you

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Enjoy! 🀍

We love because it's the only true adventure." – Nikki Giovanni

β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”

Chapter 57

<β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”->

I smiled at Kade's mother as she handed me another cup of warm tea. The beverage was tasteful, but my stomach continued to churn in reaction to tonight.

Her pretty brows drew tight. "Can I help you with anything else, honey?" she asked, concerned with my shaken expression. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

When I walked in, she immediately noticed my terrorized demeanor. I tried not to elaborate on the situation, and instead excused it as a nauseous feeling. I didn't know whether or not she knew that her son was still active in his other life, but either way, I didn't want to disturb her with the thought of losing another child.

I nodded, painting on a smile. "Yes ma'am. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Nothing sleep can't fix."

Susie patted my hand, her lips pulling into a warm smile. "I understand, dear." She stood up. "I'll be in my room if you guys need me. You're welcome to stay for however long you want. Kade stocked the kitchen with your favorite foods, and things of that nature, if you end up getting hungry."

My smile floated into a genuine one at that. "Thank you."

Kade was showering, but a bed sounded like pure bliss right now. I said my goodbyes to Susie then made my way up the stairs and to his bedroom.

The door to his room was already cracked open. I stepped inside, removing my shoes, then sitting on the large bed.

For the first time tonight, I felt secure. Safe.

I laid back, and Kade's scent immediately climbed my nerves. The delicate aroma consisted of a leveled mix between masculine cologne and cigarettes.

My mind began to drift. When I shut my eyes, all I could think about was his conservation with Luke and Levi.

"Me and Luke managed to break down four good ones..."

"We need to catch up on our trades..."

"All Kade needs is one more 2019 model to be done for this month..."

The only thing I could suspect was some type of theft. Which was illegal. As was underground fighting. And street racing. All of these were the things Kade was far too deep in. That could land him up to twenty years...

I shook my head to the thought of prison. My head began to pound as my mind conjured the other negative outcomes.

Now that I thought about it, there were so many cars around the track. So, so many. They all couldn't possibly belong to them...

Earlier tonight, Levi mentioned, "I'm borrowing this one until mine arrives next week..." And, now I knew what he meant.

I rolled onto my side, my back towards the bathroom. I wasn't sure how long Kade had been in the shower, but I found the quiet echo pleasing in this moment.

I had so many questions. How did the entire thing work? Where did they find the cars? Did Kade have to hurt people in order to take the cars? Were they truly heartless enough to take someone's belongings and do as they pleased? How weren't they caught?

I gasped as I felt a someone grasp my shoulder. I turned to see Kade, my shoulders instantly dropping in relief.

His brown eyes roamed over my body before colliding with mine. "Are you okay?" Before I could say anything, his hand reached out to cup my face. His fresh scent baited at my senses.

I didn't nod. I shut my eyes as the thoughts in replayed my head.

Now or never.

His eyes frantically roamed my expression. "You're shaking." Before I could say anything, he turned and walked to his closet. Pulling out a navy blue hoodie, he came back to me and placed it in my hands.

After putting the clothing on, my first feeling was warmth. The hoodie wrapped me up in his scent. I raised my eyes to see Kade already staring at me.

It was a difficult task but I finally tore my eyes from his body. His abs were hard and solid with a tanned tint. The bruises still aligned his rib cage. His v-line was visible, and from there, and up was pure gold.

With his black hair still damp from the shower, the strands were wild on his head. A pair of adidas sweatpants rode dangerously low on his hips. I wasn't sure if he usually went shirtless, but it was a pleasing yet distracting sight.

Kade chuckled as he noticed my set attention. "I see you still have a staring problem, sweetheart."

I blinked a handful of times. I was surely surprised that I wasn't embarrassed this time around. Kade was my boyfriend, and being able to appreciate his physical figure was okay...right?

"No," I shook my head. "You're my boyfriend."

Kades' eyes lit up like with glee at my statement. "And, you're my beautiful, beautiful girlfriend." With his arms, he caged me in my spot.

I licked my lips, and his eyes followed the action. The desire behind them was too evident to go unnoticed. As he leaned in closer, I knew I'd come to regret it, but I had to know.

I placed my hand on his chest, slowly pushing him away. "Kade."

Immediately, he raised himself off of me. Worried eyes stroked my own. "Yes?"

I blinked a couple of times to snap myself out of a trance of uncertainty. I'd never receive answers if there were no questions given.

I cleared my throat. "I heard some things earlier." I glanced up at him in a way of offering him a chance to confess. He didn't.

He turned his back to me to rummage through his drawer, waiting over his answer, "What kind of things?"

Now or never.

I stared at his back. "I overheard your conversation with Luke and Levi. About the cars...and you guys stealing them."

I watched his back tense. His response was silence.

I turned toward him, balancing my leg on the bed. "Kade, how? Why?"

"Kimberly."

I shook my head. "That's not an answer."

He shut the drawer, then turned to me. "What do you want me to say?" The shock had slowly diminished into conflict.

I glanced at his shirt before raising my eyes to his. "I want to hear you say the truth. Everything about it." He began to put his shirt on while I spoke.

I had to wither away from the temptation of his arms. "That's not too much to ask," I said.

Kade sighed, nodding once. He sat in the spot next to me until our arms were touching. "You're right." He cleared his throat. "It's not."

I changed my position on the bed so that we were facing one another. With my arms crossed over my chest, I tried to appear patient.

"I started racing a couple of years after Kasen died. Your dad was against it, completely. Told me that if I did it, I wasn't welcome in his place anymore," he cleared his throat, his eyes falling. "So, I left. Found another spot where I could do all three. Race, fight, car theft." He shrugged as if he were talking about the smallest thing.

I knew I would regret asking, but I couldn't stop the curiosity now. "How do you do it? How do you not get caught?"

"Luke is the Mayor Ryan's son. No one ever suspects that. And, if they do, his father would never allow someone to harm his perfect look."

'Luke is the mayor's son,' I had to repeat to myself. No wonder he was such a dick. He was allowed to be with no consequences.

Kade chuckled. The sound dragged me from my thoughts. "You're right, he is." It was then I realized I had said that aloud. "But, him and Levi's friendship is all I've known for years now."

I nodded my head. "Did you meet them when you first started?" I questioned.

Kade nodded. "I beat their asses in a race when we first met. Levi was the one who introduced me to racing. Luke to the car theft. His dad's friends were loaded. One missing Lamborghini wouldn't hurt their pockets too bad."

My eyes fell in concentration as I absorbed it all. "But, what about the people who rely on those cars? What if that's someone's only way around or their home..." I shook my head at it.

"We leave those alone," Kade reassured, tucking the loose strands of hair behind my ear. "We take from the people who can have a new one by tomorrow. Or, from our rivals. We never touch anything else."

I nodded my head, though I still felt it wasn't right. Theft was wrong. It was too risky.

I felt him watching me for a response, so all I could give was, "Do you have a reason for doing it?"

He bit at his cheek before responding, "The rush. The process has always been something indescribable. I love the racing and fighting more, but the money makes a huge difference."

I nodded. I wasn't sure what to say. Finally finding out this information, and digesting it were two entirely different things.

Kade grabbed both of my hands, his eyes wandering over my expression. "What are you thinking, sweetheart?"

I shook my head, shrugging. "I'm not sure. That's a lot to take in."

"Hey." His thumb rubbed at my palm. "Ask me anything you want. Just talk to me, sweetheart."

I tried to recall every bit of his conversation with Luke and Levi. "Luke...he mentioned something about trades? Is that some type of deal or something?"

His head bobbed. "Sort of. We have a requirement for each month. A certain year, a certain model, a certain person. It all determines the time we get on our own in return for it. Mine will be spent training, or with you."

I nodded, thinking over the next set of questions. My mind flickered to his pills. Since I was already asking questions, I knew I couldn't stop at one of the most important ones.

My head raised. "I heard you say that you haven't been taking your medication for your ribs," I cleared my throat as my voice weakened. "Why not?"

Kades' eyes traveled elsewhere from mine. "I don't want them to affect the dosage my aunt gave me for my disorder. They help control me. You know, keep me all nice and shit." His thumb stopped its movement as he added, "Everyone seems to likes this Kade more." His chuckle made me frown.

I squeezed his hand. "Kade," I started. "I can still see the bruises. I know that your ribs aren't fully healed. Your aunt can help you with both prescriptions."

He shook his head, the disappointment building in his expression. "She already tried. She was going to cut my dosage down." Kade sighed, running a large hand over his face. "But I can't."

I moved closer to him, removing his hands. "I want to see you, Kade." When he looked at me, I smiled. "All versions of you." I recalled when he spoke those very words to me, how true they were for the both of us. I loved every version of him, even the ones that he didn't want.

His head shook. "No," he cut me off. "I refuse to scare you, again. I don't want to put you through my manic episodes, or my withdrawals. I don't want to scare you. You don't deserve that."

My fingers trailed through his curls. "You won't. I promise you won't." My eyes fell before they rose to him again. "It takes a couple weeks for the medicine to fully take effect, and in that time, we'll talk and set our boundaries." His eyes rose to mine, the hesitation in them evident. "If it's too much, I'll tell you. We'll communicate it all out. I promise."

My hands fell to his cheeks, guiding his head up. "You're going to have to be at your strongest to fight, and, that'll only happen if your body is healed, and rested," I told him. "You won't be a monster, Kade. I won't let you fall."

My lips pulled into a warm smile as I stroked his hard jaw. "Every version of you is mine. And, every single one is beautiful, because it's you."

His eyes searched mine with uncertainty. I looked in his with assurance.

"If you don't want to, that's fine, as well," I added. "I just want what's best for you, but it's all up to you, okay?"

I was caught off guard as he caught a soft kiss from my lips. "You," he mumbled in the smallest of gaps. "You are." I feared he would hear the deafening thump of my heart.

He nodded once. "I'll talk to my aunt and pick up more sessions of my therapy to help the shift in my meds, okay?"

I nodded, kissing his cheek. "That's fine."

His hooded eyes raised to mine, the fear gleaming back at me. "Promise me you'll tell me if I ever go too far, again. If it's ever too much, if I'm ever too much." I nodded my head to soothe his worries. "I promise I will."

"Okay," he nodded, still holding his breath as he gazed back at me.

"Okay," I repeated in confirmation, smiling back at him.

Our gazes lingered for a moment before Kade stood up, turning off the light to his bedroom. The only source of light was the one that came from the peak of his bathroom.

"You tired?" he asked, getting back in the bed. "It's getting pretty late."

Instantly, I groaned at the thought of school. "I'd do anything to not go tomorrow."

Kade chuckled, laying back. "I know, baby."

I smiled at him, my heart jumping. "Baby? That's new."

Kade rolled his eyes, though I could see the hint of humor. "Go to sleep, smartass." Before I could respond, he wrapped his arm around my waist, tugging me down alongside him. Gently, he pulled me closer to him, leaving half of my upper-body on his chest.

"Are you burning up?" I questioned as I felt the heat of his chest through his shirt on my cheek.

I raised my eyes to him as he shook his head. "I haven't let someone lay on my chest since..." I watched the grief flickered across his expression. "Kacen."

Guilt racked my body, my heart pinching with sympathy. "Oh."

Kade trailed his fingers through my hair, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable, sweetheart."

I shook my head. "No, of course it didn't." I offered a smile. "Hearing you talk about him, and how much he meant to you is something I'll never get tired of."

His sigh shook his chest. "I don't like talking about him to other people, but tonight...almost losing you made me think of that ache of losing the only other person I cared about. That terrible feeling of losing him. That grief, and just emptiness." His voice thickened before he added, "He's been on my mind so much tonight."

As I stared at him, the added darkness made my heart shrink. His face was emotionless to a blind eye. But, to me, the anguish was painfully obvious.

Instantly, I sat up to face him. "Tell me more about him," I said with a soft smile. "If you don't want to, that's fine. But, maybe it could help." He looked to me with hesitation, before I nodded in reassurance.

I hadn't heard him talk about his brother unless it involved his death, but I wanted him to confront the good memories, as well. I know that there were very few, but still some nonetheless.

"Kace, he was...extraordinary," he reminisced, his hand falling to mine. I squeezed it in return. "He loved anything that involved art. First, crayons and markers, then paint. Once, the little prick put paint all over the walls because he ran out of paper. Fuck, I hated cleaning that shit up." Kade's laugh made me smile.

Slowly, he switched positions until his head was in my lap. I laid against his pillows, now stroking his damp hair as he continued to speak. I wanted to hear it all.

"I tried bringing him some new supplies home as much as I could. Or, those Lucky Charms cereal bars, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Those were his favorites. And, tater-tots. Little guy would throw a fit every time I would even attempt to sneak vegetables on his plate. His smart-ass would tell me French fries, and tater-tots were a 'spicy version' of vegetables."

I laughed at that. I could tell he was Kades brother. "That's a smart kid."

"He was," Kade agreed. "He was so young, but so smart. His babysitter made sure to help him with his studies while I was working as long as I gave her an extra twenty."

I smiled as I watched his lips upturn. "Shit. The amount of times I had to endure his obsession with Spongebob. Or, Teen Titans. When I took him shopping for his first day of kindergarten, he picked every single thing he could with Patrick on there."

Kade continued to tell me stories about his little brother. I listened to everything he had to say without hesitation. We spent hours conversing over him, before I watched his eyes start to flutter close. Soon, the room was stuffed with silence as he slept.

My heart melted once I looked down at him. Every time I kissed his lips, or his face in his sleep, or when I stroked at his hair, his lips would twitch until it settled into a small smile.

When I'd come over to his house, sometimes he'd already be asleep. I noticed that he always slept with the blanket that I used when I was here. I'd even caught him cuddling with it a few times, a smile on his face as he slept.

I watched over him, my smile never falling. Like an angel atop a cloud. My beautiful boy. I continued to stroke his cheek as the minutes passed.

Before I could stop it, sleep pulled me into its warm embrace, as well. Since today had been a long day, I welcomed it wholeheartedly.


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net