by Ari Reavis
Deal with. Pretty sure I know exactly what he means, I nod. “Why was he here?”
“He’s been trying to get me to work for him again.” He puts his hands up when I arch a brow. “I’ve been shooting him down, but clearly he’s not taking no for an answer. He came here to remind me of just how much I don’t belong here. Or so he said about ten times before you came over.”
“Hmm. I think he came here to get you in trouble, thinking it might get you fired. And then you’d have no choice but to come back to him.”
“Yeah, that’s probably true too. I’m trying to figure out how he even knew where I would be.”
“The more important thing to try and figure out is how you’re going to avoid him after what just went down here. Me and you both know he isn’t the kind of guy to let being embarrassed go.”
“Kinda hard to avoid what’s right in your house.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What? He lives with you?”
He nods. “My sister’s boyfriend. On and off. Mostly off, but they have kids together, so let’s just say she has an open door policy for him, and he’s there enough that his name should be on the mailbox.”
“Does she know what he does, what he wants you to go back to doing?”
“Yeah. There’s not much she can do about any of it. Don’t think badly of her. She’s taken care of me since I was little. Really, Xavier has too, but when I got old enough, I realized that came with a price. Clearly, he doesn’t feel I’m done paying it.”
“Listen Stan, I can help. That includes finding you somewhere to live, even if you stay with me.”
He’s shaking his head before I even finish speaking. “I’m good. I’m good. I’m saving up to get outta there. I’ll be fine. I stay out of the house as much as I can to avoid Xavier. It’s not for too much longer. But uh, thanks. I appreciate it.
“You’re sure?”
He gives me that all is well even though nothing is well smile, and I know he’s about to make a joke of all this.
“Yeah, man. If you’re asking because you want to go back to sharing a bunk with someone, just say the words.”
I shake my head, a smile coming even if I don’t want it to. “Life isn’t a joke, Stan.”
“I know, but you gotta laugh at it. What other option is there?”
“To change things in your life so you don’t have to keep laughing them away.”
“Well yeah, that too. But uh, I’m not there yet, so I’m gonna keep on laughing. Oh and working.” He puts his hard hat back on. “I was supposed to be helping Carlos put in the windows, so...”
“Go ahead. Just...” I pause, and he stops walking backwards. “I’m here Stan. And I know, I know, you don’t need it, and you’ll joke about it, but just don’t forget it. I’m here, beyond the program, beyond this job. I’m here.”
He smiles, sincerely this time. “I know.”
“Alright. Get outta here.”
He takes off running towards the building, and I head back to the trailer. But not before checking over my shoulder again, looking for Xavier’s car. Because something is telling me that won’t be the last time I see him.
By the time Saturday arrives and I’m standing in front of Mariah’s door, I let all of my worrisome thoughts fade. Just knowing I’m about to see her after what seems like far too long, feels like taking a breath of fresh air. She opens her door in a pair of painted on jeans and a light gray shirt that leaves her shoulders bare. Her smile makes my heart do strange things, getting excited to see her and scared all at once that I’m falling for this woman at lightning speed.
“Hey handsome,” she greets me.
I lean in and kiss her. “I missed you.”
Her eyes light up at my words. She shuts the door behind her and when she walks a little ahead of me down her walkway to my car, I see the tips of those butterfly wings peeking out of her shirt and damn if my dick doesn’t get hard at just the sight of it. After I open her door and get into my seat, I try to discreetly readjustment myself, but her chuckle tells me I’m unsuccessful.
“Saw something you liked, huh?” She smirks.
“Oh, we’re teasing, are we? I’ll remember that when I have my tongue on you later.”
Her swallow is audible as she rubs her thighs together. I have to shake my head to dissuade myself from saying fuck the date and carrying her right inside her house to get her in the bed.
“So, just how badly do you think I’m gonna beat you?” Mariah asks as we set out for the bowling alley. “Single or double digits?”
I laugh. “I must not have told you that my mom loves bowling. We spent many a family night out at a bowling alley. I got this in the bag.”
“Why do I get the feeling your father let her win?”
“You know, now that I think about it, he has never beat her.”
“Well then there you go. Start off our future on the right track and let me win.”
I know she’s joking, but I still smile over at her, at the mention of a future. Our future.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” she says low.
“You. Only you.
“I could get used to that.”
“You do that. And...” I pause as we pull into the parking lot. “Get used to losing. Sorry.”
She gasps as I get out of the car. But when I open her door, she gives me a kiss, so I guess I’m forgiven.
While Mariah ties her bowling shoes, I type our names into the monitor. When I look up, I see a sight that has heat of a whole nother variety building in my body. Turns out this must be bowling league night for the town police officers. They take up four lanes at the other end of the bowling alley. Half of their eyes are on me, but my eyes are on the officer I despise the most, Miller.
Miller smirks at me from across the bowling alley, tapping the officer next to him to turn around and look at me as my hand balls into a fist. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder, and it brings me back to the fact that I’m on a date. I’m here with Mariah, and that’s what I need to focus on. Not that dumb prick over there.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
I clear my throat and drop my shoulders, never having even noticed they’d bunched up with nerves.
“Yeah, sorry.”
Her eyes go over to where I was looking and narrow. I can’t even stand the thought of them looking at her, them assessing her, trying to figure out what a girl like her is doing with me. I put my hand on her lower back and move her over to where the bowling balls are.
“Come on, so I can get to beating you silly.” I force a chuckle.
Her eyes search my face before she leans in and gives me a quick kiss.
“Poor baby. You actually think you’re going to win.” She grins.
I can almost forget about Miller with Mariah’s laughter and cheers in my ear as she whoops my butt the first round. I don’t even need to let her win.
“Let me hear you say it.” She smiles as she puts her hand behind her ear.
“Mariah is the best bowler to ever live.”
She whoops. “I would have settled for Mariah’s the winner, but I like your wording better.”
“Ready for dinner?”
“Would you mind if we just get food from here and play another game?”
“Whatever you wanna do, is fine with me.”
“Beat you again it is.”
I go to order some burgers and fries from the food counter while Mariah presses the screen to set us up for another game. Even though I try my hardest not to check, I look over towards the last few lanes anyway. And sure enough, the eyes of a few of the officers are on me, some on Mariah. All I can do is shake my head, determined not to let them ruin my date.
“We’ll bring the food over to your lane when it’s ready.” The cashier tells me as I pay.
“Thanks,” I say, then join Mariah again. “Okay, time for me to win back some of my pride.”
Mariah barks out a laugh. “I’ll consider allowing it.”
I don’t win the second game either, but her smile from winning is more than enough to ease my bruised ego.
When we’re done playing and take our shoes back over to the front counter, the same officers are watching us again. I look Miller in the eye while Mariah puts her sneakers back on. As annoying as he is, he can only do so much when I don’t do anything to actually warrant his attention. Still, he smirks again before I begin to walk away.
As we get closer to my car, I have to take a deep breath to keep the anger at bay at seeing an all too familiar site. A ticket on my windshield. It always follows a run in with Miller. It’s closer to the passenger side, and Mariah gets to it before I do. She reads it, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion, before she looks up at me.
“It’s for parking in a handicap spot,” she says, perplexed. “But we’re not even in a handicap spot.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not the first one I’ve gotten.” I shake my head.
I open her door and see Miller watching me through the doors of the bowling alley when I walk around to the driver’s side. Fucking asshole. Is he really that stuck on me that he left a bowling game to come outside and write me a ticket? Yeah, I guess so, although I’m not surprised.
“I’m confused,” Mariah continues to say as I back out of the parking space.
“You saw the cops that were in the bowling alley?”
She nods.
“I would say half of them arrested me at some point when I was younger. Let’s just say cops in this town have very long memories. The officers in this town haven’t forgotten the mistakes of my youth. And they’re constantly letting me know that I’m not allowed to forget, or move on from it either. And one in particular likes to make my life hard in any way he can.”
She looks down at the ticket. “Miller?” she inquires. “That’s who issued the ticket.”
I nod. “That would be the prick.”
“But can’t you go to court and fight this?”
“I’ve tried in the past, but either I get a judge I’ve been in front of before, and they’re not trying to hear a word I say, or it comes down to my word against the cop’s and guess who wins. It’s easier to just pay the ticket and keep it moving.”
“That’s so fucked up. You’d think they’d be happy that someone got their life together, and is trying to do right.”
“Not in this town. Once a bad apple, always a bad apple, as they told me again and again. He hasn’t bothered me in a while. I had hoped he’d moved the hell on.”
“It’s more than tickets, isn’t it?” She looks over at me.
“Usually just causing problems at my work sites. When I worked for my old boss, he’d come to those sites, making sure anywhere I was, people knew the police were nearby because of me. Like I needed to be watched, which made some people not want the complication of having me be a part of their projects. It was a big part of me getting my own construction company, so I didn’t have to worry about that kind of shit anymore. It’s been a lot over the years. Getting pulled over for nonsense; the list goes on. It’s just something I have to deal with unless I decide to move.”
“It isn’t right. It’s like he wants your life to crumble so he can get the satisfaction of seeing you behind bars. And the craziest part is, where I grew up, there were plenty of people there who needed to be arrested, but the cops never did a damn thing, and here they are, harassing an innocent man for no reason. The world is so fucked up.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I tell myself it’s my karma for the way I used to live.”
“Fuck that,” she snaps. “You did your community service and changed your life around. It ends there. Or at least, it should.”
I link my hand with hers and lay them on her knee. “Hey. I’m okay,” I tell her. “It’s just a ticket. I can handle it.”
She looks over at me and gives me a small smile.
“But if you really wanna make me feel better...” I say as we pull up to my apartment.
She arches a brow. “What?”
“We can act out those texts.” I grin over at her.
And we do, and then some. I get to look at that tattoo all night until we both practically collapse on the bed. Yeah, that ticket is long forgotten by the time I close my eyes.
Chapter 5
“You’re still a piece of shit,” I tell my brother when the waitress walks away, and we start eating our dinners. “You’re lucky I even showed up after what you pulled.”
He laughs. “Come on. You’re still not over that? It ended up getting you your latest boy toy, didn’t it?”
“Don’t call him that.”
He arches a brow. “So more than a boy toy? Interesting. Can’t say I’ve seen you look this happy in a while, so maybe I won’t have to beat his ass...yet.” He grins, but really more like he’s baring his teeth.
“You won’t be beating anyone’s ass, Liam.” I roll my eyes.
“That’s to be determined. How’s work going? Worth the move?”
“Absolutely. The kids are great. They’re so smart and sweet. Most of them anyway.”
“Which one is the asshole?” he asks with a chuckle.
“No first grader is an asshole.”
He waits in silence.
“Okay, there’s one. Not an asshole, but he’s such a bully, Matthew. He gets in trouble at least twice a day. I found myself actually smiling because he was absent a few days ago. I’m the worst teacher ever.”
“Oh, please. You remember what I was like in school?”
“How could I not?”
Liam was one of the worst kids in school. Being that I lived with him, I knew why he had trouble concentrating in class and was quick to lash out at teachers and other students alike, but no one else cared about that. He was just seen as the problem child. Even when I started school, just having the same last name as him was enough to have many of his former teachers hating me.
Somehow it never occurred to the teachers or principals that he acted that way because of the black eyes he came to school with, or the broken arm he needed a cast for two months for. Not a single word of help was offered, even when he showed up with long-sleeve shirts on in June to hide the iron-size burn mark on his arm. A scar he still has to this day. A scar he got defending me.
“Yeah, well that shit started early. I was that way in school since pre-k. So maybe that kid has something going on.” He shrugs. “Or he’s just an asshole. Figure out which.”
I nod and swallow around the knot in my throat at the thought that maybe the kid in my class could be having the same things going on in his house that we had growing up. I’ve learned kids are usually bullies in school because they’re going through hell at home and that’s how it manifests outside the home, or because their parents are bullies and taught them to be the same. After having spoken to Matthew’s parents a few times, I’m leaning more towards the latter. They’re even bigger assholes, really.
“Anyway,” I clear my throat. “How’s your new house coming along?”
He sighs. “The bathroom flooded last night. Then when the plumber came, he told me the pipes have lead in them, so now those have to be replaced.”
Liam and I both saved up to buy fixer-uppers while we lived together. Both of ours have had their share of problems, but Liam’s more than mine. His has needed major repairs in damn near every area.
“But it’ll be beautiful once everything is all fixed up,” I say.
And it will. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a finished basement and huge attic.
“Yeah, and I’ll be broke as hell too.” He chuckles.
“Hey, maybe I can ask Damir to come take a look at it.”
“Oh yes, I’d love to meet him. Show him the nice backyard that I’ll bury him in if he ever hurts you.” He smirks.
“You have something so wrong with you.” I shake my head.
My phone vibrates, and I smile when I see the name as I turn it over on the table.
Damir: Hey. What ar
e you doing?
Me: Eating dinner at a restaurant.
I start to put the phone down, but it immediately vibrates again.
Damir: Well at least you told the truth.
My eyebrows crinkle in confusion.
Me: I’m lost.
Feeling like I’m being watched, I look over to the windows and find Damir standing there, the phone casting a glow on his face. I wave to him, but he gives me a stiff nod. Again, confusion hits me until Damir’s eyes move to my brother, and I get what this must look like.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Liam, quickly getting up to head towards the entrance.
I walk outside, and Damir watches me as I approach, his face still hard when I reach him.
“You’re gonna have so much ass to kiss later,” I say.
“Excuse me?” His deep voice rakes through me.
God, I’m hot and ready off of two words. I put that aside for the moment as my hands go to my hips.
“That man that’s got you looking at me without smiling, is my brother.”
His face instantly softens, and his eyes travel over to my brother again, then he gives an awkward smile.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” I shake my head. “Come meet him.”
He follows me into the restaurant to my table. My brother looks up as we get closer, his eyes going back and forth between Damir and me while he stands up.
“Damir, this is my brother, Liam. Liam, this is Damir.”
They shake hands, and I don’t think I imagine Liam giving Damir’s hand a little extra squeeze. Men. Damir takes an empty chair from the table next to us and sits down. The waitress comes over and asks if he’d like to place an order, but he tells her he’s already eaten.
“So, you’re the one who saved my sister from my prank.” Liam grins.
“That would be me.”
“I was just telling Liam that maybe you could come have a look at his house,” I suggest. “He bought a fixer-upper too, but he’s been having problems every time he tries to repair something.”
I see Damir’s shoulders loosen at my words. Construction he knows. Easy conversation, I bet.