Chapter Thirty-Seven
I feel like I’m being dragged upward from the bottom of an ocean, like something is pulling me toward the surface, ever so slowly.
Feeling as if I’m made of concrete… but weightless at the same time.
My anxiety is spiking as I slowly gravitate to the surface.
My body is registering my panic before my mind does, muscles locked so tight I’m terrified that I might be paralyzed.
It feels like hours have passed by the time I’m almost to the surface.
Expecting to hear nothing but silence, I’m shocked that I hear muffled beeping.
Cold air stings my skin as I feel like I’m breaking the surface, instead of smelling salt water…
I am overwhelmed by the strong antiseptic smell, with a faint trace of sandalwood.
The muffled beeping is now clear. As I take my first breath, I plummet back down.
I feel like I’m choking on water… I try to scream, I yell out for Gavin… But everything goes dark again.
The faint beeping of an alarm brings me out of my deep sleep.
Confusion washes over me as I realize I’m not in the Trailer I shared with Reece; it’s even worse…
I’m in my childhood bedroom. A fist bangs against my door.
“Juni, get the fuck up. You're going to be late for your first day of learning how to become a fucking pig. I sure as fuck ain’t driving you to school… I’m still drunk.
” Booms my father's voice from the hallway.
Groaning, I sit up and stretch. The first thing I notice is my wedding band is gone…
like it's never been there. My ribs are not in any pain…
My vision is clear, my eyes are not swollen, and my wrist is not in a cast. What the fuck?
Standing up, I walk over to my full-length mirror, where my school uniform is folded and ironed, hanging ready for me.
The patches that we wear are not on the uniform yet, which tells me this is the very beginning of the year.
The uniform shirts are an ugly light blue color with dark blue tactical pants.
Once I’m dressed, I make my way to the kitchen.
Looking around for something edible that I could consider breakfast, but I come up short.
I guess Dad drank away his paycheck again.
Finding a half-rotten apple, I decide it’s better than nothing.
Cutting away the rotten parts, I’m left with half…
beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. Grabbing my black tactical boots, I sit at the kitchen table.
Slipping them on, I lace them up and tie them tight.
Checking the clock, I see I have five minutes to spare before the bus comes.
On my way out the door, I almost forgot my backpack.
Running back in to grab it leaves me less time to get to the bus stop, but I still make it with a minute to spare.
Making my way to the back of the bus, I’m relieved that the last seat hasn't been taken yet.
Scooting in, I plop my headphones in and place my forehead against the cold glass.
I’ve been trying to save the little money I make babysitting for a car.
A friend of mine from school, her dad is selling a car for pretty cheap.
I was almost to my goal last week, but I needed to get food in the house since my dad won’t.
Being so close but so far away is so frustrating.
If I drove, I wouldn’t have to take two buses to get to my Training Academy.
Getting off the first bus, I make my way to the second.
This bus goes to multiple campuses, and mine is the first stop.
Stepping off the bus, I head inside. My class consists of kids from many different schools; this is a trade school.
Stepping inside the class, a few kids are already seated in the lecture hall.
Looking for the seating chart and taking notes on my assigned seat, I make my way there.
My nerves pick up as I see someone already seated next to where I’m assigned.
He’s crouched over since someone of his size barely fits comfortably.
Oh my god, he’s beautiful. He has the prettiest curls on top of his head, the sides shaved.
Lightly tanned skin, the prettiest brown eyes I’ve ever seen on a dude.
The cologne he’s wearing smells amazing… I think it’s sandalwood.
As I take a seat, those deep brown eyes are already on me, giving me a slight smirk. He puts his hand out for a handshake. “I’m Gavin Petrov. Nice to meet you.”
I catch a very slight Russian accent; it’s barely noticeable. “Juniper Davis, but please call me Juni… Juniper always makes me feel like I’m in trouble or something,” I say with a laugh.
Leaning over to whisper to me, he says, “ Are you, trouble, Davis? You give off a good girl who doesn’t know how to be bad vibe.” He chuckles and winks at me as he sees the reaction on my face. My cheeks instantly heat, a blush blooming across my face.
“Didn’t your mama ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover, Petrov?” My eyes visibly trace him from head to toe, a smirk forming across my face. “I can be trouble when it comes to you,” I say with a wink.
“So, you are trouble, and you have a sassy mouth?” Biting his knuckle, he looks at me again. “Lucky for you, I like trouble,” he smirks again, “Maybe we can see what shenanigans we can get into together.”
“Bold assumption on a girl you just met, Petrov,” I sent him a wink again.
“Prove me wrong then, Davis, if you're up for it.”
I go to respond, but I look down and notice the classroom floor is flooding, and no one is reacting like I am. I’m the only one to notice. My chair starts to sink into the floor like quicksand. Before Gavin could reach for my hand, I sank until I had disappeared.
I’m at the bottom of the ocean again, body floating mindlessly.
I feel the same pull as before. The same thing is repeating; I’m slowly making my way to the top.
Feels like hours have been dragging by. I’m so close to the top I feel cold again, the overpowering smell of the antiseptic mixed with a hint of sandalwood.
The annoying beeping is becoming clearer.
I gasp as I finally breach the surface. But I’m not where I expect to be.
The darkness seems to fade… as I search my surroundings, I realize I’m in a coat closet, and I’m not alone.
The memory of this night crashes into me.
A frustrated growl brings me out of my temporary dreamy state.
The hint of sandalwood confirms it. “Juni, this might make me seem like a total dick, but I am not fucking you for the first time in a closet.” Gavin sighs, placing his head against mine.
“Then take me somewhere else, Gavin. We can leave, no one’s going to know,” I hear myself say.
“I know where we can go, come on… We can take my car.”
Leaving the coat closet, we make our way downstairs. There are so many people coming and going. No one’s going to notice we are gone. Well, let's hope not. I spot Gavin’s WRX parked across the street in the field. To make a game out of it, I start full-on sprinting toward it, not looking back.
Gavin growls at me again and takes off after me.
Just as I’m about to get to his car, his strong arms wrap around my waist, and he pushes me up against the passenger side door.
“Hmm, do you like being chased Любовь? I liked chasing you, obviously,” he says as I feel him against me.
“Be a good girl and get in the car… this will only be satisfying for you if you listen to me,” he whispers as his breath ghosts my right ear.
He steps back and opens the passenger door for me like he always does.
It’s the little things that he does for me that make me feel so cared for.
Once we are both seated, we take off to wherever he’s taking me.
My mind is racing with the ideas that he chooses.
A smile comes across my face when I see the sign for Bear Creek Park.
It’s not an ordinary park. It’s a beautiful swimming hole.
The road turns into four bridges, and you drive across the water.
This place is covered with jeeps in the summer.
It’s late, so we don’t have to worry about traffic.
We start driving, there’s nothing to see, no lights other than the headlights and the glow of the moon.
Besides that, it’s pitch black out here.
Coming right before the third bridge, we stop.
He parks. Turning off all the lights except the glow of the stereo.
Gavin slowly reaches over and cups my jaw, pulling me so close we are breathing the same air.
“Juni, look at me,” Gavin says gruffly. And I do, my eyes bore into his.
“Are we sure we want to do this? I want you to call the shots, Любовь.”
“Meet me in the backseat, Petrov,” I say with a wink. Jumping out of the car, I open the back door and sit quietly in the back seat waiting.
Before my next blink, Gavin is in the backseat with me and pulling me on his lap, so I’m straddling him.
Between Gavin’s size and how small this car is, my knees are smashed into the fabric of the back seat, caging in both sides of his hips.
Gavin didn’t bother closing his door. The cool night air does nothing for the intense fire we are both feeling.
Gavin’s hands tightly grab my hips, his thumbs stroking the strip of skin under my t-shirt.
He doesn’t make a move; his dark eyes look almost black from lust but still hold a serious glint.
The dashboard only gives a sliver of light in the pitch-black.
The soft synth of "Sweater Weather" by The Neighborhood starts playing. “You’re such a fucking menace,” he whispers, but the sexy grin he’s flashing- I think he likes it when I’m a pain in his ass.
“At least, I’m your menace,” I whisper back, leaning forward until our lips are barely an inch apart. I can feel his heart rate pick up against my chest, a fast-paced rhythm that matches my own. My body is giving him the answer he needs.