Bad Kind of Love

by Remi Rose

  Trailing inside behind Becca, she flicks on the lights, brightening the whole place up.

  “Your manager coming in today?” I ask while she steps behind the counter, punching in some buttons on the register.

  Her boss was a dick. The moment I caught him scolding Becca for chatting with me, I felt a mixture of rage and guilt. Instead of putting him in his place, I asked if they were hiring. I don't know what plan would have been worse?

  “I never know when he comes in. But since you’re here to help, I doubt it.” I could have sworn she sounded relieved by the small sigh that escaped from her lips. Maybe the decision to work with her wouldn’t backfire on me? Maybe she realized me being here would actually help her?

  Standing awkwardly beside a table, I feel lost on what I should be doing. She doesn’t seem to be giving me much direction as she stands there messing with the register.

  “Uhh… do you need me to do anything?” I announce, startling her as she lifts her head. Her eyebrows come together as she shakes her head in realization, almost as if she forgot I was here.

  “Yah, there’s some paperwork in the back that you need to fill out.” She points toward the back room. “Once you’re done, I can start showing you around.”

  Her eyes linger on my face for a few seconds before dropping down to my broad chest. Whatever effect she had on me, I had on her.

  Amused, I cross my arms causing her to snap out of whatever spell she was in. By the smirk on my lips, she notices she was caught and quickly spins around with a look of mortification.

  “You got it, boss.” I tease, delighted I wasn’t the only who couldn’t deny the attraction we had to one another. Walking towards the back, I felt a small sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe this would all work out.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Becca

  After the crazed events that unfolded last night, I fell asleep with a sour taste in my mouth. I knew high school parties weren’t exactly the most reputable, but last night made it obvious why I stayed clear of them. Travis turned out to be a major creep, Nate was an asshole and Wes, Wes was just…different.

  Josie woke up with a hangover from hell, eventually just locking herself in my bathroom to be close to the toilet. I, on the other hand, woke up an anxious mess. Dreading the day ahead.

  “Told you I’d rock this hat.” Wes announces while stepping out of the backroom sporting the ice cream cone on the top of his head. Even with a ridiculous hat on, he still looked good as fuck but I couldn’t help but chuckle. He was totally out of his element working here, and out of place. He belonged on the football field, or wherever good looking people ended up. Not a small town ice cream shop working with me.

  His blue eyes watched me in fascination as my laughter died down. “You look ridiculous.”

  “I might have to keep it.” He jokes, messing with the pointy end that sticks out. With his arm stretched out above his head, my eyes wander over the ripples, imagining how they would feel beneath my fingers. He wasn’t a burly guy, but his arms were well built.

  “Yah, I’m sure the ladies will love it.”

  It came out in a teasing manner, but it wasn’t hard to miss the disappointment across his face. The playful energy was sucked out of the room and in its place was uncomfortable silence.

  “Alright…uh, let me show you the menu.” I motion my head toward the paper menu that’s on the counter. “It’s a lot to take in at first, but I’m sure you’ll catch on quick.”

  Taking a few strides forward, he slides up beside me. His towering frame was almost too close, like he was testing me to see if I would say anything. Our shoulder blades were a mere centimeter from touching, but I oddly could feel the pressure as if we were adjoined.

  “Um… so, as you can see, this is where the ice cream is stored.” I point to the freezer beside us. I could barely think or concentrate with him standing so close. It was like my brain stopped working altogether and all I could focus on was Wes. “Jerry’s a stickler for it looking clean, so, just… make sure you wipe it down from time to time.” I force out in a voice that sounded unlike my own.

  “He seems like an ass.” He grunts.

  “Yah.” I nod in agreement. “Just don’t say that to his face. My go-to is flipping him off when he’s not looking. It makes me feel a little better.”

  “I’m a guy Becca. You saw what happened the last time someone pissed me off.” He scoffs jokingly as I’m reminded of Jack.

  I knew I shouldn’t be curious about how he was, but I felt this unbelievable need to know. All last night my mind was racing, thinking about Jack and wondering if he was okay. I tried shaking off the strange feeling, but it was as if he somehow planted himself in my brain, and now he was all I could think about.

  “How…how is your dad?” I tried asking nonchalantly, but the way his body tensed beside me, I wish I could take it back.

  “Fine, I guess.” He shrugs. “There’s a pretty gnarly bruise across his face.”

  By all the blood I saw last night, I knew it was going to be a nasty welt. The second Wes landed the punch, I was brought back to that horrific night as a child.

  That nightmare of a night that haunts me till this day and the night I’d never forget. As I stared into Jack's eyes and bloodied face, it faded into my fathers. How all I could do was watch in horror as my dad bled all over our hardwood floor. It was an image that was permanently seared into my brain as an eleven-year-old.

  “Becca?” I feel Wes’s fingertips graze my grin. “You look pale like you’re about to pass out.”

  His fingers are warm and soft as they graze my already hot flesh. They linger on my chin, as I’m too stunned to speak. “I… I’m fine. I’m okay.” I shake my head slowly causing Wes to drop his hand.

  He didn’t look too convinced, but I somehow managed to explain everything and train Wes a bit before customers started coming in. With me on register and him serving the ice cream, he eventually got the hang of it and was doing it all on his own. When we were slow, I’d show him the cleaning checklist, and every now and then we’d make small talk. It was surprisingly nice having him around, it sure beat working with Jerry. I found myself laughing and smiling more than usual. The time went by faster than I thought it would, and the moment I peered up at the clock, it read nine o’clock.

  “Closing time already?” Wes asked while cleaning around the freezer. “Seems like we just got here.”

  Walking over to the open sign, I flick off the switch and lock the door. “You’re lucky Jerry didn’t stop by. Time seems to stand still when he’s here.”

  “Well, hopefully from now on he doesn’t feel the need to be here on the weekends.” He continues scrubbing as I start messing with the table and chairs.

  “So, overall, how would you say your first day went?” I ask, curious for his answer. A small part of me wanted him to say it went well, that he enjoyed working here and with me. But a deep part of me wanted him to quit and leave. He was becoming harder and harder to ignore, and he seemed to have no intention of leaving me alone.

  “It was good, surprisingly easy.” He admitted. “Having you around to work with wasn’t that bad either.”

  His confession had my cheeks flaring, but it was the grin I couldn’t hide that made it worse.

  “You weren’t so bad to work with either.” I confess surprising us both. Lifting his eyes from behind the freezer, they connect with mine. A rush of sensations tingles throughout my body from his intense stare, but the way he was looking at me was anything but friendly. His lust filled eyes drank me in as I stood there squirming.

  I quickly avert my attention back to stacking the chairs. “You almost done cleaning that thing?” I question, returning to my old reserved self. Even though my heart was still pounding and my legs were still shaky, I pushed aside Wes’s lewd stares.

  “Yah.” He chuckles, noticing my change of tone. “Wanna come check it out? Make sure it’s up to your standards?”

  Stacking the last chair, I make
my way behind the counter and watch as Wes takes a step back from the freezer. The first thing I notice is an obvious glob of chocolate resting on the surface. “You missed that…” I begin to say until Wes startles me by thrusting his body forward and dragging his finger through the chocolate.

  “Chocolate?” He finishes my sentence before swiping my cheek with the sticky liquid.

  “What the hell, Wes!” I shout, while he’s grinning down at me with an entertained face.

  “You got a little something there.” He reaches his finger out, but I immediately swat at it.

  If he wants to play, fine.

  Spinning around, I find the nearest thing and grab onto a bottle of caramel sauce. As I whip around to face him, he instantly notices the bottle in my hand and throws his hands up in defense.

  “Becca…” He says as a warning but laughter still escapes from his mouth.

  I squeeze down hard onto the bottle and caramel goes everywhere. All down his face, shirt and jeans. And I don’t stop until he is covered head to toe.

  “Oops.” I observe my handiwork, proud to see the look of anger across his features. With the bottle still in my hands, he acts as if he’s about to charge me but I raise the bottle again. “Don’t even think about it, Fitzgerald. You might win at some things, but tonight, I’m the winner.”

  His tongue darts out to lick some caramel that's hanging off his bottom lip. “That’s where you’re wrong, O’Connor.” He taunts. “I always win.”

  He takes a heavy step forward, and I douse him again. But that only seems to provoke him even more. Within seconds he’s on me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, smearing all the caramel on him, now onto me. His quick hands make a grab for the bottle and I’m now left defenseless.

  “I told you I always win.” He breathes down my neck, as I try to push out of his hold. Tightening his grip, I can feel every ripple and muscle of his flexing body against mine. I couldn’t give a crap about the caramel right now, Wes was making it his mission to distract me.

  And it was working.

  “Let go.” I groan, making a huge mistake by peering up into his aqua eyes. My body stills, but my nails continue to dig deeper into the skin on his arms. He doesn’t flinch or seem bothered by the fact I’m about to draw blood. His eyes drop down to my lips for a second and I slowly start to panic because I know what he wants to do.

  And a part of me wants it too.

  “You got me.” I admit, dropping my gaze to his chest. He immediately drops his arms from around me like I’m on fire and takes a large step back.

  He looks embarrassed, maybe even a bit hurt from my rejection but he still manages to put a smile on his face. “Looks like we have more to clean now.” He motions toward the caramel splatters on the floor and counters.

  “I’ll get you a mop.” I sass before spinning around with a wide grin.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having him here after all.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Becca

  Months Later

  Winter seemed to have passed by in a blur. The snow has melted and in its place was the warmth of the sun and the blooming of flowers. Senior year was finally coming to an end and it certainly showed. Senioritis was on full display as student’s cared less and less about their studies and focused more on the approaching summer time.

  But the seasons weren’t the only thing that changed this year.

  Wes and I grew closer, a unique friendship formed that came out of nowhere and knocked me on my ass. After spending many weekends together at work, our normal conversations soon turned more playful and sometimes deep, and I suddenly came to realize that maybe he was more than just a coworker. I noticed I spent more time confiding in him than I was confiding in my actual best friend.

  But Josie had a new thing going for her anyway. After the night of the party, Nate took an interest in her, following her around like a lost puppy. At first, she shrugged him off, playing hard to get, but that only drove him to be more persistent. She’d find flowers at her locker, notes on her car, and he even showed up to some of her swim meets. Eventually, she caved in, like I knew she would and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Her time with me was dwindling, I heard less and less from her as she spent more time over at Nate’s house. Our late-night talks, sleepovers and movie nights came to an abrupt end altogether. My texts were left on read and my calls were unanswered. I was left hurt and confused. Why would she choose a guy over all our years of friendship? A guy that I didn’t trust. But she was blinded by his good looks and charm to see who he really was.

  Wes seemingly picked up the broken pieces of my heart without me even noticing it. He broke down my sturdy wall that I held up for years, and little by little, his friendship is what saved me. He saved me from the dark place inside my head that I desperately try to avoid. It lurks inside the deepest part of me, waiting for my lowest point to hit, and drag me down into its depths. As a child, I’d felt it when my mother left and when the nightmares of that horrific night replayed in my head like a broken record.

  On the inside, I was cracked.

  Not fully broken.

  I had tape holding myself together. It was a quick fix, to a long term problem.

  I never explained to Wes what was going on, but he seemed to know something was off. According to him, I was easy to read, an open book that showed exactly what I was feeling. The day my tears fell in front of him, was the day I knew he wasn’t just a distraction anymore. He held me in a tight embrace, never uttering one word as I soaked his shirt until there were no more tears left to cry. He knew not to ask what was wrong. I didn’t want his sympathy, I just wanted his warmth and the feeling of his arms around me. They were the anchors that kept me from sinking.

  As my relationship with Wes grew, Mr. Fitzgerald became colder. He avoided me like the plague, and on the rare occasions when he did acknowledge my presence, he made sure to have a scowl across his face. Like I was an inconvenience to him. Like he’d much rather be picking up dog shit, than talking with me.

  Already feeling hurt by Josie cutting me off, Mr. Fitzgerald added more fuel to the fire that was burning inside me. Every day when I walked into his class, I made sure to let him know I was present, just to piss him off. I wanted to get a rise out of him, just so I could figure out what his deal with me was. It became a routine, stare at him until his dark eyes clashed with mine, raise my hand and make him talk, and even come into class early, so that we were the only two in the room.

  And here we are now.

  Thirty minutes before class starts, I’m lounging in my chair, keeping my gaze focused on Mr. Fitzgerald. Sitting at his desk, his head is down pretending to be reading a book, when in reality he’s trying his hardest not to peer up at me. The whites of his knuckles are showing as he holds the book in a death grip, ready to tear it to shreds. He holds his anger in well, but I know when someone is about to snap. And he is on the brink of exploding.

  Bending over, I reach into my bag and pull out a piece of chewing gum. Peeling off the wrapper, I toss the gum into my mouth and start chomping. With the wrapper crumpled up in my palm, I rise up from the seat, and head towards the trash which is right up against his desk. He senses my movement and shifts in his chair as I get closer.

  Black was this man's color. Every other color he wore looked off, like he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. But I knew better. He wore black to match the coldness in his heart. Today, he added something different to his wardrobe that I’ve never seen before. A silver chain hid underneath the collar of his shirt, like he was trying to conceal it. But a glimpse of it was peeking out, and I immediately caught its sparkle.

  As I stop next to the trash, my eyes rake over his dark hair that’s pulled back at his nape. His broad shoulders tense as if he can feel me staring but I make no effort to look away.

  With the gum in my mouth, I form an O, and blow a large bubble. As it gets bigger and bigger it eventually pops and Mr. Fitzgerald slams his book closed.
/>   Finally.

  My heart picks up speed, thumping firmly against my breastbone as I wait for his outburst. His dark gaze finally lifts from his desk and when I think they’re about to land on me, they glance over my shoulder and lock onto something that causes him to sit up straighter.

  “Jack, I… Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were with a student.” A femine voice announces from behind me and sends a burst of rage throughout my body. It was obviously a teacher by the way she used his first name, but I felt seconds away from shouting for her to leave. I was finally getting somewhere with him until she interrupted us.

  “It’s fine.” He grunts, dropping his eyes from her and landing on me. “We were just discussing her lewd behavior in class, constantly wanting attention from the male students and continually disrupting my teaching.” He goes on without wavering from my now burning red face. My blood turns to a boil as I clench my fists as my sides, marking the inside of my palms with my fingernails. “Do you have any suggestions on what I should do with Ms. O’Connor?”

  Did he really just say that out loud?

  He doesn’t smile, smirk or even seem satisfied with his attack. If anything, he appears remorseful. But the devil was cunning, and I knew better than to think he felt sorry for what he said. Dropping the wrapper in the trash, I spun around and stomped back to my desk before dropping into my seat.

  Crossing my arms across my chest, I watched as the dark haired teacher stood there with her mouth gaped open. I’ve never noticed her before, but she was a good looking woman. Tall, long silky hair and a mocha complexion that looked flawless.

  “I… uh.. I didn’t mean to interrupt... that.” She waves her hands out in front of her nervously. Mr. Fitzgerald appeared less than interested to hear what she had to say, but the way his shoulders slightly relaxed made me inwardly scoff. “I just wanted to let you know that a couple of us teachers were going out tonight, and… I wanted to see if… if you wanted to come with us?”