Page 16 of Bad Seed
I lay my hand on my chest, my heart pounding. It’s not a date…but what if it is?
“Liv!” I shout through the house.
“What?” her voice echoes down the hall.
“I need to borrow some things.”
?
AUBRY
“Don’t give me that look.”
I stare at my screen, reading nothing.
“Yes, I know what time it is.” Five twenty-five. I’m supposed to be meeting her in a little over a half hour. “I’m not going.”
Yellow eyes sink into my soul.
“You know why. If I’m spotted by anyone who reports to Ato, then it’s lights out for me. And you’re back to stealing food out of construction worker’s lunch boxes.”
Astin leaps off the back of the couch to land in my lap. Two feet strike my keyboard, closing my browser, opening my calendar app, and somehow starting one of the cat games. I don’t bother to move him aside, but try to exit out of the game.
A vengeful meow freezes me. He’s watching the ladybug scuttle across the screen, paw lifted to attack.
“Sure. Fine. I’ll spend the night watching you try for something you can never have.”
He attacks, swatting at the bug that keeps waltzing to one edge. Once it slips off the screen, Astin lunges like he’s gonna catch it on the other side.
“Buddy. It’s not there,” I tell him. He’s played this game for hours and still doesn’t understand that the bugs don’t come out the other end. Running my fingers down his back, I coax him to return to the screen. “Look, Parmie. There’s two more for you!”
I get a disbelieving look before he catches the twin crickets and lunges. This is my life now. Just me, sitting on the couch, watching my cat attack imaginary insects. It’s heaps better than what I had before.
Ignoring the exotic trips, the wild parties, and the women…
The last time I got laid was with one of the dancers to some show about rebirth. I don’t know anything about reincarnation, but the way she could bend her legs made my soul leave my body. That was…
I force myself to stop considering the flow of time. I wasn’t exactly a manwhore before, but I wasn’t some celibate monk either. Dating just didn’t happen in that world. Getting to know someone was a liability that could end in her losing her heart—literally. Better to keep things casual and easy. Any friend could betray you, any girlfriend sell you out.
Anyone but Astin, because he can’t talk.
“Though, you’d sell me out of a single Friskie, wouldn’t you?” I heft my malicious furball up. He flails at the game, claws out.
But as I tuck him into my arms like a baby, he pulls his paws to his chest. Oh, he glares like he’s going to chew out my eyes in my sleep, but he purrs as I rock him.
“We don’t need her. We don’t need anybody. We’ve got each other.”
Astin meows. Blinks at me. And, in one fell swoop, twists out of my arms. Lighting quick, he runs off toward the kitchen. Before the door has time to close, I hear a crash of something hitting the floor.
“Or I could leave you here,” I shout to the cat that knows he’ll be stuffed into his carrier, and I’ll drive with bloodied hands to our next safe house.
I don’t need her.
For her sake, I don’t need her.
My thumb hovers over her last text about how excited she is for tonight. I didn’t respond. The plan is to ghost her. Better to leave her wondering than asking questions.
Those thick thighs… And her tits managed to make a polo look good. The thought of those bouncing in my face as I pound her into the headboard…
