Wrecked (14 page)

Why had I lied to myself? I couldn’t deny Damien being cold towards me had hurt, but I couldn’t blame him. I chose Xavier when Damien saw us kiss in the hospital. I thought Damien was going to tell me– but when he listened to my conversation with Xavier, I saw it: the relief and hope in his eyes. So, why was he feeling that when obviously he had moved on? I shut my eyes tight and rubbed my temples, trying to breathe in calming breaths.

“Mylie?” I looked up, and I saw a welcome face. “Are you okay? Is it your head? Do you need me to take you the doctor?”

I smiled inwardly at the innocence of the question. I remembered that voice, and I felt like a girl all over again. I opened my eyes, and I saw Kyan staring down at me. He had bent down and was looking in my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He brought his hand to my cheek, and I couldn’t deny that it felt good to be comforted. “Did someone hurt you?” His voice turned cold as ice, and all I could do was cry.

He crushed me into his embrace. The scent of leather from his jacket, combined with the delicious array of jasmine, rosemary, cedar, was clearly all man. I cried in his arms and felt safe. He kissed my head and rubbed my hair. He held me tight and rocked me until the last of my tears faded, but never said anything. He just let me cry.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

He didn’t say anything and continued to hold me. I tried to pull away, but he held me tighter. I listened and felt the movement of his shoulders, and I realized he was crying. Lord, here I was crying, and he had lost his sister whom I saw they’d bury a week ago. It was like we both found comfort and release within each other’s arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him tightly.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay,” I whispered to him and felt his head in the crook of my neck as he nodded.

“So are you ready to tell me what happened, or do I have to cry more for you talk to me?” He smiled, but the hurt in his eyes reminded me of a time I didn’t like to dredge up.

“I– I realized something, and I wasn’t expecting it.” He nodded and just stared into my eyes.

“You want to get out of here?”

His hazel depths seemed to bore into my soul, while his snakebites hypnotized me. All I wanted to do was run away from the pain of Damien. I nodded my head, and he helped me up. We walked towards the exit, and I realized I had to pass Damien’s office. I had left my stuff in there.

“I need to get my stuff. Come on.”

I walked with my head held high, straight down the hall going towards the asshole’s office. I opened the door and saw that it was empty.

“I’ll be right back.”

I walked into the room, taking in the scent of Damien. I couldn’t help but linger while I inhaled. I quickly grabbed my stuff and went to his desk and printed off the syllabus for two hundred students. I grabbed the steno pad on his desk, and left a note saying I wasn’t feeling well, and I needed to go.

“Leaving?”

His voice made my heart skip a beat and sent shivers upon my flesh in previous occasions, but now it had the complete opposite effect. It hurt my heart to acknowledge him, but I looked up into his crystalline eyes, and I simply nodded. I was fighting the tears, and it was hard to breathe.

“My’– oh excuse me,” he gave Damien a slight nod and looked pointedly at me, “You ready to go?” Kyan just smiled reassuringly.

“Yup. I’ll see you on Wednesday, Professor.”

I quickly grabbed my things and left without a backwards look. I knew I had left my heart in that office, but I needed to move on. There wouldn’t be a happily ever after for Damien and Mylie, and I just had to accept it.

Chapter Sixteen

Damien

There comes a time when you realize that every action of yours had never really affected you. Well, that is until the day you see the pain and suffering you brought to the woman you love. It was today that I finally saw the look I never wanted to see. I caused it, and now she was gone.

When she left my office, I had her heart in my hands, but it was ripped away before I could treasure the precious gift she gave to me. I’d made a monumental mistake, and I didn’t know what to do to fix it. No, I wouldn’t fix it, and that was the hardest part to accept. I knew there was a very real chance that I had finally pushed Mylie away. Now there was probably another guy pining for her while I would have to sit back and watch idly.

“Professor James?”

My musings were interrupted by a shy young woman with pixie cut raven hair and bright blue eyes hidden by thick frame lenses. Her sweet innocence was in direct contrast to her dark fitting apparel. The tight, dark denim skinny jeans were accessorized with a studded belt that matched her studded bracelets. She also had a labret piercing which was obscured by glossy pink full lips. Although everything about this petite curvaceous girl who wore a pair of dingy Chucks screamed depressed emo, her eyes shone brightly which was disconcerting. “Yes?”

“My name is Mercy, and I have a message for you.” Her seriousness threw me off, but I nodded.

“He isn’t who you all think he is.” With that the girl turned around and left.

What the fuck?

“Wait!” I ran from around my desk, my chair toppling over onto the wood floor, and chased after the girl. But when I reached the doorframe and peered into the hall, the hallway was empty.

What did that mean? Who wasn’t who I thought he was?

Immediately my mind raced, and then I remembered the tall guy with Mylie. He looked like someone the emo girl would’ve known. It had to be him. I closed my eyes as I pictured the girl. Why had her eyes penetrated my mind so immeasurably? After years of psychology classes I recognized that look, either I remembered it or was it a gut feeling, but I knew the look. Revenge.

Whom she wanted revenge on was the real question, and would Mylie get hurt because of it? I needed to do something, but what? There was only one person I knew who would speak to me and help, but I dreaded talking to her. I picked up the phone and dialed the number slowly. The phone had barely rung before an all too familiar drawl came over the line.

“Professor Damien James. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise, darling?” She cooed seductively

“I think Mylie might be in trouble,” I said as I heard her audible gasp.

“I’ll meet you at the diner in fifteen minutes.” Rhonda’s concern was evident in her voice. I knew I was doing the right thing.

*******

Rhonda approached the booth quietly and sat down. She sat there silently and watched me. Her look finally penetrated my thoughts, and I spoke.

“I--, I got a visit today.”

“And? What does that have to do with Mylie?” she asked with an arched brow.

“Her message was, ‘He isn’t who you all think he is.’”

“Who isn’t? What the fuck does that mean?”

“I don’t know Rhonda! That is why I called you. I think Mylie might be in trouble.”

“Merde!” She covered her face with one French manicured hand. She slowly pulled it down, placed it on the old diner table, and threaded her hands together. “Did you know her?”

“Never seen her before, but she said her name was Mercy.”

“Mercy? Blue eyes, long blond hair, all American girl, and pageant queen?”

“Not at all, other than the blue eyes, but far from that. She had black hair and dressed all dark and depressing. All emo-like.”

“Hmm… all right. I don’t know who she is then.”

“I think she might be tied to Mylie’s new guy?” I treaded carefully on the subject, but I had to know.

“What new guy?” Her bewildered expression told me that she had no clue. I simply shrugged. “I guess I have to pay a visit to Mylie then.”

“Just don’t tell her I told you. She isn’t exactly too happy with me now.”

She groaned loudly, “Seriously Damien? What did you do now?”

“I didn’t know she and Xavier were taking a break, and Andrea came and made a show of our relationship, but only to protect my job. She knows how I feel about Mylie.”

“Mon Dieu.” She shook her blond tresses. “I will call you once I know everything.” She got up and started to leave, but turned to look at me over her shoulder. “Hey Damien?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for looking out for her. You’re a good guy.”

She left the diner, and I sat there and thought of what she said. Was I a good guy, or was it my fault because I had pushed Mylie too far?

Why must people think they can stop my plans? This is not acceptable, and it just will not do! I refused to let the gothic Barbie interfere. I thought I had gotten rid of her, but I guess she didn’t get the memo.

It’s my time! I will get my revenge, and she’s the knight that must be sacrificed to claim checkmate.

Chapter Seventeen

Mylie

As I sat in my room, hidden behind blacked out curtains, I couldn’t stop the replay of today. The frame by frame was repeating at a snail’s pace, and I couldn’t wrap my mind around the heart -shattering despair I was feeling. There wasn’t a chance for us because I blew it when I chose Xavier. Even when my heart wanted Damien, my pride wouldn’t allow me to accept it. There was nothing more gut wrenching than knowing that I did this, that what I was feeling was from my own doing, and I had no one to blame but myself.

“My’, I don’t know what happened today, but I am here.”

I looked into Kyan’s eyes, and I felt hope that there were people who cared about me, but my heart only hurt for one right now.

“Kyan, I will be okay. I promise, but I really want to be alone right now. Call me tomorrow ‘k?” I tried smiling reassuringly, but it hurt too much to fake a smile. From the wince I saw on Kyan’s face, I was sure I didn’t deliver.

“It’s gonna be okay, but if a guy made you hurt this much, I’m gonna kill him.”

He bent down and kissed my cheek, peering into my eyes. I felt as his soul tried to connect with mine, but I knew it couldn’t. I just nodded somberly and placed my head on my down pillow as I heard the faint click of the door and drifted into my oblivion.

*******

I woke up with a start when I heard banging at the door as I fought the inner battle of whether or not I would answer. The banging persisted, and I begrudgingly went to see who was causing the ruckus. Whoever it was obviously grew tired of waiting since I saw his or her form walking away from the glass panel door that had been recently replaced after Damien broke the last one. Just thinking of him made my heart ache, and I needed to break my thoughts of him. I quickly threw open the door, and I saw golden hair turning the corner. I screamed out his name.

“Xavier!”

What the hell are you doing?

He turned around slowly and had his megawatt panty-dropping smile.
Yes, this is what I needed.
It was what I have needed since meeting Damien James, a distraction.

“I thought you were avoiding me,” he said, looking genuinely hurt. I felt awful for how I was treating him.

Maybe I had been reading into things, and my subconscious was seeing things that weren’t there. Whatever it was, I was just going to go with the flow.

“I had a long day and took a nap. Sorry,” I shrugged sheepishly. I tucked my thumbs into the belt loops of my cut off shorts while my midriff was exposed in my white cut off tank.

He wore his aviators, but he slowly pulled them away from his godlike face. The way Xavier devoured the sight of me, I knew he enjoyed the view, and I relished the rush going straight through the apex of my body. His wavy hair glistened like golden threads and lay just above his broad shoulders. His strong muscular body was concealed beneath a form fitting polo shirt where his perfect tan played off the color of the shirt. That aside, I was lost as I peered into his most striking feature: his fathomless sea glass eyes with the faintest hint of green.

“Can we talk?”

His smoldering eyes pierced my heart, and I could barely nod. My bare feet, with peek-a-boo pink polish, padded against the hard concrete and then up the wood stairs toward the wrap-around porch. I looked at the glass panel door and knew without a doubt that if I went in all bets were off on my V-card. Especially since I felt completely deflated, and my ego was shot to hell. I walked to the side of the house towards the back where I had the best view of the river. I sat on the porch swing and waited for Xavier to sit down. I looked up to see him contemplating, and the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach told me whatever he had to say wasn’t good.

“Jeez, you’re making me nervous. What’s up?” I bit my lip and waited for him to say something, but his hypnotic stare had me breathless. He just stared, and I started to get hot because I didn’t understand what was going on.

“Did you really think that avoiding the inside of this house was going to stop me from wanting you?”
What the?
I swallowed hard and nodded my head silently. “Mylie, when are you going to learn that your presence alone is like a drug? I count the minutes until I get to have my next hit, and you’re clearly becoming my addiction.”

“I, —I don’t know what to say,” I whispered with a trickle of fear. I couldn’t look into his eyes any further.

He bent forward, and his hot breath was against my neck. My breath was lodged in my chest, and his full lips grazed my right ear, and with his deep timbre he whispered.