“Acacia?” I whisper. I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know why I try to fight with this girl every time I see her, but this time I crossed the line badly.
Why am I such an asshole!
She meets my eyes with a sad but angry look before saying, “I actually have to go back to the bar to tidy up from last night before we open, so if you’re ready to go I’ll take you home.” She gets up from the chair and enters the kitchen, bangs her cup on the side and disappears into the bedroom.
Well, I’ve outstayed my welcome!
I get up and go to the kitchen to wash up my mug and put it on the drainer. I see her come back out in a tee that hugs her curves and a ripped pair of jeans with her biker boots. Her eyes are still distant, and the anger is written all over her features.
I deserved that. She still looks good, though! An unwelcome thought shows itself to me from the back of my mind, and I shut it down immediately.
She dangles her keys in front of me, and I take that as my cue, walking towards the door, I take a backwards glance and regret it as her scowl has deepened and has ruined her pretty features.
Kennedy, you’re a Grade ‘A’ asshole!
CHAPTER FIVE
APRIL
I’m watching him with mixed feelings - with sadness, anger, frustration and mostly with longing. I tried to stop him as he worked his way through the bottle of whiskey, but I was useless at that bar. I was just a whisk of air without any effect.
There is a girl, Acacia. Ashton keeps acting like a douche to her, but I know why he does that. I left a mark on him, he is scared of death. He loathes death and the idea of someone else who doesn’t value living, but she’s not like me, I can tell.
To my surprise, Acacia puts up with him well. There is something about her, whenever she is near Ashton the power that pulls me toward him loses its intensity. Something about her soothes the pain inside me and gives me a feeling of freedom. I don’t know what that means, so I just watch… that’s the only thing I can do.
She takes him to her house as he keeps murmuring my name. He isn’t conscious. I try to reach him, caress his face, but I can’t touch him. But she does, she can. I watch in bewilderment as she pushes his hair off his forehead, but she doesn’t pull her hand back right after. She moves her hand from his forehead to his cheek in a caring way. I wonder how his beard feels under her palm. There is a momentary jealousy that she is the one who can touch him instead of me, but I push it away, remind myself that I’m already gone from this world.
As I get my feelings under control, she pulls her hand back like he burns her. She covers him with a blanket and sits on the chair at the corner of the room. She watches him all night just like the way I watch him. Her eyes are full of questions, but I can see something behind it; a connection.
“April…” Ashton murmurs in his sleep again.
“Who the hell is April?!” Acacia whispers to herself. “What happened to her that you’re in so much pain?” she asks like he can give her an answer. I want to tell her everything. I want to know why this girl makes me feel relieved, free, and in peace. However, I can’t do anything but stay there and watch…
I’m like a fly on the wall… watching, feeling, but useless.
CHAPTER SIX
ACACIA
I’m standing in the doorway of the bar, and I look at the mess from last night. I’m kind of glad the place needs lots of work today after the morning I’ve spent with Ashton. Sighing heavily, I shake my head, clear my thoughts, and leave it behind me. I start collecting all the glasses and bang them down on the bar. I’ve got two hours before I have to open up.
I put all the chairs up on the tables and fetch the broom from the cleaning cupboard, vigorously sweeping the floor in a temper - it’s done in no time at all. I put the glasses in the dishwasher and clean the tables over with some cleaning spray, once all that’s done I empty the glasses to put more in when I hear the door open and heavy footsteps walking towards me.
I swing around to see who is standing behind me… I see it’s my boss - great I don’t need this shit.
“You’re early!” he says.
I give him an empty stare because I know what is coming after this. “I hope you don’t want paying extra for this?” he asks.
“Are you kidding me? I deserve extra. I work my ass off in this bar. I had to deal with the drunks all o
n my own last night, and we were really busy! Maybe, if you spent more time here - in your bar, then I wouldn’t be so run off my feet, and I could clean up after hours instead of having to be here two hours earlier before my shift starts - for free!” I blow out a breath after I’ve finished my rant.
“Have you finished missy?”
Banging the glasses onto the shelf where they live under the bar and calling him all the assholes under the sun, I stand up straight and face him.
“Yes!”