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“I get that. No more promises unless I know I can keep them.”
“I take it you were with Manik?”
I roll my eyes. My brother thinks I’m stupid. “You already know I was with him.”
He smirks. “He’s loyal to the club but I don’t know how that extends to his relationships.”
“Jesus, brother. I’ve been a free woman for three days. Let’s not talk about relationships.”
He nods. “Okay, but you didn’t answer me. Are you hungry?”
“I’m good. I think I’m going to go for a walk.”
He narrows his eyes. “If you’re sure.”
I find myself at the beach, slipping out of my boots and rolling my socks off. My feet sink into the sand as I make my way closer to the water and sit. The sun is setting, and the sky is now a mix of greys and pinks. Seagulls fly overhead, their squawking mixing with the crashing of the waves. Sometimes I wish I was a bird. Flying around the open skies with not a care in the world. Soaring through the air, taking any direction the wind takes me.
I should have all sorts of directions my life could go in leaving prison but it’s starting to feel worse than being locked up behind bars. I’m suffocating trying to do the right thing, find a job, and lock down a place of my own, it’s not working out and I grow more frustrated by the minute. It’s not as if I’m seeking my old life. I hated my job as a care worker. My boyfriend was a cheating prick. And my best friend was no friend at all.
I’m not getting any younger and most of the people I went to school with have husbands and kids. But when I imagine the near future, I don’t see kids in my life. I thought I saw a steady job. It was blurry because I didn’t know what job I would have but I saw myself leaving for work in the morning and glad to be going home at night. If I can’t get a job perhaps I could start my own business. A spark of hope ignites and finally, something feels right in my life. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I scroll down the contacts and hover over Manik’s number. If I call him, he’ll know I like him. If I don’t call, I’ll have to return to Louis and Evie’s, alone. Deciding to text, I type out, I’m at the beach, just past the pier.
I hold my phone waiting for a reply, but nothing comes back. Shoving it in my pocket, I tuck my hair behind my ear and watch the sun go down. It’s not long before I hear Manik approaching, moaning about the sand getting into his boots and I smile.
He sits beside me, and I don’t like how much I feel better having him next to me.
“This wasn’t what I had in mind when I told you to call.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snort. “You can always leave.”
“Hey, I’m not moaning. I like being around you.”
He likes being between my legs more.
“What’s your real name?”
He side-eyes me and I wait patiently for him to either share or tell me to mind my own business.
“Vincent Hayes. Before people called me Manik, they called me Vinny.”
Staring off at the water, I watch the waves crash along the shore.
“Why did you text me? You don’t seem in the mood to want company.”
Sighing, I admit, “It’s like I was expecting a few things to have changed, but I wasn’t expecting everything to have changed. You’re the only one who I didn’t know before and the most comfortable I feel around now.”
“Your brother pulled me for a chat today.”
Great, that’s all I need.
“I’d apologise but I don’t see any bruises upon your body.”
“Nah, he was pretty cool. He said to make it clear to you what’s happening…”
Cutting him off, I say, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna start acting like a clinger.”
He laughs. “I’m not worried about that. But we’ve both got shit going on and he had a point. I want to make it clear that I’ve never met a woman like you and it's crazy how much I think about you already when you’re not around. And it’s not just the sex, which is mind-blowing by the way. I like listening when you talk. When you text or call, I have a sneaky feeling I’ll always come running. I wasn’t expecting you, Lexi Mitchell, but while I’m in town and not on club business, I wanna spend time with you.”
I like hearing that. I needed to hear it. I was not expecting him to be so open. In my experience, men aren’t so readily honest.
