Chapter 23

Cainine’s POV.

After a restless night full of thoughts and no solutions, I would have enjoyed a chill day surrounded by nothing but smoke and beer cans.

But I got an even better morning.

I was deep in my thoughts, thinking about what I’d do to win that stupid bet when I felt sparks turn, her soft hair brushing my chin, then I felt her alien gaze poking at me. And that’s how I started my day.

Everything was all good and jolly and she was all that was running in my mind until my phone rung. The first thought that came in mind was Nik, it had to be him, but when I looked at the screen and saw Drew’s name, I felt relief run through my body and sighed.

“Hey, where the fuck have you been since last night?” Austin immediately questions and my face drops.

What happened to good morning?

“Been busy, what’s up?” I’m already pissed they’ve brought me back to reality and taken me away from the little fairy tale bubble Sparks had created.

“You were supposed to give us a ride home” Austin reminds and I push my hair back already feeling exasperated.

Being brought back to the real world meant I had real world problems and I had two choices. To try and solve them and fail… Or to run.

“You sound pissy, had a rough night?” Drew finally speaks.

“You have no idea” I sigh and begin to walk around recalling all of last night’s events.

“What’d you mean by rough? Fucked some girl who didn’t moan the way you wanted?” Austin snickers and I groan inwardly. If he only knew-

“For fuck’s sake, Austin.”

“To be fair, you’ve said that before” he chuckles.

“Nik was here” I finally say and he stops laughing, it all goes quiet.

“Where are you?” Austin asks and I hear the sudden seriousness in his voice.

“My place.”

“We’ll be there in ten” Drew says and before I warn them against it, they hang up. Fuck.

I sigh and turn to face Sparks. She looks more stressed and bothered than me, rubbing her forehead, her chest slightly heaving as she takes deep breaths. Definitely hangover.

“You okay Sparks? Hangover?” she gets up and rests her elbows on the bed looking all confused and lost with her hair all over the place.

She was effortlessly beautiful.

“Hmm?” she raises her eyebrows.

Something for sure had to be going on in that head of hers. She’s probably regretting last night if she remembered it and is busy hating herself for allowing it to happen.

I wouldn’t regret anything though, just her meeting Nik.

I offer her coffee and meds but she says she’s okay. I try to warn her about Austin and Drew’s arrivals but she seems to be in a playful mood that I can’t entertain at the moment.

She had no idea what she had gotten herself into by just talking to me. Nik knew her now, and who knew what he was planning.

After getting down stairs, I pour myself a glass of water and chug it down before I hear a loud knock that scares devils out of me.

“Is anybody home?!” an annoyingly familiar voice follows after and my tense shoulders relax.

“It’s a fucking robbery!” once I hear the second voice I sigh and walk to the door to open it.

“You better come out before we knock your door down!” the first voice demands.

I scoff a laugh as I open the door and Austin immediately jumps in and points finger guns at me.

“What’s up kid?” he mutters, narrowing his eyes at him and I smile wearily.

“It’s all good.”

“Is it though?” Drew frowns. “Stop fucking around, what happened? You look like shit. Did you get some sleep?”

I turn without answering him and lead the way to the kitchen settling on one of the stools. Wow, he never wastes any time. The dude gets straight to the point and tells me I look like shit, well good that’s how I felt too.

“Well, I’m fucked” I sigh.

“Clearly” Drew points out walking to stand by my side.

“Well… Details dude” Austin joins Drew on my other side and I palm my face and sigh loudly this time.

“He came here and was “nice” enough to offer me a fucking bet” I mumble air quoting the word friendly.

“What?” Austin frowns and I almost smile at the disturbed look on his face.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Drew asks.

I’m exhausted of thinking of the same thought, fearing the same person, the same outcome, and the same history that will never leave me alone.

“Judging by his history, he might have bet on your fucking life- “

“Well, he kind of did-” I begin.

“What?” Austin’s eyebrows are furrowed which was an odd look on the always smiling guy “Did he threaten you?”

“If so, do I need to be involved?” Drew asks and I chuckle.

“Hold your donkey Shrek… I don’t need a fucking knight at the moment.”

“Stop shitting around Nine!” Drew bangs his open palm on the counter, “this sounds serious.”

“I don’t mean my life like that; he said that if my gym doesn’t make as much as his business does in a month, I’d go back to working for him” I grit my teeth.

Drew and Austin know how fucked up I was after running away from him, they were there as I tried to regain my sanity. So, Drew acting like this doesn’t surprise me.

“Work for him?” Drew scoffs “Doesn’t he get the hint that you want nothing to do with him? You’ve literally been running from him your whole adult life!”

How quickly he gets worked up amazes me, he’s sometimes even quicker than me.

“Unbelievable, that man is sick” Austin shakes his head pursing his lips in a straight line and I nod.

“What am I supposed to do guys? I don’t want to go back to that and to make it worse he found-“

” Umm- I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving now ” a voice interrupts me and I’m stunned for a second there.

The thoughts of Nik makes me jumpy like that. Almost immediately after she speaks Austin and Drew look up at her and I know that they’re about to fucking start.

“Fuck, Sparks- ” I sigh. I don’t know how, but I forgot she was still here.

“You didn’t tell us you had someone here” Austin smiles studying Sparks from top to bottom.

Ugh, fuck no.

“Not just anyone-” Drew adds nodding his head.

Oh, they’re about to start alright and no one wants that. All they’ll manage to do is piss me off and make her uncomfortable.

“Yeah, she’s no one, she was just leaving” I shut them down quick. I need Sparks to be out of here before they start suggesting a foursome. Only hell knows what’s on their minds right now.

I get up ready to give sparks the ride I was to give her last night hoping this would brighten my day again.

But damn it, she had other plans.

“I’ll give you a ride” I make my way to her and she scoffs.

“A ride to where exactly?” she asks and I hold back a scoff of my own. Where else? I search around for my keys, while answering her.

“Your place?”

“I don’t need a fucking ride Cainine” I frown at the harsh tone looking up at her.

We were okay just a few minutes ago. Did she recall all of last night and wanted nothing to do with me now? “I thought I was no one, why bother?” Sparks has ever used that tone on me so it makes sense that it throws me off.

But at least it’s not about last night. I can fix this.

When she turns and begins to walk away though, I’m not sure I can fix this. Which fucking sucks because her being with me at the moment, is the only healthy form of I have. She makes me forget how fucked up everything is. She’s like my little light.

“Come on Sparks ” I grab her hand. “It was just a figure of speech” when our eyes lock, I try pleading with her to understand. But by now, I know she won’t.

It was Sparks we were talking about.

“Now listen to this figure of speech-” Uh oh. She pulls away from me roughly and I lose all hope of fixing shit at the moment.

” I am not just some girl you’ll fuck around with then make fun of and talk shit about behind her back with your friends.” Her posh accent somehow makes her sound angrier and harsher.

And I feel kind of hurt that she thinks I’d do that to her.

“I know” I say “I…” I was speechless “I never did that.”

I would never talk shit about her behind her back. Why would she think that? Hell, we’ve not even fucked what is she going on about?

She Looks at me… Pissed, slightly panting, and chest heaving then yells “Ugh, fuck off!” before walking away.

Fuck. What have I done?

Shit. She totally got me wrong. 

Look at that Ali, there’s consequences to your stupidity.

It was fucked up but being around her at the moment was really grounding me. She’s somehow managed to make me feel other less shitty emotions even with the nagging thought of Nik looming. Of course she’s not no one.

“Come on Sparks!” I yell and my stupid voice cracks as I hear the living room door bang shut. Fuck me.

“What a lovely show” Drew comments and I slap my forehead turning slowly to look at them.

I forgot they were still here.

“Lesbians… So fucking dramatic” Austin shakes his head.

“Nice to see you try to simp for a change though” Drew scoffs shrugging and I just glare at them.

“So what? You dating the British girl after all?” Austin asks. “That was her right?” He looks over at Drew.

“Yes, and not anymore if they were dating. One thing is for sure you definitely fucked that up” Drew chuckles pointing me and I grunt heading back to sit on the stool.

“What’s up with her?” Austin nods to the spot Sparks was standing a few minutes ago.

“Well, I just lost her-”

Austin gasps “So you were secretly dating?”

“No, you fucker. She’s just a friend.”

“That sleeps over?” he goes on with his interrogation, both of them looking at me with their eyebrows raised.

Was this really the time for this?

“Yes, believe it or not we’ve not fucked.” I point them “And before you speak again, she’s fucked because Nik met her yesterday and I don’t know what he’s planning.” I slap my palm against the counter.

“Damn, she’s even meeting the parents” Drew teases and I turn and glare at him.

“Seriously? Right now?” I ask.

“Sorry” he raises his arms in defense moving a few steps back.

“Well, honestly, you’re both fucked” Drew concludes.

“What was she even doing here last night?” Austin shrugs his shoulders. And images of a moaning Sparks grinding against me flash before my eyes, I smile to myself.

“That’s none of your business” I mutter and they both gasp.

“Your old man caught you fucking her, didn’t he?” Drew’s eyes are wide as they again, concentrate on the dumb unnecessary shit.

“I told you we haven’t-“

“Well clearly, you’re hiding a lot from us when it comes to this mystery girlfriend of yours. So, what am I supposed to believe?” Drew challenges.

“She’s not my girlfriend, that’s one” I point out.

“That’s what they all say” Austin mumbles and that somehow becomes the last straw.

“Fuck you!” I yell “both of you!” I add.

“Can we concentrate on the deep shit I’ve gotten Sparks into? Nik was so charming with her and out of all girls that I’d prefer kidnapped, killed, and their organs sold she’s not one of them. What the fuck do I do?” I whine the last part.

“Easy…” Austin is back to being serious again, a little furrow in his brows “Just stay away from her dude.”

“What?” I frown tilting my head.

Stay away? I wanted to track her down right now and apologize until she giggles with me like she did this morning.

“It’s true… You being with her, talking to her, whoever she is to you” Drew smirks “Got her into this mess, if you stop maybe Nik will think she’s not important.” He pats my shoulder and I look down at the counter studying the pattern on it that I’d never noticed before.

“This isn’t a fucking movie-” I whisper then shut up to analyze their words before arguing.

Were they right?

“Think about it Cain” Austin says “You fuck around with a lot of women. Maybe he’ll think that she’s just like the rest of them-“

It made sense. If I stayed away, Nik would think Sparks was one of my unimportant hookups and he would definitely think I don’t give a shit about her.

I hate that I gave him the reaction he wanted last night.

“Okay… What about the gym?” I ask after pausing for a moment. It was for the best to concentrate on what I already had and wouldn’t easily lose.

“I might have an idea… But I don’t know if it’ll work” Austin shrugs, staring off into space.

“I’m listening” I don’t know what was on his mind.

But it was worth a try, right?

**

Re-editor S.C here to tell you to vote and comment and you just might help Cain figure out a way to win the dumb bet with her old man.