5

Amy

"You look like shit," I told Sonic, glancing up from the POS tablet at the takeout counter. At eight o' clock on the dot, he waltzed into the restaurant - right on time for his shift. His eyes were hanging low from his exhaustion – and his lingering high. Red rimmed his dark irises. A blatant frown was plastered on his lips. Dark violet passion marks scattered his neck. His dark curls were tossed each and every way on his head. He walked slowly, no doubt his body aching from the bruises he earned from the fight last night.

"Thanks," he replied. With a sigh, he leaned his elbows down on the takeout counter and rubbed his eyelids. The scent of cannabis was still lingering on his body, mixing with the fresh smell of his body wash.

"Are you going to be able to work?" I asked.

"I'm fine. I just need some coffee."

"Are you sure you don't want to just call off and make my day a whole lot better?"

He picked his head up, a sinister smirk creeping onto his lips. "I'm positive. What kind of day would it be if I didn't jump on every single nerve in your body?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just go in the back and get your life together."

Sonic walked around the counter and purposely bumped shoulders with me as he passed.

My father must've caught him while he was putting his coat away and told him to take an easy day in the back. His stations for the day included working the fryer and helping with the dishes. Not that the distance stopped him from irritating me at every waking opportunity.

Whenever I needed to run something into the back room, he'd either flick dirty water at me or throw frozen fries at my head.

"Do you wanna fight?" I asked him after being hit with yet another frozen food item.

He stepped closer, towering over me. Grinning, he pushed his chest against mine. "Always, short stack. Just let me know when and where."

Our "fight" occurred during our break. We went into the alley behind the restaurant, and wrestled around for a few minutes. Sonic took it a bit too far when he wrapped his leg around mine, throwing me off balance and earning me a tumble to the ground.

He howled in laughter for a brief moment before he realized the murderous look on my face. He took off down the street before I even stood up.

I chased him for a block or two before I managed to get a sliver of revenge.

While he was jetting down the street, Sonic's sneakers slid over a small patch of ice, and he nearly fell on his face.

I didn't dare contain my laughter. He definitely deserved that one!

Sonic ended up chasing me all the way back to the restaurant, yelling how he was going to fuck me up. Quite a few pedestrians offered us puzzled glances as we ran past. Their perplexed expressions only made me laugh more.

Returning to our shift didn't stop Sonic's antics. Annoying as they were, I was grateful it helped the time go by. By three o' clock, I was absolutely exhausted. I couldn't wait to go home, brew some tea, and curl up with one of my books.

Sonic escorted me to the door at the end of our shift, poking my ribs and the back of my neck.

I was about to punch him in his chest when I noticed my best friend waiting outside for us. Her manicured fingers were moving rapidly against her screen. Her mascara coated lashes glanced up at us as we got closer to her.

"Hey, do you wanna go downtown with me?" She asked, a warm smile gracing her glossed lips. "I need to buy some new work shoes. Mine are starting to rip."

"Yeah, sure," I replied, unable to refuse her wide smile. "I need some new undershirts."

"I think I'm just going to go home," Sonic said. "My bed is calling my name."

Sonia raised an eyebrow. "Who ever said you were invited?"

"Well since the two of you can't seem to act right without some kind of supervision, I have to at least consider if I feel like being your babysitter for the day or not. And today, I choose not to."

Sonia rolled her eyes. "Then go home. We'll be fine without you. It's not like you don't ditch us the first chance you get anyway."

"I am going to go home. On one condition though: the two of you go straight to the shops and come straight home. I mean it. Don't go fucking around and get yourselves in trouble."

His sister scoffed. "Says the one who's always in trouble."

Sonic glared at her. "I'm not playing with you, Catalina. Go to the store and come right home."

Sonia waved him off. "Alright, alright. Stop sounding like you care."

"Whatever. I'll see you two later." With that, Sonic us alone. He crossed the street and continued in the opposite direction of the center of the city.

"You're not going to listen to him, are you?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Of course not," Sonia said. She steered us around towards the other side of the city. "When do I ever listen to Sonic? He's the last person to be giving orders."

"So where are we going then? The stores are the other way."

"Well, Shadow said we can hang with him and Jet while they do a couple of drops. It's not a terrible day outside so why not?"

I frowned. "Cat, we shouldn't hang around them when they're…busy. Let's just go to the shops and meet up with them later."

"Calm down, Amy. Shadow said it'll be fine. Besides, Jet won't let anything happen to you."

I sighed. I was too tired to argue. I followed Sonia to the tall apartment complexes more than a couple blocks away from our townhouses. I spotted Shadow and Jet standing near one of the apartments; both were sporting their blue bandanas and jeans. The smoke from their blunts wafted in our directions as we approached them.

Sonia leaped into her boyfriend's arms and placed a passionate kiss on his lips.

I offered a shy smile to Jet.

At the sight of me, he threw his blunt on the ground and stamped it out with his foot. "Hey girl," he said with a grin. He opened his arms. "Can I get a hug?"

Blood burned my cheeks as I walked into his arms. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and the smell of weed bombarded my nostrils. My nose threatened to scrunch from the foul smell, but the gentle rock of his arms summoned a smile. Hi," she replied.

He held my hand as we moved away from Sonia and Shadow. I followed him to his designated spot on the street. I stayed close to him as his customers passed. Thankfully none of them bothered me; either too concerned with getting their weed or too afraid of Jet's temper.

Around five o' clock when the sun was beginning to set, Jet led me away from the street corner and into one of the nearby alleyways. The moment we were in the secluded shadows, his arms wound around my waist. His lips caught mine as he gently pressed my back against one of the brick walls.

I smiled against his soft kisses, but I couldn't ignore the nausea rolling in my stomach. I playfully ended the passionate kiss to initiate quick, fleeting kisses. Our tongues occasionally battled, but never for longer than a moment. The urgency yet shyness of our kisses brought soft butterflies to replace my uneasiness. My arms looped around Jet's neck, and his hands tightened their grip on my waist.

It was times like this that I believed I could really like Jet. His attentive yet cautious kisses were sweet, and his hands never wandered. The most his hands ever did was caress the curves of my hips. He never dared to touch my assets – unlike some of the other guys I'd been with.

While he might have participated in the same activities as the others, his character seemed to be completely different. I could appreciate his seemingly cold demeanor and the warm side he reserved for me. I thought, sometimes, I could come to love it. As long as we'd been messing around, I was surprised I didn't.

But, the boys I dated between my times with him always seemed to distract or deter me from the thought of ever truly being in love. Maybe one day I'd feel a love as strong and gentle as the ones my fathers shared. Until then, I was content basking in the brief euphoria my relationships were able to produce.

My beau reluctantly broke our soft kisses. "How long are we going to keep doing this?" Jet asked.

I tilted my head. "Doing what?

Jet rubbed my hips. "Playing these games. Pretending as if we're just friends. I want you…all of you." He leaned down to kiss me. "I want to make you my girl. When are you gonna let me do that?"

I smiled. "Maybe when you finally ask me out."

He pressed my body closer against him. "Oh so you've been waiting on me all this time?"

I giggled. "Yeah! You're the one letting all these guys take me away from you and not doing anything about it."

He smirked. "Hmm, well about we go out next weekend. I'll take you to a nice restaurant and we'll see a movie. Would you like that?"

"Yes." I pecked his lips. "I'd like that very much." I glanced up at the dimly lit sky. "I should be getting home. It's getting late."

"Can I walk you home? Make sure you get there safely?"

"Sure."

We shared one last kiss before we stepped out from the alleyway. We walked the short route home with their hands intertwined.

Jet accompanied me all the way to my front steps.

I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "I'll see you on Monday," I said.

"Alright." He caught a quick kiss. "See you on Monday."

I shook my head at him as he backed away. I watched him take a couple steps down the street before I walked into the house.

The popping of the stove filled my ears, and the familiar sweet scent of cinnamon wafted through my nose. I followed the distinctive smell of sautéed shrimp to the kitchen. Papa was hovering over the stove with his dark hair pushed away from his face and a crease between his brows.

Daddy was sitting at the table, a deep frown on his lips.

My stomach clenched as the unspoken tension hit me like a ton of bricks. "Hi," I spoke softly. "I'm home."

My voice broke both of my father's from their trances. Daddy looked at me and offered me a huge smile. He stood from his seat and enveloped me into a tight hug. His large arms squeezed me so tight, I thought I might break.

"Is everything okay, daddy?" I asked.

"Yes, princess. Everything is fine." He finally let me go, moving aside so Papa could peck a soft kiss on my forehead. "We were just talking about something before you walked in."

My brows came together. "You're not getting a divorce, are you?"

My fathers shared a look of surprise before bursting out in laughter.

"No, honey," Daddy said. He threw his large arm over Papa's shoulders. "As much of a pain as I am, Marc is stuck with me."

Papa rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."

"Oh shut up. You love me."

Papa smiled. "That I do."

I tilted my head. "Then why did you two look so upset?"

"We'll talk about it another time," Papa explained, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. "Go wash your hands. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay." I dropped the subject for now, making my way into the bathroom. But I wasn't planning on forgetting. My fathers were rarely ever solemn. The only two times I'd seen them like that was when they asked to adopt me on my twelfth birthday, and last summer when I was in the hospital. In both instances, I sensed their uncertainty and concern about my well-being. They weren't shy about sharing their emotions with me. So why now were they trying to hide how they were feeling? What in the world did they need to talk to me about?