Page 78 of Moments of Malevolence

When we arrive at the salon, we sit down next to each other and are offered drinks. Louise holds up two fingers and tells them two wines. I don’t want to tell her that wine doesn’t mix well with my medication, but then I realize I never took any today, so it should be fine.

We order more wine and chat about nothing and everything. It’s nice to have a girlie conversation. I don’t make friends easily because other girls are either intimidated by me or jealous, but Louise is neither.

Just as our nails are drying, the door opens, and in walks Zuko. It’s amusing to me how all eyes go to him. He doesn’t seem to notice or care though, as he strides straight to where I am seated. He grabs the glass from my hand and pulls it away. His eyes are deadly as he grips hold of the stem, and I swear he is holding it so tightly that any minute it will break away from the glass.

“I thought…” He takes a deep breath. “Are you done?” he asks, clearly unamused and not happy with us. He hasn’t even peered at Louise because he’s completely fucked off right now.

“Almost. How do my nails look?” I ask him, holding out my hands.

He peers down at them. “Good! Now come on.”

I lift my toes. “How do they look?” I say, wiggling them.

“Good enough to eat.”

I hear someone sigh at his words but don’t check to see who. He pulls out a few hundred-dollar bills and pays the ladies who just did our nails.

“You need to tip,” I tell him. He pulls out another hundred and passes it to the lady, who gushes and smiles, thanking him over and over.

“You weren’t supposed to drink,” he reminds me, handing the glass to the lady, who can’t stop saying thank you to him.

“It was only one glass.”

“Trouble… I can see the empty glass next to you.”

“Okay, it was two. But technically, you took my third.” I bite my lip.

He offers me his hand, and I wave at my shoes. He bends and picks them up, sliding them on my feet one at a time, careful not to touch my polish as he does.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

I look to Louise, who nods her head.

“We’re starving. Drinking and self-care can really take a lot out of a woman, you know.” I wink and then stand. He holds on to me, making sure a hand is touching me at all times.

Making our way down the street on foot, Louise follows close behind. When we enter a restaurant not too far away, he pulls out my chair, letting me sit, then pulls out the chair for Louise.

“I want a cocktail,” I announce.

“No!” He growls out the word succinctly as the waiter arrives at our table. He orders for the whole table, not giving us a chance to check over the menu.

“What if Louise is allergic to what you just ordered?” I sit back in my seat and study him.

“She isn’t.”

“You can find that information as well?” I ask, amused.

“Yes.”

“What have you learned about me?”

“You…” He sits back and eyes me up and down. “What makes you think I did research on you?”

“Oh, you did. Now, tell me… What did you learn?”

“When you were born, you were born addicted. Your mother was high throughout her pregnancy. She left a note pinned to you that said she couldn’t handle your screams, so she dropped you off at a fire station and never looked back. As far as I can tell, she is still high as fuck to this day. And from the age of two, you went from foster home to foster home.”

His words jolt me. I don’t know anything about my mother. Not even what she looks like. I never really cared to ask or search for her because someone who loves you wouldn’t treat you that way. “It’s why you don’t do drugs, am I correct?”

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