12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Maisie
Mack went straight home last night and told his parents that he was moving out, he packed a couple of bags and left right away. He said that he couldn't bear to see the worry in his mother's eyes so decided to not long it out and leave right away. He only moved ten minutes away so it wasn't as if he'd moved across the country.
He seemed ready, confident to get going. It was his mum that held the worries. I didn't know the true extent of all the trauma that Mack had endured when he was younger, but it was enough to make his mother worry like she did.
He would quite often get text messages from her whilst he was out, he'd always take the time to reply to her, to put her mind at ease. These things would take time, he was finally growing up and she was having to let her baby go. I was jealous of him in some respect that he had parents around to worry about him. I still hadn't opened up to him about my past, he never pushed, I could tell he was curious though. We had spoken about pretty much everything over the past few weeks, everything except both of our pasts.
I'm sure it would all come out in time, when we were both ready.
It was now Wednesday. I was just getting home from a day at the beach with Mack. We managed to find a secluded beach, there wasn't another soul there all day. It was the perfect day, we lounged about in the sun talking for hours. We ate our picnic that Mack had packed and sipped on crisp white wine. We played in the ocean, splashing and paddling, laughing and kissing. It felt so easy to be around him, so natural that I didn't have to question my behaviour. I was able to be unapologetically me. As the sun set, we stripped off our clothes and skinny dipped in the sea, crossing off another item from the bucket list.
The way Mack's eyes lit up and almost bulged out of his head when he saw me naked for the first time was incredible. I wanted to preen like a peacock as I stood beneath the sunset and watched his greedy eyes eat me up.
I did the same to him when he removed his. God that man was huge … everywhere. His body was so thick and sculpted, his arms like tree trunks. I could tell that he worked out a lot. He was tall, bulky and so god damn sexy. His top half was littered with random tattoos, from his neck all the way down to his hands. And his cock … I watched it go from soft, to half mast to so damn hard in about ten seconds when he saw me naked. That was a good feeling.
We spent hours touching, exploring, kissing, caressing. It didn't progress into anything sexual but just the little touches were enough to set my body ablaze with lust. If he wasn't a virgin, I would have taken him right there on the beach.
So, now I was just getting home. I was beyond exhausted and was looking forward to a shower, a coffee and curling up on the sofa for an hour with a good smutty book.
I dragged myself up the stairs which led to my tiny flat, my body aching and tired. As I reached into my bag looking for my keys, I heard a tiny crying noise. I paused and looked around, I was alone in the hallway. To my right were three other doors which led to my neighbouring flats. To my left was a tiny sitting area with a little sofa. The crying started up again as I moved closer to my door. I recognised that little noise …. it was Milo .
I crouched down to look underneath the sofa and there he was, my baby was cowering at the back of the sofa right next to the wall. How on earth did he get out of the flat?
I reached forward to pet him, he was shaking and crying and backing away. Until he caught a whiff of my scent and slowly crept out and into my arms.
"Oh baby, what happened? How did you get out here?" His little body was quivering in fear, his big brown eyes looking up at me in pure terror. I picked him up in my arms and carried him towards the flat. That's when I noticed that my front door was a jar. I definitely locked it, I always do.
Fear and uncertainty gripped me as I edged forward and gently kicked it open. Disappointment immediately hit me when I took in the complete destruction of my flat. As I moved further inside, my head whipped back and forth trying desperately to take everything in.
My furniture was either tipped over or smashed to pieces, it looked like every piece of china in the kitchen was smashed up and littered across the floor. There were clothes, towels and bedding thrown everywhere. Paperwork was strewn about, toiletries and makeup stamped into the carpet.
The entire place was completely destroyed and as I sunk down onto the floor and cried, desperation overtook me. When was I ever going to catch a break? My entire life was destroyed, my family photos had been smashed, ripped from the walls and crumpled to the ground. The grief I felt was intense, every single belonging was gone. I had nothing left. I cried for myself, I cried for Milo and I cried for my parents. I wished more than anything that they were here, maybe then I wouldn't have grown so unnaturally attached to the printed versions of them.
I sat on that carpet and cried for what felt like hours, Milo cried along with me whilst snuggled tightly on my lap. He was all I had left …
That's when I remembered where I'd been all day and the fact that I'd taken off my mum's necklace for the first time in a long time. I'd left it on the counter in the bathroom, the fear of losing it in the sea too much .
I leapt to my feet, clutching Milo tightly to my chest and rushed towards the bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash had been emptied out all over the room. Cotton buds and tampons strewn about the floor. I rushed around, frantically searching every surface, looking for my prized possession. It was gone, the last thing I'd ever have of my mother was gone.
The howl of pain that left me in that moment was brutal, I didn't recognise myself or the sounds leaving my body. Pain, pain everywhere. My heart was breaking in my chest and my mind was fractured. I'd officially lost it all, I had no family, no belongings and nowhere to go.
I sat against the bathroom wall and sobbed, the tears eventually slowing when my energy was depleted and the skin around my eyes was red raw.
The silence was deafening, Milo had eventually fallen asleep on my stomach. I didn't know what to do next, where to go from here.
That was when my knight in shining armour flashed through my mind and I knew exactly who I needed and where I needed to go. I didn't have anybody else but I knew I had Mack. Even if he would only ever be a friend … who I enjoyed kissing immensely.
I pulled my exhausted body off the bathroom floor and settled a sleeping Milo back down. I made towards my wardrobe, finding a duffel bag and began throwing a bunch of clothes inside. I had no idea what I was packing, half of it had been slashed with a knife or trodden into the floor. I packed everything that I could, along with my Dad's t-shirt and Milo's dog food and toys, gathered him up and left.
I shut the door behind me and didn't look back. It was all gone.
Mack
It was late when I heard a soft knocking on the front door, I hadn't long gotten home from an amazing day with Maisie at the beach. We had stayed until the sun had set and the chill crept in. It had probably been a little chilly to still be at the beach but it had been a gorgeous sunny early autumn day and we'd had the time of our lives.
The knocking continued as I descended the stairs and made my way towards the door. It was dark outside so I couldn't see a silhouette through the glass.
I quietly unlocked the door and pulled it open just a few inches to peek out and see who it was.
My heart stopped in my chest as I took in the sight in front of me. It was Maisie, she was standing on the doorstep still wearing the same clothes she had worn earlier at the beach. Her hair was in a messy knotted bun on the top of her head and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen.
"Baby, what happened?" I said as I flung open the door and immediately pulled her inside. A soft crying came from behind her as I took in the sight of her little dog shaking on the doorstep. I bent down immediately and took him into my arms, he nuzzled deeply into one side of my neck as I pulled Maisie into the other.
I brought them inside and led them up the stairs to my tiny bedroom, shutting the door behind us as I settled them on the bed together. They looked so broken, like tiny lost children.
I lowered to my knees in front of Maisie and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my head against her stomach. We sat in silence for a while before she finally gained the strength to speak. Silent tears were streaming down her face as she told me about the break in. She told me in detail how everything had been destroyed and how her mother's silver locket had been stolen. I held her closer, it almost felt like I was holding her together as she relaxed in my arms and breathed a small sign of relief.
"Mack … I'm sorry for just turning up out of the blue," She whispered.
"Little flame, you can come here whenever you want to, you don't need an invitation."
"It's just …. I didn't know where else to go. I don't have anywhere … to go," she sniffled as the exhaustion seemed to sweep over her body and she sagged in my arms .
"Yes you do," I told her definitively. "You come to me, you belong here, with me. Your sweet doggy too." I pulled her onto my lap and held her as she settled against me, her breathing evened out and she fell asleep right there in my arms. She had cried herself to the point of emptiness.
I gently climbed to my feet, my legs had gone numb from sitting on them for so long but that didn't stop me. I pulled back the duvet on my bed and tucked her in underneath, removing her trainers and leaving her in just her vest top and shorts. Her little dog moved over and curled up in front of her, instantly falling into a deep slumber.
I just sat and watched her for a while, taking in the gentle slope of her tiny nose and the mass of freckles littered across her cheeks. Her pink pouty lips still quivering in her sleep and her eyes were red and swollen. A small fractured sigh left her lips and a silent sleepy tear streaked down her cheek. Even in her sleep she was hurting. I felt my throat close up and tears burning the back of my own eyes. I hated seeing her in such pain and I'd do anything to take it away.
I eventually stood from the side of the bed to make myself a bed on the floor when Maisie gripped hold of my wrist and in the tiniest voice told me,
"Stay, please don't leave me."
"I'll never leave you," I whispered back as I removed my t-shirt and joggers and climbed in behind her in the bed. She moved her hips back and snuggled against me. I wrapped an arm around her waist, rubbing tiny circles with my finger on her skin. Before finally falling into a restless and nightmare ridden sleep.
As exhaustion took me, I make myself a promise. I'd make things better for Maisie. I'd take that pain from her heart and turn it into joy. If it was the last thing I did.