by M. K. ROZE
“It’s a fine wine. Do you like it here?”
“Yes, it’s gorgeous, but do you think people know we’re
underage?”
“No, not at all.” He seemed confident.
Tina came back over and stared at Constin, licking her
lips as she poured wine into tall glasses. Her tight red blouse
allowed ample cleavage to show. When he kept looking my
way, she cleared her throat, trying to get his attention.
Constin came in slowly, kissing me on the cheek.
She sneered at Constin. “What would you like to eat?”
“My wife would like steak.”
I could feel my eyes widen. Wife? I’m not even old enough to
drink, let alone be married.
Constin turned away from us for a few seconds, then he
looked back at me like he was in pain. I figured he hit his leg
or something.
“How would you like it cooked?” Tina asked.
Her nasty attitude pissed me off. “Rare, with lots of
blood oozing out of it.”
Constin snickered.
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“I’ll be back.” Tina walked away, shaking her head. I
guess she was used to getting her way.
I smacked him gently on his arm. “Why did you do
that?”
“Would you rather I kissed her instead?” He was
serious.
“No, probably not.”
“Good answer.” Constin slid the wine glass in front of
me.
When I took a sip, I gagged and forced myself to
swallow it. “Ew, it tastes bitter.”
He took a red napkin off the table. “You have a little
wine on your chin.” He wiped it off gently.
I squeezed my legs together. I’m in love.
I continued to sip at the red wine.
“Do you ever feel like you don’t belong here?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Here on Earth?”
“Yes, I feel like that all the time. Do you?”
“Sometimes. I do believe there’s more of us somewhere
out there, but we haven’t found them yet.”
“Liam believes in aliens.”
He chuckled. “Do you?”
“Yes, and I believe there are realms we haven’t
discovered yet.”
His eyes widened. “What makes you think there are
other worlds out there?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I hope there
are.”
“If you could design your very own, what would it look
like?”
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“I would make it where everything was colorful, and
everyone had everything they ever wanted. Nothing evil
would be allowed in.”
“Define evil?”
“People who bully, kill, rape, steal. Things like that. I
would want peace.”
He took a sip of his wine.
“What would your world look like?” I asked.
“I love the dark. I hope that doesn’t push you away.”
“No, I used to like it that way too, but things have
changed.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you another time.”
“Fair enough.”
Tina came back over and placed my food in front of
Constin.
Constin pushed it in front of me.
“Let me know if it’s not cooked enough,” Tina said and
walked toward the bar.
Constin glared at her.
“She’s rude.”
“Yes, very.”
“What’s wrong?”
He kept his eyes on me. “I don’t like the way she treated
you.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” He glared at Tina across the bar talking
to some guy.
“Will you excuse me for a moment? I left my wallet in
the car.”
“Sure.”
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When he went outside, I ate some steak and downed the
rest of my wine without gagging. After a few minutes, he
came back in.
“Did you like your food?”
“Yes, thank you. There’s a lot left. Do you want some?”
“No, thanks. I prefer my meat warm.”
I giggled, feeling funny from the alcohol.
He took my glass away. “No more for you.”
I got up. “I have to use the restroom.”
“Would you like me to walk with you?”
“I got it, thanks.”
As I walked, I was conscious of his eyes on me and tried
desperately to walk straight in Kaylee’s high heels. I made it
safely, but just as I was about to enter the women’s restroom,
an older heavyset man came out of the men’s room.
He grabbed my arm. “Hello there, beautiful. Let’s
dance.”
I pushed him away. “Get your hands off me.”
Constin appeared out of nowhere, took hold of the
bigger man’s shirt, and lifted him off the ground. “She told
you no!”
The man squirmed, trying to get out of Constin’s grip.
“Okay, man, now set me down.”
“Constin, you’re hurting him. Let him go.”
A bouncer headed in our direction, but when Constin
turned to him, he quickly backed off. I grabbed his arm, but
he wouldn’t budge.
“Constin, let him down,” I demanded.
Constin glared at me with fury burning in his eyes. I
lowered my gaze and continued to the bathroom,
questioning where his rage came from.
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As I washed my hands, a woman came barging through
the door. “Damn, you’re lucky. I wish I had a man like
yours,” she said, tipsily.
I turned to her and grinned. “Thanks.”
She fell into the wall and staggered away.
When she went into the stall, I walked out. Constin was
waiting for me outside the restroom.
“Viata, please excuse my temper.”
“You’re fine. I’m not mad. I like how you protect me.”
He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the side
of my neck. The woman came out of the restroom and
slammed into me.
Constin caught her from falling. “Be careful,” he said as
he held her up.
“Thank you,” she slurred. “What the hell are you doing
with her? Leave her here and take me home.”
“Excuse me?” I said wanting to punch her in the face.
Constin grabbed my hand and pushed through the
crowd. He stopped at the bar and set two one-hundred-
dollar bills on the counter.
“What’s this for?” the bartender asked and picked it up.
Constin pointed at the table where we sat. “That should
cover the bill.”
Where did he get that kind of money?
“Let me get your change.”
“No, you can keep it. I didn’t like our waitress.” Constin
led me outside.
“What the heck was wrong with that lady?”
Constin leaned against the car and crossed his arms.
“Her husband cheats on her all the time. That’s her way of
getting him back.”
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“How do you know that?”
“I can read minds.” His face was serious.
“You’re kidding, right?”
minds, yours would be the first one I would read.”
A waitress rushed outside. “Tina, where did you go?”
she called out as she looked around and rushed back inside.
Constin and I made eye contact.
I shrugged it off and got in the car, thinking that Tina
took off with someone’s boyfriend.
On the way home, I wanted to ask him how he managed
to pick up a man twice his size, but when his eyes met mine,
I smiled and placed my hand on his. There was no way I was
going to ruin an almost perfect night.
At my house, we sat on the steps of the front porch. I
wrapped my arms around myself. “How are you not
freezing?”
He stood up and reached his hand out for mine. “Come
on. Let’s get you inside. The alcohol thinned your blood
out.”
When I opened the door, Kaylee was sleeping on the
couch with Vampire Diaries playing. I tiptoed to my room,
and he stopped at the door, not wanting to go in.
I took his hand. “Come in.”
His face was serious like he was holding back
something.
“Sit anywhere. I’m going to change.”
Constin didn’t say anything and sat on the built-in
bench, looking out the window. I went into the bathroom
and changed into my pink velvet top and shorts. When I
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came out, Constin was staring at the pictures of the
Carpathian Mountains on the walls.
“Why do you have these?”
I threw my clothes into the basket. “I miss it there, and
I feel at peace whenever I look at them.”
His eyes lit up. “Would you want to live there forever?”
I lay on the bed and fixed my pillow under my head. “It
depends on—”
He leaned forward. “Depends on what?”
“Nothing.” I patted the bed. “Come over here.”
He stared at me and sighed. “Okay, but only for a little
while. I don’t know if I can resist you.”
When he laid next to me, his sweaty arm touched mine.
I ignored how gross it was and placed my head on his chest.
He kissed my forehead. I moved my head, hoping he would
kiss me on the lips, but he closed his eyes.
I sighed and stared at the ceiling. Am I doing something
wrong? Maybe it’s the age difference that makes him uncomfortable.
I snuggled up against him with my hand on his, and I
eventually dozed off, only to wake up to the animals fighting
again. Constin was looking out the window.
“Do you see the leopard?” I asked.
He turned to me. “No, but I heard animals fighting.”
“It’s driving me insane.”
Constin laid next to me and held me. “Go back to sleep.
They’ll be gone soon.”
“Good.” I placed my head on his chest and listened to
his extremely slow heartbeat.
Sharp pains in my head came on suddenly. I buried my
face in Constin’s chest which muffled my scream. No, not
again. The next thing I saw was Bain placing a wool cloth on
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my forehead. Bain’s face faded, and Constin’s face came into
focus. He sat me up.
I calmed my breathing and rushed into the bathroom,
then threw up.
Constin came in behind me. “Are you okay?”
I flushed the toilet. “Yes.” I stumbled over to the sink,
washed my face off, and brushed my teeth while he watched
my every move.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, walked past him, and climbed back in bed.
Constin laid next to me, face to face.
He ran his fingers through my hair. “What happened?”
I exhaled sharply. “I got pains in my head, and it made
me dizzy.”
Constin cleared his throat and readjusted himself.
“Didn’t that happen to you before at school?”
“Yes. I have a sleep disorder.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now?” I wasn’t ready to tell him.
He kissed my forehead. “Try to get some sleep.”
“Can you get my sleeping pills off the dresser?”
“No, I’m here now. You will be fine. And you shouldn’t
be drinking while taking medicine.”
“I know. Thank you for staying with me.”
As he rubbed my shoulder, he narrowed his eyes on the
window.
In the morning, I woke up alone and staggered into the
living room, holding my throbbing head. Kaylee stood in the
kitchen eating cereal as she looked out the window.
“Do you have any Tylenol?”
Kaylee turned to me with wide eyes.
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“It’s only a headache. Chill out.”
“Oh. That bad, huh?”
I nodded. “I’m never drinking again.”
“You drank alcohol?” Milk drizzled down her chin.
“A little bit. Have you seen Constin?”
“Nope.” She handed me a couple of pills with a glass of
water. “Was he here?”
“Yes.” I swallowed the pills and downed the water.
“What happened?”
I walked into the living room, sat on the edge of the
couch, and told her everything.
“I’m not trying to freak you out, but his behavior
reminds me of how Damon acted in The Vampire Diaries.”
“He’s not a freaking vampire, Kaylee. He’s just
intimidating sometimes.”
“Are you sure about that? What about that waitress who
vanished after she disrespected you?”
“Her name was Tina, and she probably left or
something. She looked the type to just leave. I’m going back
to bed.”
“Okay. Take a cold shower. It helps,” she called out as
I walked back to my room.
Kaylee was right. The cold shower worked. After I got
out, I texted Constin, but he didn’t respond.
Unable to sleep, I cleaned the house, trying to place
Constin in the back of my mind, but it didn’t work. I watched
the news to see if they caught the leopard. The male reporter
said it was wild dogs that were killing people. I disagreed
because I saw it with my own eyes, and it never touched me.
Before work, Constin called me. I picked up right away.
“Hi there,” I said.
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“How are you feeling?”
“Better than this morning. Why did you leave without
waking me up?”
“You looked peaceful.”
“You were watching me sleep?”
“For a while.”
“What are you doing tonight after I get out of work?”
“My father and I are leaving for Miami for a small job.
We’ll be back next weekend.”
I frowned. “That sucks. Call me or text me, please.”
“Sure thing, but it will be after dinner.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
“Take care of yourself and try to sleep. I’ll talk to you
soon.”
“I will. Night.”
“Goodnight.” His voice was sad.
I ended the call and drove to work upset.
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ot seeing Constin all week and only talking to him
once, had my emotions all over the place. I was
hoping that between Kaylee, school, my job, and
Liam hanging out with us every night would help me take my
mind off of him, but it didn’t. He was everywhere I looked.
While on a break at work, I walked out to my car to get
my phone to see if Constin had called or texted me. As I
approached it, I noticed a piece of paper stuck to the
windshield.
I unfolded it and read it.
Viata, I’ll be back when you get off.
Miss you! Constin.
His handwriting was flawless.
Smiling ear to ear, I looked around to see if he was still
near, but he wasn’t. I got my phone and went back inside to
finish work. I clocked out at 10:10, and Constin was waiting
for me outside.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Good. You could’ve come into my work instead of
leaving the note.”
“There’s nothing wrong with change, is there?”
“I suppose not,” I replied, unconvinced. He was acting
odd. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow?”
“I came back early. What would you like to do?” he
asked.
I thought that was strange because he was usually the
one who made plans for us.
“We can walk down the strip and look around.”
“Sounds good.”
His hand slowly moved to my backside.
I removed it. “Stop it. Why are you acting so weird?”
“Sorry, I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you
tonight.”
I gave him an evil eye so he would back off.
Up ahead, a couple dressed elegantly caught my
attention. They walked into our local New Age shop. The
place specialized in psychic readings.
“Come on, let’s check it out,” Constin insisted.
“No way. I’m not spending my hard-earned tips on that
fake crap.”
He grinned. “I’ll pay.”
“Okay.” I smacked him playfully on his hand. “It’s
going to be a waste of time and money.”
He backhanded me in the arm.
I grabbed my arm. “Ouch. What the hell?” I was
shocked that he hit me.
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“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” He seemed sincere.