Page 80 of Collateral Damage

“And has a way with words.” She confesses, making me huff out loud as I neck another, tapping it on the wood as I roll my eyes in disagreement. My way with words is clearly riveting. It’s why I'm bloody here.

“You can say that again…” She mimes an‘ohhhhhh’as she reads me, filling the glass back up.

“That can only mean one thing. Whose heart did you break?” I look up at her, properly this time, analysing her eyes as she analyses mine like she can read my every thought and it’s slightly terrifying.

“What makes you say that?” I scoff, taking another.

“Only people as handsome as you, who are drowning themselves in JD and wallowing in their own egotistical pity at midnight in the middle of the week are pining over a stupidly pretty girl they couldn’t win over with their dick.” Her words nearly make me crumble the shot glass in my fingers as she nails me with her scarily accurate accusation.

“Ouch. Remind me never to ask you a question again.”

“What can I say? I’ve been here a long time. And you were a fool and didn’t wrap your tool.”Clearly too long.The girl needs a life or something. But her little dig does make me grin with amusement,and I did technically win her over with my cock. That's the problem.

“Hate to break it to you, but my cock is detachable.” I look at her, expecting to see her laugh but she doesn’t. Instead, she raises a brow with this seriousness that I'm not ready to listen to.

“I wasn’t talking about what's between your legs. I was talking about the thing in your chest.” Another slides down my throat, trying to ignore the way she just tried to point out I could possibly care when I literally kill for sport.

“It doesn’t work.” It hasn’t worked for years. It’s why it doesn’t matter what I do. This will never work.Wewould never work. I was built to destroy, not mend.

“It does. You just gotta find the right part.” People have so much hope. This unbearably annoying notion that love conquers all. That it's possible in everyone. But it’s not, and I'm sick of fucking hearing it.

“What if it’s broken.” How the hell is someone meant to fix my engine when it’s well and truly seized.

“Everything can be fixed. Whatever you did. It’s fixable.” I ponder on her optimism, wishing it was that simple. But then I relive everything I've done to her and suddenly it doesn’t look so easy. I can’t bring her parents back. I can’t give her virginity back. I can’t give the last god damn half a year back to her.

“What if you stole her parts to try and fix your own.”

…

I grab the bottle, giving up with the glass as I swig it, glaring at her for an answer and she has one sitting on the end of her tongue.

“Then I'd suggest you stop being a selfish cunt and make up for being a jerk.” Her fiery spirit makes me smile and even though I'm meant to be forgetting about her right now, I'm getting bitchy dating advice from a bartender, and all I can think about is her as I rub the scar on the inside of my hand.

“That mouth will get you in trouble, you know that-” I search respectfully for her name badge on her top.

…

“Ellie.” I mutter deeply as I peer back up at her glued eye contact, holding it for a little and I can see her turning slightly red, even in the warm lighting. Her eyes are entirely different from myLittle Puppets. They are a void. A deep brown that harbours pain, so full of death. A look I know all too well. She’s seen it all and she thrives in it. It’s a look I'm familiar with. Someone I should be interested in but now my interests have changed.

Play - ‘Coming Undone - korn’

“Is this lowlife disturbing youbaby?” A husky groan emerges from behind me, leaning over the bar to try and intimidate me with the stench of liquor. I don’t react, and she says nothing.“Hey, get your own,jackass.”

I side eye him through my bottle, nearly spitting it out in amusement. As beautiful as she is, she isn’t myLittle Dreamer.Nor will anyone else ever fucking be.

“Paranoid much? Worried alowlifesgonna steal your girl?” He reacts exactly how I expected.Threatened.

“And an idiot.” He snorts like a pig at his own humour and he's so punchable, my fist may just fly.

“You guys really like to throw accusations around huh?” It doesn’t take him long before he's in my face, nearly spitting on me with his vile breath. Whatever she sees in him. It’s clearly not his looks.

“Don’t hit on my woman and we won’t have a problem.” My hands raise, admitting defeat so he’s calms the fuck down.

“Look man. I’m just here to drink and she was aiding my request.Cool it. That's her job.” That clearly has no effect on his intoxicated craving for a fight, but I haven't had a good brawl in a while, and I'm urging to quiet my demons.

“Beat it.” He’s slightly shorter than me and he’s far thinner than me so this confidence is truly admirable, he won’t think so though when he wakes up with a broken nose tomorrow if he keeps getting in my fucking face.

“Paranoidandinsecure.That's cute.”I spit, as he steps closer, practically inside me as he leans into my frame, challenging me with his feeble attempt at pushing my buttons and all I can do is kiss my teeth with excitement.This is gonna be good.

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