“So why are you living in your crummy apartment then?”
“Well, little one. As you can imagine the cops hate me and the mafia does too. I’ve got nowhere to turn that’s safe.”
“Why don’t you just leave?”
“I did. This happened in another city but apparently one of the would be robbers from the diner today recognized me, said my last name out loud and everything. I must have busted him a long time ago and he saw my name as the arresting officer, or something like that. I’ve put away too many guys to count, and definitely too many to remember over my thirty-seven years, fifteen of those as a cop. Point being is that criminals talk, and although I’m laying low in a crummy apartment building, buying everything with cash, and leaving no traces I still got ID'd.”
“I’m sorry you were in the diner when that went down.”
“I’m not,” I casually shoot back, taking another handful of popcorn. “I became a cop to serve and protect, and I don’t need a badge on my chest for me to do that. I’m glad I was there to protect the diner, and more importantly to protect what’s mine.”
I turn to her and with my hand that’s not covered in butter and salt I take her chin and tip it in my direction, but I can’t wait any longer and my lips crash down on hers.
Despite the flavors already on my lips she tastes like the sweetest thing in the world. I just want to stay like this forever, but I summon all the willpower I have and pull my lips from hers, angry at the void I’ve created.
“So what’s your story?”
11
Diana
I swallow hard, still processing his rough kiss and how much it made me feel. How much I enjoyed it. How much it connected us even more.
When deciding whether or not to come here I really expected to get fed a load of b.s. and quickly walk out and report him to the cop who gave me his business card today in case I thought of anything else or ‘came across that guy who played hero.’
Oh, I’ve come across him all right, and I’m confident he is my hero. Today, in the alley before, and as much as it scares me…the future.
Exhaling a long breath, I begin. “Like you, I’m staying in that crummy apartment to lay low for a while. I’m originally from upstate, but had to leave when things got too bad.”
“What things?”
“Don’t be so eager to interrupt me and maybe I’ll tell you.”
Summoning my train of thought I pause before continuing. “I’m also an orphan and as you can imagine there were people who saw me as a target, thought I was weak and had no idea that not only had I built up a tough shell around myself, but also tried my best to learn self-defense, albeit from YouTube videos, and how to gouge out a man’s eyes and knee him in the nuts about six ways to Sunday.”
“Atta girl.”
I can’t help but smile a bit, but quickly regain my composure.
“Anyway, there was this one off-duty cop at my high school…”
Suddenly popcorn comes spilling out over the top of the bowl and I look down to see Daniel’s no longer scooping it into his mouth as he was when he was telling his own story. Instead, he’s making a fist so tight he looks like one of those martial arts guys on YouTube that can punch through concrete.
“Are you sure you want to hear more?”
“Yeah, I wanna hear it so he can get all my rage when I track him down and end him. Every last bit of my anger to squeeze out every last bit of his existence.”
I’m not sure if I actually want to tell him more now, but I need to spill this information, to get it off my chest. It’s a secret I’ve held no to for too long.
“It started out with him complimenting my clothes on the days I wore more girly things, more cute outfits…when I looked younger.”
He nods angrily.
“But it wasn’t like what we,” I gulp, “have.” Pausing, then continuing, “This was more like a pedophile vibe and it made my skin crawl. He couldn’t see me as an adult who maybe wanted to have my little space, or little days, from time to time. He saw me as a target, knew I was an orphan and even brought it up one day saying we could do things and nobody would know. He talked down to me and looked at me with these creepy eyes, full of lust. I wasn’t even a person to him, and it was hard because I was just starting to really understand what I was feeling myself. I was reading a lot of DDLG stories on my Kindle and I could really relate with the littles. But, this guy was definitely not a daddy, not in any way shape or form to anyone, ever.”
At this point I can see Daniel’s hand shaking and hear his teeth gritting as a bead of sweat runs from his temple, just below the bulging vein I’ve never seen before, that streaks across his forehead like a bolt of lightning.
“What’s. His. Name?”