“Who is she, Den? Did you bring us something to play with?” a man asked, emerging from another car.
“Who are they?” I wanted to know instantly. There were several people now getting out of that man’s car, all their eyes on me.
“Celina, leave,” Donovan ordered me erratically.
“But…”
His face tightened and turned a crimson red. “What part don’t you understand, damn it?! Leave! I don’t want you here!”
His voice broke due to the force of his screams. I had to take a few steps back, startled by the fear he provoked in me.
Donovan noticed the fear in my eyes, I was sure of it. Giving me a disapproving look, he turned around and walked into the house with those men following him.
I could hear a couple of whines from those bastards; they pleaded with Donovan to come in with them. Once I confirmed that Alice wasn’t in those cars, I fled. I ran far away with my heart in my mouth.
I felt like an idiot for coming. I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t do it again.
I took my cell phone and called April to see if she was at home. She was, so I walked there with my bag over my shoulder. The damned thing felt like it weighed four tons.
She greeted me with a giant smile as always, which I appreciated a thousand times over, it improved my mood in an instant.
I called my aunt to let her know where I was and who I was with, she, as always, didn’t have a problem, she wasn’t even at home when I called her. Lately, she’s been shopping every day and coming home radiant. That’s good, let her enjoy every penny of her thug husband’s money.
April and I, we reviewed for exams and did homework… Or rather, I passed my work to her so she could stop falling behind.
She brought up the subject of Travis, asking if I truly didn’t like him. It took me at least two hours to make it clear to her that I didn’t feel attracted to Travis, let alone after what he did to me at school. It also took me another two hours to try to convince her that she should talk to him sometime, I didn’t completely like the idea simply because even Travis didn’t seem like a good person for April anymore. But she liked him, I couldn’t stop that.
“And Donovan?” she asked, raising her eyebrows, expectant, she knew she was dying to ask me.
“What about him?”
“Don’t play dumb with me! You left with him after what happened at school.”
“Yes, he just saved me, that’s all.”
“And where did you go after that?”
“Nowhere, he took me home and left. He just did me a favor.”
“Donovan doesn’t do favors.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, he did one.”
“You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?”
“There’s nothing to say,” I assured her. It was true. There’s nothing between Donovan and me.
“I’m going to believe you just because I need to finish this work as soon as possible. Later, get ready, because you’ll be grilled by April’s questions.”
“I can’t wait for that moment to come.”
April began to write her essay when my phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown.
“Where are you?”
I looked at the message confusedly. They must have gotten the wrong number, or so I thought until another message arrived.
“It’s Donovan.”
I didn’t expect Donovan to send me a message in a million years. That’s why my face of astonishment must have been spectacular since I caught April’s attention.
“What’s up?” she asked, coming closer to me. I moved away. I didn’t want her to read the message… Nor did I want her to hear my heart, which was about to explode.
I was emotional these days. More than usual.
“Nothing, I, uh… I have to go,” I informed, picking up my things and leaving her the sheets so she could finish her tasks. “Tomorrow you can give me everything. Don’t worry about it. I have to go, but thanks for everything.”
Before she could reply, I rushed out the front door.
I took a gulp of air, and my phone vibrated again.
“Won’t you answer me?”
I wanted to. But something told me I shouldn’t.
“I’m at your house and I know you’re not here. Will you make me wait here until you arrive?”
“Do you want to see me now?”
“Where are you?”
I considered all the possibilities, but the only one that would leave me totally satisfied at the end of the day was to tell him where I am and talk to him. And that’s what I did.
When I saw the Chevy, I knew it was Donovan. I sat in the passenger seat, waiting for him to say something, but he didn’t. He just drove to his house. Until we got there, I didn’t want to say anything either. I wanted to see if Alice was okay, and if I said something that bothered him, he would probably leave me in the middle of the street.
“Alicia!” Alice yelled, ecstatic, running into my arms. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I stroked her back.
“Hello, beautiful,” I greeted while seeing Alice’s caretaker nodding in approval.
Donovan acted as if nothing had happened. He sat on the couch with us and watched me all the while as I brushed Alice’s hair or played with her toys. She was more than happy to see me and didn’t have any attacks. I loved being with this beautiful person, though it’s strange to treat her like a child when her physical appearance is that of a woman in her thirties.
It was getting late, and I made a move to leave. Donovan didn’t object, but his mother did, so I had to stay for dinner. Donovan ordered a pizza.
It was already midnight, and we both sent Alice to bed. She resisted at first, but when I told her I would lie down with her until she fell asleep, she happily went to bed. Donovan smiled at me involuntarily. I know because as soon as he realized it, he returned to his cold, hard aura.
“What are you to Deni?” Alice inquired as I tucked her in.
“We are… friends,” I replied, not very sure. We weren’t even friends, or were we? I didn’t know.
I lay down next to her and gently stroked her hair.
“He looks at you a lot,” she commented in a low, almost sleepy whisper.
“Really? I didn’t even notice. Now rest,” I kissed the top of her head and waited for her to fall asleep.
She started snoring within five minutes.