Page 5 of Beatitude

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” I apologize, my face going bright red while grabbing their forearm to keep from falling over them.Jesus Everly, way to make a fucking scene.I look up and,wow he’s beautiful.The man I’m currently tangled over is traffic-stopping beautiful. He’s tall, with messy dark blonde hair and bright green eyes. His scruffy beard adds this sexy messiness to his sharp features. He’s in a black hoodie and I see the black and grey tattoo peeking out on his neck.Is it a moth?

“Sorry,” I whisper again, releasing his strong arm as I feel embarrassment continue to flood my cheeks.

“Pip!” Lucy calls, waving me over to the pick-up counter.

“Pip,” he whispers so softly I almost miss it. It’s as if he’s trying the name on for size, and by the look on his face, I’m assuming it’s not his size. I don’t blame him, I hate the nickname too, it’s another Devon thing that I had no say over. As I walk over to the pick-up counter, I thank Lucy for the coffee while peeking at the man from behind my glasses. My god he’s massive. His shoulders are so broad under his hoodie. I notice the silver gauges dangling in his ears and the tattoo on his hand going up to his wrist.Is that a rosary? That’s a weird tattoo.

He orders his drink but as I glance up from his hand, I realize his gaze is on me. Even through my sunglasses, I feel like he’sstaring into my soul. There’s the slightest upturn of his lips when the other barista gives him his total and asks for a name.

With a gentle and quiet voice, he responds with a simple "B" as he reaches for his wallet. Like a moth to a flame, I’m drawn to the softness of his tone, feeling myself gravitate towards it.

“I got this, Mason.” I smile, pulling out my last bit of money to cover his drink. He looks at me, genuine shock taking over his strong face.

“What? I have money,” he says, as if I’m offering him charity.

“Wha–No I’m sure you do, I was, well…it’s just a kind gesture? You know, for falling over you?” I give him an unsure smile and his face still holds the same look of confusion. Laughing nervously, I tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear while sliding the money to Mason. “What, you’ve never done something kind before? Never wanted to make someone’s day a little nicer?” I sip my iced coffee as he considers me for a moment.

“Kindnessis not something my heart is known for, or knows of.” He says it so simply, like he’s giving directions butwhathe says, it’s so sad. It’s sad because I know exactly what he’s implying. Kindness isn’t something my heart knows either.

“Well,B, accept this as the first act of kindness on your heart.” I beam brightly while placing my hand on his chest only for a second, but it’s long enough for a look of near panic to wash over him. Realizing I must’ve overstepped, I back up a step. “I hope you enjoy your coffee and find a reason to smile today.” Giving him a slight, very awkward nod, I walk out of the shop.

Once the fresh air hits me, I groan, I now have two dollars left to my name because I saw a cute guy.So classic Everly.I get dumped by my boyfriend because he wants to move his new girlfriend in, so I run to anyone offering me attention. I’m not an idiot, despite what people may think. I know Devon was banging anyone and everyone willing, except me. Why would he bang me though? I’m used goods.A disgusting dumpsterI believe were his exact words when I questioned him about our lack of intimacy. He didn’t want me sexually, he wanted me to stay with him so I wouldn’t tell anyone that he and his buddies took turns raping me on campus years ago. He kept me close so no one would believe me if I said he hurt me. And I let him. Maybe Iaman idiot. I should’ve never gotten with him after that, but I was scared. He told me I could stay with him and he would take care of me, or he would make my life a living hell to ensure I never breathed a word about what he did. I had nowhere to go and after the attack I was so traumatized I couldn’t stay at school, and I couldn’t work because of my fear. Devon offered me a place to stay, and if I was living with him, he couldn’t rape me again, and he wouldn’t make my life a living hell, win-win… right?

I hear footsteps behind me and look to see the man from the coffee shop. “Oh!” I breathe in surprise as unease twists in my stomach. I back up against the car behind me as he walks toward me. His height and overall size are intimidating compared to my small stature and slight build. “B, right?” I give him an uneasy smile as rain begins to fall from the skies.

“Belial,” his voice is still the calm, soft voice like at the coffee shop—it has an accent to it, though faint. I can’t place it though. Which is shocking to no one considering up until Devon and I moved here to Oregon, I had only ever lived in a small midwest city in Indiana.

“Belial? Why is that familiar?”

“Haven’t stayed up to date on your Old Testament scripture there, Angel?” He cracks a smirk and I try to relax but something in his eyes has me on edge. “It’s the name given to the Devil.” I frown at his explanation.

“Well, that’s a terrible name to give to your child, I would go by B too, at least until I could change it.” His laugh is surprised and soft, like a low rumble as he steps closer, invading my personal space.

“I go by Belial, that’s not my given name, Angel. Well, I guess itwasgiven to me, just not at birth. Listen, I gotta ask you something, why did you give me this?” he asks, gesturing to his cup of coffee.

“I told you?—”

“The real reason,” he nearly snaps but almost instantly calms back down. “Humans by nature are selfish beings, they do nothing without the expectation of something in return. Some form of gain be it financial, pleasurable or otherwise, so tell me,Pipwhat did you plan on gaining by paying for my coffee?”

“This riveting conversation.” I wince as the words leave me. My mouth is always getting me into trouble and that’s precisely whatBelialis. He’s all trouble. His emerald eyes darken before a smirk pulls at his scruffy face. Deciding to try and defuse whatever is igniting inside of him, I take a breath and step away from the trunk only to have him press the button on his key fob to open it. “Oh, this is your car, I’m sorry,” I say while he tosses his bag into the trunk. “And I’m sorry for being a smart ass, it gets me into a lot of trouble. But you’re right, I was trying to get something out of the coffee.” He raises a brow as the rain starts to pick up. Wonderful, I get to walk around soaking wet as well. “I’m having a really shittymorning… day… life, I don’t know. Everything is screwed up, I’m alone, homeless, I—” Shaking my head, I redirect myself. “I saw you, and something about you made me smile, even though I have nothing to smile about right now. It’s probably just you’re good looking, I don’t know. Either way, you made me smile and I wanted to return the favor.”

He’s silent, my words evidently catching him off guard. “D-Do you want a ride? It’s raining.” I giggle at his comment.

“Yeah, I’m aware but no thank you, I’ve inconvenienced you enough.”

“If it were an inconveniencePip, I wouldn’t have offered.”

“You don’t seem to be a fan of my name,”

“It’s not your name,” he states almost as fast as I could get the statement out. “Pip is not a name. No one in their right mind would look at an angel as beautiful as you and soil her with a name such asPip.” I feel my blush returning. Beautiful? Fuck, when was the last time I was called beautiful?

“Big talk from a man who named himself after the Devil.” His chuckle is low as his green eyes nearly glow.

“Tell me your name,” He states and I wrinkle my nose.

“You first,” I counter while looking around. No one is out here, we’re the only two idiots in the rain, perfect.

“Hmmm…Get in the car and I'll tell you.” I look from him to the car. This is a bad idea.

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