We Fight, We Fall

by Nicole Callesto

  “Even though I’m practically dead on my feet right now, I’m really fucking hungry. Those orgasms you give just suck the life right out of me!” I say laughing. “If I make us lunch, will you eat with me when you get out of the shower?” I ask sweetly.

  “Of course, baby. You can make us whatever you want. But I just have one request,” he says. Hmm, it better be within reason.

  “The rest of the day, you wear one of my t-shirts. That way when I wear it, I can smell you on it,” he says. If any other guy said this I might be creeped out, but with him, it’s just a fucking turn on.

  “I think I can make that happen. You pick the shirt, and I’ll wear it,” I say. He smiles, and we walk out into the living room. I start looking in the pantry and decide to make spaghetti, because it’s one of the few things I can cook. Well, aside from cereal.

  He comes out of his room holding a t-shirt. He hands it to me, and I immediately recognize it. It’s the We Fight, We Fall shirt I wore the first night I slept in his bed. I arch my eyebrow at him, wondering if he knows this little tidbit of information.

  “Yeah, I saw you wearing it in the dark when you were lying on my bed. I didn’t say anything, because I actually liked it on you. Plus, I didn’t want to explain why I had that band on a shirt,” he says looking at me intently. “I want you to wear it, because even though it’s part of my past, I realize that it’s also my future.”

  “That’s also kind of why I cut my hair and shaved my beard. I was tired of hiding everything. I realized that I can face anything, past or present, if you’re there beside me, Emma,” he says softly. I smile at him, loving the statement he just made.

  “The same goes for me, Aiden. I’m really proud of you; facing up to your past,” I say pausing. “I think it’s about time for me to do the same. I want to tell you about me. Tonight, if that’s ok?” I ask, my voice unsteady.

  “Of course, Emma. Whatever you want. I’m just glad that you’re willing to take this chance with me. I will never judge you, no matter what. Just know that,” he says firmly. Oh, Aiden. We’ll see how quickly you go back on your word. I unzip my dress and grab the shirt from him, pulling it over my head. He stares at me confused.

  “Hey, how did you get that zipper so easily?” he asks puzzled.

  “Oh, that thing? Yeah, it’s easy to zip up. I was just messing with you earlier, trying to seduce you. Kind of like what you did to me in the ocean earlier,” I say wickedly.

  “Touché brat, touché,” he says laughing. “Ok, I’m heading into the shower now. And if there’s not a delicious meal waiting for me when I get out, so help me, Emma!” he says shaking his fist in the air playfully.

  “Get outta here! I may or may not put rat poison in yours, so watch it buddy! I’m no 1950’s housewife, so you’ll like whatever I place in front of you,” I say arching my eyebrow. He disappears into his room laughing.

  I find a big pan to boil water in, and I fill it high. I put it on the burner and wait for it to start bubbling, so I can put in the noodles. I get out a skillet and throw in some chopped mushrooms and onions. I look over to the water and notice it start to simmer.

  I start to add the noodles, when I hear the front door slam loudly. I spin around, knocking some of the boiling water onto my foot. I yelp out in pain and look over to see what caused the noise.

  I see two dark eyes staring straight at me. Shit! I’m frozen in shock, but I start to recognize the intruder. His dark hair, skin, and tattoos remind me of the guy I saw hanging out with Todd at the bar. He keeps staring at me, not saying anything. I snap out of my shock and grab the knife that I used to cut the vegetables with.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?!” I yell at him, cowering in the kitchen. He still doesn’t move, just looks at me, sizing me up. Oh my God. This is a house invasion, and he’s here to rape and/or kill me. All of these scenarios go through my head, freaking me out.

  “Aiden! Aiden get out here now! Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs. He had to have heard that all the way from the shower. I see him run out in his towel, dripping wet.

  “What the fuck, Emma?! What’s wrong?” He looks at me with the knife in my hand, and his eyes widen. He then notices the interloper and says, “Fuck. Emma, this is just Marcus. He’s my mechanic. Baby, drop the knife,” he says, trying to get me to release my weapon. I notice my hand is still gripping it, and I relax my hold, letting it fall on the counter.

  “Fuck, Marcus. What are you doing here?” he asks, clasping his towel with his right hand. I notice that his prosthesis is missing from his left arm. Shit! I also notice Marcus’s demeanor change the instant Aiden spoke to him. His eyes look more relaxed and less threatening. I see him look down at Aiden’s missing hand. Oh, fuck!

  “Sorry, man. I knocked on the door, and I thought I heard someone say come in. I’m just here to drop off your truck,” he says trying to look apologetic. You fucking snake! Why the fuck would you just walk into someone else’s house? He just stood there, staring me down when he strolled in. Fucking liar!

  “My truck? Fuck, I totally forgot about you fixing it. You should’ve just called me before you came down here. You scared the shit out of my girlfriend,” he says looking a Marcus.

  “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just lost your number to tell you when it would be done, so I figured I’d just drop it off,” he says not looking at me. Um, you’re the one who almost gave me a heart attack. Don’t just apologize to him. Look at me motherfucker and grovel for forgiveness!

  “Fuck, um, let me just go and get dressed, and I’ll be right out to look at it. You can make yourself comfortable,” he says to Marcus. “Come on, baby,” he says, pulling me into his room. I’m still in shock. I thought he was going to hurt me or something. I’m still thinking he would’ve had Aiden not been there. There’s just something not right about that guy.

  Aiden sits me down on his bed. “Emma, baby. Are you okay?” he looks at me concerned. He accidentally brushes my burned foot, and I flinch in pain. He looks down and sees red marring my skin. I let out a sharp breath that I had been holding and tell him what happened.

  “Aiden, I’ve never been that scared in my life! He just walked in the house; he didn’t even knock. I heard the door slam, and I bumped into the boiling water, burning myself. I asked him what he was doing here, and he just stood there, staring at me. I grabbed the cutting knife and screamed for you. I thought he was going to attack me and….” I say shaking, unable to finish.

  “Shhh, baby. You’re safe with me. Everything is okay. You have nothing to worry about; Marcus is harmless. I’ve known him for a few years, because he’s done work on a few vehicles of mine. I can understand why you freaked out though. Some strange guy standing in the doorway,” he says trying to sooth me.

  “But Aiden, he didn’t say anything to calm me down. That’s the weird part,” I say.

  “Yeah, that is weird. Maybe you scared him too. You sure do have a set of lungs,” he says trying to lighten the mood. No way in fucking hell I’m backing down on this. I know what happened and how he behaved. I have to tell Aiden about how I saw him last night at the bar. He’ll be pissed and take my side then. He grabs my foot in his hand and kisses the red burn mark. I try to tell him more about Marcus, but he’s almost out the door, fully dressed.

  “Baby, do you think you could run to the guest room real quick and put on your dress? I don’t want him seeing you like this; only I can. We have to check on my truck and then drop him off at his shop, because he drove it up here. Will you be okay to do that? I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he says, waiting for my answer. Shit, I’ll just have to tell him about Marcus later. I don’t even want to ride next to the guy for even a few minutes. But I decide to suck it up and pull myself together.

  “Yeah, just give me few minutes.” I’ll show that asshole Marcus that he doesn’t scare me. I won’t hide in fear of him.

  I go over to Aiden, and he kisses my lips. He looks like he’s about t
o say something but catches himself. “Ok, see you outside soon,” he says instead. Fuck, I want to know what he was about to say.

  I hear him talking with Marcus in the living room, and then the front door shuts. I run over to the kitchen and see that Aiden turned the burners off. I grab my dress off of the table chair and go into my room. I reluctantly take off Aiden’s shirt and replace it with my dress. I put on my bra and panties, because being without them around Marcus gives me the chills. I grab my red cardigan and head out the front door. I see Aiden and Marcus talking next to an old black truck. I’m guessing this is the one his dad gave to him?

  I walk over to them, trying to stay as close to Aiden as possible. I see Marcus looking at me intently, with that cold look in his eyes. Aiden doesn’t notice, because he’s looking at me smiling.

  “So, baby. What do you think?” he asks me, motioning to the truck. I look at its’ shiny black exterior and notice how impressive it looks. Damn, this looks like one of those classic restored trucks from the 50’s or 60’s.

  “Wow. This is really nice, Aiden. And it’s black of course,” I say to him, trying not to make eye contact with Marcus. Being near him just makes my skin crawl.

  “Yeah, I guess I have a thing for black, huh?” he says laughing. I smile at him, trying to relax but fail. I can’t be calm around Marcus. My women’s intuition is on full alert, and he is the reason for that.

  “Marcus just had to replace a few things on it, but it’s good to go. I can drive you around in this from now on, if you want,” he says smiling. He seems like he’s in a good mood. I’m guessing Marcus didn’t bring up the fact that he saw his missing hand.

  “Sounds good,” I say to Aiden, trying to avoid this uneasy feeling I still have. I think Aiden notices that I’m still upset.

  “Hey, thanks for bringing it by. Why don’t we all get in the truck, and I can drop you off at the shop,” he says to Marcus. Oh thank God! When we drop you off asshole, I’m going tell Aiden all about you; every unflattering detail.

  “Thanks man. I appreciate the ride,” he says to Aiden. “Hey, I’m sorry for scaring you earlier, Emma. I hope you’re okay,” Marcus says glancing at me. No remorse or kindness in is tone. It’s like he just wanted to see my reaction and wants to know how I would respond to his apology. Ugh, even the way he says my name rubs me the wrong way.

  I look over at him and give him the best glare I’ve ever given anybody; the classic, good ol’ evil eye. I don’t utter a word to him, because I know he wants me too. He stares right back at me, trying to be intimidating. Nice try man, but I’ve seen that look before, and it won’t work on me. I bunch my fists at my sides, wanting to knock his fucking teeth out. God, in times like this I wish I were a man! I could beat the shit out of him, and it would be a fair fight. Aiden watches our exchange and looks confused. Probably trying to diffuse the situation, he quickly speaks up.

  “Ok. Let’s go,” he says, taking me with him. I get on the driver’s side of the car, and he helps me up. I am so not looking forward to sitting next to this asshole.

  Aiden gets in the driver’s seat, and Marcus gets on the other side of me. I press myself as close as I can get to Aiden; I don’t even want Marcus’s leg brushing mine. Aiden turns on the radio and puts on some local rock station. God, I hope no one talks, and we can just listen to some tunes. As soon as I think this, asshole has to open his big mouth.

  “So Emma, how long have you lived in Astoria?” Marcus asks. I don’t even look at him, because I don’t want to see the expression on his disgusting face.

  “A few days,” I say in a snapping tone. I look over at Aiden, and he looks uneasy at my tone. I’m sure he knows that I don’t like this guy and is probably regretting bringing me along.

  “That’s not very long. Do you have a job here yet?” he asks. What the fuck are you playing at? You saw me at the bar last night. It’s like he’s taunting me. I try to control my temper and turn the tables on him.

  “Yeah, I do actually. I work at Leo’s bar. I like it there, even if all of the people who go there are pathetic men with little dicks, that have to get a woman drunk to get head. It’s sad actually,” I say with a straight face, trying not to smirk. I look over at Aiden, and he’s speechless. Ha, take that Marcus! He doesn’t reply back to me, and I don’t look over at him to see if he’s mad. I’m sure he is, because he hasn’t asked me anymore pointless questions. Looks like I win this round asshole.

  I look up and notice a mechanic shop, hoping this is where we will be dropping off our little companion. Thankfully it is, because Marcus says to Aiden, “Thanks again for the ride man. See you later.” Ha, he doesn’t even bother looking over at me or saying goodbye. Yeah, I guess that nice guy act only stretches so far.

  “Bye, Marcus,” Aiden says looking at me. He seems like he doesn’t know what to say.

  “So Emma, would you like to tell me what that was about?” he doesn’t look mad at all; just puzzled by my outright dislike of Marcus.

  “If I give you the truth, will you promise not to freak out on me?” I ask him. He looks worried now but nods his head in agreement.

  “Ok, so yesterday when Todd was hassling me,” I pause noticing him tensing up. “His friends were there with him; the same ones the night you met me. Well, there was someone else there with them hanging out. He instantly gave me the creeps. He didn’t say anything to me, but he was just looking at me like he hated me on sight. His eyes looked, I don’t fucking know, evil I guess. I know that’s a silly word to describe somebody, but that’s how they were. Anyways, he just gave me the chills. He put off a bad vibe that I’ve never felt before, and it actually scared me,” I look over at him, and he’s listening intently, so I continue.

  “I hoped to never see him again, but I did…today in the kitchen. That guy was Marcus, Aiden,” I rush out. “I thought he had found out where I lived and wanted to hurt me. I was so fucking scared. He just kept looking at me like he was last night, and that’s why I grabbed that knife. There was no way in hell he would’ve gotten to me without me slicing into him first,” I say in total honesty. I look over at him, hoping he won’t think I’m overacting. Don’t think that I’m out of my ever-loving mind. Please believe me, Aiden.

  “And you’re sure that Marcus was with those guys? He was there when Todd grabbed you?” he asks, gripping the wheel tightly.

  “Yes, Aiden. When Todd grabbed me, Marcus just watched; almost as if he liked it. I thought he was a woman hater, but I think it’s more than that. He’s probably someone who gets sick pleasure from watching a woman being dominated. Leo kicked out Todd and his three friends, and Marcus went with them. I mean, even if he didn’t see what Todd did to me, he saw me working last night. Why the fuck would he ask me where I worked if he knew already? He was messing with me and trying to get me mad. Probably wanting you to think I was overreacting to him walking into the house,” I say, grasping at straws.

  “Fuck baby, I believe you. I just needed to make sense of this whole thing. I’ve known him for a while. We’re not best friends by any means, but he’s never given off that vibe to me,” he says frustrated.

  “Aiden, I know exactly what you’re talking about. When you were in the shower, he looked fucking crazy, and when you came out, it was like a switch turned on. He was this nice, carefree guy. He’s obviously one of those people who have different sides to him. The side you see is clearly the good one. I just don’t understand why he hates me so much. I met him last night for God’s sake,” I say perplexed.

  “Fuck, that shit makes me so fucking mad! I hate that I was so blind to his treatment of you today. That’s exactly how my father was; so nice to everybody except me and my mom. That way no one would be suspicious of him; always putting on a fucking show. That’s how he became such a great lawyer actually. Years of practice manipulating people,” he says reminiscing.

  “It’s not like you could’ve seen how he was behaving differently. It’s not your fault, Aiden. Honestly, I’m just so relieved
that you even believed me. You’ve known him much longer than you have me, and you trusted me,” I say to him thankfully. I know how hard it is for him to have faith in others.

  “Baby, I will believe you over anybody. I can see the honesty in your eyes when you talk about things. You were so scared earlier, there was no fucking way you could’ve feigned that fear. I just didn’t realize that that it ran deeper than just him waking into our house,” he says, grabbing onto my hand. I like the way he said our house. He makes me feel so cared for and protected. I don’t know what would have happened if he wasn’t there when Marcus showed up.

  We finally arrive to the house, and Aiden helps me down from his truck. He’s such the perfect gentleman. We walk inside and plop down on the couch, exhausted from today’s event. I look over at Aiden and realize that he’s really stressed out about the whole Marcus fiasco. He rubs his hands over his face.

  “Fuck, what happened today with Marcus was just way too strange. All I want to do is go back over to his shop, confront and beat the living shit out of him. I can’t believe he pulled that on you, with me right here in the house,” he says roughly.

  “Aiden, you don’t need to go over and do that. I doubt I’ll even have another encounter with him again. I’m always around people, whether it be at the bar or with you. I’m totally safe. I’m just trying to figure out what he has against me. Maybe I look like an ex or something. I don’t fucking know,” I say bewildered. I have a really bad, gut feeling about Marcus, but I can’t really think of what he could do to me. I just want to forget this whole incident and only focus on Aiden. He did say he wanted to try something new with me tonight.

  “Let’s just forget about what happened for now and just enjoy the rest of my day off. Ok, Aiden? I’m actually pretty curious about what you had planned for tonight,” I say trying to lighten the mood. He looks over at me, still upset, but softens his features and cracks a slight smile.