My head swivels to find Aryan avoiding my gaze as he helped me into one of the bar stools. His ears were pink and his hands warm. “You own a pub? Isn’t that a little unusual for a priest?” He clears his throat nosily and nods in the direction of his bar tender. The bar tender gets the hint and gives us a semblance of privacy. “He doesn't know you are a priest.” I note.“He didn't. Now he does.” “When did you own a pub?” I ask, remorse a lump in my throat. I had after all exposed his secret. “I came into town, and it seemed like the right idea at the time. Now...” He gestured around us to the empty space. “Now it seems like a shitty investment.” I complete for him. It was a good idea, the town didn't have a good drinking spot, it would have turned most of them to regulars if a little effort was put in. “I can help you with that.” He quirked a brow at me, whilst signalling the bar tender. “What should I get you guys?”I eye the scanty rows of drinks behind him.
“Relax, despite how much you wish it to be true, I wasn’t asking for us, I was asking our customers, there is no better way to draw them in than a secluded area, that way they don’t have to find a hotel.” I tell him when I see the just what I was expecting expression on his face. His tense shoulders relax, wow he was really expecting me to ask him to sleep with me, wow, I am glad it comes to mind. “I think we have a spare room or something, should we check it out?”I nod at the invite and hop off my stool, I had just one shot glass to drink but I was already feeling the effects.“Whoa, Tim, that drink was strong.”Tim poked his head in from the back room, a proud grin on his face,“You have time to perfect your drink when there is nothing else to do.”I chuckle, and invite him to give us a tour of the place, he joins us, reminding us again of the nothing he has to do. “You are the only worker here? No cleaner? Security?”“Why do you need security when Tim is scary?” Aryan asked.It
A weak smile that doesn’t reach my eye, lines my lips, and I side step him, leaving him alone in the room. I know what all of you are thinking, now calm down before you get mad at me, listen to my point of view. First, he really would not give me a positive response if I asked him again, or else he would have asked me, he had gotten so used to me asking, he didn’t feel complete until I asked him. I need him to need me so much it hurt, then I wouldn’t have to ask him. Secondly, I was filthy, I may not seem like the type, but I hated to be dirty, it irked me in a way I could not explain. “I leave you for a few seconds and you check out the bed yourselves?” Tim says giving me a dead pan look. I shake my head.“Trying to check the bed frames, and I tumble on top of the bed, we have to change the frames.”He looks unconvinced until Aryan walks in, not covered in dust.“Did you call the cleaner?”“Housekeeper. Elaine is her name, and she takes great pride and joy in what she does, she sa
“Melanie!!”My feet halt when I hear my name, I pant as I scan the area for who must have called my name, my heart raced and my ears roared, it was pitch black, so I am not sure how long I have been running, or how long I had been lost in my head. “Melanie, I had been calling your name, I thought you were ignoring me.” Chris says as he appears next to me, panting as if he had been chasing after me. “Were you following me?” I ask with narrowed eyes.“No, of course not, I saw you about three minutes ago, and when I called you weren’t responding. I would have left but this path is better threaded on in day light.” he gestured towards the path I was on, it was darker than the night itself, with low hanging vines. I wouldn’t have been able to find my way out. “Oh, thanks.”He let out a sigh, “It is the least a fake bestie can do right?”I chuckle, and he beams, as if accomplished now that I laughed at his joke. “Do you know how to get back home?” I didn’t recognize the environment, it
My fingers find themselves wrapped up in his collar, and I smash my mouth on his, he is obviously stunned, as I had ambushed him the second he walked through the door, I had waited, not to so patiently, rocking myself away from my thoughts. I didn’t think it through before he came, although I needed a distraction, one that would numb me from even the slightest thing. His hands came alive, but it wasn’t to deepen the kiss as I had wanted, he pushed me away from him, gently, but I fight back, turning the kiss into something more hurried and more frenzied. He pushes me away, this time firmer. I let out a scream of frustration when he finally frees himself of me, pacing away from him and running my fingers through my hair, I tug on it. “Why would you do that? Why? Now isn’t the time to be a priest, I need you.” I cover the distance between us again,I whisper leaning in, “Desperately.”He takes a step back, his expression tight with pain, “You know I can’t...”“Fuck that! I know you d
“Your father was also a priest?”He looked at me from the driver’s side, before returning his eyes to the road. I stare at him with the new information swirling in my head.“Books hardly ever lie, don’t you think?”I snort at that but return my eyes to the well aged pages in front of my eyes, I didn’t get to read much back at the church, he had an impromptu meeting with Father Bernard and I had to change the entire schedule for the the day. “Bad news, Father Bernard has urgent work out of town, and he has asked me to fill in for him until then.”I had murmured a great deal, didn’t help my case, so I moved to his assistant’s office and got his schedule, she was old and going deaf so communication was almost impossible, I had to find it myself on her table. It seemed everybody hated the use of computers, and loved to pile papers on their desks. “We are here.” he announced pulling the car into the driveway.“No!!!!!! I was just about to read the part where you asked him about your mom
I laugh so hard at the statement, clenching my sides as I did. I laughed because of how incredibly difficult it has been trying to sleep with him, and someone here seems to think I already did. What a grave overestimation? By the time my laughter subsides, and I am wiping tears from the corners of my eyes, I find them looking ashamed and uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, it sounded so ridiculous that’s all. Where did you hear this?” I ask the last part through clenched teeth.“Oh, it was one of our cleaners, said she saw both of you entering your home together.”I smile tightly, “Please listen carefully and pass this information along, he is my landlord, when I came into town I stayed at a hotel, before renting his place, only to find out a lot of things were not working anymore, and he has been helping me fix them for free.” They looked even more ashamed at this, good, let them feel shame, better than ruining his career over this. I lean forward, so that they knew I meant business, wip
I let out an awkward chuckle and extracted myself from his hug, his family had excited and expectant smiles on their faces.“I am here for work, Father Aryan, please lead the prayer for the departed.” I give him a tight smile, and I can see a thousand questions in his eyes, a million emotions in them. Great. “Oh, yes please, close your eyes everyone.” Mrs Logan commanded as they are trickle around her, forming a circle. Aryan led the prayers, and I felt safe enough to breath as the pain meds started to kick in, and when I turn, I lock eyes with Victor who was beaming at me. Goosebumps cover my entire body, and not even the good kind. Victor always creeped the shit out of me, like why was he doing that right now? Especially when his family had their eyes shut. I always found his doting cute, and beneficial so I agreed to go on a date with him once, the whole time he straight up worshiped me, he took my words as the final say, you might say that was supposed to be a good thing, but