Xavier had a criminal record as colourful as the bruises on his face. He had built a less-than impressive reputation for himself from fights and drug misuse to rape allegations. The townsfolk knew to stay clear of him and his family. Including kind...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Boulogne-Billancourt was a beautiful place, an outdoor garden spread over many acres. I wanted to dance in the fallen leaves, glide my body through air like it held no weight but instead I looked out across the lake while the rest of my class walked ahead.
Lilly pads and earthy debris floated on the surface, and I breathed in the salty air, letting the coldness turn my cheeks rosy and the freshness clean out my lungs.
"I'm back." I turned to face him, he licked an ice cream and smiled childishly at me.
"Isn't it a little cold for ice cream?" He stopped eating and gave me a dumbfounded expression that made giggle a response.
"I like food." He simply said.
We walked along the lakeside, golden leaves crunching beneath our feet. I breathed out a fog of condensation and he looked at me expectantly because he knew I had something on my mind.
"So the no sex thing, it's not a deal breaker for you?" I shuffled my red tinted hands into my sweater and crossed my fingers away from his vision. He didn't answer. He didn't lick his ice cream. This wasn't a good sign.
"Honestly?" He asked and I nodded, dreading his answer. "I don't know." He admitted and my heart sank. "I know, that's really fucking lame of me to say. I'm a dick."
"No." I ushered quietly. "You're not a dick. It's normal to crave sex with the one you love. Thank you for being honest." He licked his ice cream some more to stop it dripping.
"So the no sex thing." He said and this time I looked at him. "How far does that extend?"
"I don't know." I admitted honestly, kicking a pile of leaves. "I thought I was okay, I guess not." I wrapped my arms around myself and shyly failed to meet his eye contact.
"How long has this been going on? Since Zane?" His eyes pulled up and he had a dangerous glare. Zane was walking up ahead with his friendship group.
"No." I said quickly, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "After Zane." He nodded, tossing his ice cream into a trash can. "Six months ago." My voice was barely a noise being carried around by the wind.
He breathed out a sigh and then nodded sadly. "But I thought I was doing okay and then I ... after a while I tried to use ... well, you know ... and I freaked out." He pulled the collar up on his duffle coat, his nose turning red at the tip from coldness. "It just brought back a lot of memories for me and I didn't pick it up again. Then you ... Uh ... on the plane and I realised, I really was fucked up."
"You're not fucked Lilia, you're just going through something and that's okay." He blew warm air into his hands and rubbed them together before putting them inside his pockets. "So, what do you need to feel more comfortable in that situation."
"I don't like my neck being touched, or kissed or breathed on." He nodded, I already told him that and he's been respecting that boundary. "I don't know, I guess I just don't like feeling restricted or pinned down."
