Chapter 19 #2
“Yeah, my pride is hurt more than anything.” I stomped away to find the toque that my mum had knitted me. I wasn’t losing it out here because of them.
“Her? Why are you asking her? Can’t you see, I’m the one who’s hurt?”
“The only thing hurting is your acting skills. I fucking saw you,” Nash said and looked around at the mess.
I picked up my hat and whacked it off my leg before stuffing it into my pocket.
I hated this place. If it weren’t for Myles, I’d find a way out of here, but I didn’t want to leave him.
He was the first person to make me feel human, and I felt alive with him around.
“And now you can fucking clean this mess up because I didn’t just spend an hour out here chasing this shit around for you to do this,” he yelled and waved his hands around at the garbage rolling away in the breeze like shiny tumbleweeds.
“I’m not touching garbage,” Vicky said, standing up and dusting herself off. “And I don’t have to.”
Ignoring them, I took the clear bags from Nash’s hand and opened one to get back to work. “I swear to god, you fucking clean this up or else,” Nash growled menacingly. For a second, I thought he was going to attack her.
“Or else what?”
“Or else we are done, over, through,” Nash said, and my mouth dropped open.
What the hell was happening? He couldn’t dump her.
If he dumped her, she would blame me…again.
She would go from crazy to boil-the-bunny nuts.
I never thought I would be cheering for Nash and Vicky to stay together, but all I could picture was what living with her would be like, and sitting with Hades in hell would be better.
“You’d break up with me over her?”
The rest of the cheerleaders had wisely stepped back from Nash and Vicky. Picking up the stick Nash had dropped, I quickly speared the closest garbage, but he grabbed my arm, halting my progress.
“Don’t. They made the fucking mess. They should clean it up.”
“I really just want to get this over with,” I whispered, but if he heard, he didn’t acknowledge it and didn’t let go of my arm.
“I’m not picking up garbage,” Vicky said, crossing her arms as she glared at me, hatred burning red hot in her eyes.
I pressed my lips together to keep from saying something else to escalate the issue.
“That’s below me,” she said, waving her arm in my direction.
“And neither should you, Nash. Why are you not just making her do it for you? That’s what I would do. ”
I couldn’t keep quiet. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?
Garbage collector is an honorable profession that is highly disrespected, and it’s a good thing that someone doesn’t mind doing it, or you would be forced to do it yourself.
Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth, Vicky.
Maybe you should try remembering that. It’s good to remember that anyone can fall on hard times, and you do what you must to survive. ”
She held her hand up at me, silently telling me to shut up as she made a disgusted noise. “Why are you always so extra, I swear.”
I looked up at Nash. His face was dark, and he hadn’t moved for so long that he seemed frozen to the spot.
“Fuck it. We’re done.”
Once more, the eerie collective gasp sounded like a bell. Vicky stumbled backward, her mouth gaping and eyes wide. “No, I won’t allow it,” she said, and I was expecting Nash to go all volcano mode, but his lip twitched, and he smiled before laughing.
“You won’t allow it?” The venom in his words had Vicky licking her lips and taking a tiny step back.
“You. Won’t. Allow. It?” Each word he said was softer, and yet I shivered as his fingers twitched on my arm.
There wasn’t even a moment to register what was happening.
One second, I was waiting to see if Nash was going to kill Vicky—and if I would be sitting on a witness stand for a murder trial—and the next, he’d jerked me into his arms, and his lips crashed down onto mine.
Nash commanded me like he did everything else.
His tongue was past my lips and tasting my mouth in a blink.
He growled as he kissed me, and my stomach turned into a giant knot.
My heart stopped in my chest. As quickly as it started, it was over as I was yanked out of the whirlwind kiss that left me lightheaded.
“You don’t order me to do anything. We are officially through. Now scamper off and find another mark to sink your nails into,” Nash growled. Vicky looked like she was going to burst into tears. I touched my lips, still unable to process what the hell just happened.
“You can’t do this. I love you,” Vicky said, her bottom lip trembling.
“I don’t do love, and I repeatedly told you that we were not exclusive.
Now you have confirmation in front of your eyes.
We are over, forever. Now get out of my face, all of you.
” Everyone scampered off, including Vicky, surrounded by her minions.
“Oh, and Vicky….” She looked back at him.
“You’re a terrible fuck. Hope you all recorded that. ”
Nash looked down at me once the doors were closed and we were alone. “Um….”
“Don’t worry, it was just to make a point.
We better get this garbage collected before it completely blows away.
I have shit to get done tonight that doesn’t have to do with this garbage.
” Nash took the stick, which I’d forgotten all about, from my hand.
I stood there blinking after him, my lips tingling from the quick, hard abuse.
He looked over his shoulder at me. “Are you coming or what?”
It would be nice to have at least one week when I knew which way was up because lately, I felt like I’d been dropped in a cyclone that didn’t want to let go.