Bastards.
I gulp as my nipples bead and a quickening starts up in my stomach. I grab the hem of Abel’s t-shirt, feeling like a lost little girl who’s nervous and turned on and angry.
He stops and looks down at me. He can tell I’m a confused mess because he puts his hand on my cheek and whispers, “You trust me?”
“Only you.”
“Then, come on.”
He takes my hand and pulls me forward.
“Loud neighbors,” Ethan confirms, unlocking the middle door and putting me more at ease that it’s not his apartment that’s noisy.
The very first thing I notice about his place is that it’s tiny and smells of seafood; I’m guessing that’s the restaurant below. But then as I walk in further, I kick myself for noticing those things. Because those aren’t the things to notice when you enter a space like this.
No, the thing to notice in Ethan’s apartment is that it’s covered in mirrors. There are mirrors everywhere, on every wall. Some small, a couple of them big and tall. Standing in the middle of the living/dining room combo, holding Abel’s hand, I look around.
We’re reflected in every corner, Abel and me. We both look like a mess, hair in disarray, clothes wrinkled and dried and smudged with dirt after the rain from last night. But I focus on our joined hands. That looks pretty. That looks like it’s meant to be. I squeeze his hand and he squeezes back. We smile at each other’s reflections.
Then I turn to Ethan, who’s grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge. “So, you’ve got a thing for mirrors, huh?”
He laughs. “Yeah. That’s one way to put it.”
Well, that’s weird. But who am I to judge?
We put our luggage in one of the two rooms located in the back of the house, through a hallway. The room only has a mattress — no bed — a small closet and of course, a floor-length mirror. I giggle at Abel but he only gives me a smoldering look, like he’s thinking something dirty.
After taking turns showering in the world’s tiniest bathroom where you can’t fit with your arms spread wide, we order a pizza and eat it up like we’ve never eaten before. It’s not until I’m licking my fingers clean and watching Abel laugh with Ethan that I realize I didn’t say grace before eating. This is the first time I’ve missed it. It makes me think of home. Of Mom and Dad.
By now, they must know that I’m gone. They must know that I chose Abel over them. Over everything. Are they looking for me? Sky would be their first suspect. God, I didn’t even think about how this would affect her. Maybe I should call her.
“What’s the story here, then? Are you guys running from the cops, pissed off parents? Both?” Ethan jokes, sitting on the floor with Abel.
I stiffen on the couch; the pizza sits like a rock in my stomach. Abel notices my distress and chimes in, “Why, you afraid of a little trouble?”
“Shut it, asshole. I’m serious. If that’s the case, then you guys need to be careful, you get me? Pissed off parents have a lot of power, trust me. Speaking from experience.”
Abel’s jaw clenches and I’m regretting my choice of seat. I should’ve sat closer to him, where I could touch him. As it is, my words will have to be enough. “My parents can’t take me away. They’re not that powerful.”
“No one is that powerful,” Abel says, curling his fists. “Not a single person. I’ll fucking kill them first.”
For a few seconds, all I can do is watch my fiancé. All I can do is stare into his rage-filled eyes, his beaten-up face. His violence soothes me, even as it stokes my own anger. He’s right. No one can tear us apart.
I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. It’s imperative that we get married as soon as possible because I won’t be able to rest easy until then. I won’t be able to rest easy until I’m completely his.
“Whoa,” Ethan breathes. “Okay, that’s settled, then. My new roommates are a bunch of murderers. So how about a beer and a little Netflix? You know, to chill out?”
The moment’s broken. The intensity is gone. And for some reason, it makes me giggle. Maybe it’s the exhaustion and the entire surreal quality of this situation that makes me laugh. I slap my hand on my mouth and Abel’s lips twitch.
“Netflix’s great,” I say once my laughter is under control.
I crawl over to Abel and tuck myself into his body, as we watch something mindless on TV. I’m only half paying attention because Abel and Ethan are chatting and making jokes together.
It makes me realize that I’ve never seen Abel this happy. He laughs with me, chuckles. But he never really had anyone back in our town. He had a few acquaintances at school but they weren’t really his friends.