He rubs my breasts and follows me in two more thrusts. We lay completely still as we come down from this beautiful emotional high.
The next night…
It’s late at night but I decide to go visit my mother’s grave to get some sort of closure. I rarely visit and I’m starting to feel guilty about it. I hold my locket close to my heart and think of her. Would she approve of Jared? She always told me when love hits it hits hard and I will know it. She’s right, because it hit me so hard I can barely see straight. Jared is my other half, he’s my heart and we beat as one together. My mom was right about onething…when you find someone who loves you for you it makes it all worth it. Never settle and always be true to your heart. Her words will forever be embedded in my soul. I will keep her memory alive by being happy and living my life to its fullest. I have to make Jared see that we can grow old together and have a family, putting all of this shit behind us. I want him to leave the club, but I don’t think he’s ready. The drive is twenty minutes off campus to the gravesite.
When I pull up I get this eerie feeling. Well I am in a cemetery that’s filled with dead people, so it makes sense.
Something about coming here at night makes me feel at ease. No one is here to judge you or talk back. It’s just me and my mom as I sit at her gravesite.
“Hey, Mom, I’m not doing that great today. I miss you terribly and I’m so sorry I haven’t been by.
“Why did you lie to me about Antonio? I know that he was a bad man, but he was my real father and you kept that from me. I’m over being angry about it, though. I just feel so sad without you here.” I hear the rustling of the leaves. My shoulders shake as I lean against her headstone, letting tears spill down my face. She was all I had and she’s gone. Time heals all wounds, right? Not for me and not today it doesn’t. My phone vibrates again in my pocket. Of course it’s Jared. I wipe my face and compose myself.
“Hello?” My voice is choked.
“Babe, where are you?” he asks, sounding panicked.
“I’m at the cemetery, I just need some alone time,” I explain.
“Erica, it’s late at night; get the hell out of there now. You can’t be by yourself.”
“What are you, my father? Shit, Jared, that’s enough of you telling me what to do,” I retort, and hit the end button. Now I’m even more pissed than I was before.
The fucking nerve of that man.
“He was right,” A voice says in front of me, and I scream.
“Who the hell are you?” I scramble off the ground and stare at this gorgeous man who stands before me. He’s tall, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a mysterious grin. He is wearing a black hoodie and dark jeans. The man is sexy and deadly all at once. He also looks vaguely familiar.
“Name’s Tony. I overheard your conversation. You shouldn’t be out here on your own. It’s a dangerous world we live in.” He gestures to the grave.
“Your mom?” I nod my head ‘yes’.
“Sorry for your loss. I lost a dear friend recently, too,” he tells me.
“Thanks, and I’m sorry about your friend. Life’s a bitch sometimes,” I say. He gives me a heart-stopping grin. He looks all too familiar.
“Well, it was very nice to meet you…?” He pauses, waiting for me to tell him my name.
“Erica,” I tell him.
“Nice to meet you, Erica.” He then turns to walk down the cemetery, leaving me alone and confused. That was strange yet comforting. There’s something about his eyes I think as I walk out of the cemetery, deep in thought.
The next morning I wake up with a headache. I barely slept last night and it’s all because of that man. I couldn’t stop thinking about him and his familiarity. Jared is already gone; he left me a note. I start waitressing again tonight. I took a little break because he insists on paying for everything. I had to recoverfrom when Antonio took me, but now I’m ready to face the world again.
I rush to my morning class, not paying attention as I knock into someone hard.
“Whoa there, gorgeous.” The man laughs and grabs my arms to keep me from falling.
When I look up the shock on my face is palpable. It’s him…Tony from last night.
“You go here?” I ask, surprised to see his handsome face smiling down at me. His expression is amused.
“I just transferred here, yeah. That okay with you, kitten?” He smirks.
“Did you just call me kitten?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“I did. See you around, kitten.” He smiles and walks away.