Page 41 of Acid

Something flickers in his eyes briefly before he nods. “There is nothing to worry about. As promised, our friendship will remain the same, no matter what. There is no need to avoid me, and no need to hide from what happened last night,” he states. He strokes his thumb across my cheek. I nod and give him a small smile. His eyes flicker to my mouth and before I can say anything, his mouth is on mine, kissing me. His lips are tender against mine, lingering just for a moment before he pulls back.

“Acid, what?” I breathe.

He grins at my bemused state. “I had my cock buried in you last night, as well as my tongue. You left my bed this morning before I could kiss you or fuck you again.” He shrugs. “Who knows?” My cheeks heat and I quickly look around, making sure that Oliver hasn’t seen us. His hand moves to grip my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I know you don’t want a relationship. I don’t, either.” I feel my stomach lurch at his words. “We’re friends. I want to keep it that way, but I also had fun last night, and I wouldn’t object if you wanted to do it again sometime. Think of me as your safe place. You can even just use a word if you wanted to, so you don’t have to ask me directly. You say the word and I’m there.”

Part of me thinks this is a dangerous idea, one that could backfire, but truthfully, I’m not ready for a heavy relationship right now. Oliver isn’t ready for that. He must come first.

“One word and we could have a night like last night, no questions asked, and not feel awkward in the morning?” I ask, nibbling anxiously on my bottom lip.

“Exactly that, although I’m not sure I could share you again,” he states.

I nod, thinking. “Okay, but I don’t want anybody knowing about this,” I assert. He nods. “So, if I want you to know while I’m still staying at the club, I will say something like, I have a headache and I’m going for a lie down. When I move above thestudio, it will obviously be easier, but under no terms are you to touch or do anything in front of Oliver. Hiding it is more for him than anything else. He’s been through enough, and I don’t want to be that mom that just brings guys into her kid’s life. He needs to know he’s the one that is the most important thing in the world to me. I’ve messed up his life enough by falling for a man that was not good for either of us. I won’t do that again,” I state. “Not that I think you’re anything like him, it’s just...”

Acid takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, his eyes soft as he gazes at me. “You don’t need to explain all of that to me. I know what you mean,” he says softly with understanding. He places a soft kiss on my temple. “Now, I’m more than happy for you to get a headache tonight. My door will remain unlocked.” He winks. “Oh yeah, and I like the little heart tattoo.” The tension eases as he drapes his arm over my shoulders. “Now, let’s finish this school shop, and stop picking the cheap shit. I’m paying for it. The kid deserves the best,” he states before taking the stuff I’d already put in the cart and places it back on the shelves.

We finish up shopping, and we are laughing and joking now that the awkwardness has dispersed. As we hit the checkout, I go to get Oliver from the arcade but as I walk in and look around, I can’t see him anywhere. My heart starts to beat faster.

“Oliver?” I call out. I walk up to the guy who is stood at the entrance. The whole idea is to make sure no child leaves without an adult, and Oliver knows not to leave with just anyone. “Have you seen my son? He was in here. I can’t find him,” I say, panicked.

“What does he look like?” the guy asks.

“Brown hair, he’s around five feet, brown eyes... He was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans,” I rush out, still looking all around me.

“Oh yeah, he left about five minutes ago with his dad,” he states. “I checked that the kid knew him, and he said he was his stepdad,” the guy explains.

My eyes go wide as I run to the exit. I hear Acid yelling after me, but I don’t stop. I run out through the mall and out to the parking lot, screaming for Oliver. “Oliver!” I yell again, my heart feeling like its being torn from my chest.

Acid appears beside me. “What is it?” he asks.

“Joe’s got him,” I cry out.

“What does he drive?” he asks.

“Er, he doesn’t. He lost his licence.” I sniff.

“You stay here. I’m going to go and look. Take my cell and call Ghost now,” he orders. Unlocking his phone, he places it in my hand. My hands shake as I take the phone. I nod and hit call on Ghost’s number as he goes looking.

“What?” Ghost answers sharply.

“It’s Rhea.” I sniff, my voice trembling. I hear mumbling in the background. “My ex, Joe. He’s taken Oliver. Acid told me to call you,” I sob.

“Where are you?” he asks.

“The mall. Acid is running to search,” I rasp.

“We are on our way. Keep looking and tell the security guards. Get them looking,” he orders. “We will find him, don’t worry, darlin’,” he assures before disconnecting.

Acid comes running back. panting. “He ain’t out here. He’s got to still be in there. You go to the second floor, and I will check the food court,” he orders. I nod, thankful he has a clear head, because my panicked mind can’t think clearly.

I run into each store, stopping every security guard I pass. They each go in search of him. I call his name repeatedly, hoping and praying that he will hear me. Instead, there’s nothing. One of the security guards tries to get me to go into the office while we wait for the police. I refuse because if I’m in the office,then he can’t find me. I stand there turning on the spot, my eyes darting everywhere. Think, I need to think. Where would Joe take him? A bar! He can’t go long without a drink, and if he found Oliver in time, then he would have seen the money that Acid had given him. There’s a bar by the food court. I run, pushing past people, not caring if I knock them over.

“Excuse me, I need to get past.” I mutter as I run up the elevator, squeezing past various people. I reach the top and see the bar, and as I run towards the entrance, I see Acid stood there. Right in front of him is Joe with a hand wrapped around Oliver’s neck.

“And here she is, the woman of the hour,” Joe slurs.

“Oliver,” I whisper. “Joe, let go of him, please. It’s me you want, not him,” I beg.

Joe sneers as he picks up a glass of amber liquid and knocks it back. I step forward to grab Oliver, but Acid holds his hand out, stopping me. “You ain’t going anywhere near him,” Acid growls.

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