by L. A. Casey
“Storm!”
Storm?
“What?” I shouted. “What is it?”
Alec looked at me with wide eyes. “Storm ran out.”
My baby!
He could get out of the apartment complex and run out onto the road and get hit by a car.
Oh my God!
I was going to vomit.
“Storm?” us girls screamed out in unison and ran out into the hallway of my building.
I jumped with fright when a bang sounded from behind us.
We each spun around and stared at my now closed apartment door.
What the hell?
I stepped forward and pressed down on the handle of my door, but it wouldn't open. It was locked, but it couldn't be, you had to lock it from the inside—
“Omigod!” I gasped and cut my own thoughts off.
I looked up and down the hall and gasped again.
“What?” Bronagh asked.
I kicked my apartment door. “They tricked us. We're locked out.”
Bronagh was silent for a second before she exploded into rage. “You lyin' bastards!” she shouted and slapped on my apartment door.
Laughter sounded from inside my apartment. “All is fair in love and war, Pretty Girl.”
Bronagh growled, “When I get me hands on you Dominic you're goin' to wish you were never born.”
Nico laughed, “I'm not worried.”
“You fuckin' should be!” Bronagh bellowed.
I could see Bronagh and how mad she was, Nico should have been scared.
Very scared.
“Ryder, open the door!” Branna asked politely.
“No can do, sweets,” came Ryder's swift reply. “I'm only a man, I can't help finish packing with you seducing me.”
“None of us can!” Alec shouted. “You all sunk to a new low, using our own cocks against us. You should be ashamed.”
We should be ashamed?
“You used our love for an innocent dog to get us outside! You said he ran out!” I snapped.
Alec cackled. “That was your mistake.”
“What was?” I growled.
“Believing Storm would willingly run anywhere.”
All the lads burst into laughter.
“Bastards!” I yelled.
I angrily folded my arms across my chest and glared at the peephole of my door. I had a feeling like we were being watched so I gave the peephole the middle finger and more laughter sounded from inside.
“Your girl is pissed, bro,” Kane said, then chuckled.
Aideen growled from my left, “You wait, Kane Slater. You just wait.”
Kane howled with laughter. “What are you going to do, shout at me? I'm so terrified.”
Aideen shook with anger, Bronagh and Branna shouted in annoyance, while I seethed in silence.
They were going to pay for this.
Big time.
“Are you not talking to me?” Alec asked as I angrily shoved my phone and its charger into my handbag.
I slung it over my shoulder and smacked Alec with it in the process.
“You're still pissed, I get it. No need to hit me,” he said and took a step away from me.
No need to hit him. Ha!
I should kill the fucker for what he did.
He locked the girls and me out of my apartment so he and the lads could triple check that everything was packed up. He left us outside for twenty minutes while they searched. The dickheads. They even used Storm getting out of the apartment against us. They were evil, and I refused to look or speak to any of them.
When I packed up my handbag, I picked up my laptop case and put the strap over my shoulder. I looked around my bare apartment to make sure I had everything one last time before we left. My landlord would be by to check everything out in a few hours, and once everything was to his liking he would put my deposit on the apartment into my bank account.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my keys, I took off the apartment key and placed it on the counter. I heard Alec brush his pockets, then his own keys jingled. He unhooked his key from the chain, and reached around me to place it on the counter next to mine.
I was going to cry.
The reality that I was moving really hit home, and I was saddened by it. I sniffled and seconds later, I felt hands slide around my waist from behind and a chin rest on my head.
“Don't be sad,” Alec mumbled.
I was sad though.
Alec chuckled as he turned me to face him. I forgot what a fucker he was for the moment and put my arms around him. I hugged him tightly and repeated in my head that I was doing this for us. We needed the extra space—Storm couldn't handle this apartment anymore, and neither could Alec with his ever growing pile of crap—I mean belongings.
It was only a house move. I was still going to be in the same area, only in a nicer estate and in a nicer and bigger place. I would still see all my friends, and still be able to work perfectly fine... So why the hell did it upset me so much?
“Are you ready to go?” Alec asked me and kissed the crown of my head.
Am I ready?
No.
Will I ever be?
Probably not.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let's go.”
I pulled back from Alec and gripped onto his extended hand. We walked over to the door of the apartment and I turned around to look at everything once more. Alec gave my hand a squeeze and with a shaking hand I reached for the apartment door and stepped into the hallway, closing it after me. The lock clicked into place and I let out a little sob.
It was done.
We were moved out of my apartment... no, it wasn't mine anymore. It was just an old apartment now.
Holy crap.
I sucked in a deep breath and just as I was about to walk down the hallway with Alec, the doorway across the hall from us opened, and Mr. Pervert stepped out. He was holding an envelope and a bouquet of flowers.
“Hey Keela,” he said and made a point of not looking at Alec. “I... I got you these flowers as a goodbye because I knew you're movin'.”
I stared at the flowers then at Mr. Pervert, and burst into tears.
“Thank you,” I said and stepped forward, throwing my arms around the man who creeped me out for years.
Maybe I was wrong about him, maybe he was—
“Hey, don't sniff her fucking hair. Bro, come on. I don't want to kick an old man's ass, but I will.”
Scratch what I just said—Mr. Pervert was still creepy, but he was a nice creepy. I mean, he did buy me flowers. I stepped back away from Mr. Pervert as he deeply inhaled and I shivered in revulsion. I shook it off and leaned forward and took my flowers.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
Mr. Pervert nodded and handed me a white envelope.
I raised my eyebrow. “The last time you gave me an envelope it changed me life.”
Mr. Pervert blinked in confusion, but said, “It's just a farewell card.”
I surprisingly chuckled. “Thank you, again. I love the flowers and the card, they're great.”
Mr. Pervert perked up and Alec growled, “My woman, back off.”
Oh, Christ.
Alec's, me Tarzan you Jane, attitude was back.
I ignored Alec and smiled to Mr. Pervert. “It was... lovely being your neighbour.”
“It was wonderful being yours,” he replied.
Gah.
“Bye.” I smiled.
“Take care.”
I turned and walked away then shook my head when Alec chose to walk behind me instead of beside me.
“Don't shake your head, if he wants an ass to stare at he will have to make do with mine.”
I laughed as we headed out to the stairs and descended them.
“You're crazy,” I said.
We left my apartment building and joined everyone else who was standing next to the moving van.
“Where the hell did you get those?” Bronagh asked me causing everyone's gaze to turn my way.
I grinned and proudly held up my flowers. “Mr. Pervert.”
The lads all looked to Alec and laughed.
“How badly did you want to hit him?” Nico asked.
Alec growled, “I’m still contemplating going back inside and kicking his ass.”
I rattled my head. “Relax, he was just being nice.”
“Nice my ass,” all four brothers said in unison, which cracked up the girls.
“They all share the same narrow mind,” Aideen teased.
I fell into Alec and laughed.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Shut up,” Kane deadpanned making me laugh harder.
When the laughter subsided Aideen spoke up.
“Okay, Keela, me and you are goin' in your car. The girls are going with Ryder and Nico, and Alec is drivin’ the movin’ van while Kane is drivin’ his SUV,” she said, taking leadership. “Does that sound cool?”
I nodded my head. “Yep.”
“Excellent. Let's get on this, bitch,” she announced.
We all snorted.
Alec kissed my head. “We'll be right behind you.”
I nodded my head and walked over to my car. I unlocked it so Aideen could get in then I opened the back door and laid my flowers on my back seat along with my bag and laptop case then closed the door and got into the driver's seat.
“How are you doin'?” Aideen asked as I started the car.
I put the car in gear as I shrugged my shoulders. “I don't want to say anythin' positive because I'd be lyin'.”
Aideen sighed as I pulled out of my car parking space for the last time.
“I think you're puttin' way too much thought into this. You can live in the newer, bigger, and way better house with Alec and just remain engaged. You don't have to plan a weddin', you don't have to do anythin' but enjoy one another.”
I processed that thought.
I glanced at Aideen as I drove. “I never thought of it like that.”
“Of course you didn't,” she mumbled. “You were too busy seein' the horror in movin'. It's not a big deal. You can have what you want, just ten minutes away from the apartment complex.”
I thought about it and realised Aideen was right. Moving was just stressing me out, but once it was done, it would be over and I could get to enjoying Alec at a leisurely pace.
“You have no idea how much better you made me feel,” I breathed.
Aideen reached over and rubbed my shoulder. “I'm glad, I hate seein' you upset.”
I lightly smiled. “I know, but the weight of me worry just faded away thanks to you.”
Aideen was silent for a moment until she said, “Now we just have to deal with your nightmares.”
My hands tensed around the steering wheel of my car. “Can we not talk about that, please?”
“Fine,” Aideen reluctantly said, “but now that we know Bronagh is in the same boat as you, you have to talk to her.”
“I will,” I said firmly.
Satisfied, Aideen nodded her head once then turned and looked out the car window.
I already made a decision to speak to Bronagh about my nightmares back in my apartment. When she admitted she suffers from nightmares too, I felt... overwhelmed with relief. I was so relieved I wasn't on my own, and what went on in my head wasn't me losing my mind, but the effects of my past playing horrible tricks on it.
“I don't mean to bring this back up, but when are you goin' to tell Alec you don't wanna get married for a few years?” Aideen asked me.
My stomach churned at the thought.
I exhaled. “Whenever the time is right.”
I had to wait until the perfect moment to unload this on Alec—he was a complex person and unless I worded things correctly he would take my feelings the wrong way and things could go horribly for us.
“I just need some time. I have to sort out me own head first,” I murmured.
Aideen put her hand on my shoulder. “I've got your back.”
I glanced to her and smiled.
Having friends like her got me through the tough times, hopefully the only times ahead for Alec and I are good times. God knows we could use more good times in our life. We've had a past full of bad ones.
“Can you believe the size of this place?” Aideen shouted from the kitchen of mine and Alec's new house.
Her voice echoed.
I chuckled as I placed a picture of Aideen and myself on the sitting room wall. I was perfectly fine on my little stepladder, but Alec was apparently afraid I would fall and hurt myself so he took it upon himself to stand behind me and hold onto my hips. His hands occasionally slipped though.
“That's me arse, Playboy,” I said as I adjusted the frame on the wall.
Alec squeezed my behind. “And what a perfect ass it is.”
I snorted. “Give it a rest.”
Alec gave my arse one more squeeze, then slid his hands up to my hips.
“Is this straight?” I asked him.
He took a step back then to the left and observed the picture. “Yep.”
“Great. One down, a million more to go.”
Alec smiled wide.
Smiling was all he seemed to do since we arrived at our new house. We had been here with the gang the last three hours. It was sometime after five in the evening, and the majority of our boxes were completely unpacked. Having so many people to help out sped everything up, we all moved ten times faster.
Bronagh and Branna unboxed the bathroom boxes and put everything in the en-suite in mine and Alec's master bedroom. We'd have to buy more bathroom stuff though because each of the bedrooms had an en-suite, and then there was a bathroom on the bottom floor of the house for any guests who came to our house.
There was so much space that I didn't know what to do with myself.
I wasn't alone though. Storm had no idea what to do when Alec brought him inside. At first he tried to mark his territory, but Alec's shout kept the piss inside him. He then settled on rolling his body over every square inch of the floor, and walls, in each room. He rubbed himself all over the sitting room, the hallway, the kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom. Now he was sleeping in his bed in the kitchen, exhausted from his antics.
“Everything we brought with us is unpacked, and the place still looks empty.”
Alec slapped my behind. “So go shopping.”
I stepped down off the stepladder and turned to face him. “Don't say it like that, you know I'm broke.”
Alec groaned, “Please don't start this again. My money is your money.”
“But it's not. It's just your money,” I argued.
Alec pinched the bridge of his nose. “We're engaged, we share things now.”
“I don't care if we're married and have fifty kids, you can't convince me that all your wealth is now mine. I don't feel right about it. Just wait until I start earnin' money so I feel like I'm contributin', okay?”
Alec was staring at me. “Fifty kids, what the fuck do you think I am?”
I surprisingly burst out laughing and shoved Alec who was grinning at me.
“Fine, I understand what you mean. You want to contribute, and don't want to depend on me for everything.”
I hugged him. “Yes, exactly.”
Thank God he got it. Finally.
We got back to sorting our things out around the house. An hour later my phone rang as I was in the middle of pushing a cushion into its cover. I needed a break, my arms were hurting from the surprisingly difficult task.
“Hello?” I asked when I answered my phone.
“Well if it isn't my future sister-in-law.”
A smile lit up my face as I said, “Damien!”
Damien's rich laughter flowed through the receiver of my phone and warmed my heart.
“How are you, Kay?” he asked.
I sat on the floor of my half empty sitting room and crisscrossed my legs, over one another. “I'm hangin' in there. It's movin' day for us, I'm in the new house.”
Noise came from Damien's end of th
e phone then it went away as he cleared his throat. “Sorry, damn street races. What were you saying?”
I smiled. “I said I'm in the new house, it's movin' day.”
Damien chuckled. “Is my big brother still alive?”
I gasped. “Of course, why wouldn't he be?”
“Because Alec doesn't take a lot of things seriously. I have a strong feeling he is making moving houses a bit more difficult for you.”
He had no idea.
I snorted. “He actually hasn't been too bad. He won a bet so he is actually pretty happy and keeping to his own company.”
“A bet?” Damien asked, a smile sounding through his tone. “What were the terms?”
“Boys against girls, whoever packed up their sections and got the boxes into the moving van first, won. Us girls lost... but we went down fightin'.” I smirked.
I imagined Damien shaking his head as he laughed.
“What did you and the girls do to try and prevent my brothers from winning?” he asked.
I blinked. “Why do you think we did somethin'—”
“Keela,” Damien cut me off, his voice knowing.
I giggled. “We used our bodies to... distract them from completing their task before we completed ours. We were very successful.”
Damien's laughter at the other end made me smile, but the gasp of horror behind me didn't go a miss.
“You cheating little bitch! I knew it!”
Uh-oh.
I looked over my shoulder and gnawed on my inner cheek when the pissed off form of my fiancé came into my line of vision.
“Hey baby.” I innocently smiled.
“Don't you 'Hey baby' me. You cheated, Keela... and you lied about it!” Alec snapped as he stomped over and stood in front of me.
I had to lie back on the ground so I could look up at him without hurting my neck.
“It wasn't cheatin', not really. We didn't physically do anythin' to halt your process of packin', apart from us havin' sex, we just—”
“Got us so hard we couldn't see straight let alone pack fucking boxes.”
That sounded about right.
“He sounds mad,” Damien’s voice whispered in my ear.
I snickered. “He is mad.”
Alec reached down and snatched my phone away from my ear and out of my hand.
“Hey, that's rude!” I snapped and stretched my arms up high trying to reclaim my phone, to no avail.