didn’t know how to pretend, so he cleared his throat and draped his arm over his mother’s shoulder.
“Well, let’s go. Say goodbye to her, and let’s go home.”
“But why? I want her to stay!” She started shouting, and I could see a wave of tears coming.
“She can’t stay. She has many things to do, right, Celina?” he grumbled through gritted teeth. God, can’t he be a pleasant person for more than five minutes?
“Yes, sweetheart, I have some super important things to do,” I said, tucking a strand of my black and slightly gray hair behind my ear. She’s actually a very beautiful woman. She has light green eyes, beautiful cheekbones, and almost perfect features.
“But I want to be with you.” She wrapped her arms around my neck for a hug. Donovan was on unfamiliar ground and didn’t know what to do.
“I know, someday we’ll meet again. Okay?” I wrapped my arms around her waist and caressed her back. She’s just a child… or at least acts like one.
“Tomorrow?”
“I don’t think it can be tomorrow, darling.”
Right at that moment, tears burst out.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. I… I’ll…” I started to console her, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. I can’t promise her that she’ll see me again.
“Will you come to see me tomorrow?” Donovan affirmed, stroking his mother’s hair.
“I will?” she asked, confused.
“Yes, you will,” he looked at me threateningly, warning me not to say otherwise in front of his mother.
“Yes! And we’ll play lots of games that I have at my house!” she said and kissed my cheek.
I guess Donovan said that just to reassure his mother. He won’t make me spend time with her; he can’t stand me, and I can’t stand him either. It would be unnatural for us to be together outside of school and by choice.
“Alright, take care. We’ll see each other tomorrow, sweetheart. It was a pleasure, a very, very, very big pleasure to meet you.” I kissed her cheek, and she held my wrist.
“And Deni too, right?” she wanted to know, looking at Donovan with a playful smile.
“Yes, I think so,” I simply said and waved goodbye to her.
Donovan left without turning around even once and held his mother’s hand.
“Goodbye, Celi!” she shouted before turning the corner.
I checked the time on my cellphone, and it was quarter to twelve.
Damn…
Buses stop running at twelve, so I ran to the bus stop and arrived exactly at twelve o’clock. The problem? The bus was no longer coming because the last one left just as I arrived… Now what the hell do I do? My only solution is to call a taxi and have my aunt pay for it.
“Can I give you a ride?” Donovan approached my side, driving a black Chevy, which looked new. The car was gorgeous, just like the one driving it. “Are you getting in or not?”
I thought about other possibilities, but I didn’t have any, and I didn’t want my aunt to think I was a nuisance, so I reluctantly got into the car and closed the door a little too loudly.
“Be more careful.”
“Oops, sorry,” my sarcastic tone didn’t sit well with him. His face twisted into a thousand curses.
He started driving at full speed.
“You’re already making me regret this,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Then let me get out of the car.”
He ran his hand through his hair and glanced at me sideways. “Tell me the address.”
I thought for too long about whether I should give it to him or not, but it was clear I had no other way to get home. I gave it to him, and he didn’t speak to me until we were halfway there.
“What happened with my mom?”
I was expecting him to ask that sooner or later.
“I saw her scared and helped her, that’s all.”
“She doesn’t like talking to other people.”
“Well, where do you think she learned it from?”
“Shut up.”
He turned the corner, and I pointed to my aunt’s house.
When he saw the two-story house, he smiled in the most mocking way possible. I could almost hear, “You’ve returned to your natural habitat” or something similar. He practically lives like I did two months ago.
“Give me your number so I can tell you what time I’ll pick you up.”
“Huh?”
As far as I know, I never agreed to go out with him. Is he high or something?
“My mom wants to see you, and she’s really excited about it. If you don’t come tomorrow, she’ll drive me crazy, so if you’d be so kind…”
“Please?”
“What?”
If he said it, I swear I would laugh for a century.
“Ask me nicely.”
“No way,” he replied as if even the thought of saying please disgusted him.
“Fine, I tried. Give me your phone, and I’ll give you my number.”
Donovan handed me his phone, and I passed him mine. I hope he deletes it after tomorrow.
“Your mother is very nice. Too bad you’re an asshole,” I said, getting out of the car.
“Thanks for what you said about my mom, and for the other thing too.”
He accelerated to leave before I could even say goodbye to him.
He always has the damn luck to find me where I wouldn’t even cross my mind. What’s wrong with the universe?