Share
Ep22
Related chapters
(bxb)in love with him Ep23
Raven, talk to me,” I say. “This is getting weird. Just say something.”I glance at him, unwilling to take my eyes off the road for too long. He’s still sitting with his head rested against the window, gazing at the night highway illuminated by the street lights and topped by the black cloudless sky. He’s been quiet since his brief encounter with Jared. He’s allowed me to usher him back to the car without a single word, buckled in when told to, but ignored all my attempts at conversations.At first, I assumed he just needed some time to digest the events of the evening, but now his state is beginning to bother me. He’s never struck me as a particularly stable person. Could the emotions of tonight have unhinged him even more?On the other hand, how much of a shock could an encounter with a washed-out rock band be?“Come on,” I say. “If you don’t talk to me now
(bxb)in love with him Ep24
Despite my resolve to concentrate only on the game, the moment I enter the field, I find myself scanning the crowd filling the bleachers. That’s when Catherine usually jumps up and waves at me—one of our little traditions, equally reassuring and embarrassing. Today, she’s not here, but Raven is—at least, he’s supposed to be.I finally spot the familiar black hoodie and a mop of long black hair in the left corner of the top row, away from the other spectators. I can’t see his face from so far away, but I guess he’s noticed me, since he raises a hand and waves. I can see no pom poms, thank God. I look away and proceed to my place, trying to empty my head of all thoughts unrelated to the game, to allow my instincts to kick in.Once we start, I don’t check the bleachers anymore, ignoring the crowd, their noise fading into background. It does linger at the back of my mind, though, the knowledge that he&
(bxb)in love with him Ep25
It’s about 11 PM when Catherine retreats to her room after a surprisingly cozy evening the three of us have spent sitting in the kitchen, talking about today’s game. She wanted to hear everything about it. Even though I strongly suspected she understood the rules even less than Raven did, I enjoyed telling her nonetheless, adding some explanations for Raven here and there to clarify a few things.I was most likely lecturing two people who were nodding and asking questions simply to make me feel good, but it did make me feel good, so I guess everybody got what they wanted.I go upstairs to shower, leaving Raven to take care of the dishes. The hot water is a treat, calming my sore muscles. The nervous tension that has carried me throughout the day is dissipating, too. By the time I climb out of the shower, dry myself and put on my pajama pants, I feel half asleep.In my room, I remove the damp towel from my head and spread i
(bxb)in love with him Ep26
I park on the sidewalk in front of the two-story grey building, the large gleaming “Greenroad” sign its only exterior decoration. Its first floor is occupied by a nightclub or something, judging by the muffled booming music, and the few people smoking outside who are clearly dressed for a party.I slam the car door shut and head for the entrance, fully expecting an unpleasant interaction with a bouncer or a manager. Yet there’s nobody looking like security personnel, even though there is a stand outside clearly meant for one. In the meanwhile, the smokers begin to trickle back inside, and I enter with them without encountering as much as a single curious look.The corridor inside is almost completely dark save for the two rows of spotlights running along the floor. The music comes from behind the black drapes at the far end of it, louder now. I pause, looking around, and my eyes fall on the door with a stairs sign upon it.
(bxb)in love with him Ep27
When I open my eyes, there’s too much light. One lightsaber of it after another cuts into my vision as they fly over me. People’s heads appear and disappear, unfamiliar faces peer at me worriedly, hands and shoulders clad in identical blue scrubs occasionally block the light. Their mouths keep opening and closing, and I wonder vaguely why I can’t hear them. It feels like I’m watching a movie, and someone has pressed the mute button.Then I notice a familiar face, wet with tears, her hair hanging loose. I’ve never noticed how much grey she had in her hair. I want to call out to her and tell her to calm down, to not worry about me, but the stretcher I’m apparently lying on takes a turn, hits double doors and enters another room, and then I can’t see her anymore.Then, there’s more light, straight in my face, so I squeeze my eyes shut, and listen to the muffled voices coming through the fog. Then some
(bxb)in love with him Ep28
They keep telling me it’s going to be a slow process. That it will take months of physiotherapy to regain the full use of my arm and my leg. The man with “Dr. Frank” on his name tag gives me a detailed explanation, with pictures of muscles and bones and my X-rays. He pats me on my good shoulder and says that since I’m so young, I’m likely to recover well. The arm will probably be fine, but the damaged tendon in my thigh might cause a slight limp that is unlikely to ever completely go away.I sit in my bed and nod and ask questions, even though it doesn’t feel quite real to me. I’m still weak from all the blood loss but it feels good to at least be able to sit and talk, so I don’t care nearly as much as I should about the meaning of the conversation. I don’t grasp the most important thing, not until he leaves, and Catherine sits down on my bed, and then she tells me.“What do you mean?&r
(bxb)in love with him Ep29
My eyes keep gravitating to the two women on the corner, to their long legs and short skirts. One of them wears thigh high leather boots like the ones that Julia Roberts sported in “Pretty Woman”. The similarity ends there, though, for there’s nothing pretty about this woman’s face. Her tense expression only briefly switches to fake inviting smiles as she follows the passing cars with her eyes. Thick layer of makeup fails to properly conceal what could be either severe acne or meth marks on her cheeks.Her friend is taller and broader in the shoulders and could be a transvestite as far as I can tell. She—he?—catches my eye and smiles. I look away, drumming my fingers on the wheel, waiting for the light to change.The exhaust fumes of the cars in front of me rise into the cool night air. Neon signs blink along the road, distracting from the dirty brick walls on which they are mounted. Not a good part of New Yor
(bxb)in love with him Ep30
It takes me another week to find out where he lives and when he comes home. After juggling my shifts a bit, asking Bart to substitute for me on Friday, and lying to my boss about finally scoring a date, I get a night off. In a way, I do have a date. It’s just that my date doesn’t know about it yet.I manage to grab a few hours of sleep before the alarm clock rings at one AM.It feels strange to leave home in the middle of the night.I park by the sidewalk on a small street far removed from the busy areas of the city, turn the engine off and sit still for a few minutes, listening to the silence interrupted by a whooshing sound of cars passing by. The rare pedestrians do not even notice me in the shadows of the driver’s seat. After a while, I put my earphones on and find some night radio station on my phone. The music fills my ears and I lean back in my seat, keeping my eyes on the sidewalk.The sky is begin
Latest chapter
