A few days have passed since the fateful meeting between David and Armando, when they decided to join the cartel. David managed to convince Dexter, without revealing too many details, to make a medicinal pen to help Armando heal faster. Despite his best efforts to cope with the pain when doing any sort of activity, it still hurt. David felt a deep sense of empathy and compassion for Armando, and was determined to do whatever he could to help him.
David's recovery was nothing short of miraculous, and the next day he was perfectly fine. His mother was astonished and filled with joy at how quickly he had healed, and she even joked that he must have made a deal with the devil. Now, David was walking out of a store after closing a deal with his new buyer, the cold air nipping at his face as he pulled his hoodie closer around him. He felt a sense of accomplishment and pride as he thought about the success of his recovery.
David sighed heavily as he got inside his truck, wondering where to go next. His thoughts were answered when he was grabbing a piece of gum from his glove compartment and his phone started ringing.
"Hello who is this?" David said, not bothering to check who was calling him.
"Hey David, it's me, Dexter. Would you mind doing me a favor?" Dexter said, his voice slightly tinged with urgency.
"Hello Dexter, and it depends on what kind of favor it is," David said, putting the gum packet back in the glove compartment.
"I need you to go to my house and check the front of the house for a package that arrived today," Dexter said.
"If the package isn't there?" David asked, feeling a sense of dread wash over him.
"Knock on the house door and ask my mom if she picked it up, but once you have the package, make sure you open it in the backyard and be careful," Dexter said, his voice now filled with a hint of anger.
"Okay, but why should I be careful with it?" David said, his curiosity piqued.
"Because my arch nemesis texted me telling me he sent a surprise package, expecting me to be home today," Dexter said.
"I see. Well, I'll definitely be careful with it and not mess with whatever you got going on with your arch nemesis," David said, feeling a sense of trepidation.
"Thanks. I'll see you later," Dexter said before hanging up.
"What have I gotten myself into?" David thought as he turned on his truck and drove to Dexter's house, his mind filled with a mix of emotions.
When he arrived at Dexter's house, he didn't instantly spot the package, so he got out of the truck and looked around the front porch for a few minutes, but couldn't find it. Frustrated and disappointed, he thought to himself, "I guess I'm going to have to use the last resort and that is to knock." With a heavy sigh and a feeling of resignation, he started to knock on the front door.
Dexter's mom was feeling a sense of contentment and excitement as she went about her usual routine of cleaning the house when nobody was home except herself. She was finishing up dusting the book shelf when she heard a knock on the door. Taking off her yellow gloves and apron, she placed them on the shelf and made her way to the door, her heart beating with anticipation and eagerness.
"Hey David, what are you doing here?" Ms. Dexter asked, her eyes widening in surprise as she opened the door and saw him standing there.
"Hey, hello Ms. Dexter. I'm here doing a favor for Dexter," David said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Why don't you come inside before you keep telling me anymore?" Ms. Dexter said, opening the door wider and gesturing for him to come in. She then led him to the living room and they both sat on the couch.
"Well, I'm here because Dexter asked me to come check if he had a package that had arrived for him already," David said, looking at Ms. Dexter with a hopeful expression.
"Yeah, a package arrived earlier today, but please tell me you're not skipping school just to check on his package for him," Ms. Dexter said, her voice taking on a slightly stern tone.
"No, no it's nothing like that Ms. Dexter. I got suspended for the whole week and Dexter knows that's why he asked me to come and check on his package," David said, his expression turning sheepish.
"Oh, I see. But when it's just us, you can call me Amber. Why did you get suspended if you don't mind me asking?" Amber said, her voice softening as she gave him a sympathetic smile.
"It's all because I got into a fight in the school cafeteria against one of my rivals that started to mess with one of my friends," David said, his voice taking on a slightly defensive tone.
"It's not nice to get into fights, but I can understand why you would do it to protect your friend," Amber said, her smile widening slightly.
"Yeah, I guess in a way it is. But about the package, can I have it?" David said, his expression turning hopeful again.
"Yeah, I put it away in the closet until he arrived, but you can have it if he gave it to you to do something with it," Amber said, standing up from the couch and going to the closet that was near the front door and grabbing the package.
"Thanks again. Would you mind if I went to your backyard so I could open it?" David said, carefully taking the package from Amber.
"No, I don't mind. So follow me," Amber said, her smile widening as she led the way to the backyard.
"Why don't you take a few steps back for safety?" David said, as he carefully put the package near the wall.
"Something messy or dangerous must be inside if you're telling me to step back and somehow I feel like I wouldn't like this one bit," Amber said, taking a few steps back with a hint of apprehension in her voice.
"Yeah, I think you might be right in a way," David said, thinking about Dexter's warning.
David slowly got down on one knee, his eyes fixed on the box before him. He pulled out his switchblade, his hands trembling slightly as he carefully cut through the tape. As he lifted one of the flaps, something inside the box stirred and he quickly reacted, jumping up and running to Amber, wrapping his arms around her protectively.
Amber was taken aback by the suddenness of it all, watching as David cut the tape and then lifted the flap, only to be embraced by him in the next second. She felt a warmth in her chest, a feeling of safety and security that she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt a flutter in her stomach, a feeling of joy and excitement that she hadn't experienced since the first time they met and when he caught her when she trip in the kitchen.
After a few moments had passed, David looked down at Amber who had her head on his chest. He smiled warmly at her, his eyes full of genuine concern. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle and caring.
Amber felt her heart flutter at his beautiful and innocent smile, and the height difference between them, him being taller than her. She smiled back at him, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied.
"That's wonderful," David said, his smile widening slightly. He then looked down at Amber's shoulder where the paint was. "But I hate to be the guy and say that you got paint on your shirt."
"Darn it, it got on one of my favorite shirts," Amber said, looking at the paint that was all over.
"If you think that's bad, you might not want to look at the wall," David said, slightly laughing.
"What? Why?" Amber asked, trying to look at the wall, but David was in the way.
"Well, just know whoever is going to do the clean up is going to have a problem with it," David said, as he stepped aside, letting her see the wall that was full of paint, dripping down on the ground.
"Whaaat? Oh my dearest son will not know what will hit him when he gets home from school," Amber mumbled, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at the wall, filled with paint.
"Well, I guess there goes Dexter's weekend of reading comic books," David said, as a joke, trying to lighten the mood.
"Not only comic books, but even more," Amber said, still looking at the wall in disbelief.
"Not going easy on him, I see," David said, looking at the paint on the wall with a hint of amusement.
"Nope, and I'm so sorry about your hoodie getting involved," Amber said, looking at the back of his hoodie, filled with paint.
"It's okay, I was the one who responded in protecting you from all the paint, so it was bound to happen, and it's okay, I have many others," David said with a reassuring smile, looking at his back.
"If you don't mind staying for some time, I could have it get washed so it doesn't get ruined more," Amber said, her voice full of gratitude.
"Yeah, sure, I got nothing going on for the next few hours," David said, taking off his hoodie and handing it to Amber, before following her inside the house.
"Why don't you help yourself to a drink from the fridge while I go change my shirt," Amber said before going up the stairs to her room.
When Amber got to her room and took off her shirt, she noticed there was a little more paint than she had anticipated. She grabbed a dark green v-neck blouse and put it on, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.
David was washing his hands, trying to remove the paint that had managed to land on them. As Amber walked into the kitchen, she was met with a wonderful view of David's strong back. She stopped in her tracks, admiring how the shirt hugged him in all the right places. As she was taking in the sight, she noticed a few specks of paint on the back of his neck.
"I think I have some bad news," Amber said, getting closer to get a better look.
"And what would that be?" David asked, finishing up with the washing.
"It looks like your shirt is not the only one that got paint on it," Amber said, stifling a giggle as she tried to contain her amusement.
David suddenly realized that Amber was looking at him, and he quickly looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. Amber noticed his reaction, and her heart fluttered as she felt a wave of warmth and affection for him. She decided not to make it awkward by bringing it up.
"Why don't you take a seat so I can clean and check for any more paint and if you going to need to change your shirts," Amber suggested, trying to move on from the moment.
"That won't be necessary, I can just use the mirror," David said.
"You're probably right, but it'll be a lot faster if I do it," Amber said, pointing a finger at his chest and smiling.
"I take it you're not going to let me wash it myself," David said, looking at Amber with a playful glint in his eyes.
"Nope," Amber said, smiling and nodding her head.
"Okay, let's get this over with," David said, his face serious but his lips still curved in a mischievous smile.
"Why don't you grab the stool that's next to the window in the dining room, and I'll get the wipes from the living room," Amber said, as she went to the living room and David brought the stool to the kitchen. She couldn't help but feel a little bit of excitement as she watched him move, feeling a rush of emotions that she hadn't expected.
"Why don't you take off your blue T-shirt so I can see how much paint got on you, and let's hope the wipes can do the job," Amber said, as David slowly began to take off his shirt, unintentionally giving her a good show of his perfectly toned muscles.
"So what's the damage?" David asked, looking at his shirt. It barely had any paint on it, just tiny drops that hadn't gone through.
"Ah," Amber cleared her throat. "There's not much paint, and it's only in the back of the neck area," she said, trying to focus on the paint and not on his perfect muscles, but it was hard to ignore.
As Amber started to use the wipes to wipe away the paint, she couldn't help but look down and noticing for the first time that many scars David had on his back; some were big, some other were smaller. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her, and she couldn't help but feel a little angry at whoever had caused him so much pain.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get all these scars on your back? You don't have to answer me at all because it's your personal business," Amber said, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.
"I don't mind you asking, and it happened a long time ago that I had the time to embrace it to the point that anyone can ask and I won't feel nervous telling. To what happened, I had an abusive father that beat the living life out of me since I was a child and since I could remember. He especially would hit me hard when I was protecting my mom or my sister from him, to the point of leaving scars like the ones on my back," David said, noticing Amber's nervousness in her voice.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Amber said, her voice full of sympathy and sadness. "I hope you are all doing a lot better now."
"It's okay, we are doing a lot better since he left years ago. We are now a happy family, moving on," David said, giving her a small smile before going back to look at his shirt that was on his lap.
"That's wonderful to hear," Amber said, her voice full of relief. "And it seems like the paint is easily coming off."
As Amber finished up, she went to the counter and grabbed a wipes from the box, not noticing at first that her breast had come into contact with David's head.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to," Amber said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"It's okay, and it's not like I didn't like it," David said, his face turning a deep shade of red as he realized what he had said.
"So you wouldn't mind me getting closer?" Amber asked, her voice teasing and her lips curling into a smile.
"No, I don't think I would mind. I might even welcome it," David replied, his voice a little shaky as he spoke.
"I might just think about it. And we're done. You can put your T-shirt back on," Amber said, her eyes twinkling with amusement as David quickly put on his T-shirt.
"I'm going to miss seeing that view of his muscles," Amber thought to herself, her heart fluttering at the thought.
"Thank you for cleaning my back," David said.
"You're welcome," Amber said, giving him a warm smile.
"Well, I better get going," David said, getting up from the stool.
"What about your hoodie? It's still in the washer," Amber said, not wanting him to leave for some unknown reason.
"Keep it until I come by again one of these days," David said, giving her a shy smile, and then walking to the front door.
"Okay, bye. See you soon," Amber said as she watched him walk to his truck and then drive off.
"David, what is it about him that makes my heart beat faster?" Amber thought as she closed the door and then put her hand over her heart, feeling its rapid thumping.
As the day slowly passed, David was busy dealing with suppliers while Armando was at school, making some small sales. Just as Armando was about to get into his truck, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind.
He turned around to see Liz, adjusting her glasses with a hint of excitement in her voice. "Hey Armando, want to meet in the park to finish the last part of the project?"
Armando smiled and replied, "Sure, do you want to come with me or should I meet you there?"
"I'll go with you," Liz said, her eyes twinkling with anticipation. Armando nodded and opened the door for her to get in, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he watched her climb in.
Armando drove them to the nearest park, where they found a bench and table with shade. They spent an hour finishing their last part of their project while having a fun conversation about anything.
"Can I ask you something?" Liz said as they started to pack everything up.
"Sure, ask away," Armando said, helping her put things away.
"Why did we break up in middle school?" Liz asked, looking at him intently.
"Because you had a bright future and I am a drug dealer," Armando said, giving her a sad smile. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for not being able to give her the life she deserved.
"I know that was your excuse, but have you ever thought about at least giving us one more chance to see if it would work out this time?" Liz said, grabbing her backpack.
"No, not really, but I do think about it from time to time," Armando said, standing up from the bench. He couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they could make it work this time.
"Well, are you willing to try it one more time to see if it will work this time?" Liz said, grabbing his hand and pulling him back down to the bench.
"Only if you want to," Armando said, looking away, trying to hide his flustered face. He was scared of getting his hopes up, but he couldn't deny the warmth that was spreading through his chest at the thought of giving them another chance.
"I want to, and I want to give it one last try," Liz said, standing up and giving him a kiss on the side of his cheek.
"Why don't I take you to a fast food place of your choice to celebrate?" Armando said, finally looking at her, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. He was filled with a newfound sense of optimism and excitement for the future.
"Okay, let's go!" Liz said, grabbing his hand again and dragging him to where his truck was parked. Armando couldn't help but smile as he followed her, feeling a wave of happiness wash over him.
Armando drove them to the nearest fast food place he knew, and they spent their time talking about anything funny and getting to know each other again.
"Is there a reason you were limping on Monday?" Liz asked as she took a sip from her drink, her eyes full of concern.
"Me and David got into it with some guy who refused to pay," Armando said, wiping his cheeks with a sigh.
"Must have been quite a beating for you to be limping," Liz said, her voice full of sympathy.
"Yeah, well, it was nothing I couldn't handle," Armando said, giving her a small, reassuring smile.
"I wouldn't have thought otherwise," Liz said, standing up and leaning in to kiss him on the lips before taking a sip from his drink.
"Where did that come from?" Armando asked, feeling a warmth in his chest as he looked into her eyes.
"I couldn't be there to kiss away your pain when you were hurt, so I'm just giving you a small gift as an apology," Liz said, her voice gentle and her smile full of love.
Armando and Liz continued eating and talking, while having conversations filled with small kisses and playful flirting. When it was time to go, Armando drove her home and they continued their conversation on the way, both of them feeling a growing excitement and anticipation. When they arrived at Liz's house, she mustered up her courage and initiated a passionate make-out session. They explored each other's mouths, both fighting for dominance, until they had to catch their breath. As Liz stepped out of his truck, she whispered to him that she would rather have him sleeping with her, making out, than sleeping alone in her bed. Armando watched her flutter away as he drove off, his head filled with images of their passionate embrace and his heart filled with love and longing.
After having a chaotic day, Ms. Dexter was getting out of her bubble bath, which had helped her to release all the stress and calm her down so she could go to sleep. As she was walking into her bedroom to dry her hair, she saw her bed was empty. Her partner had decided he wasn't coming home tonight, as he was going to have some drinks with his friends and was staying at one of their houses.
"Oh, I forgot to put away David's hoodie, but where should I put it?" Amber thought as she grabbed David's hoodie from her bed. She ran her fingers over the fabric, feeling the warmth of the material and the memories it held.
As she was about to walk to her closet to put it away and leave it for tomorrow to try and figure out where to store it, but for some unknown reason she couldn't help but to take a deep breath and inhale the scent of David that still lingered in the fabric.
"Even though I used a strong detergent to help get rid of the paint, I can still smell David in it," Amber thought with a bittersweet smile.
"He wouldn't mind if I used it for one night," Amber thought as she put on the hoodie. She felt a sense of comfort and security as she snuggled into the fabric.
"Now I won't have to deal with the cold air that keeps getting inside the room for some reason," Amber thought as she got into her bed. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling a little less lonely with David's hoodie wrapped around her.
As she was getting comfortable in her bed, she couldn't help but to fall asleep easier than ever before. But what she didn't know was that it was probably the effect of the hoodie that was making her go to sleep early. As she was in dreamland, she was sitting on a lawn chair overlooking the ocean with a book on her lap. But as she was looking at the ocean, she heard some voices running towards her and couldn't help but smile as two beautiful children smiled at her. As she looked at them, she could tell they looked similar to someone, but couldn't put her finger on it. As she looked up, she saw a beautiful smile walking towards her, but didn't recognize the face as the trees shade covered it. As she continued to dream, her body in real life had a smile as she whispered David's name and hugged the hoodie she was wearing even more, feeling a sense of comfort and security.
Thank you for taking the time to read my work. If you have noticed any mistakes or areas that need improvement please let me now.