Chapter Twenty-four
Calme stands there staring at his face, a bunch of expressions cross his features: bewilderment, happiness, perplexity and then horror. He probably thinks that his treasured secrets are out. But she cannot let him think that way. She starts brainstorming to find possible excuses. She tardily comes up with a different trick to distract him.
“Who’s she?” she asks making a poker face. “Huh?” he looks at her blankly.
“What are you doing in an apartment with a girl Dominic?” she says scowling at him. He looks terrified and starts shaking his head. Just then the girl who opened the door for her comes out from a room with a guitar slinging from her shoulder. She stares at both of them for a while.
“Weirdos!” she mutters rolling her eyes and slips out of the apartment leaving both of them alone. They both stand there staring at each other awkwardly. After a while she clears her throat indicating that she needs answers.
“If you would just calm down and take-” she plops down on the couch before he finishes. He stands there looking amused.
“You can make yourself at home.” She says pretending to be annoyed. He obliges and sits beside her. “She’s my room-mate. I don’t even know her. I only got to know her name today after staying with her for two days.” He explains. “Wait! Are you jealous?” he asks grinning sheepishly.
“What? No I’m not!” she says brusquely rolling her eyes.
“How did you find me Serenity?” he asks, becoming serious precipitously. She tenses at that.
“I didn’t find you. In fact I’m shocked to see you here. When have you become a drug dealer, huh?” She turns the table astutely.
“You don’t wanna know that.” He sighs, squirming.
“Of course I wanna know. What’s going on Dominic?” she asks softening. His jaw clenches and he closes his eyes, keeping silence.
“You should go. This place isn’t safe for you, these people are dangerous.” He says getting up from the couch. She braces, this is not going the way she wanted.
“What are you talking about? Drug-dealers are usually dangerous when they are not paid, they wouldn’t kill someone if they are about to profit from them, would they?” she says as innocently as possible.
“You don’t understand. It’s not only about drugs.” He shakes his head. “By the way, from when did you start doing drugs?” he asks her darkly.
“It’s for my friends.” She flat-out lies. “Where are they?”
“Woo, Easy Sherlock! Are we playing twenty questions or something? If it’s that, then I have more than twenty.” She says, smiling slyly.
“It’s just that I’m surprised and not in a very good way. I mean, I didn’t want you to see me like this.” He mutters. “I don’t want you to get harmed. Please go!”
“Remember, if I walk out of this door, I’m never coming back.” She rises from the couch heading for the door with her heart beating erratically. She stands at the door thinking what could she do next, but nothing comes to her mind. She sighs disappointedly and starts to turn the door knob. Just then he grabs her waist from behind pulling her hard against his chest.
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me. I can’t tell you anything. I can’t bear the hatred which you’re bound to feel for me if I tell you about my past.” His words come out muffled, thick with emotions. She doesn’t say anything wondering if she was wrong all along about him.
He starts kissing her neck sending electric sparks throughout her body.
“I didn’t mean any of that to happen. But I was so scared. If I didn’t run out of there then I would be dead or in prison by now.” He states with a strangled voice.
“What are you talking about?” she asks in a whisper. Marveling his touch and trying to make out sense from his words at the same time. Spinning her around, he takes her lips with urgency, as if his life depends on it. She responds wrapping her hands and legs around him.
He takes them to his bedroom without breaking their connection and lowers her on the bed. They both lose themselves in wild amour. Their hands move desperately on each other’s body. He trails kisses on each part of her face and keeps kissing coming down to her neck and works on pulling off her top. She writhes under him in anticipation of the inevitable and bites his neck. He releases her for a while to peel off his own t-shirt and again leans on her, stroking her sides. She gasps in excitement when he grazes the path between her breasts with his teeth. He proceeds to open her shorts when reality of the situation hits her hard.
“Stop!” she almost shouts, making him flinch. His eyes seem almost onyx, filled with desire. “What’s wrong?” he breathes.
“We need to talk.” She blurts out.
“We have all the time we need in the world to talk, after we are done.” He says smiling seductively and licking her neck. Goose bumps form on her entire being. Treacherous body! This is not good; she has to regain her composure.
“No! We need to talk now. You need to tell me what you meant by all those things you mentioned earlier.” She asks authoritatively sitting up and pulling on her top back.
He sits there staring ambiguously at her for a while, then begins speaking almost inaudibly, “I killed my cousin and girlfriend before I fled to Europe.”