Page 39 of Bad Kind of Love

CHAPTER TEN

Becca

After the crazed events that unfolded last night, I fell asleep with a sour taste in my mouth. I knew high school parties weren’t exactly the most reputable, but last night made it obvious why I stayed clear of them. Travis turned out to be a major creep, Nate was an asshole and Wes, Wes was just…different.

Josie woke up with a hangover from hell, eventually just locking herself in my bathroom to be close to the toilet. I, on the other hand, woke up an anxious mess. Dreading the day ahead.

“Told you I’d rock this hat.” Wes announces while stepping out of the backroom sporting the ice cream cone on the top of his head. Even with a ridiculous hat on, he still looked good as fuck but I couldn’t help but chuckle. He was totally out of his element working here, and out of place. He belonged on the football field, or wherever good looking people ended up. Not a small town ice cream shop working with me.

His blue eyes watched me in fascination as my laughter died down. “You look ridiculous.”

“I might have to keep it.” He jokes, messing with the pointy end that sticks out. With his arm stretched out above his head, my eyes wander over the ripples, imagining how they would feel beneath my fingers. He wasn’t a burly guy, but his arms were well built.

“Yah, I’m sure the ladies will love it.”

It came out in a teasing manner, but it wasn’t hard to miss the disappointment across his face. The playful energy was sucked out of the room and in its place was uncomfortable silence.

“Alright…uh, let me show you the menu.” I motion my head toward the paper menu that’s on the counter. “It’s a lot to take in at first, but I’m sure you’ll catch on quick.”

Taking a few strides forward, he slides up beside me. His towering frame was almost too close, like he was testing me to see if I would say anything. Our shoulder blades were a mere centimeter from touching, but I oddly could feel the pressure as if we were adjoined.

“Um… so, as you can see, this is where the ice cream is stored.” I point to the freezer beside us. I could barely think or concentrate with him standing so close. It was like my brain stopped working altogether and all I could focus on was Wes. “Jerry’s a stickler for it looking clean, so, just… make sure you wipe it down from time to time.” I force out in a voice that sounded unlike my own.

“He seems like an ass.” He grunts.

“Yah.” I nod in agreement. “Just don’t say that to his face. My go-to is flipping him off when he’s not looking. It makes me feel a little better.”

“I’m a guy Becca. You saw what happened the last time someone pissed me off.” He scoffs jokingly as I’m reminded of Jack.

I knew I shouldn’t be curious about how he was, but I felt this unbelievable need to know. All last night my mind was racing, thinking about Jack and wondering if he was okay. I tried shaking off the strange feeling, but it was as if he somehow planted himself in my brain, and now he was all I could think about.

“How…how is your dad?” I tried asking nonchalantly, but the way his body tensed beside me, I wish I could take it back.

“Fine, I guess.” He shrugs. “There’s a pretty gnarly bruise across his face.”

By all the blood I saw last night, I knew it was going to be a nasty welt. The second Wes landed the punch, I was brought back to that horrific night as a child.

That nightmare of a night that haunts me till this day and the night I’d never forget. As I stared into Jack's eyes and bloodied face, it faded into my fathers. How all I could do was watch in horror as my dad bled all over our hardwood floor. It was an image that was permanently seared into my brain as an eleven-year-old.

“Becca?” I feel Wes’s fingertips graze my grin. “You look pale like you’re about to pass out.”

His fingers are warm and soft as they graze my already hot flesh. They linger on my chin, as I’m too stunned to speak. “I… I’m fine. I’m okay.” I shake my head slowly causing Wes to drop his hand.

He didn’t look too convinced, but I somehow managed to explain everything and train Wes a bit before customers started coming in. With me on register and him serving the ice cream, he eventually got the hang of it and was doing it all on his own. When we were slow, I’d show him the cleaning checklist, and every now and then we’d make small talk. It was surprisingly nice having him around, it sure beat working with Jerry. I found myself laughing and smiling more than usual. The time went by faster than I thought it would, and the moment I peered up at the clock, it read nine o’clock.

“Closing time already?” Wes asked while cleaning around the freezer. “Seems like we just got here.”

Walking over to the open sign, I flick off the switch and lock the door. “You’re lucky Jerry didn’t stop by. Time seems to stand still when he’s here.”

“Well, hopefully from now on he doesn’t feel the need to be here on the weekends.” He continues scrubbing as I start messing with the table and chairs.

“So, overall, how would you say your first day went?” I ask, curious for his answer. A small part of me wanted him to say it went well, that he enjoyed working here and with me. But a deep part of me wanted him to quit and leave. He was becoming harder and harder to ignore, and he seemed to have no intention of leaving me alone.

“It was good, surprisingly easy.” He admitted. “Having you around to work with wasn’t that bad either.”

His confession had my cheeks flaring, but it was the grin I couldn’t hide that made it worse.

“You weren’t so bad to work with either.” I confess surprising us both. Lifting his eyes from behind the freezer, they connect with mine. A rush of sensations tingles throughout my body from his intense stare, but the way he was looking at me was anything but friendly. His lust filled eyes drank me in as I stood there squirming.

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