"Would you go with me back home for the weekend, two weeks from now?" Dylan asks when he parks out front of my house.

It's dark inside the car as much as it is outside but Dylan's cornflower-coloured eyes shine intensely. He's focused on me, with the kind of face that reads "I won't take a no for an answer", and to be honest, it intimidates me.

Sure, I've met his family but it wasn't planned. To go and purposely spend an entire weekend with him seems... too official?

"What for? I would be intruding."

He is supposed to not be driving, but apparently, Jake is not prone to driving his nephew around and decided to ignore his sister's orders. Let's just hope it doesn't get him into more trouble, even though Dylan's mom seemed like a total softie.

"It's my birthday," he informs me awkwardly, glancing away. "I wanted to have you there with us."

Oh.

"I-, I don't..." I trail off, flabbergasted.  

But as his expression falls, I can't help but blurt, "Uh, sure. I guess?" 

"Perfect," he nods with a megawatt kind of smile before kissing me.

"We'll talk later," I tell him after we break apart.

Shit, I need to get him a present.

What the hell am I going to give him? He probably has everything... and probably a lot of stuff that I can't even afford.

"Call me whenever you're settled in bed, so we can talk some more." 

"Aren't you fed up with me yet?" I laugh.

"Never," he smirks before giving me a quick peck on the lips and unlocking his car.

I smile before getting out and entering the run-down building, where my apartment is located. The walls are no longer white but a dark and dirty grey from the years and years of not being taken care of, not to mention the constant cracks on them.

The doorways used to be glass ones - back when it was constructed - but due to the robberies in the area, it was replaced by an iron one, even if it doesn't lock properly anymore. In conclusion, it's useless. I still wonder why people rob our houses, though, and we've been robbed a couple of times before.

We live here, it means we can't afford better or more. We're as poor as they come so, why don't they fuck off and rob those prissy rich people who were born with golden cribs?

Maybe they'd be luckier if they found out where my dad lives. 

No, they'd for sure be luckier. From the looks of that high fashion suit and organizing that exhibition, he's doing good. Pretty good. Meanwhile, I deal with this shit, every day.

Well, he can fuck off for all I care.

"Where have you been?" A gruff, familiar and completely undesirable voice sounds.

"None of your business," I mutter while looking for my keys, in hopes he leaves in the meanwhile.

"You were with that rich kid, weren't you?" he spits the word kid as if Dylan is something disgusting when in reality it's the other way around. "You're even wearing his clothes." 

"Good, then it's clear as crystal. Right? Now, if you excuse me, goodnight." 

I turn the key in the lock, opening the door, but before I can enter, he grabs my arm tightly and hovers over me with his head dipped low, next to my ear.

"You're going to leave him," he orders.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you," he growls. "This is not over."

"Are you sure? Because we've broken up a long ago. You're still fucking my mom, what makes you think that doing that will win me back over?"

"I just put up with her to be close to you, and you know it."

I scoff, "Well, fucking her won't be making me want you more, that's for fucking sure!"

Dean presses his body to mine from behind and I shudder - in disgust.

It certainly doesn't feel the same as when Dylan does the same or more. I'm disgusted in myself, to think that I ever thought I had feelings for this guy. This sleazy, narcissistic and toxic guy, only acts according to his own interests.

It doesn't matter how it gets it nor who he hurts in the process. And I was fucking blind for not seeing it at first and letting him into my life.

On the other side, Dylan is kind, selfless, caring, brutally honest and open with his feelings like no other man. I often need to pinch myself, just to make sure he's real because let's face it, men like him are extremely rare these days.

Be he exists and he's interested in me. I still wonder how a ball of happiness can be interested in such a dark and grumpy soul like me, though.

"You haven't forgotten about me, admit it," he whispers to my ear. "We were so good together."

"How can I forget about your existence if you keep forcing yourself into my life, using my mom as a pawn?" I grit my teeth. "Can't you see how miserable you make me?"

"Come back to me and I'll even get her into rehab."

"No."

"Luna," he growls. "He's not enough of a man for you."

"He's more of a man than you can imagine." 

"You're mine, Luna."

"Yours? I am no one's." I grit my teeth. "Not yours, not his. I am my own person and I fuck whoever I want. You have my mother, you have everyone you want. And I do too, and that person is not you, it's that rich kid. Now, leave me the fuck alone, Dean!"

I bump my shoulder against his chest, making him stumble back, before turning around.

His mouth opens to answer me but before he can even speak, I do, while poking at his chest with my index.

"He's kind, he's not a selfish bastard and treats me right. He cares about me, he's handsome and last but not least... He fucks me so much better than you ever did!" 

He staggers back as if I had slapped him. Does he really think I'd still go back to him after all of the shit he's pulled?

"Mark my words, you'll regret this," he growls before leaving. 

Finally. 

I take a deep breath. Half relieved that he's gone but half in anticipation for what his presence means. My mom's state. 

The door opens but not because I've finally opened it. No. It's yanked out of my grasp.

"It's been over twenty-four hours since I've last seen you. Where were you?"

"You finally worried about me?"

She scoffs.

Of course not.

"Dean just left," she informs me.

"I know, we crossed paths." 

She narrows her eyes at me but continues, "Next payment is next week."

Anger bubbles inside me.

She's telling me payment is due next week like I must pay for her addiction.

"When the fuck will you slow down? You'll get yourself killed at this rate, not to mention that I don't have to support your addiction."

"You have been doing it for a long time now, and you'll keep doing it otherwise I'll haul your ass off this house and abandon you just like your dad did."

Her words sting. She knows I was a daddy girl and how gutted I was at how things happened and how guilty I felt. But ever since last night,  the more I think about his words the more my perspective is changing.

"Oh, that's rich! Did my dad abandon me? Or did you force him to leave me behind with you just so you weren't completely alone?"

She freezes for a couple of seconds, eyes wide and eyebrows shot up. She quickly recomposes herself but it's too late, I've caught it.

He was telling the truth.

"Stop creating scenarios in which he cared for you."

"Are you sure? Because from what he's told me he wanted to take me with him, that you trapped him into staying and then tried to force him to stay some more with me and when that didn't work you threatened to destroy his life and not let him see me ever again!" 

"You saw him?" She asks, rushing closer to me. "He came back? Is he looking for us? What did he tell you?"

"Are you delusional? Didn't you just hear what I said? He left because of you!" I can't help but screech the last sentence.

I could have gone with him. Sure, I might have hated his guts but...

My teenage years could have been more stable... More food, better clothes, fewer worries, fewer sleepless nights trying to make sure my addict mom wouldn't overdose -or none for that matter.

Fuck. She destroys everyone around her if things don't go her way.

"No!" She yells back, just as loud. "He left because your noisy ass couldn't stay out of adult's problems. All of this..." she opens her arms wide, motioning to the run-down apartment we live in. "Is your fault! Now find that goddamned money on time and pay for it before due ends!"

"Aren't you the adult here? The parent? You fucking do it!" 

She stalks in my direction but before she can reach me, I hurry to my bedroom and lock the bedroom door. She pounds on the door and I place a chair against it for good measure.

The moment I finally reach the bed, my heart is still thundering against my chest, trying to escape.

To think that just in a matter of thirty minutes I can go from pure bliss and happiness to this kind of worry and anxiety. It makes me want to go back in time and just not leave Dylan's side, at all.

Fuck. 

So much for vowing to rely solely on me because he became my haven.

⛓️ Author's Note ⛓️

Whoops... the love bubble has been burst... or hasn't it? 

This chapter may be a filler in the eyes of many, but it certainly isn't in mine.🤓

Also, 20K READS!!! Thank you so much!! As a celebration, I'll be posting the next chapter soon... as in less than 24h from now (1 am 11th of December)!! And I only have one name for it: Ghost.