“I don’t care if he didn’t love me, Nicholas,” I said in between sobs. “But what he did was pure evil. You don’t do that to a person. You do not do that to your child. You just don’t!”“Your father should rot in jail for this, if you ask me,” Nicholas said. “But the next step is up to you. And whatever you decide, I want you to know, I will be there for you.”As I rested my head on his shoulder, I realized that I was thankful for him. When I first met him, I wanted to take him down and burn him to the ground. But if I did, then what would have happened to me tonight if he wasn’t there? If he didn’t find it in his good soul to come to my rescue and take me in tonight when I had nowhere safer to go, I’d be on the street, half-naked and crying over my lost virtue.“And while you’re figuring things out, you’re welcome to stay here. I will keep you safe and offer you whatever help you need.”Nicholas sat on my chair, taking me with him. He put an arm around me as I leaned my head against h
I gave him a shy smile. After my dramatic moment last night, I was not quite sure how to act in front of him.I slowly sat up on the bed and without a word, went to the bathroom. I took a couple of deep breaths, allowing my pounding heart to steady.My heart was pounding? Shit!I went to the sink to wash my face and brush my teeth with the new toothbrush Nicholas provided me the night before. I stared at my face in the mirror for a long moment. I have a persistent blush on my face that wouldn’t seem to go away.What the fuck is wrong with me? I was pretty sure that my father’s evil machinations had nothing to do with the blush on my face.When I came out of the room, Nicholas was no longer in bed. Instead, I found a new set of shorts and oversized shirt, along with a new pair of purple slippers on top of the mattress.I dressed in the new clothes that Nicholas provided. I was glad that the boy shorts I washed last night had already dried up. At least I didn’t have to worry about goin
Nicholas forced a smile to his face. “We have a lot of things in common. I’m as stubborn as you are. And maybe I was cursed to have this burning need to always be the hero in helpless situations.”“That’s not true.”He chuckled, wiping the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Is too. Why’d you think I did what I could to save Margaret’s diner? Or why do I hang out with those kids from the other side of town?”“Maybe because you’re really a good person,” I admitted.“Nah! I think I have superhero complex. I always look for desperate situations, damsels in distress and I swoop in and save the day!” He grinned. I could see a small blush on his cheeks.I bit my lips back to keep myself from smiling.This man! He didn’t really have superhero complex; I knew that by now. But to keep his reputation of being a devil-may-care playboy, he didn’t want to admit that he was compassionate by nature, with a good heart, a caring soul.“Okay, Superman. I will accept your offer. But I will pay you. As soon a
I popped my new clothes in the washing machine and dryer. When I came back to the room, holding a hamper of my newly-washed clothes in my arms, I found Nicholas in the room. He was fixing something in the mirrors, which turned out to be built-in cabinets.“What’s up, roomie?” I asked in a teasing tone.“Oh, good you’re here,” he said. He pressed one of the mirrors and it opened smoothly, revealing the closet inside. It was empty. “I’ve cleared this so you can put your stuff in here. If later you don’t find the space sufficient, you can let me know.”How very thoughtful of him. I wanted to argue that it wasn’t necessary but I knew that it was and I was thankful that he was sensitive enough to know this.“Wow,” I said under my breath.“You’re welcome.” Then he fished something in his pocket. He handed me a gold-colored smartphone. It looked brand-new. “You can use this.”“What’s this?” I asked.His eyes widened, as if in shock. “You haven’t seen a smartphone before?”I rolled my eyes. “
I smiled back at Nicholas. He knew that it was not easy for me to be transparent, to show that some things could actually pierce through my shell. He knew that when I thank him, I was actually eating a portion of my ego, because I judged him so easily and I was wrong. So, our whatevers meant we understood each other. It meant that he had proven me wrong one more time and it was okay for me not to say it because he was letting me walk away with my head held high.But not this time. He deserved it. He deserved to know that I was wrong about judging him. That I now admit that he’s a good person.I squeezed his hand back and said, “Thank you, Nicholas. You’re a good guy. And I’m sorry for judging you too soon. I’m sorry for ruining whatever chances you may have with Jen, if you were really into her. I’m sorry for all the crap I gave you. And thank you for being there for me when I needed someone the most.”He held my hand tighter in his. He looked into my eyes for a moment. “You’re forgiv
I texted Brett using my new number—I mean, the number that Nick lent me.Four PM tomorrow. Front gate, university.Immediately, my phone rang.“The fuck, dude! You have no idea what hell we’ve been through looking for you!” Brett’s voice was raised and agitated.“What?”“Your phone was off. I didn’t know where you were. I went to your house. Nobody wanted to let me in. They said that you ran away from home without telling anybody where you were off to. I had to force myself to speak to your father. He said he had no idea where you were and he didn’t care. In fact, he looked happy that you were gone! He gave me your wallet, told me that if I saw you, I should give it to you. What happened? Where were you?”I took time to process what Brett was saying. The mention of my father suddenly made me cringe. I had to close my eyes for a moment to let the surge of panic and fear settle down.I felt a warm hand caress my nape, providing me comfort and some proof that I was not alone. I leaned my
“I thought you weren’t attracted to me!”“I wasn’t,” he agreed. His response was almost automatic and the tone of his voice was leveled, meaning he didn’t even think twice about what he said and I didn’t know why I wanted to hit him in the face at the moment.I cast my disappointment aside and tried to keep a straight face. I’d deal with my feelings later. Right now, he cannot suspect that I was feeling even a little bit fond of him!“Then why would you even suggest a kiss as a punishment to get even with me when I hit you?” I asked, keeping my voice as cool as possible.Nick shrugged. “You said I’m Nicholas Atkins and according to you, I’m interested in every girl I meet. And you just called yourself a girl. I mean, you’re unlike any of the girls I’ve dated before. I usually go for tall, curvy babes with long legs and supermodel looks. The chances of us ever getting together are from nil to maximum five percent. Kissing was probably the worst thing that we could do with each other. I
I put the cash back in the wallet and then I handed it to Brett.“What?”“I don’t want his money,” I said. “Return it to him with all the cards. Even that Louis Vuitton wallet was a gift from him. I don’t want it.”“Dude?”“Do it, Brett. Or take the money and put it to good use. Either way, tell him what you did. I want him to know I didn’t take any cash from him. He no longer has a kid. I no longer have a father.”Brett stared at me for a long moment. I could see frustration in his eyes and then some sadness. I could tell that his heart was breaking for me.I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, Brett. I’m Ken Clarke!” I wanted to convince myself about the same thing.Brett heaved a sigh. “How are you going to support yourself?”“I have saved a little money.”“Isabella’s life insurance? I thought you were saving that for after college, to put up your own practice.”“I’m not even sure I’ll be practicing this profession, Brett,” I told him honestly. “I did it for Jen. But now, she’s