A Dangerous Temptation

Chapter 62

   
       

          ~ I've been having dreams... jumping on a trampoline... flipping in the air...

  Wait, if I'm on fire... how am I so deep in love? When I dream of dying~
   Guess who sang the song and the title of the song...

                         *****

      "Wow. This place is so cool," Maddie said for the hundredth time as we walked past Zayn's tattoo booth.
  I didn't want to be here but Maddie refused to have that.
  I swallowed, anticipating seeing Miguel anytime now. Probably with Jacqueline, my subconscious taunted.
   Zed threw an arm around me.
   "Relax, Kesha."

  I forced a smile. I also shouldn't have brought Zed here.
   I smiled when Jarvis walked up to us.
  "Hey, Kesh."
  He smiled at me.
  "Hi, Jarvis. This is Maddie and Zed."
  Jarvis shook Zed then Maddie.
  "Hi. Finally nice to meet you."
  Maddie batted her lashes at him.
  I realized Maddie was flirting with him so I yanked her back, gently.

   "Okay. Where is everybody?"
  I laughed nervously, trying to start a conversation.
  "Well, Elias and Andrew are somewhere."
  Jarvis chuckled, glancing around.
  "And Donovan is with ---"
   "Where's Miguel?" Maddie interrupted.
   Zed zeroed his gaze in on her.
   "Who's Miguel?"
  He glanced at me and I saw the wheels in his brain, turn.

  "That guy is... is Miguel?" He choked out, his eyes widening.
  I nodded and looked back at Jarvis.
  "Miguel is... he hasn't come, yet."
  I didn't know why but I felt weird about him not being here, right now.
  "Well, he'll be with Jacqueline. And if Jacqueline isn't here, yet... that's a good thing, right?"
   I glanced at Jarvis again, waiting for his reassurance.

  "Um. The thing is, I've talked to Jacqueline. He's not with her, either."
  I went into full panic mode.
  We followed Jarvis to some empty benches where the crowd was limited.
  "Your friend's hot," Maddie whispered to me.
  "He likes someone else, already. Don't even think about it," I whispered back.
   She rolled her eyes but smiled, anyway.

  Jarvis walked up to us, minutes later with his phone pressed closely to his ear.
  The look he gave me prevented me from asking.
  Great. Just great.
  When he was around, he gave me a constant headache, and even when he wasn't, I was still worried.
  I blinked, dazed when Jacqueline walked up to us with a worried glance.
  "No word from him either."
  "Shit," Jarvis muttered.

  I rubbed my eyes as Jacqueline and Jarvis walked away.
   "I'll be back," I whispered to Zed before trailing after Jarvis.
  "What do you mean, no word from him?"
  "He's supposed to be here, tonight. He's the one who invited all of us. Well, clearly, there's been a change of plans.."
  "Well, he could have forgotten there was a party here."
   I chuckled, nervously.
  I mean Miguel could be an asshole at times.

  "Miguel? He never forgets a party. He's always at every and any party but hey, that could be it."
  Jarvis smiled and I knew he was trying to sugarcoat this whole thing.
   "Okay, then. Let's hope you hear from him pretty soon."
   I nodded, curtly and went back to meet Zed.

  "Are you okay? Do you want to go home?" Zed asked for what was probably the hundredth time.
  I shook my head, feeling bad for him. He followed me to a party and I was thinking of someone else.
  "I'm okay," I whispered.
  "You sure? We could go home?"
  "And ruin the party for you? No way."
   I smiled so he would buy it and he smiled back, not buying it.

                             *****

    Okay. It was official. I was sick. How could I be so worried about someone?
   It had been three days and we still hadn't heard from Miguel. Yes. I was fucking worried.
   "Hey, girl. You look like shit."
Chelsea hugged me as soon as I stepped into the staff locker room at the back of the diner.
  I hugged her back, burying my face into the crook of her neck.
  "I feel like shit too," I murmured and she released me.

  "How about we talk about it, over some wine? I feel like shit too."
  She grinned at me and I shook my head.
  "I don't feel like drinking, Chels."
  I feel like going to look for Miguel.
"Where is Jeremy by the way?" I mumbled as I followed her out of the storage room, knotting my apron around my waist.

  "Isn't that why I said we should talk, huh?"   
  She smiled sadly at me.
  "We'll do that, Chels. How about we go out there and give the customers our best services and after our shift, grab a bottle of wine and cry together?"
  "Sounds good, honey."
   She sniffed and smiled at me.

       Services, tips, and hours later, Chelsea and I sat at a table at the back of the cafe as she popped a champagne open.
  She filled our glasses.
  "To our miserable lives!"
   She raised her glass with a smile.
  "To our miserable lives!" I murmured, clinking my glass with hers.
  "You first," I said when no one had spoken.

  I glanced at my phone. 10:29.
  My shift ended at ten and I was still here, drinking my sorrows away with Chelsea.
  Well, this had to be better than brooding in my room all night about some certain green-eyed boy.
  "Okay. So get this. Jeremy and I agreed to be friends with benefits."
   She smiled sadly and I pursed my lips.
  I had always thought they acted too friendly.

    "And now?"
  I cocked an eyebrow, raising my glass to my lips.
  "And now, I want more than sex. I like the guy and I think it's pretty obvious. I mean I show him these signs every day. I confronted him about it. Well, indirectly, and he just, y'know, shrugged about it.
   So, I thought he didn't get the message and as the stupid girl I am, I went to his house the next day to clear things up and I saw him banging a girl on the same couch he screwed me the last time I was there."
   She laughed and a few tears still dropped.
 
  "What did he say?" I said quietly, looking down at my wine.
   Trust me, babe. I could relate.
   "He didn't say anything. He waited for me to leave and I'm pretty sure he went back to fucking her as soon as I shut that damn door. I should have brought down that stupid door!"
    She sniffed but smiled.
I kept quiet until she gathered herself.

  "Your story, pretty girl. C'mon, drink up." 
  She gestured to the full bottle.
  "His name is Miguel. That black-haired guy that came the other day."
  "The guy that was in a turtleneck?"
   I nodded and emptied my glass.
   I had the burning urge to drink bad now we were on Miguel's case or else I wouldn't make it through the night.

     "Holy shit, Kesha."
  Her eyes widened before she narrowed them at me.
  "No wonder you were giving me death looks. I'm so sorry, babe."
   She chuckled.
  "It's fine. It's not like we are dating or anything. I'm not even sure where we stand. I care for him more than a friend but sometimes I'm so confused. He tells me he wants me and the next day he's in someone else's bed."

  "I think there's a problem with the men in our lives. We should murder them." She snarled and I laughed.
    "Nope." I sighed.
  "Jeremy is in your life, babe. Miguel's not in mine."
  I shrugged, my shoulders sagging heavily.
  "So, you're confused about this, Miguel?"
  "I mean he asked me to a party and I turned him down. He wasn't at the party and he hasn't shown up at school ever since."

   She smiled at me.
  "What do you wanna do, sweetheart?"
  "Look for him. I'm dead worried, Chels."
  "Well, tell you what? Boys need a little push sometimes. Go, honey. Go look for him."
   "Are you sure?" I said, already grabbing my bag.
  "Yes. The wine will keep me company. Go on, Kesha."
     She laughed at my guilty pout.
   I blew her a kiss as I practically ran out of the diner.

       I looked up at the big building in front of me. There were no lights on. He wasn't home.
   I walked sadly towards the balcony to check if his Katana was still there.
   I saw the back porch lights were on.
  I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening when I spotted Miguel sitting on his back porch with a bottle in his hands.