20. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Trix
The remainder of the week has consisted of the same routine. Reeve has continued to pick me up in the mornings and drop me off at the end of the night. He's also still switching from hot to cold every time we talk.
I've tried to speak to Mouse multiple times over the past few days, but he hasn't spoken a word, and I feel awful about it.
Milo has, thankfully, lost the attitude, and although I haven't interacted with him much, when I have, he's been nice, which I appreciate.
Honey warned me on Thursday when she was here, that Friday and Saturday nights at the clubhouse could get quite wild, and she wasn't lying.
Last night, after their church meeting, all the guys came downstairs, started playing music at an obnoxiously loud volume, and were in and out of the kitchen, raiding all the cupboards, making a mess, and acting like teenagers instead of grown men.
I was pouring drinks all night, not only for them, but also for the few girls who had turned up throughout the night. I had to clear up multiple smashed glasses from where some of the guys got a little too rowdy and reminded me of the exact reason I no longer enjoy drinking.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that everyone decided to crash. I'd luckily made sure to collect everyone's bike keys to ensure they didn't try to ride while intoxicated.
After everyone had retreated to the spare bedrooms, Reeve and Luxe helped me clean-up, which I was grateful for, because the place was a complete mess. Then Reeve drove me home, and I managed to get a few hours of sleep before coming back here this morning.
Today, I'm suffering the consequences of last night—my head is pounding due to lack of sleep, and my muscles ache from running around for hours.
I'm glad Honey's here to share the load, since Saturday nights also, apparently, get pretty crazy.
I definitely agree as I watch the scene unfold in front of me.
Night's already fallen, everyone's got drinks in their hands, music is pumping through the speakers around the room, and the boys have decided to put on a show.
Slate is center stage with the girl he had here yesterday, both of them lying on the pool table in front of the bar, making out like a pair of teenagers.
In the booth closest to the bar, Cruz is also with a woman, their hands roaming each other's bodies and their clothes slowly but surely coming off while Dodger sits opposite them with his own woman for the night.
Wrinkling my nose, I tear my eyes away and land on Luxe, instead, who's in the corner booth. A blonde girl is seated on his lap, her head buried in the crook of his neck, and her hips shamelessly grinding back and forth in an exaggerated, performative way.
His eyes meet mine, and he winks. Shooting me a wide grin, he lifts his beer bottle to his lips, then gulps down the cold liquid.
"Bunch of horny assholes," I grumble, grabbing the tray of dirty glasses from the side and taking them into the kitchen where Honey is.
"Another load that needs to be cleaned." I huff as I place them on the side beside the sink.
"Thanks, doll. I'll be out of here soon, and then, as long as Reeve isn't busy, he should be able to take you home."
I shake my head. "I don't think any of those guys are ready to crash any time soon. And as for Reeve, I have no idea where he is."
"I'm here tonight, so you don't have to stay late, especially since I know you have plans tomorrow, so you can leave whenever you need to," she tells me as she submerges glasses into the soapy water.
"This has never really been Reeve's scene anyway.
He'll most likely be hiding out in his room.
Whenever the clubhouse turns into party central, Reeve, Callux, Mouse and Ghost will disappear for the night. "
Now she mentions it, I haven't seen any of them all night, and I didn't last night either.
Reeve didn't come back downstairs after church yesterday, and he didn't step foot in the bar until most of the guys had left to go to bed.
Checking the clock on the wall, I see it's almost midnight and sigh.
"Is it okay with you if I head out now?" I ask as she dries her hands.
She nods. "Of course it is. I'll have Mackie help me out."
She pulls me in for a hug, then practically shoves me out of the kitchen.
Grabbing my bag from under the bar, I hook it over my shoulder, then make my way through the bar, keeping my eyes pinned to the wooden floorboards beneath my feet, not wanting to subject myself to more unwarranted behavior.
When I make it outside to the porch, I take a deep breath of fresh air, then roll my shoulders back, groaning from the tightness of my muscles.
Smoke sweeps in front of my face, and I glance to the side to see Milo propped against the clubhouse, a lit cigarette between his lips and his dark eyes set on mine.
"Heading out already?" he asks.
Twisting my lips, I rub my hands together, then shrug.
"I was planning to, yeah."
Cocking a brow, he takes a pull of his cigarette before blowing the smoke out of the corner of his mouth, away from the direction I'm standing in.
"You're waiting for Reeve?"
Again, I shrug.
"He always drops me home, but I don't know where he is," I tell him. "Honey mentioned he's probably in his room, but I wouldn't know where that is. I don't want to interrupt him, so I was just going to wait here or walk back myself."
He chuckles, tosses his cigarette on the floor, then crushes it beneath his boot before walking to the single wooden door I know leads to the residential side of the clubhouse.
"You wouldn't be interrupting anything, trust me. He'll either be sleeping, or he'll be moping in his room. Alone," he says, as he pulls the door open. "Come on, I'll show you where to find him."
I follow him down the hall, my eyes glued to the pair staring back at me in the center of the skull stitched onto the back of his leather cut.
Bypassing every door, we reach the end and make our way up the stairs until we're on the second floor.
"First room's mine, the next one is Reeve's," he says, pointing at the second door as he stops outside of his own. He twists the handle and pushes it open. "Just knock real loud in case he's sleeping."
With that, he walks into his room and closes the door behind me, leaving me in the hallway by myself.
Stepping forward, I pause, glance over my shoulder, then back to Reeve's bedroom door.
Shaking my head, I push all thoughts to the back of my mind, then rap my fingers against the wood before taking a step back.
Wringing my hands together, my eyes dart down the hallway again.
I have no idea why I'm feeling so nervous, as if I'm scared to be caught standing here.
It's not like I'm doing anything wrong.
At least, I don't think I am.
The clicking sound of his door unlocking has my head snapping back to where he's now standing, brows drawn into a frown when he sees me there.
His eyes run up and down my body, and I try not to fidget under his gaze. But my stomach flips when his tongue darts out of his mouth and swipes across his lips.
"Need something, Red?"
"Uh, yeah, I—" My words get stuck in my throat as my eyes drop from his chiseled face and explore the expanse of his naked chest, travelling over every tight muscle beneath his smooth, tanned skin. "Wow. Sorry, I just—"
I give up on trying to speak as my gaze drops to the corded muscles just above the waistband of his gray sweatpants.
"You can take another picture if you want," he says, voice laced with amusement.
My eyes jump back to his face, and I swallow, shaking my head.
"I just came to ask for a lift home," I blurt out, choosing to stare at the dark hair spread across his jaw and around his lips instead of looking into his beautiful eyes. "I can make my own way home if you—"
"Give me five minutes, and I'll meet you out front."
Nodding, I turn away, cheeks flaming and heart pounding as I hurry toward the stairs, eager to get outside.
My attraction toward Reeve is becoming increasingly dangerous with each day I spend around him. And although I'd love to give in to the temptation that surges through my body every time I see him, I know I shouldn't.
Only bad things would come from it.
Besides, I have no idea if the attraction between us is mutual.
I'd hope it is, but unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for me, men who look like that don't usually go for women like me.
The drive to the trailer park is silent, awkward, and filled with tension, so I breathe a sigh of relief when Reeve's headlights coast over the crooked wooden sign at the entrance.
The relief is quickly overridden with fear minutes later when my trailer comes into view and I see the warm yellow lights from inside spilling out of the small windows.
I never leave the lights on, not purposely anyway.
Sometimes I do when I'm in a rush, but this morning, I woke up on time, and when I was waiting for Reeve to pick me up, I remember being on the phone with Liam, walking around the trailer, tidying up, then turning all the lights off before leaving.
Automatically, my mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion.
He's back.
My arms and legs stiffen, locking up completely, and ice fills my veins as my breathing turns shallow.
The car rolls to a stop but I remain in my seat, unblinking stare fixed on the door.
Reeve's warm voice filters through the air, but the sound of my thumping pulse and the blood swooshing through my body blocks out his words.
My vision blurs, and I can feel my hands tremble from where they're resting in my lap.
A large, calloused hand grips my jaw, while fingers dig into my cheeks as my head is gently forced to the side until I'm no longer focused on the place that sends shivers down my spine, and am instead, staring into the deep blue pools of Reeve's eyes.
"Hey. Trix? You good?"
The sound of his voice wraps around me and stills my spiraling mind. The feel of his skin against mine diminishes the violent tremors that were working their way through my body.
His grip loosens, and he strokes his fingers against my cheek as his concerned gaze darts around my face.
"What's wrong?"
Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, I shake my head, forcing his hand to drop from my face. I blink rapidly, clearing the cloudiness from my eyes as I tear them away from him and grab my bag from between my feet.
"Everything's fine," I tell him, forcing a smile onto my face when I glance at him. "Sorry, zoned out there for a minute."
Releasing a choked laugh, I slide my bag onto my shoulder and hurriedly open the car door.
"Thanks for the ride! See you Monday." Hopping out of the car, I quickly shut the door behind me, then round the hood before slowing down as trepidation spreads within me when my gaze locks back onto the trailer door I'm now walking toward.
When I reach the wooden steps, I throw a glance over my shoulder at the car that's still parked in the middle of the lane.
Reeve's leaning over the steering wheel, watching me intently through the windscreen.
Despite the nauseous feeling in my stomach, I shoot him a smile, then force myself to turn away, and grab the handle of the door.
Gulping, I push down on it, pull the door open, then silently slip inside. My eyes roam the inside until I find who I'm looking for.
Sprawled out on the floral sofa cushions is my father.
His thin, dark hair is plastered across his forehead, which is drenched in sweat. The white tank he's wearing is covered in dirt and grime, and so are the ripped blue jeans covering his legs.
Hesitantly stepping further into the small space, I pull the door closed behind me as quietly as I can, although with how loud his snoring is, I doubt he'd hear it even if I slammed it.
The sight of him has tears springing into my eyes, and I clamp my lips together as I feel a choked sob building in my throat.
With shaking limbs, I carefully move through to the bedroom. I shut the door behind me, lean my body against it, then slap a hand across my mouth before allowing the tears to fall and the sobs to rip free.
Rifling through my bag, I pull out my phone and text Emery, asking where she is, and while waiting for a reply, I squeeze my eyes closed and greedily gulp down air in an attempt to calm my erratic emotions.
It only takes a few seconds for her to reply, but when I read her message, my whole body slumps in defeat.
She's at a party with Liam.
Of course she is. It's a Saturday night, and she's a college student.
She's been cooped up in her apartment for months because of me and my issues, and now she finally has time to go out again and enjoy herself.
Although I don't want to stay here now my dad's made a reappearance, I don't want to hassle Emery, either.
With no other options, I accept defeat.
Swiping away my tears, I gather myself together with a few deep breaths, then push myself up from the floor and move over to the bed.
Taking the envelope of cash from my bag that Callux gave me earlier, I stuff it inside my pillowcase, then pick up my phone and swipe over to my alarm app, setting one for a few hours' time.
I'm exhausted after this weekend, and I desperately need sleep.
As long as I wake up early, I should be able to gather my things and sneak out of here before the monster in the other room breaks out of his drugged up stupor and realizes I'm here.