Gerard came to the coffee shop every night for the next two weeks. Sometimes he would have fresh bruises and cuts, I never asked how or why he had them. It wasn’t my buisness or place to ask, we had an unspoken agreement that I wouldn’t ask about his injuries and he wouldn’t ask why my hands constantly shook and why I kept a gun under the counter. Some nights we spoke my entire shift, some nights he would silently watch me whilst I hummed and sang under my breath cleaning the shop. I found our meetings to be my primary focus and reason to get up each day. It was 12:45 am when he first opened up to me. It was 13th night of meeting and his sudden explosion of raw pain was unexpected and scary. I was wiping down the tables whilst he was lying on the counter smoking a cigarette.
“I owe them money. Money that I don’t have so they beat me and I let them.” His confession shattered the peaceful atmosphere that was wrapped protectively around the coffee shop. I froze and the cloth slipped through my limp fingertips, I turned slowly to find his tearful eyes glowering at the ceiling above him. “It was drugs. I used to do anything I could get my hands on and when money became an issue I would promise to pay them back or offer them sex instead.” I flinched at the bitter resentment and self hate that coated his velvety voice. I didn’t know what to do, as I gazed at this beautiful man that was draped across my counter, a cigarette dangled between his soft pink lips and his ivory skin shone against the contrast. His black hair was shaggy and untamed as it lay in a tangled mess upon his head. He had small slight features, his nose was slightly turned up and it wrinkled when he giggled. His laughter was rare but contagious, it was feminine and light and something that always caused me to grin when I heard it. I quickly realised I was just standing there staring at him, and he shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of my gaze.
“You could stay at mine. I mean if these guys know where you live then why don’t you stay at my apartment for a while until they lose interest.” His eyes widened in shock as did my own at my offer. I was inviting a man I had known two weeks who had a bad drug history and was being searched for by a local gang. I guess I realised I just had nothing to lose anymore and my lack of caring about anything myself especially contradicted my paranoia that every human being was going to hurt me. But it was something about his hazel eyes and the way that they stole my breath and captured my complete attention, his delicate features that were so easy for me to read. He was making me feel something again which is something that hasn’t happened to me in a long time and someone who could do that was too good to pass up.
“Okay. If you really want me to. I am a complete stranger -for all you know I could be sociopath who has made that entire story up and is planning to kill you.” I rolled my eyes and giggled slightly but it died on my lips when I noticed his serious expression.
“If you kill me then you kill me. I don’t care that much either way. If your story is true then I am offering you a way out and some help if it’s not then well that’s my problem but I can protect myself just fine Gerard.” I liked saying his name, it rolled smoothly off my tongue and I think he liked it when I said his name too. He frowned at my response but nodded and looked away.
“Okay, I’m going to go get my things. I will be back by the end of your shift and then we can go back to yours.” I smiled suddenly slightly uneasy as he left. I trusted Gerard. I may not know him but I couldn’t stay away from him. I slipped my gun into the belt of my jeans, just in case he was a phsycopath., But then if you ask anyone who used to know me and they say that I myself am crazy, I mean who carries a gun with them. The monster on my back grumbled and dug in it’s claws reminding me why I carried my gun.

Notes

I hope you have a good day :) I just booked la dispute concert tickets for May !!! xo