Outcast
10. To live in love and die.
The day slowly dragged by and before we knew it, it was almost five in the afternoon.
After Vic’s adorable speech and becoming official, we’d moved from my bed to the couch, where we’d resumed our position from before – him lying down with the icepack against his side, and I crouched beside him – only this time something in the atmosphere was different. Vic played absentmindedly with one of my curls as I kept the ice in place while we talked. It was nothing too deep or meaningful just, getting to know each other a bit better I guess.
“Favourite colour?” Vic shot yet another question of what seemed a never ending list, and I scratched my chin in wonder. I’d never thought about that before.
“I like many; it’s hard to choose one...” I answered, still thinking. “However, I think it’s blue.”
“Blue? Why?” He once again asked, kissing the knuckled of my hand which laid closest to him. Why? How could I explain why a colour was my favourite?
“Well... I guess because blue is the colour of the sky and the sea. Birds are free when they fly up in the sky, and being out in open sea feels like freedom, so I guess it’s just that – blue represents freedom.” I finished my little speech and looked down, instantly blushing at how stupid it must’ve sounded to him, me rambling on about how birds look free flying. I’m such a dimwit sometimes...
“It makes absolute sense to me. Actually, now I feel a bit stupid about my explanation about why red is my favourite colour...” Vic said, staring intently at the ceiling above us. I chuckled. How could his be worse than my explanation, so I asked him just that. “Well, it is my favourite colour because hot sauce goes best with tacos and it is red, which is my favourite food.”
I was speechless after that, and I could stop the laughter when it attacked me a moment later. I laughed at his shocked face and even fell back, rolling as I laughed, the icepack forgotten on the floor. As I giggled, I saw Vic looking at me with a hurt expression and pouty lips. I stopped laughing and smiled at him.
“Hey, I think it is the best explanation for a favourite colour ever – if there even is anything to explain about that. So don’t pout, okay? Although you look incredibly adorable when you do, I don’t like seeing you sad.” My heart swelled when his eyes locked with mine and a bright smile appeared on his face. He leant down to kiss me when loud bangs on the door echoed through the whole flat. Vic stopped halfway before our lips met and a wicked grin formed on his face.
“Oops, door. We’ll have to delay our... current plans, won’t we?”
I stuck out my tongue at him and walked away to open the door, which kept rattling with the forceful knocks of the person –or rather people – at the door. I turned around once more before opening and saw Vic wink playfully at me. I rolled my eyes at him and opened the door, revealing Jaime, Tony and Noah. The first one stormed in without another, rushing to Vic’s side on the couch.
“Vic! For God’s sake! What did that Oli fucker do this time?” Jaime asked, fussing around angrily. Vic smiled, looking fondly at his best friend as the rest of us watched curiously from the door. I invited Noah and Tony in and we headed to where the other two boys were, sitting down on the free spots left – an armchair and, well, the floor.
“Come down, Jaime. I’m okay; they only beat me up a bit.” Vic put a hand on his friend’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Seeing it worked – as Jaime visibly relaxed - Vic proceeded to tell them what had happened earlier that day, with plenty of details. I noticed Vic’s normally chocolate eyes turned a darker shade of brown as he spoke until they looked like two disks of the hardest onyx.
Once he was done, the other three boys were staring at him, different emotions covering their faces. Jaime was fuming, obviously - there wasn’t any other way he’d be. Tony had a serious, thoughtful expression, but his frown was definitely there, denoting his anger, although he didn’t show it like Jaime did. Noah, on the contrary, looked bashed, appalled to say the least. He hadn’t given much away about his personality but, for what could be seen, I could see he wasn’t one of a really strong character. More of a peacemaker – which Jaime, and I supposed Vic, could use most times.
“Well, I think we’ll have to pay a visit to our little friend Oli, shall we?” Jaime started, standing up from the couch and rubbing the palms of his hands together. What? They were going straight into the wolf’s mouth without hesitation! I shot Vic an anxious glance and he seemed to take the message because he pulled at Jaime’s sleeve, making the latter sit back down.
“That won’t be necessary, mate.” When Jaime looked at him in disbelieve, Vic shook his head softly. “If you go and pick up a fight with Oli and his mates now, what do you think will happen? First, you’ll end up hurt and I, by any means, don’t want any of that happening.”
“And secondly, they’ll come back for more - for revenge. I just want them to leave us all alone and the only way is to ignore them as best as we can. Please, guys.” Vic finished the plead to his friends with another silent plead, this one with his eyes, that showed how much he meant everything he’d just said. The other boys just nodded in a silent agreement and I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t know I’d been holding.
The guys stayed with us after that and I was glad I decided to go grocery shopping the day before because they also stayed for dinner and, my... did those boys eat! I stuck to a simple stir fry, quick and yummy, and they seemed to like it because I had to use all my reserved of chicken and vegetables only for the four of us.
“Mhm... This is amazing! Where did you learn to cook this well?” Jaime asked as he dug into his second plate of stir fry. My blood froze in my veins at his question. It surfaced both beautiful and horrible memories.
“Uhm, well... My grandmother taught me.” I answered, not raising my eyes from my plate. I pushed the broccoli around with my fork as I heard the boys’ mindless chat. The reminder of my grandmother brought back the memories of when I was a little kid and she used to teach how to cook back at her house. I’d stand on a chair so I’d reach the kitchen countertop. She’d show me how to chop the vegetables and how to stir them so they wouldn’t burn, but never let me really cook until I was eight and capable of not hurting myself in the process. I was happy back then, but then, the accident happened, and everything was fucked.
I felt something bump softly against my leg underneath the table. My head shot up and my eyes locked with Vic’s, who wore a worried look and asked a silent question. I shook my head ever so slightly and shrugged. He let it slip for the moment, but I could feel his intense gaze on me most of the time.
It was later than we had expected to be when the guys left the flat. They had said their “thank you’s” and “see you around’s” and then left, leaving Vic and I alone again. I started clearing the plates in an attempt to keep myself distracted but, apparently, that wasn’t in Vic’s plans.
“Thalia, stay still for a moment.” His voice was soft, but left no room for discussion. I put the plates I was holding in the sink and turned to face him. He wasn’t sitting on his spot on the couch anymore, but standing at the other side of the countertop, looking intently at me. He walked around the worktop until he was directly in front of me. He had me trapped by the sink so there was no way I could avoid him. I sighed as he studied my expression with curious eyes. “You’re sad. What’s wrong?”
There was no point in denying it to him, as it seemed like he knew me better than I knew myself – in such a short time, I thought – so I simply shrugged. “Jaime’s question. It reminded me of my grandparents.”
“Oh, baby, I should’ve known... Was it that bad?” He asked, as he came closer and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed almost inappreciably.
“No, no. It just... It brought back so many memories. Good ones. Those were happy times, before everything got fucked up.” I closed my eyes and let myself slowly relax against Vic, who pulled me closer to him.
He pressed a sweet kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t dwell on the past for it will bring you no good. There are many more good memories to be made, I can assure that.”
*3rd Person’s POV*
It was late, way past midnight, as Oli watched through the big window as Fuentes and the pretty girl swirled around the living room. They were dancing to music he was unable to hear, but he could see them, laughing and smiling and he felt jealous. Why was that twat able to be happy and not him?
He wouldn’t allow it, not in a million years. Even if it meant taking drastic measures, like finishing with that stupid Fuentes boy for once and for all.
After Vic’s adorable speech and becoming official, we’d moved from my bed to the couch, where we’d resumed our position from before – him lying down with the icepack against his side, and I crouched beside him – only this time something in the atmosphere was different. Vic played absentmindedly with one of my curls as I kept the ice in place while we talked. It was nothing too deep or meaningful just, getting to know each other a bit better I guess.
“Favourite colour?” Vic shot yet another question of what seemed a never ending list, and I scratched my chin in wonder. I’d never thought about that before.
“I like many; it’s hard to choose one...” I answered, still thinking. “However, I think it’s blue.”
“Blue? Why?” He once again asked, kissing the knuckled of my hand which laid closest to him. Why? How could I explain why a colour was my favourite?
“Well... I guess because blue is the colour of the sky and the sea. Birds are free when they fly up in the sky, and being out in open sea feels like freedom, so I guess it’s just that – blue represents freedom.” I finished my little speech and looked down, instantly blushing at how stupid it must’ve sounded to him, me rambling on about how birds look free flying. I’m such a dimwit sometimes...
“It makes absolute sense to me. Actually, now I feel a bit stupid about my explanation about why red is my favourite colour...” Vic said, staring intently at the ceiling above us. I chuckled. How could his be worse than my explanation, so I asked him just that. “Well, it is my favourite colour because hot sauce goes best with tacos and it is red, which is my favourite food.”
I was speechless after that, and I could stop the laughter when it attacked me a moment later. I laughed at his shocked face and even fell back, rolling as I laughed, the icepack forgotten on the floor. As I giggled, I saw Vic looking at me with a hurt expression and pouty lips. I stopped laughing and smiled at him.
“Hey, I think it is the best explanation for a favourite colour ever – if there even is anything to explain about that. So don’t pout, okay? Although you look incredibly adorable when you do, I don’t like seeing you sad.” My heart swelled when his eyes locked with mine and a bright smile appeared on his face. He leant down to kiss me when loud bangs on the door echoed through the whole flat. Vic stopped halfway before our lips met and a wicked grin formed on his face.
“Oops, door. We’ll have to delay our... current plans, won’t we?”
I stuck out my tongue at him and walked away to open the door, which kept rattling with the forceful knocks of the person –or rather people – at the door. I turned around once more before opening and saw Vic wink playfully at me. I rolled my eyes at him and opened the door, revealing Jaime, Tony and Noah. The first one stormed in without another, rushing to Vic’s side on the couch.
“Vic! For God’s sake! What did that Oli fucker do this time?” Jaime asked, fussing around angrily. Vic smiled, looking fondly at his best friend as the rest of us watched curiously from the door. I invited Noah and Tony in and we headed to where the other two boys were, sitting down on the free spots left – an armchair and, well, the floor.
“Come down, Jaime. I’m okay; they only beat me up a bit.” Vic put a hand on his friend’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Seeing it worked – as Jaime visibly relaxed - Vic proceeded to tell them what had happened earlier that day, with plenty of details. I noticed Vic’s normally chocolate eyes turned a darker shade of brown as he spoke until they looked like two disks of the hardest onyx.
Once he was done, the other three boys were staring at him, different emotions covering their faces. Jaime was fuming, obviously - there wasn’t any other way he’d be. Tony had a serious, thoughtful expression, but his frown was definitely there, denoting his anger, although he didn’t show it like Jaime did. Noah, on the contrary, looked bashed, appalled to say the least. He hadn’t given much away about his personality but, for what could be seen, I could see he wasn’t one of a really strong character. More of a peacemaker – which Jaime, and I supposed Vic, could use most times.
“Well, I think we’ll have to pay a visit to our little friend Oli, shall we?” Jaime started, standing up from the couch and rubbing the palms of his hands together. What? They were going straight into the wolf’s mouth without hesitation! I shot Vic an anxious glance and he seemed to take the message because he pulled at Jaime’s sleeve, making the latter sit back down.
“That won’t be necessary, mate.” When Jaime looked at him in disbelieve, Vic shook his head softly. “If you go and pick up a fight with Oli and his mates now, what do you think will happen? First, you’ll end up hurt and I, by any means, don’t want any of that happening.”
“And secondly, they’ll come back for more - for revenge. I just want them to leave us all alone and the only way is to ignore them as best as we can. Please, guys.” Vic finished the plead to his friends with another silent plead, this one with his eyes, that showed how much he meant everything he’d just said. The other boys just nodded in a silent agreement and I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t know I’d been holding.
The guys stayed with us after that and I was glad I decided to go grocery shopping the day before because they also stayed for dinner and, my... did those boys eat! I stuck to a simple stir fry, quick and yummy, and they seemed to like it because I had to use all my reserved of chicken and vegetables only for the four of us.
“Mhm... This is amazing! Where did you learn to cook this well?” Jaime asked as he dug into his second plate of stir fry. My blood froze in my veins at his question. It surfaced both beautiful and horrible memories.
“Uhm, well... My grandmother taught me.” I answered, not raising my eyes from my plate. I pushed the broccoli around with my fork as I heard the boys’ mindless chat. The reminder of my grandmother brought back the memories of when I was a little kid and she used to teach how to cook back at her house. I’d stand on a chair so I’d reach the kitchen countertop. She’d show me how to chop the vegetables and how to stir them so they wouldn’t burn, but never let me really cook until I was eight and capable of not hurting myself in the process. I was happy back then, but then, the accident happened, and everything was fucked.
I felt something bump softly against my leg underneath the table. My head shot up and my eyes locked with Vic’s, who wore a worried look and asked a silent question. I shook my head ever so slightly and shrugged. He let it slip for the moment, but I could feel his intense gaze on me most of the time.
It was later than we had expected to be when the guys left the flat. They had said their “thank you’s” and “see you around’s” and then left, leaving Vic and I alone again. I started clearing the plates in an attempt to keep myself distracted but, apparently, that wasn’t in Vic’s plans.
“Thalia, stay still for a moment.” His voice was soft, but left no room for discussion. I put the plates I was holding in the sink and turned to face him. He wasn’t sitting on his spot on the couch anymore, but standing at the other side of the countertop, looking intently at me. He walked around the worktop until he was directly in front of me. He had me trapped by the sink so there was no way I could avoid him. I sighed as he studied my expression with curious eyes. “You’re sad. What’s wrong?”
There was no point in denying it to him, as it seemed like he knew me better than I knew myself – in such a short time, I thought – so I simply shrugged. “Jaime’s question. It reminded me of my grandparents.”
“Oh, baby, I should’ve known... Was it that bad?” He asked, as he came closer and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed almost inappreciably.
“No, no. It just... It brought back so many memories. Good ones. Those were happy times, before everything got fucked up.” I closed my eyes and let myself slowly relax against Vic, who pulled me closer to him.
He pressed a sweet kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t dwell on the past for it will bring you no good. There are many more good memories to be made, I can assure that.”
*3rd Person’s POV*
It was late, way past midnight, as Oli watched through the big window as Fuentes and the pretty girl swirled around the living room. They were dancing to music he was unable to hear, but he could see them, laughing and smiling and he felt jealous. Why was that twat able to be happy and not him?
He wouldn’t allow it, not in a million years. Even if it meant taking drastic measures, like finishing with that stupid Fuentes boy for once and for all.
@Turtle I've updated! Go read!! c;
2/5/14