I blew out my cheeks as I parked my car outside Tifler’s. It’s a local bar that recently opened in Filmore after it got wrecked multiple times in Remorse District. The owner refused to talk about the reason, though.
I turned the engine off then rubbed my cold palms on my cheeks. "Seriously?" I scoffed when rain went heavier. "Look, God I appreciate the sympathy but you don't have to make heaven cry this much. I didn't even bring my umbrella." I shook my head then cursed the only curse I’d learned in middle school. “Damn it!”
I glanced at the blinking signage of Tifler’s. It was Friday. It meant the place was probably loaded with people. Great! More eyes to witness whatever stupid move I was about to do.
“God, this is the part where I question why I’ve never been to Tilly’s house parties.”
Left with no other choice, I took my keys and the money I kept in my car before I jumped out of my red Chevy. I hugged myself like I was six-year old and ran as fast as I could towards the entrance where Big John stopped me.
“Stop right there, Missy. This isn’t where they’re holding the pajama party,” he said, scanning me from head to toe. His chinky eyes even squinted as if he was purposely trying to scare the shit out of me.
Dear God, I hoped he wouldn't notice that it's working.
I swallowed hard. I put my hands on my back and held firmly on my pinky to keep my calm. “U—Uhm…” I laughed nervously but Big John took a step forward that made me jump.
Damn it! It wasn’t the right time to act like a scaredy cat but I couldn’t help it. It’s Big John I was in front of. The same Big John who broke an opponent’s leg during a football championship. It led to his scholarship's cancellation. Maybe that's why he ended up here, scaring unwelcomed people like me.
I pursed my lips together. I’m no little girl anymore.
“M—My boyfriend’s inside, probably sticking his nose on some hoe’s neck. If you wanna tolerate cheaters then go ahead and send me off.” I gulped. “I forgot to change into a party dress because I ain’t here to party… dude.”
I almost flinched when he took another step foward. His foreheard creased and I swore I felt his gaze like lazer beams. Now I couldn’t help but call all the Saints and angels I could think of, plus my dead relatives and my goldfish named Boola for extra back up. May they not rest in peace even just for tonight. God, please. Even just for tonight...
He shook his head and shooed her like she was some kind of a beggar. "Get outta here, kid."
"I'm not a kid anymore."
"Yes, you are."
She sighed and turned her back on him. For a moment, she thought about just going home. But when she remembered Mara's annoying face, she frowned and looked at Big John again.
“Please, Big John. Just let me in. It’s cold here. I don’t wanna die of hypothermia, and I really need to see my friend,” I begged while doing the puppy eyes thingy. I swore if it wouldn't work, I would poke Maurine and Tilly's eyes.
Big John cocked a brow. “You said your boyfriend?”
My cheeks felt numb. “I… I said that?”
"What are you, a goldfish or something?"
I laughed nervously then scratched my temple. “Uh, well, we’re just friends now since he’s cheating, right? Yes. Uhm, or... or maybe I'll unfriend him, too... on Facebook.” I gulped and lifted my trembling index finger, mimicking Maurine when she's making a point. “I am… I am gonna demote that… that mother… sucker in my life.”
“You mean motherfucker?”
“Exactly.” I smiled, an awkward one. “I’m gonna… uh kick his ass. Not literally, okay? Figuratively since I know violence ain't welcome here and I wasn't raise a violent person--"
I paused when Big John raised both of his brows. Damn it, it wasn't working!
I cleared my throat and put my hand down. "I mean I uhm gonna kick his ass by uh telling him he’s a… he’s a…" My forehead creased. "What’s the word again?"
Big John sighed. “Motherfucker.”
I snapped her fingers and then tip toed to give the big guy a tap on his shoulder. “You… You got it right. He's an absolute mother... uh, whatever you said.” I chuckled, nervous.
He chuckled. "My, my, little girl. You're gonna need some serious life training. This world isn't made for cotton candy and unicorn dress hoarders." He shook his head while still grinning. "Just go home. We don't serve milk in here."
I pursed my lips together. Seriously, after I gave his muscled shoulder a tap, this was how he's going to treat me? Didn't he know how much effort I exerted just to reach his shoulder?
I stared at him in a narrow way. How dare him insult me that way...
When Big John looked at my furious eyes, he laughed. "What? You want momma to pick you up here?"
I felt a different kind of energy in my system all of a sudden. It was too much that I felt like I was getting pushed back so something else could take control. I remained staring at Big John. I spoke to him inside my head while feeling the overwhelmong energy.
You better let me in... Let me in...
I didn't know what the hell just happened but Big John suddenly stopped grinning. His eyes stared at me as if he'd lost control over his own body. When he began murmuring something, My brows furrowed.
"A--Are you alright?"
Big John didn't answer, but he headed towards the heavy curtain and opened it. "Come in..."
Surprised with the sudden change in the weather, I looked at Big John suspisiously. "A--Are you sure?"
But Big John just nodded, still looking like he was hypnotized or something. I felt something was wrong. I mean, there had to be but she didn't want him to change his decision either. I headed towards the entrance and then looked at Big John again in a confused way. "Uh, thanks. H--Hi five?"
Big John lifted his hand and offered me a hi five. I even tiptoed and was about to slap his hand when I felt someone staring at me. I looked around and there, right next to my car, I found a hooded man standing under the rain.
My eyes widened when I saw his pools were a pair of gold; burning with passion and desire, of cravings and something else. I blinked a couple times. When I looked at the same spot again, the man was already gone.
I shrugged and shook my head. Looked like I was going to need something else but a glass of water tonight.
Chapter 3I bit my lower lip when I saw the bartender's forehead creased. I'd been sitting at the bar area for more than five minutes, trying to figure out what the bloody cocktail drinks were made of.I tapped my fingers at the counter while my eyes narrowed at the menu. "Uh, excuse me but what's this uhm... this Bloody Mary?"The bartender sighed and shook his head. "You don't want that, kid." He grabbed a can of Coke in the chiller and placed it in front of me. "Just get this one and get out of here, will yah? I ain't Google, sugar."I pouted and stared at the carbonated drink for a couple seconds. "I'm being nice here." My eyes drifted to his nametag. "Ryle. I'm serious. I need a drink."He raised both of his eyebrows and pushed the Coke closer to my hand. "There. Now get lost."I rolled my eyes and pulled out my bills to show it to him. "I got money, alright? I can pay for like twenty more." I shook my head. "It's no
Chapter 4 I must be crazy when I thought I was having deja vu after seeing the man sitting across the room wearing nothing to cover his chiseled upper body. For a moment, I thought I was still onthatdream. That weird dream I constantly had when I was younger. It was unusual for someone who's barely a teen to dream about herself between a man's arms. The faceless guy in my dreams were telling me words that eventhough I barely understood nor remembered, brought a different kind of feeling in my heart. Sometimes it would wake up the butterflies in my belly I didn't remember swallowing, but most of the time, I would fear him as if he was the reason why I died in my dreams. And now, the longer I stared at the man who's watching me carefullly from across the room, I realized his resemblance to the guy I was running away from in my crazy dreams. The dreams that made my parents bring me to a psychologist named Mara Le
Chapter5I DIDN'T realize I was so good at glaring at someone until I met Roam. When he caught my ass after I did the whole James Bond thing, he brought me back inside the house and settled me in the kitchen. Now what? Was he going to poison me?My eyes looked at him and I swore if my pupil--iris? Damn anatomy! Anyway, if it were lazerbeams, he would be dead by now but the bastard didn't seem to care. He even smirked as if I was the biggest joke he'd stumbled on. "What were you even thinking? You're in the middle of nowhere. If you managed to get out of here, you ain't gonna last 'til dawn in the woods."I glared at him. "I'm a girlscout, mister."He trapped a laugh by pursing his lips. "Yeah, right. As if assembling tents and singing camp songs are not the only things you did."An exaggerated gasp escaped my mouth. "How dare you? We did more than that you... you..."He raised both of his brows and folded his toned arms in fron
Chapter 6Half an hour had passed before Roam went back to the house looking like a ragged warrior. His shirt was ripped with blood stains, horrifying me. I knew there was something inhumane about him that was scaring the shit out of me, but when I saw the cuts on his cheek and lower lip, something inside me twisted.He pulled off his shirt, revealing more of his cuts on his chest ang back. Jesus! What the hell happened to him?I was left frozen on my spot at the living room, unable to blink as he reached for the first aid kit hiding under the center table. The fact that he was keeping it there and not in the kitchen made me assume that he usually gets himself into trouble.He dropped himself on the couch then looked up. "You okay?" he asked with a wrinkled forehead.Was he for real? "How am I supposed to be okay when you just changed eye color in front of me and then returned looking you just had an MMA match with a freaking be
Chapter 7 Roam OVER THE PAST decades that I was waiting for my mate's return, there was never a moment in my life that I didn't think of her. Her soft lips that used to whisper sweet words in my ear to calm me down, her eyes that spoke more than she could ever utter, her hands that fitted perfectly with mine, and even the tiniest thing about her, it all haunted me even when I was awake. She was my nightmare and my sweetest dream, while my love was her calmest sea and the same ocean that drowned her... With a halfway empty bottle of whisky in my hand, I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep. Her forehead wrinkled and she let out low groans as she dreamed of something, but no matter how much I was trying to convince myself that it's not possible for her to remember it all, I knew her bad dreams were about me. My hand held the side of her face as I looked at her with raw affection. I waited for so long and each pas
Chapter 8JemimahSINCE the night I dreamed about Roam transforming into a dangerous beast who preyed on me even when I begged him to stop, I kept my distance from him. I avoided him in any way possible. I dodged his worried stares, and shut my mouth whenever he was trying to approach me. It's all because of that fear I felt because of that dream, yet everytime he's letting out a frustrated sigh, my chest would feel heavy.How long had it been? A few days? A week rather since I stopped speaking to him? I couldn't remember. I already lost count anyway, but there's one thing I was sure of.My heart was not happy with what I was doing to him...I hugged my knees tighter when I heard his footsteps approaching the room. He stopped but didn't knock as soon as he reached the door, as if he was hesitating to do so becausee he knew I would not bother answer.My eyes watched the small gap under the door. He was standing outside for
Chapter 9IT FELT WEIRD. Sitting on the couch with a saucer of cake while Roam was next to me just gave me goosebumps for reasons I could not decipher. My fear subsided earlier at the sight of his sweet smile, as if my memory of him being a monster I should be scared of suddenly went blurry.I swallowed the piece of cake in my mouth before I threw him another glance. He was busy eating like me when I noticed the icing left on the corner of his lips. When he licked it off before he chewed, I felt my throat went dry as I watched his jaw moved.Dear God, I know my points in heaven have been decreasing eversince I got here, but for once, I'd like to blame you for sculpting such well-defined jaw...I looked away instantly when he gazed at me. My heart did the crazy drum roll-like beat again as I pretend to be admiring the cake I was slicing with my fork. This organ better behave before I volunteer for a transplant once I was out of
Chapter 10I COULDN'T help it. I just wanted to greet the morning sun when I went to the porch but after seeing Roam effortlessly cut the giant trunks of woods with his axe like he was Thor, I found myself staring at his sexy back like it was a once in a lifetime phenomena to have a sight of his majestic bod.His back muscles would flex with his every movement, yet with all the force I assumed was needed to cut such large pieces of woods, I wondered why he was not sweating as much as I was expecting?Not that I found it sexy when a man was doing manly stuff and their skin were sparkling because of their sweat. I was just... oh, right. I figured it out. Was it because he wasn't normal?"You nasty, nasty mind. Since when did you built allegiance with my stupid heart, hmm? He ain't someone to fangirl over," I murmured to myself. Great. Now I was sure I was losing my mind.I sighed and looked at Roam again but what he did next