Page 20 of From My Past
I laid my head down on the couch cushions and if I’m being honest, it felt more comfortable than the bed I shared with Luca.
I could hear the shower turn off so I could feel my body tense with the noise. If he was getting out of the shower, that meant that he could come for me.
I sat (or laid) on pins and needles; waiting for Luca to yell at me, to come running to get me, to smack me, to rape me.
But nothing happened.
The light under the bedroom door shut off and I felt like I could breathe again. I let my eyes flutter closed, still not fully letting myself relax.
I didn’t think I could relax ever again while I was under his roof.
* * *
The next morning, I woke up to the sun streaming through the curtains. Thank fuck that Luca hadn’t tried anything last night, I know I wouldn’t be able to do anything against him but it made it so I didn’t have to try to fight.
I wanted to work today so I got up and tried my best to sneak into the bedroom where my uniform was and then slid past him. He was completely passed out, spread full eagle on the bed, face down and snoring softly.
I was so thankful for my job because it got me out of the house. I was able to leave my personal hell for a short period of time.
In the shower, all I could think about was how stuck I was.
How far I’d fallen.
I didn’t want to just survive, I wanted tolive.To feel passion and to make mistakes without fear of some punishment hanging over me.
* * *
“Hello, how can I help you?” I said from behind the desk, I was filling out some report so I wasn’t looking up. The bell rang, letting me know that someone was in the store.
“I’d like to talk to the woman in charge, if that’s okay.” A deep, familiar voice said, his tone commanding the empty room. I almost didn’t want to look up because I didn’t want to see the man that had haunted my dreams for the last five years to see me like this. My breath caught in my chest and I couldn’t breathe. He was here. What were the odds that the man that got away from me would come walking back into my life.
“That would be me.” I said with a smile and I looked up to see the most welcome, most handsome view I had seen in years. Kieron walked into my store; black leather jacket and just as handsome as the last day I’d seen him. He looked older, but in a good way. He was taller than my memory, and was sporting so many more muscles. He looked like a linebacker. Kieron had many more tattoos than I remember and they suited him, I could see a peak of a flower and a vine creeping up his neck. His hair was long and luscious, pulled back into a low bun. I didn’t think that I was attracted to the man-bun, but he could pull it off beautifully. Through all the changes, his kind eyes hadn’t changed whatsoever.
I shrunk back into myself, well aware that I didn’t look the same as the last time he’d seen me. I did my best to slowly move my hand to my nametag to pull it off without drawing too much attention.
“Can I help you?” I asked him, turning back to the reports and trying to hide my face slightly.
“Yes, I would like to get a speaker upgrade for my car.” He said, walking closer to the desk where I sat. I jumped up, thankful for the distraction. The sooner I could get him what he wanted, the sooner he could leave.
“Right this way, I can show you the different kinds of speaker systems we have and you can make an informed decision.” I guided him over to the section of speakers and turned to leave.
“Wait, if you have a moment, could you help me?” Kieron said. Thankfully, he hadn’t recognized me yet. What was the harm?
“What kind of car do you drive?” I asked.
“A 1969 Mustang that I restored a few years back. It’s my baby.” He said with a smile, both hands in his leather pockets.
“Beautiful. How old is the stereo?”
“Only a few years, but I tend to listen to my music louder than normal so they are already starting to fuzz.”
“Ah, I see. You probably need the one that has extra bass protection to prolong the life of the speaker. Our Heliokuzo brand over here,” I said, pointing to the top tier speaker, “would be the best.”
“I do think that feature would be the best for me. I tend to like heavy metal or classic rock.”
“Let me get this wrapped up for you.” I said, picking up one of the boxes for the speaker and walking back to the register to ring him up. I dreaded our time coming to a close. Having him here was like a breath of fresh air. A stark reminder of my past and how he had left me.
“So, what is your name?” Kieron walked over to the register and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.
