Chapter 2
Ash
“What do you mean he grabbed you?” Ben, my boyfriend, asks me. I didn’t want to tell him, but it felt wrong not to.
“He grabbed my leg under the table.”
“Did you tell your dad?” I shake my head as I play with the straw in my milkshake.
“No. It didn’t seem appropriate to bring it up at dinner. His mom was there. I think he was just trying to get to me.”
“I don’t like the idea of him being under the same roof as you. I think I should talk with your dad about this,” Ben says, but I shake my head.
“I don’t want to make things worse. I have a lot going on anyway with studying and everything. I doubt I’ll ever see him. Dad said he was setting up a room for him in the basement anyway,” I add.
“That’s probably where he belongs.” Ben mumbles.
“Don’t be like that. He’s just … different, is all.”
“He isn’t religious. I’m surprised your dad is even letting him in the house. He probably worships the devil in his free time.” I laugh a little, but I wouldn’t doubt that one bit. Not judging him on looks alone. Not that he’s an ugly man because he is far from it. He’s very good-looking with shaggy dark hair and a smile I’m sure could melt a girl’s insides.
“Oh, don’t worry. Dad will get to him, I’m sure. He always does.”
“Not if he’s as bad as you say he is.”
“I don’t know how bad he is, Ben. I just know what I observed,” I remind him.
Ben has been my boyfriend for the last three years. Dad approved of him because he goes to the same church as we do. He’s met his parents, and they are both very Godly people. Ben is smart and sweet and everything a girl could ask for.
“You want to go for a walk?” Ben asks as we sit on the front porch. I nod my head, and he offers his hand, helping me up.
“A real man wouldn’t offer his hand,” I hear that deep, dark voice behind us. I turn to see Tristan standing there.
“What would he do?” Ben questions, obviously knowing who he is.
“Ash, sit back down,” Tristan says. I don’t know why I do it but I drop back onto the step and watch as he walks down and steps in front of me. He leans in, his lips so close to my ear, his breath fanning over my cheek before he wraps his arms up under mine and lifts me off the steps with ease. He lets my body slide down the front of his, touching in places we have no business touching.
“That’s how you lift a lady,” he says, still mere inches from my face. Ben quickly snatches me back to his side, and Tristan lets out a chuckle.
“I don’t like you.”
“And that should bother me?” Tristan asks him.
“Maybe. Because you’re going to be seeing a whole lot of me around, seeing as I’m her boyfriend.”
“Oh, I didn’t know she had a boyfriend,” Tristan says but doesn’t move to step back away from us. “You would be smart to keep this one on a leash.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone might like putting a collar on this one and forcing her to be his little pet.”
“You’re disgusting,” Ben snaps at him. A collar? He can’t be serious, right? People don’t do that, do they?
“I’m the definition of the word, church boy. She would look really good on a leash, though, wouldn’t she?” he taunts, eyeing me up and down. I feel my body shiver, and I don’t know why, maybe because he’s being so nasty right now.
“I’m warning you. You might be staying in the same house as her, but you won’t touch her or disrespect her,” Ben tells him, standing up for me.
“I think the lady can speak for herself about what she wants. And I can honestly stand here and tell you that if she ever came to me and asked me to fuck her tight little bible-thumping body, I’d do it.”
Ben snarls and steps around me to get to Tristan, fisting his shirt in his hands.
“Stop! He’s just trying to make you hit him, Ben. Don’t stoop that low,” I tell him, grabbing his arm and trying my best to pull him back.
“Yeah, Ben. Don’t stoop to the devil.” Tristan laughs, but Ben releases the hold he has on him and steps back next to me. He adjusts his shirt for lack of something better to do with his hands before grabbing mine and spinning us to walk away.
He leads me down the sidewalk, and I can’t help but turn my head and look over my shoulder at Tristan. He keeps watching us, no watching me. I narrow my eyes at him, but all he does is make a kissing motion with his lips. I quickly turn back and watch where I’m walking.
“I don’t like you being in the same house as him. Maybe we should just get married,” Ben says.
“What? No. Neither of us are ready for that, Ben, and we’re not even engaged.”
“We could be. It would get you out of that house of horrors with him.” Now I laugh a little.
“It’s not going to be that bad. His mom is super nice, and Dad, well, he’s Dad. He’ll handle things if Tristan gets out of line,” I assure him.
“I don’t know, Ash. I don’t like this.”
“It’s going to be fine. I promise. Change the subject,” I tell him.
“To what? That guy has worked my nerves over now.”
“What about the bible camp?”
“What about it? I don’t know if I’m going.”
“What? Why?” I ask as I stop walking and turn to face him.
“That back there,” he says, pointing in the direction of the house. “I don’t feel right leaving you there.”
“It’s my house, Ben. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know, Ash.”
“Ben, seriously. You’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. Don’t let him get under your skin. I know he isn’t getting under mine.” He nods his head, but I don’t know what he’s thinking right now. I have too much at stake to get in the middle of a mess with the likes of Tristan. I have school, and there’s no way I’m letting someone like him get in the way of that. It’s far too important to me.
“You’re probably right. I’ve just been on edge lately, and I don’t like it.”
“Why? What’s going on?” He looks down at me, and I already know what it is. I won’t say a thing to him because it’s nothing for him to worry over. I shake my head and raise my hand to stop whatever might be coming out of his mouth next.
“It’s fine. Don’t think about that,” I remind him once more as if I haven’t reminded him a million other times.
“It’s not. It’s very cultish, Ash.”
“No, it’s not. Is it old school? Yes, it is, but it’s not cultish.” Ben shakes his head, and I know this bothers him, but there’s nothing we can do right now. I have to follow and obey the Lord’s word, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
“I still don’t like it.”
“It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but us, right?” I ask him when he throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.
“You’re right. And when I come back from camp, we’re getting engaged. I want you out of that house as soon as possible.”
“Ben-” I start to argue that we aren’t ready for that, but he doesn’t listen.
“No. I mean it. We’re getting engaged. Maybe not married right away, but the sooner we’re engaged, the better.” I sigh, wondering if he might be right.
“Okay. But don’t bring this up to anyone until after okay?”
“I wouldn’t do that. I have some planning to do,” he chuckles as we walk down the block. We turn around and head back to the house when I hear the loud music. I look up at Ben before looking toward the small basement window. That’s where I see Tristan with a paintbrush.
“I don’t even want to know,” I mumble as Ben walks me up the steps and closer to the door.
“You sure about this?”
“I’m fine, Ben. I promise.” He leans in and kisses my cheek, and I smile in return. I watch him walk back to the driveway to his car before I head inside.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I walk over, open the basement door, and slowly descend the steps. When I reach the bottom, I see him. Shirtless with a paintbrush in hand. The music was so loud he didn’t hear me come down.
I watch as he angrily paints the walls black. I listen to his music but there’s so much screaming I can’t make out the words, not that it matters. I’m drawn to him. And then I see the fallen angel tattoo that covers his whole back.
My lips part as I take in all the lines and shading. My eyes move from him to the exact painting on the wall. My eyes roam over the painting, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. The detail, the colors.
I’m lost in the painting, and I can’t seem to find my way out.
“See something you like?” I scream when I hear his voice so close to me. Tristan reaches up and covers my mouth with his hand, and only then do I realize the music has been turned off and all the lights are on.
“You going to scream again?” he asks me. I shake my head, and he slowly moves his hand from my mouth. “You’re in my space.”
“Did you … did you paint that?” He looks over his shoulder as if he doesn’t know what I’m talking about before looking back at me.
“Yeah. So?”
“That’s … I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“That’s kind of the point,” he tells me.
“You’re very talented. They said you sculpted, but I didn’t know you painted, too.”
“Does that impress you, Little Nun?” he asks, stepping closer to me. I can feel the heat coming off him, and it suffocates me.
“It’s … intriguing, is all.”
“Hmm. That’s all?”
“What do you want me to say?” I ask him, looking up at those dark eyes of his.
“Nothing. Get out of my space,” he orders, nodding toward the stairs.
“Would you paint me something if I paid you?” He laughs now. It’s a loud, dark laugh.
“Hell no.”
“Why?”
“You think I’m going to paint your Godly shit? You want a pretty little cross with a rose?” he taunts me. I shake my head and step back away from him, heading for the stairs and rushing up them. As I close the door, I hear the music come back on.
I rest my back against the door and close my eyes, willing the visions of him to go away.
“Ash?”
“Yes?”
“Time to pray,” my dad calls out. A small wince escapes me before I right myself and walk up to my room.