Sweet Days (Four Days Book 2) Page 6

  What the devil is eating me?

  “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting

  you before 4 p.m.”

  He comes dangerously close to the counter and

  I sit up straight on the barstool, taking up my cup

  so as not to be forced into the intensity of his

  glance.

  Is it possible I didn’t notice it before?

  “I’m waiting for Rain, I have an appointment.”

  “An appointment?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

  “With the doctor. It’s my first visit.”

  He takes his jacket off, setting it on the stool

  beside him, then goes behind the counter looking

  around, as if he doesn’t know what to do.

  Rain makes her way in accompanied by Liam

  and Aaron. Liam squeezes her shoulders and

  places a delicate kiss on her nose, while Aaron

  pretends to be annoyed and acts like he’s about to

  throw up.

  My eyes fill up with tears in that same moment.

  I’m sure I am more emotional than usual, but

  seeing their happiness is like an atomic bomb

  going off, reminding me of my precarious position.

  I bite my lower lip, hoping to avoid crying like an

  idiot in front of everyone, while Rain laughs and

  jokes with her man.

  Patrick arrives behind me and puts his strong

  warm hands on my shoulders, squeezing them

  slightly. I shiver at the unexpected contact, but I

  need it so much in that moment. I breathe heavily

  while his hands slide down my arms, making me

  shiver again. He gets to my hands and brushes

  them and I close my eyes, tasting this feeling down

  to my bones. I feel something that resembles

  safety, warmth. Our hands remain close while we

  both pretend it’s nothing. I don’t look at them and

  neither does he, but I can hear his irregular

  breathing behind me and his hot breath on my

  neck.

  “Ready?” Rain calls me back out of my reverie.

  I nod, regretting that I’ll have to move away

  from him. Without saying anything or even

  looking at him, I go out the door and start walking

  down the street as Rain grabs onto my arm.

  “Everything okay, honey?”

  “I’m just a bit nervous.”

  “And … what was happening in there?”

  I look at her, confused.

  “You and Patrick.”

  I open my mouth to reply and then shut it

  immediately. The truth is that I don’t know what to

  say. Patrick and me? Nothing. Nothing is

  happening. He’s worried about his employee, like

  he’s already said more than once.

  End of story.

  I don’t respond and Rain doesn’t ask. She’s like

  that. She’ll throw out an argument just to see you

  go into a panic and then leave everything in

  suspense to make you reflect on it and go nuts.

  ~ ~ ~

  “And so, everything’s proceeding along as it

  should,” says the doctor. “I’ve prescribed you

  some vitamins and the first sonogram. I’d say you

  could go about your business as usual: work,

  studies, no problems there. Try not to use

  excessive force in doing anything and not to wear

  yourself out and you’ll see, you’ll make it to the

  end without any troubles. And now, shall we listen

  to the heartbeat?”

  “The heartbeat?” I ask while Rain squeezes my

  hand tightly.

  “I’d say you’re about eight weeks gone by now,

  so we should be able to hear it,” he says and in

  confusion, I allow him to put some cold gel on my

  abdomen and continue with the exam.

  “Here, do you hear it?”

  Rain explodes into emotional tears while I try to

  concentrate on the image on the monitor that the

  doctor continues to indicate and to focus on the

  sound that can now be heard distinctly in this

  small room.

  I hear it.

  And how, I hear it.

  I can hear it all over my body.

  My child’s heart.

  A life that is growing and intertwining with

  mine.

  Patrick

  “Is there anything you want to tell me?” Aaron

  asks me suddenly, as soon as Rain and Erin walk

  out.

  Liam takes his ear in his fingers and stretches it,

  very eager to listen in.

  I shrug my shoulders and get to work, or at least

  I try. I attempt to add up the numbers to see how

  many bottles I need to fill the fridge, what’s

  missing, what needs to be substituted and so on, as

  Aaron draws nearer the counter, sitting on the

  opposite side and resting his elbows on the wood.

  I huff and decide to face him, because by now I

  know him well enough to realize he’s not gonna let

  this go.

  “What is your problem?” I say.

  A tense smile. “I don’t have any problem for the

  moment, but I will if you continue with this story.”

  “What story?” I ask him, crossing my arms over

  my chest and raising one eyebrow.

  Liam joins us and sits next to him, clearing his

  throat.

  “You know she’s our employee and what’s

  more, she’s Rain’s friend. We can’t afford to lose

  her.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Come on Patrick, you’re a bit old to act so

  childish and pretend like this doesn’t affect you.

  We know very well what you’re doing.”

  “I’m not doing anything, so knock it off. And

  even if I was, it’s none of your business.”

  “I knew it!” Aaron exclaims, raising his voice

  and punching the counter.

  Liam puts a hand on his shoulder, inviting him

  to stay calm because he’s already learned that the

  tough guy routine doesn’t get him anywhere with

  me except perhaps producing the opposite of the

  desired effect.

  “Let’s speak about this clearly,” Aaron starts.

  “We don’t care about the kind of life you live. We

  don’t even care when you go home with

  customers, even if we’ve lost a few because of you

  lately, but okay. I understand, it’s your way of

  facing life, and if I don’t share your vision, that’s

  fine. We’re friends and also business partners. I

  support you even when I don’t approve of certain

  choices you make, but this is a different situation.”

  “Listen,” I interrupt him, placing both hands on

  the counter and leaning toward him threateningly.

  “I don’t stick my nose in your business, unless you

  need a kick in the ass to see reality as it really is

  right in front of you,” I say, looking right at Liam,

  who was indeed in need of my advice before

  understanding that Rain was the right woman for

  him. “So, I will not accept that you do it to me,

  always assuming that there is something to stick

  your nose into anyway.”

  “I’m only going to tell you this one time, okay?

  And understand I don’t like doing this at all, but if

  you try it on with her, I swear I’
ll kick you out.

  You’ll be out of the house and this job in the pub.”

  “You can’t do that,” I challenge him.

  “Of course I can. Might I remind you that Rain

  and I are the major shareholders in this business?”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “If that’s how you want to see it, then yes, take

  it like a threat.”

  “What’s all the fuss about, Aaron? She’s just a

  girl. A girl like a lot of other girls. What’s all the

  interest?” I conclude while my nails scratch the

  mirror I’m trying to grab on to.

  A girl like any other.

  Not at all.

  Aaron gets up off the stool, knocking it

  backwards so it screeches across the floor. He also

  leans toward me in a threatening manner.

  “We both know that’s a bunch of bullshit.”

  “Maybe among all of us, you’re the one whose

  got some ideas…” I say, with a new sensation

  starting out in my stomach, a feeling as if someone

  is setting me on fire.

  “Same old asshole!”

  “What the hell is wrong with you, man? You’ve

  never judged my life before or my choices. Why

  now? What’s changed?”

  “It’s because we’ve all grown up a bit too much

  to be able to accept this kind of behavior. She’s

  also a friend and a good worker. She’s young,

  Jesus, she’s only twenty-two and you are a man,

  maybe … She’s going through a difficult moment,

  she just got dumped by her boyfriend and she

  doesn’t have anyplace to go. It’s a shitty situation

  and you’re trying to make it worse. I’m not asking

  you, I’m telling you to watch yourself, and leave

  her alone.”

  We lock gazes for a few seconds and from the

  corner of my eye I can see Liam watching us,

  ready to intervene if push should come to shove.

  But we’re talking about Aaron and I couldn’t hit

  him even if he does initiate a fight.

  So I turn and go, to take my time and cool off. I

  go out the back door and rub my face a few times

  with my hands in an attempt to clear my thoughts.

  Is that really what I’m doing? Am I trying it on

  with her?

  Just her?

  Come on, I know I’m a jerk, but not a jerk like

  that! Not a hopeless one! I know enough to

  understand when I should step forward and do

  something and when I should leave things alone,

  and this is definitely the second case.

  Like Aaron said, she’s a friend in need of help,

  trouble is he has no idea how much help she needs.

  I’m giving her a hand, a shoulder to cry on,

  whatever the fuck you want to call it. That’s it.

  There’s nothing else.

  There won’t be anything else.

  There shouldn’t be anything else.

  7

  Erin

  I go back to the pub feeling in a bit of a lighter

  mood than when I left but with an anxiety that

  threatens my stomach, which is already protesting.

  I’m calmer after the doctor’s exam, even if the

  uncertainty about the future will not allow me to

  fully enjoy the fact that the baby is healthy and

  things are going well. I work a few hours before

  taking a little break and I decide to go study for my

  upcoming exam. Time is running out and with my

  chronic tiredness that never leaves me alone, I

  have to use every waking moment and let’s just

  face facts: studying keeps my mind occupied.

  I sit at a table next to the window. The pub is

  pretty empty tonight and the music isn’t too loud

  so I am able to completely concentrate on the

  pages.

  Okay, that’s a lie.

  The place is empty and quiet, I have the book in

  front of me and I do need to study, but there’s

  something else that’s captured my attention.

  He’s moving around to the tables and he seems

  agitated. He’s not looking customers in the face

  and he’s barked at Aaron more than once when

  he’s been asked to do something. He takes away

  the glasses, takes them into the back, and then goes

  back to the bar to prepare some more drinks. He

  sighs. Continuously. I didn’t think it was possible

  for a person to sigh so many times in one minute.

  G e e z , I h o p e h e ’s n o t g o i n g t o s t a r t

  hyperventilating.

  He’s wearing a tight-fitting dark top that

  adheres mercilessly to his muscles, and his

  pectorals.

  Well, there it goes again, my crazy hormones!

  I am able to see at least two tattoos just on his

  arms; I don’t dare imagine what other ones there

  might be on his body.

  Oh hormones, you can stop now!

  I also happen to know about his tongue

  piercing, sure, the whole world knows about it and

  all he does is keep biting it between his teeth as

  sort of a mating call to women, in this case. He

  also has something like a nail in his right earlobe

  and if you see it up close, it really leaves an

  impression. And yet he has his charm.

  Sexy and damned.

  Old story.

  He seems just like one of those bad boys off the

  pages of a Harlequin romance, one of those

  bastards through and through that drives the poor

  stupid woman of the hour crazy before changing

  his ways and swearing eternal love and giving her

  an engagement ring and marriage proposal no less.

  I rest just a second too long on that very unusual

  image for me, and yet, it’s magnetic and sensual,

  the kind where you can’t sleep at night, and I have

  to confess, I haven’t been sleeping very well the

  last few nights.

  Hormones. That’s it.

  I’m usually attracted to different kinds of guys.

  Those who dress in a sophisticated way, who are

  polite and cultured. The kind that don’t say fuck or

  shit as every other word. Guys like Nate for

  example. But Patrick is … wow. You surely could

  lose a bit of sleep over him.

  As I allow myself to drift away in my thoughts

  which are anything but innocent, he looks at me

  for a second and catches me staring right at him

  with that expression of someone who is about to

  jump you and tear off all those fucking

  unnecessary clothes you’ve got on.

  Oh God. Now I’ve become vulgar too.

  Hormones, leave this body.

  I break eye contact immediately and pretend to

  be reading my book, but I can feel his eyes

  inspecting me down to the bone.

  Red with embarrassment, and my face feeling

  hot, I turn outward, trying to distract myself with

  what’s going on in the street. However, not much

  is going on in Howth, we’re talking about a fishing

  village where the highlight of the year is the fried

  shrimp festival, but at least there are people

  walking quickly in the rain and watching them is

  calming for my nerves.

  Passing a lot of time with Rain, I
’ve learned not

  to consider the rain as something so negative; I’d

  almost say I like it. I get lost counting the

  raindrops hitting the window and I find myself

  sighing, as if in a dream, imagining a different me,

  a few months from now, intent on coming up with

  names and colors to buy new little outfits in.

  Happiness was just outside my window…

  Someone turns up the volume on the stereo just

  when the words seem to delicately caress my life.

  But happiness—a little more like knocking …

  On your door, and you just let it in. 1

  My hands fall unconsciously onto my abdomen

  and I find myself hugging someone who is

  growing and living inside of me.

  And I think sometimes, something that can

  make you happy, could turn out to be the last thing

  you ever would have expected.

  1 Happiness, The Fray, The Fray

  Patrick

  What a bad fucking night. I huff and curse and

  growl and fight with my eyes. I can’t stand

  anyone, I don’t want to see or hear anyone or

  anything for a hundred kilometres around because

  tonight, I’m telling you, I could really do

  something to end up behind bars.

  Tonight, I’m biting. And only to kill.

  I have this strange tension going on, this mixed

  anxiety, half psychotic and half compulsive, that I

  could commit a crime.

  It was Aaron’s words together with these new

  feelings that I didn’t ask to have and that I didn’t

  want, but by now they’re here and there’s nothing I

  can do to ignore them.

  Just like the voice of that stupid little devil that

  sits on your shoulder suggesting what you should

  do, what things to try and that you shouldn’t listen

  to anyone else but him, even if he knows he’s not

  in the right and that listening to him would mean

  the end, for me and for all those around him.

  I’ve made a decision: I have to stop looking for

  her when she’s in the pub. I have to stop knocking

  on her door to see if she’s all right. I have to stop

  watching her, from a distance and in silence, with

  the fear that someone else might be able to read

  what’s been impressed into my black heart.

  I didn’t make this decision because of what

  Aaron said. I don’t take orders from anyone. I’m

  the one who decided. It’s better for everyone,

  before the situation gets out of control.

  As I head back to my place behind the counter, I

  can sense I’m being watched. I feel naked.