CHAPTER XX
Stubborn
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MYLES
The wind blew her chocolate brown hair, and I rooted in my spot. The sight of her took my breath away, but I couldn't pull my eyes off her—or her freshly cut hair. Even though she probably chopped an inch or two, there were shorter lengthens that surrounded her perfectly heart-shaped face.
Althea Carras looked like someone painted her with the richest colours. Golden skin lighter than mine, but flawless. The sun made her come alive. Her smooth hair shining brighter. Her honey eyes gleaming.
She loved the moon, but the sun loved her.
The first thing I noticed was her smile, then her eyes. When she smiled, she did it with her full mouth, and I remember thinking how the fuck did someone's mouth stretch so goddamn wide?
Then she stared at me with those Bambi eyes, and I had to physically shake away my bewilderment. Since then, I noticed the little things about her. How her eyes shined when she spoke—it glowed brighter when she rambled about something stupid, but I listened to whatever came out of her mouth. She managed to make anything sound interesting, even her damn movies.
How she hummed when she coloured. How she had to touch something when she was nervous or uncomfortable. Her hair, or her clothes. How she always smiled until no one was looking, but she always smiled when she coloured in that plant book. How she always poured shredded cheese over her mac and cheese every time the food was in its bowl. How she nibbled on her lower lip between each question.
I miss her.
The realization made me hold the bouquet tighter while my eyes travelled over her. She looked so fucking ravishing I had to physically withhold myself from getting closer to her. Even though her black skirt was straight, ending by her knees, it hugged her curves. And her white blouse was up to her collar, tucked into the skirt. She had heels on.
She dressed like those stuck-up business fuckers. I never gave those people another look, but I couldn't stop watching her. I fixated on every step she took, and the snippet of her smooth legs. I realized not too long ago that Althea could wear anything and stop me from breathing.
At first, the thought of giving anyone control over me pissed me the fuck off. But each time I looked at her, the more I didn't mind being under her control.
But she didn't realize. And she wouldn't let me.
Her big eyes found mine from the bottom of the stairs, and it took everything in me not to approach her. I instinctively wanted to touch her hair, tuck away the strands that were already clipped back.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was hard, and I forced myself not to show how much her attitude was affecting me. "I told you we're done."
She was so fucking beautiful, even when she hated me.
Instead of responding to her stupid claim, I lifted my hands, so her eyes would fall to what I held. My mouth faintly rose when she glanced down and froze.
I made her a bouquet with markers and pencil crayons. It took fucking hours. Too many stops at the craft store, and taunts from Spike, but I made it. The only encouragement I needed to finish was the woman in front of me. And seeing her eyes widen made all the agitation worth it.
After a few moments, I pushed my chest out when she started walking down the rest of the stairs. She didn't glance in my direction, but I hoped when she stopped in front of me, she'd give me those Bambi eyes.
My chest deflated when she strode past me, toward the street.
Her reaction wasn't new, but it stung either way.
It's been over a week since she spoke to me, but I've dropped by every day, either before or after work. At first, I stayed in front of her house, waiting for her to eventually leave, but she never did. After two days of rescheduling with my clients, Spike ripped me a new one.
Then I punched him.
It was in the heat of the moment, but I didn't regret it. It was gonna happen eventually, after that mother fucker told her about Remi.
I had no right being mad. I wanted to fucking tell her for over a month. But the choice was ripped from me, and now she wouldn't listen. She wouldn't even look at me. And I fucking hated him for it. I hated myself more.
After that, I took it easy, but I couldn't stop myself from dropping by. Especially today, knowing how important today was to her.
Lowering the bouquet onto a stair, I made sure it wouldn't fall before I spun in Althea's direction, only to see her stop in front of a parked car at the end of the driveway.
Frantic that she was about to get into some fucker's car, I called out, "I can take you."
I didn't expect her to look over her shoulder, but she did. And I clenched my jaw when I saw her eyes narrowing on me. So, I gestured to the car next to me—Spike's car—and said roughly, "To your interview. I mean, it's cheaper—"
"I'll settle with this, Myles." She threw the door open to prove her point. She lowered herself into the seat but kept her impassive expression pointed to me. "At least I know what I'm getting into with Yosef."
She peered to the driver and smiled sweetly and—what the fuck? A mother fucking dude was driving her? And she smiled at him?
"Althea." My voice lowered gruffly, not realizing that I'd been trying to glimpse over her shoulder until I saw her brows raise in the corner of my eye. "Please let me take you. I fucking swear, we don't have to talk. I won't talk to you. But just let me make sure you get there safe."
For what felt like minutes, her eyes skimmed over me, and for the first time in almost two weeks, I had hope that she'd give me a chance.
She slammed the door, and it felt like she took my heart with her.
Stunned with disbelief, I watched the car kick into motion. But it was barely out of sight before I shook off my hopelessness and jumped into Spike's car. I don't give a flying fuck if this was stalker shit, but I was following that goddamn car until I knew she got there safe.
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I surpassed protective services and reached full-out fucking stalker.
Once I saw the car had safely deposited her in front of some fancy white building, I intended to drive home. But every time I thought about leaving her alone, I remembered her telling me about all the violence she witnessed, living in the city. The mere thought of her being put in danger by someone had me wanting to rip someone's throat clean off.
So, I parked myself at some random ass coffee shop—there was five hipster fucking cafe's in the same street—across from the building she entered. I quickly got myself a drink and sat in the small patio they had, and I stayed there for three hours.
For the entire time, I thought about how fucking psychotic I was. But awareness was something, right? At least I wasn't psychotic and oblivious.
It was like my whole body woke up when she confidently stepped outside, swaying her hips with a small smile. The sight had my eyes following her every step; until she jumped into another goddamn car.
I probably looked fucking idiotic as I shot out of my seat, the chair flying somewhere behind me before I ran to my parked car on the side of the road. It wasn't long until I found Althea's car and followed her back to the city. By the time we neared the strip, it was almost seven at night. By the end of the ride, I found myself relaxing and breathing easier—until her driver dropped. And not in front of her house.
She went into the bar. Our bar.
This woman is going to kill me. Fucking swear it.
By the time I parked the car and pushed my way through the entrance, she already plopped herself in front of the bartender. Fury ignited inside me when I saw the fucker encouraging whatever she was saying with a sly smile. My first instinct had been to strangle him, but I knew Althea would make sure I never came a step toward her if I did.
So I positioned myself at the opposite end of the bar and ordered myself a whisky.
That was two hours ago, and every minute since then, killing someone sounded more and more appealing because Althea was flirting. With men who weren't me.
She knew I followed her inside. She saw me the moment I sat down. The princess was good at a number of things, but what she excelled at? Ignoring me. And I fucking hated being ignored.
But I sucked it up while simultaneously sitting on the edge of my seat, hearing her smooth talk some ginger mother fucker next to her. When the fuck did she start liking gingers?
I know I helped her practice her flirting, but I didn't expect for it to backfire on me.
"And if I flirt, that means I want it?"
Did she want to get laid?
The thought made my vision turn red before I slanted my head in her direction. My fists clenched on top of the counter. The bartender must have noticed some rising inside me, because he treaded toward me and offered another drink. I shoved my glass in his direction in response, unable to pull my eyes away from Althea.
While her head was turned in my direction, she kept her hazy eyes on the man sitting next to her. They'd taken three shots together, and I made sure he didn't do anything to the drink every time she glanced away for a split second.
There was a scratchy feeling in my chest when I saw how disoriented Althea seemed. Mi princesa had a low alcohol tolerance, which she has made known the several times I've watched her drink. But I remained seated, no matter how hard I wanted to knock the fucker's face away from her.
The bartender lowered a refilled glass directly in front of me. Fixated on Althea, I aimlessly grabbed the cup and threw it back, drinking everything in one swallow despite me usually taking my time.
A storm built up inside me when another man with black hair slid behind Althea and brought his mouth to her ear. He said something to her, and she laughed. She fucking laughed.
What was so fucking funny? His fucking face? Because I also find it hilarious. I'll find it more fucking hilarious when I flatten his nose into his skull.
Still, I managed to keep myself down. Until the slimy fucker touched her back and slid his hand to her ass.
I hadn't realized I moved until I was on the other side of the bar, gripping the mans neck and yanking him back. He made a stupid squeal when I brought my mouth to his ear and growled, "Hands off before I break them off."
I pushed him away from Althea. He stumbled but quickly caught himself from falling before he spun around. His eyes narrowed challengingly until he noticed who he was standing in front of. I didn't need to be humble. I knew I was big, and seeing how the man became white, he smartly took a step back.
Huffing a breath, I turned to Althea with a glare, but she's perfected her attitude. She kept chatting the ginger—who was now side-eyeing me, his fear extremely evident now. I hid my pleased smirk, just as Althea laid a hand on his shoulder.
I stiffened. The ginger stiffened, as if preparing himself to run. Althea smiled sweetly.
"Ignore him. He has insecurity issues and trouble letting go, but he's just a big ol' softie. When he isn't a backstabbing piece of shit." She covered her mouth and giggled. If it wasn't the most fucking adorable sound, I would have defended myself in time.
The ginger was clearly on edge, but Althea's words soothed him—slightly. He still watched me as if I was seconds away from knocking him off his feet. And he wasn't wrong; if she wasn't here.
I sat on her other side while glaring heatedly at everyone, wondering the entire time how I got myself here. How the fuck she got herself burrowed deep into my skin. Her silent treatment shouldn't have affected me. I never cared for people, so having this short, crazy, rambling princesa ignore me should have been a blessing.
Instead, it felt like there's been something stuck in my throat for over a week. As if something wanted to come out of my mouth every time I saw her.
She surprised me when she twisted her stool and faced me, her Bambi eyes all wide and innocent. "Isn't this nostalgic?" She laughed, flattening a hand on the table. "I mean, I'm drunk because of a man. Again. And you're here. Again. But I guess you and your brother are related. Giving me reasons to drink."
I caught a flash of hurt in her eyes before she turned away from me. My first instinct was to feel angry; at myself and at her, because she went low enough to compare me to Remi. But as her words sank in, I fucking hated myself more because I did the one thing I swore I'd never do. Make her cry.
That day was so vivid. Coming back with my coffee to see Althea. Hearing her accusation. Chasing after her. Seeing her goddamn eyes turn red. Tears stain her cheeks. Tears I brought to her.
Familiar with how Althea sounded when she was drunk, I sat upright for the following thirty minutes while she spoke to the ginger. Flirted, more specifically. She seemed to be more aggressive in her efforts, but I kept myself to rooted in my seat, reminding myself that she wanted to piss me off. And she was, because she was mine.
But she wanted to flirt? Let her fucking flirt. I'd be the only one she went home with.
So, I let her go on with her charade while soberly staring at the ginger over her head. Seeing him seconds away from shitting himself had me almost unclenching my fists in amusement.
At one point, he asked for his bill before turning to Althea. "I should go. It's getting late."
"Let me come with you," she said loudly, standing up. Only to end up rocking backward from the abrupt movement.
I didn't think before wrapping an arm around her waist. And touching her for the first time in almost two weeks... fuck, I wanted to lay her on the ground and breathe her in.
I had a moment of peace until Althea realized I'd grabbed her. She tried shoving herself out of my grip but ended up stumbling sideways. This time, I shot up from my seat and took her arm before she collided to a table.
"Get," she weakly shoved my chest, but her legs were giving up underneath her. I held her tightly as she rasped, "Off me."
"Me vuelves loco," I grunted softly as she squirmed.
The ginger watched our transaction before his eyes fell to Althea. "I can take you ho—"
"Don't even fucking think it," I snarled, holding Althea closer to my chest before I could stop myself. "Get the fuck out of here."
He flinched but continued staring at Althea, who completely forgot he existed. She stopped twisting out of my arms, so she could stare at me head on with a glare. "You're so," she hiccuped, and I instinctively held her tighter, "Annoying. What are you trying to prove? Are you not done with your little game? Did you even tell Remi that you're brothers? Why are you involving me in this? You got what you wanted. What else do you want from me?"
I couldn't answer her, but I sagged after hearing her list of questions. It's been so long since she prodded me for answers. At first, I hadn't envisioned them to be anything more than fucking annoying. Now, all I wanted was for her to never stop asking questions.
At least then I'd know she wouldn't stop talking to me.
When I didn't say anything, she struggled in my arms again. So, I sat her on the stool, watching her sternly to make sure she wouldn't try and run away. Instead, she slumped into the stool, exhaustion lining her delicate features while her hair cradled her face. Again, all I wanted to do was touch her hair; push it back, so I could see her face clearly.
But I kept my hands to myself and stood straighter before ushering the bartender toward me. For a few minutes, I paid for mine and Althea's tab while she started snoozing off next to me. At one point, her eyes fell shut and her head sagged to the side, but I quickly reached out, catching her head from falling too far.
The moment our receipts were in my hand, I brought my attention back to Althea, only for a small smile to pull on my lips. She'd fallen asleep on my outstretched hand.
Her lips were slightly parted, her chest slowly rising as she breathed.
With my hand finally touching her face, I felt a wave of satisfaction as my thumb gently brushed across her soft cheek.
Her entire face scrunched, and the corner of my mouth quirked, threatening to pull into a wider smile as she writhed in my hand.
Wanting to smooth the lines on her forehead, I stepped closer and slowly slithered a hand down her waist. "Shush, princess. I've got you."
Again, her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She drank too much. I scolded myself for not watching her too closely, but as I cradled the back of her thighs and lifted her into my arms, the tension I'd been carrying on my shoulders loosened.
She made a low, disapproving noise but still dug her face into my chest and inhaled. At first, I didn't move; unable to look away from her sleeping form. It wasn't until the door chimed open that I kicked myself forward.
For ten minutes, I carried her home. At first, I was worried about her ears, but it wasn't windy tonight. But I still made sure the hair covered her ears the entire walk, so they'd be safe from the cold.
My first instinct was to kick the front door once I stopped in front of her house. The only reason I stopped was because I worried the sound would wake her up. I managed to keep my arm supporting her upper back while my hand extended to the door. Fist toward the door, I knocked twice and waited with a clenched jaw as someone ran on the other side.
A moment later, the door was thrown open, revealing... Nellie?
"What the fuck happened?" She hissed, glaring at me with disdain before rushing to the woman in my arms. "What did you do?"
"Me?" I bared my teeth in anger, but I didn't entertain this conversation. I shoved past her and stormed across the open-concept room before stopping in front of Althea's room. Ignoring the caramel scent that always seemed to follow her, I made sure not to jostle her too much while lowering her onto the mattress.
Head on the pillow, she began to stretch her neck and thrash. I moved automatically.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, my hand fell onto her cheek and brushed her long hair away from her eyes. I murmured softly, "Just go to sleep, princess. You can yell at me all you want tomorrow. You can do whatever you want to me tomorrow."
At first, she didn't seem satisfied with my suggestion, but I still caressed her face. For over a minute, I fixated on her expression and the lines that flattened the longer my touch remained.
Only when I heard rustling from outside her bedroom door, did I reluctantly move my hand back. Feeling tensed, knowing her friend was probably watching me, I shot upright and began to remove Althea's clothes. She didn't fight, too deep into her sleep to notice.
Once I slipped her into a large sleep shirt, I made sure to carefully tuck her in, so she wouldn't wake up. Pushing my shoulder back, I sighed in relief when she pressed her face deeper into the pillow. But instead of exiting from where I came from, I lingered.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at her. At her face. How her small nose flared with every inhale she took. At rosy her cheeks. Her full lips parted.
Hermosa.
Behind me, Nellie cleared her throat. Knowing she was silently telling me to walk over, I clenched my jaw. My eyes stayed on Althea for a few more seconds before I begrudgingly pulled myself back. I made sure there was a bottle of water on her nightstand before leaving.
Nellie treaded backward once I stepped into the hall and gently closed the bedroom door. We both held our breath until a soft click echoed through the space. I originally planned to ignore Althea's friend—she obviously didn't like me, and I didn't give a fuck—but as I strode across the room with her tailing behind me, I saw something in the corner of my eye that made my feet falter.
Nellie, seeing what caught my attention, stopped next to me. "I brought it in." She sounded disgruntled about that.
"I thought you hated me." It wasn't a question.
She snorted and crossed her arms, but in the corner of my eye, I noticed her expression saddening. "I don't."
"Congratulations."
She scoffed but almost smiled before she spun around, so she was standing in front of me. I narrowed my eyes before she explained, "You don't like me. I don't like you. This isn't anything new." She paused, reading my indifferent expression. "But... You did treat her good."
I raised a brow while she snapped her head to the side and cursed. "Fuck. I hate this." She pushed her shoulders back and lifted her stubborn eyes to mine again. "Allie's an optimist. She's good. She sees the good in me. In everybody."
The mention of Althea made her smile soften, but she quickly shook her head. "That's why we're still friends. She's never given up on me. Not when I was at my worst." Lips pursed, she cocked her head and pointed a harsh finger in the direction of Althea's room. "But Remi cheated on her. Someone she's known for almost a decade. And Val? We called her a friend. But despite all that, she wasn't hopeless." She brought her pointed finger to me. "Until you. And now? She's probably going to spend the rest of her life thinking everyone might be using her."
"I never wanted to use her." My voice was hard and low, but her words made me fear that Althea might never talk to me again.
I didn't want to use her. I didn't plan to see her again after the first night, but I couldn't help myself. Althea fucked me up the moment we met. I wanted to say that, but I didn't want to defend myself. Not to Nellie.
Nellie shook her head once, but for the first time since we met, she gave me a look of understanding. "You need to let her go and stop... stalking her." She grimaced when my face darkened. "You need to let her move on. I know you care for her—you can't be around Allie and not care for her. But you should get let her heal and move on."
"Move on?" I said, harsher than planned. "This is me giving her space, but don't get it twisted, Nellie. I'm not fucking leaving."
"You're seriously not giving up?" She had a dumbfounded expression. "She doesn't want you."
"I don't have to explain myself to you."
Stepping backward, I eyed the bouquet on the table. The bouquet I left for Althea—that Nellie brought inside. If she wanted me to let her go, than why did she keep the bouquet?
Not caring enough to question her motives, I shifted my cold expression to Althea's friend. "Watch her. She's probably going to throw up soon. And bring aspirin in the morning. She probably won't want to see me tomorrow."
Nellie tipped her head to the side and studied me silently. I waited until she nodded once before glancing to Althea's closed door, clenching my teeth. I stayed there for another moment before I forced myself to stride away from the one person on this fucking earth I wanted.
Let her go. That's the most fucking ridiculous piece of advice I've ever gotten.
I recounted my conversation with Althea and cracked a smile when I remembered her questions. One continued to linger in my mind the longer I thought about it.
"What else do you want from me?"
You.
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Exam season is here
and I am stressed :')
But I'm excited to start writing
more frequently so there is that !
I hope you loves have
a great weekend x