He laughs and stands before walking over to a reclined chair; I instinctively follow him. “Of course it’s okay. Bleeding is normal. I’ve dealt with it a lot over the years.” I smile appreciatively and sit on the exam table when he gestures to it. I shift uncomfortably and nearly fall off out of shock when it begins getting lower and lower until it stops. He calls out for Shelley, and she steps in. I look at her, confused, until he informs me she needs to be present by law. Flushed, I nod, and he rolls in between my legs. I suck in a deep breath. “Have you just started?” he asks, and I snap out of my bubbles of nerves long enough to answer him.
“Just this morning,” I tell him in a shaky voice, watching as he slides on a pair of gloves.
“Then this’ll be smooth sailing,” he says. His smile makes the wings in my stomach slow down a bit. He adjusts something on the chair. I raise an eyebrow when two metal stick-things pop up, and he instructs, “Place your feet in the stirrups, please.”
And the zoning out begins now…
After that checkup is over, he steps out of the room so I can I change my clothes. He returns when I announce I’m finished. He’s writing once again, but this time he’s standing up.
“What’s the verdict?” I half-joke as I sit on the chair, the paper beneath me making a weird noise.
He chuckles and brings his light gray eyes to mine. “There is no verdict to tell. You’re clean, good to go.”
“That’s good,” I say, not knowing what else to say. And then it hits me. “Right. Um, I would like to get on birth control?” Why do I make it sound so awkward?
He laughs again and nods. “That can easily be arranged. But there are multiple kinds of contraceptives, ones you could be interested in. Like an IUD, a diaphragm, the shot, cervical cap…the list goes on and on. I actually have one right here, if you want.” He looks behind him and hands me a colorful pamphlet that describes each one. I look them over carefully and weigh which one makes me more comfortable. But I end up right back at the birth control pills. I take pills every morning, anyway.
“I’ll take the pills,” I tell him and laugh to myself. I sound like a junkie choosing her drug. Not funny, I know. But I’m nervous and I make terrible jokes, even to myself, when I am nervous. Getting on birth control pills makes me feel weird. More like a woman. I am changing way too fast…Too bad Grey won’t slow down.
He writes me a prescription and informs me the do’s and don’ts regarding the contraceptive. I nod through it all and ask questions when I don’t understand something. I thank him, and he says to take care. Shelley follows behind me as I walk down the hallway to the waiting room. That wasn’t so bad. He’s actually quite lovely.
When I don’t find Grey in the chair I left him in, I go outside in the freezing cold and find him in his car. I get in and shiver, shaking the snow from my hair and jacket. The car was already warm when I got in, but he blasts the heat up even further for me. I smile in appreciation and blow into my cupped hands as he backs out of the parking lot and peels onto the street.
“How was the pussy prodding?” he asks after a while of me trying to warm myself.
“It was actually quite stimulating.” I decide to joke. He whips his head at me with a scowl. Not a good joke, I see…“I’m kidding, of course.”
He grumbles under his breath and turns the car a little harder than necessary. I glare at him, and he laughs as he glances over at me. “Whoops?” he says.
I go to punch his shoulder, and he grabs my hand before it can touch him and kisses my knuckles. I redden and feel my stomach tighten as he yanks me forward and softly bites my bottom lip, the car gliding to a smooth stop at a red light.
“Did you really enjoy that fucker touching you down there?” he asks. I nearly melt under the fire behind his words.
I shake my head. “It was uncomfortable, believe me,” I breathe.
He smirks like the asshole he is. “Good.” He pecks my lips, and I roll my eyes. While I lean on my elbows on the center console, his phone rings. He taps it, and it flies off the dashboard and into his hand. He wiggles his eyebrows at his “skill” and I put my hand over my mouth, but it isn’t enough to hide my giggles. He winks at me before reading the text on his phone. “Honey-bunches, what’d’ya feel like doing tonight?”
I furrow my brows and hum, pinching my bottom lip; he watches with hooded eyes. “Nothing, I guess.” My life is honestly boring. It always has been. But ever since I met him, it’s been…a bit more eventful, I guess.
“You up for a little danger tonight?” he croons.
“I have studying to do. Finals are next week, and some have started this we—” I try to explain to him.
“Blah, blah, blah.” He crooks a finger in my jeans’ waistband and pulls me forward. A soft laugh falls out of my lips. He smiles at it and says, “You’re with me tonight.”
“When am I never?” I joke, raising my eyebrows.
“True,” he says with a shrug. “But I wanna show you how I used to party before you and your cute ass came along.” I narrow my eyes and jump when there are horns honking behind us. I look through the frosted back window, but he waves a hand and pulls me until I am one inch from his face, his lips, maybe even less. “You’ve kept me sedated long enough, princesa,” he says and licks my lips with dark eyes. I moan and close my own eyes, barely registering the honks behind us. “Say yes,” he orders.
I pull back, completely ignoring the sounds surrounding us, look into the darkest yet most celestial pair of eyes I have ever seen, and nod. “Yes,” I whisper, and he grins before smashing his lips onto mine.
Chapter Thirty
Grey doesn’t tell me any details of where we are going. All he says is to not wear anything too revealing. And when I prepared to protest—just to piss him off because I wouldn’t in the first place—he warned me that not all of his friends are the nicest kind of fellas. That was enough to make me pull on a thick wool sweater and wear a matching beige beanie. He naturally teased me about the hat, of course. Why wouldn’t he?
Two hours later, he pulls up outside of an abandoned building on the edge of town, near the water. There are barely any red Solo cups like you’d usually find immediately at a fraternity party, littered on the ground. Even from the car, I can hear the rowdiness and rowdy laughter. Girls linger outside, some smoking and others chatting with friends. I immediately notice a difference. They are mostly wearing cowboy boots and vintage jackets. Whereas, at the frat parties, the girls were mostly from sororities and dressed up like they were going to high-end clubs, in higher heels and sparkly dresses. But there aren’t any here, and I instantly wonder why Grey even attended those dumb parties in the first place.
“The frat parties were a lot closer and were a high supply of girls and booze,” he says, as if reading my mind. I frown at the girls comment. He laughs and wraps an arm around me as we walk up to the building. “Don’t worry though, I’m not much of a whore anymore.”
“Much?” I question with raised brows.
“Oh, I’m still a whore for you,” he jokes and playfully bites my cheek. I laugh and attempt to push him away, but he just proceeds to kiss the length of my neck until we reach the building.
“Stay close to me, all right?” he says seriously, his grip around me tightening. I swear I periodically have whiplash because of his moods.
The minute we step inside, I understand why he says so. Men in faux leather from vests to boots litter the large building. To my immediate left is a long bar with about three workers, working fast to take orders. It smells of something richer, fouler than cigarettes. Cigars, maybe? To my right, there is a dance floor with girls and guys who aren’t dancing against each other so hard like at fraternity parties. They’re dancing more sensually and just give off a more mature vibe. There is a rock-indie kind of band behind them, on a moderately high stage.
“Wow,” I mumble under my breath.
Grey chuckles and tugs me toward the bar. “What do you want to drink?”
“A Coke would be awesome.”
“How did I not see that coming?” He rolls his eyes and orders one for me anyway and himself a whiskey flat.
“Gross, how did I not see that coming?” I retort and sit on an empty stool. He bites my cheek. I squeal and push him off of me. He snorts and throws down the money for our drinks.
I look around in curiosity and admiration. I don’t know why exactly, but I actually really like this. Well, a lot more than a party at a fraternity. The people there are just so rowdy and messy and immature, which is everything the people here aren’t. Who would have known Grey spent his nights here partying?
“Milady.” He opens my drink, and I smile as I bring it to my lips. I almost choke when a girl with hot pink extensions and heavy eye makeup literally jumps out from behind me.
“Grey!” she screams. Grey laughs at my expense and hugs the girl. I curiously watch and set my soda down while he brings his glass to his lips.
She’s younger than us; I can tell instantly by looking at her. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. I’m surprised there was no one checking for IDs—even at the bar. I bet all the delinquent kids in the area just know to come here for alcohol without much of a problem. Her light blue eyes scan over my attire, and I find myself doing the same with her. She’s dressed in a hot pink skirt—leather, of course—and a black crop top with fringes on the end.
“You must be Liv,” she says coolly, holding out a hand. I eye her soft smile that clashes with her over-the-top outfit and take her hand in mine. “I’m Trinity, but the guys around here call me Rin.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say politely and shake her hand.
“She’s Michael’s little sister,” Grey informs me with a glint of amusement I don’t understand.
“Who’s Michael?” I ask.
A guy with multiple facial piercings and more tattoos than skin walks up to us. Despite his dark clothes, tattoos, and piercings, he’s actually quite handsome. He has caramel skin and lighter blue eyes than Trinity’s. “I heard that, asshole.” He turns to me and lifts a pierced eyebrow. “Everyone calls me Marco.”
It dawns on me that he’s the owner of the tattoo parlor in town. The one I was briefly in months ago, before Grey broke my heart. It seems so long ago that happened. I know I should fear that it’d happen again, but with the way he’s laughing and looks so happy and me regarding him the same way, I know it’s unlikely. Very unlikely.
“Liv,” I reply simply.
“Well, Liv, I’m gonna have to take your pet away for a little bit,” he says, laughing as Grey glares at him with tight fists. “Come on, boy,” he coos and pats his thighs.
“Fuck you.” Grey lunges at him, and I’m afraid he’ll punch him, but he just bumps him with his shoulder and pushes at him. Marco laughs and does the same, and I laugh at how cute they are. “I’ll be out back. Stay here and keep an eye on her, please.” He nods to the girl attempting to seduce one of the bartenders into getting her a drink. But he just shakes his head and moves on, amused. I guess they do require ID here.
I smile to myself and look back to find the guys gone.
“So how did an asshole like Grey fool a girl like you into a relationship? Eck—relationship. That boy done screwed have the town—it’s weird thinking he actually has a sensible girl with him.” She stops talking and grimaces apologetically. “Sorry?”
“It’s okay.” I dismiss her brutal confusion. “I’m still kind of wondering myself,” I admit.
“It must be the dick. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he has you, so he must be a ten.” I sense inquisition in her words despite the little sigh she gives out as she crosses her arms.
What is it with people and knowing how good Grey is in bed? It’s the most ridiculous thing.
“How about you?” I change the subject and twist Grey’s charm between my fingers. “Have you got a boyfriend?”
She shakes her head with the largest scoff, as if the thought alone was preposterous. “Why get locked down so young? This is the time to party and have fun, not worry about a lap dog of a boy hounding my every move.” She makes a disgusted sound, and I frown.
“Being in a relationship doesn’t have to stop you from having fun,” I tell her.
“Maybe not, but with Grey, ha! I’d be surprised if he weren’t chugging down drinks out back. Guys get bored easily, as I do of them.” I feel my stomach drop. She isn’t right, is she? Noticing my sudden mood plummeting, she flicks her blue eyes toward me and raises a brow.
“Oh, but that isn’t going to happen with you guys,” she quickly corrects herself. “What about we go dance? Hmmm? This is a good song to dance to.” She hip bumps me, and I can’t help but laugh.
Can I be any more of a dork, listening to a child doubt my recently steady relationship with Grey?
I follow her out to the dance floor and soon fall in step with the fast-paced band. There’s no more sensual grinding, but there is a lot of jumping around. My sudden rise in doubt is completely demolished by us dancing, making silly faces, and facing the band that, if I’m honest, is actually quite attractive. Cut-off shirts and sweaty skin and all.
I can’t help but feel foolish for how I’m dressed, in a wool sweater and Toms. Don’t get me wrong, I like the outfit. I adore it, really. But it isn’t meant for this place. I’m sure I stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd, but I don’t really mind as long as I’m kind of having fun. Okay. I’m not going to lie, I am having a pretty good time. Though it’d be the best time ever if Grey was here.
The roaring of an engine makes me freeze in shock and fright.
“What was that?” I scream to Rin, dragging her from dancing with a tall guy with light hair and dark eyes.
“The guys are pulling out rulers,” she says, but I don’t understand. She must see that I’m confused, because she explains, “Drag racing.”
“And Grey’s doing that?” I didn’t know he did.
She nods. “All the time before he stopped coming a few months ago.” Right around the time he met me. I wonder why he didn’t tell me about it…“Wanna go check it out?” She lifts a blonde eyebrow, and I nod. She takes my hand, winks goodbye to the guy, and ushers me to the back.
The brisk wind slaps against my face; I instantly wrap my arms around my stomach and peer through the dark. On the road in the isolated area are two cars, both bright colors and so loud, I think my ears are going to start bleeding. I spot Grey getting into the green neon car, a smirk hanging off his face.
“Hey, Liv. I almost didn’t see you there.” I turn to find David smiling at me. He’s with a girl with the biggest, brownest eyes and sweet smile on his arm. This must be the girlfriend Grey told me about. I glance down at the girl’s left hand but don’t find a ring. So he hasn’t proposed yet. I wonder how he’ll do it. And then I begin wondering how Grey would…knowing him, he’d probably send a video with him asking while falling from the sky…I need to snap out of it. Anyway, I didn’t expect him to be here. Then again, he and Grey used to attend parties together.
“Hi, David.” I glance at his girlfriend.
“Sorry, this is my girlfriend, Holly. Holly, this is Grey’s girlfriend, Liv,” he introduces.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she says in a cheerful tone that takes me off guard. I smile, and he laughs as I take her hand and shake.
“It’s my pleasure, trust me.” I discreetly wink at David as she turns to him. He widens his eyes, but I wouldn’t let it slip of what he plans to do. I laugh under my breath before saying, “So, you’re not going up against him? I would have put my money on you, but don’t tell him that,” I joke.
He shakes his head dismissively. “That’s more of his thing.”
“Speaking of which, I should go talk to him for a second. But I’ll see you guys around,” I promise and start in the cars’ direction. They wave me goodbye, and I turn around and briskly jog over to the cars, my hair and the wind slapping me over and over again. When I reach the car, I lean into the lowered
passenger window.
“Hey, princesa.” Grey faces me with a wicked smile.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, I’m about to earn fifty bucks,” he says matter-of-factly.
I give him a blank look with a small frown. “You never told me you did this.”
He shrugs. “It’s more of a hobby.”
“That’s what David said.”
“So you saw him and Holly?” he asks, and I nod.
“Yup, do you know how he’s going to propose?” I bet he’ll do it over a romantic dinner where they first met. It’s how I’d like it. Sweet and intimate.
There is a sharp whistle that freezes his words. He and I both look up front, finding a girl wearing cowboy boots and a whistle between her dark red lips.
“I’d love to have this meaningful conversation, but right now I gotta beat this fucker.” He nods to his left, and I look over and spot a guy with silver earrings and a nasty scar slashed down his chin. I look back to Grey and nod.
“But you can get hurt.” I care more about his health than him possibly winning some stupid car racing bet.
“And?” He laughs, amused. “Babe, I get hurt for a living.”
“Right…but still.”
He lets out a sigh and stares at the dashboard in thought. “Get in,” he finally says after a beat of silence.
“Excuse me?” I squawk.
His eyes spark in mischief as he leans over and pops the door open; I back up and gape at him, not getting in the car.
“I said to get in, Liv,” he reiterates. “I promised you danger.”
“Yeah, but not death,” I counter. He throws his head back in laughter. I watch in adoration as his eyes close and he looks purely content, light. In this moment, I want to take a picture just to capture this. And I discreetly do with my phone. What? He’s a cutie, and this is a perfect moment! “If I get in, can you promise I’ll get out in one piece?”
“Yes, bebé. Now get the fuck in.” He reaches over the black center console and grabs my sweater.
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