Page 28 of Vile Emotion
Juliana blinks as if I’ve grown a second head but she recovers quickly.
“You haven’t said what you wanted.”
“You know what I want.”
“I don–.” she lies.
“Order up, table 5!” The cook yells out and Juliana turns to the little window that shows us the kitchen. The cook is staring right at her and the guilt is all over her face.
“Like I said, you know what I want.”
This prompts Juliana to pivot and go straight to collect the food. I watch her every step as she fills up water in those plastic glassware that they have at all these diners then she walks over back to us.
Does she know, she sashays when she walks?
No. Focus, Alaric. That doesn’t even matter.
Juliana places a cheeseburger and fries in front of me then she reaches over grabbing the ketchup passing it to me and the salt. My brows crease wondering when she found out about my intake of salt but I let it go chalking it up to the fries needing extra salt.
“Thank you, Juju.” The nickname slips out before I can even tell myself to stop.
It doesn’t make sense but it’s out there now.
“You’re welcome.” she says.
“Are you two pretending I’m not here or something? I also want to eat!” Edwin cries out like a little fucking baby.
“Shut up.” I tell him. “If you want to eat, go back to the fucking hole you dug up out of and eat the fucking vermin in there. It might feel odd or weird for you because it’s basically you eating your own kind but fuck it, but my wife isn’t going to serve you or take your fucking order.”
“Your wife?” Edwin laughs and reaches out for Juliana.
Without causing a commotion, I reach out and grab Edwin’s wrist twisting it. He cries out in pain but I don’t care. I keep twisting until the sound of his bones snaps.
“The next time you reach out to touch what you’re not supposed to touch, I’ll fucking gut you. My wife doesn’t service you or anyone else in this fucking place. Take your shit and go, vermin.”
I let his wrist go and he yelps, holding it close to his chest. The tears fall down his face and that’s when I see the embarrassment click in his eyes. He stands causing Juliana to move back several steps, I hear him call her a fucking bitch but I keep eating.
I hear as Juliana takes a step in the same direction as Edwin.
“You take one more fucking step, Juju...” That’s all the warning I give her before I hear her huff her way to where the manager is calling for her attention.
Juliana needs to give him the same fucking attitude she gives me instead of standing there mute as hell but I’ll get down to the bottom of it. There was something there, something I missed and I can admit that it piqued my interest to dig deeper so I can discover what it is that I’m missing.
21
When I first saw Edwin sitting there, the only thought that came to my mind was that Alaric called him here to intimidate me into going with him but then I thought about it, why would he need to do that when I was going to go back with him?
Hell I know how it looked. A lot of things made me look like a weaker individual when it came to Alaric but survival doesn’t care about what others think is weak unless they step into your shoes.
Facing someone and not feeling guilty about taking out two of the most important people in his life isn’t easy.
Maybe I shouldn’t say this to myself but it really could be worse.
Now that Edwin was right in my face, I realize one thing, Alaric may have made me a prisoner of his and in his home but he hasn’t once hit me.
I know he’s waiting for an answer but my mind ventures to the first time Edwin put his hands on me. A time where I was stupid enough to think that he wouldn’t do it again.
I got away once. The first time, thinking that this was what I was supposed to do. I hid out thinking that it was a well thought out thing. All he really did was slap me and I was being annoying. That’s what I told myself to reassure my bad decisions.
