From the perfect start

Chapter 44- Breaking all those bones

Aleandra's POV:

"I'm tired; hearing men talk drains me," Adaeze let out a sigh as she hops onto the back of Ray's motorcycle.

I still can't believe they flew here and seriously rented a Harley Davidson to drive from the airport. Their lifestyle confuses me to my core, but now my focus shifts to the smell, the sight in front of me, and the overwhelming sense of the past intersecting with my future.

Standing in front of the house where the party is held, a place I spent so much time trying to mend what my family had broken. I failed to notice that I was losing another part of myself in the process. Back then, as a teenage girl, I thought the feeling of my father's palm on my cheek would disappear if other boys, as cruel as him, kissed the bruises hidden beneath layers of makeup. It feels like decades, though it was only a few years ago that I attended those football matches with the girls, secretly hoping one of the players would notice me. I didn't want to be pathetic, I didn't want to need this validation but somehow, I still ended up in a corner of this house, the quarterback's house, where everyone always celebrated. Or I'd wake up in his bed with my makeup smudged, my hair tousled. My skin felt dry, my heart even drier.

There's an internal struggle as bile rises in my throat when I think about the men inside that house. I think about how they know how I taste, how I feel in their arms. I remember the blue-eyed, blonde-haired guy who just insulted the most important people in my life, and how he kissed me while I was too drunk to speak. We never had sex, but he desperately wanted to, and I knew that my mother's name as a judge was the only thing that saved me from saying no, while he only saw the yes on my lips.

These were probably the only moments in my life when my mother protected me. Now, Ray's smile protects me from those dark thoughts as Adaeze puts her arms around him. He places his hand over hers, and she rolls her eyes at him.

"Don't worry. I have a little sister who is a teenager, and she goes through phases where she's in love with every guy she sees one minute and throwing shade at them the next. If you need a man who listens to you bash the male existence, I'm your guy, sweetheart."

"Hey, what the hell? I thought I was your sweetheart." I cross my arms, glaring at him with a mocking pout, tears forming in the corner of my eyes.

I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm happy. Why are goosebumps rising, and my heart aching?

"Oh, Ally, don't be jealous. You know you'll always have a special place in my heart." He winks at me, and a weight lifts from my heart as I realize how thankful I am for him. Our relationship isn't even that great, but the care in his voice, his sincere desire to help without expecting anything in return, I know we won't end up together, but I know if I needed him, he would come, and I would do the same. And today he did. They all did.

"Well, then let's drive home. Lead the way, milady." Harvey stretches out his hand for Em to get on his bike, but she narrows her eyes at him.

"Not a chance. I'm driving," she says, determined.

"Do you even have a license?" He asks, adjusting his black helmet.

"Of course I do. There was a guy a year ago, well, not really a guy, he was 20 years older, but my daddy issues loved him, and he taught me how to ride a bike."

"And other things..." I wink at her, and we all burst into laughter, though Harvey's jealousy is evident, hidden beneath his grin.

And this is a significant difference between Harvey and Kaden. Harvey hides negative emotions, but my man feels raw. His anger, sadness, compassion – he feels it all, and even though he hides it, I can see it. I can see him, and I could study every muscle in his face, wanting to be the first to know when they form a negative emotion. So I can figure out a way to remove it...