Sweet Like Candy (MANxMAN)

08 - Plump and Rosy and Red

Chapter Eight

Tobias's POV

When Draven and I finally got back to the apartment, the sun had taken reign over the sky. On account of the weather, dozens of cars lined the streets, all patrons ready to sit and gossip at Catherine's. The porch was full when I jogged up it, meeting the faces of former beauty queens. They'd spent their whole morning dolling up in an attempt to outshine their friends. Conversation froze as I walked past them.

I entered the shop, hearing that annoying bell Cherie had insisted on putting up, tinkle. All I wanted to do was dive into bed, at least for a few hours. Thinking about talking with Antoine left my head pounding.

"Welcome to Catherine's!" A familiar male voice called out. "How can we sweeten up your day?"

Antoine looked up from the cash register, smiling at a couple of red-lipped old ladies who bought coffees. They cooed as he spoke, filling Antoine's cheeks with an embarrassed blush. When he didn't hear a response to his greeting, he turned to the door.

A guilty look dominated his face, followed by a nervous swallow and awkward wave. His expression would've been comical had I not been stressed the fuck out. I'm not sure which part of 'stay inside the apartment' wasn't clear. Should I have shouted it? Spelled it out? Hung a banner?

He probably thought that because he was around people in public someone wouldn't drag him out of here. What were these women gonna do if some guy came in for Antoine? Beat him up with their Chanel bags?

He wore a new white T-Shirt, with Catherine's logo written on the front in cartoon pink icing. A bright fuchsia apron was tied around the basketball shorts I'd given him, and a line of flour stained his nose.

I blew out a breath, trying to keep calm. Worry, fear, and anger melded into a potent combination, fizzling in me like dynamite just lit. And it was only a matter of time before I exploded. Yup, it was time for me to leave.

"Excuse me, I need to get in there!" The door behind me opened, slamming into my back with enough force to knock the wind out of me. A brunette barged right past me, chattering to a young girl about the caramel's here. She threw me an apologetic look.

And...any remaining remnants of calm were gone.

On autopilot, I headed up the stairs. First, a disappointed Draven, a freaky Ace, and obnoxious Warren, and now a busted back. I got into the apartment, closing the door. I wasn't fit for human consumption right now, even more so than most days.

Footsteps followed behind me.

I snatched a bottle of Excedrin from the bathroom drawer. "I thought I fucking told you to stay upstairs?"

"Look, I'm sorry." Antoine slipped through the door, leaning against it as it shut. He untied the apron, tossing it on the hook beside the door. "I just...Ms. Catherine came knocking on the door and I couldn't not answer and then Cherie came up and they were understaffed—"

The fact that the Excedrin didn't work immediately was proof God was dead. I slid onto the couch, grabbing the remote and aiming it towards the blinds. With one click, they slowly dropped down and shuttered. Whoever decided mornings were a good time to start the day was a moron.

Soft feet padded up beside the couch. "Sorry, Tobias."

Pain lanced through my skull. I dug my face farther into the cushion, trying to hide from every ounce of light and noise. "Just go back to playing Muffin Man and leave me alone."

My throat felt stuffed with cotton. For the last time today, I got up. The fridge was packed when I opened it, and I had to rifle through eggs and meat before I found a cold water. Chugging it down, I wiped my eyes.

Antoine stopped in front of me, a pissed off expression twisting his delicate features. "I'm not a pet to crate in your room, I'm a goddamn person. If I want to go downstairs, I will."

Of course he wasn't a pet, but he was in danger, and the idiot still left the apartment. Instead of responding, I went to move past him. He grabbed my wrist, halting me.

The wall I'd built between my anger and releasing it collapsed. "You don't want to know the shit I have to do now because of you. You want to know where I was? Dealing with the Iron Fists and you're buddy over there, Ace."

The second I said it, I regretted it. Absolute betrayal and hurt covered his face, and his mouth opened, only for nothing to come out.

"Just—just don't worry about them anymore, okay? You're free." I scrubbed at my face. I didn't care about the money or the trouble, I was just tired and tense and trying to take it out on someone. "Look, I'm being an ass and—"

"Throw me out," Antoine cut in quietly, firmly. His face closed up, and that was worse than the hurt that had been there before. I could fix the hurt, but this, the blankness, I didn't know how to fix that. "Right now. Do it!"

"I can't do that." I flicked my eyes over him. It wasn't hard, his head only just topped my shoulder. Usually when I did this, the other pack members would stop, would submit and move on.

Antoine did neither. "Why?" He scoffed, stretching up on his toes so I couldn't avoid him. "Never mind, I can tell you why."

We weren't having this conversation, because it wasn't even an option. I was being an asshole and fucking everything up, but that didn't mean he could lose all sense. Leaving would mean he'd end right back up where he was before, or maybe even dead. Warren had given up for the money, but Ace hadn't.

Antoine's blue eyes burned into mine, forcing me to meet them. "At first, it was because you felt bad. You saw me beaten down and you thought of yourself. How you were once just like me; under someone's thumb and desperately trying to get out, trying to make something of yourself."

My eyes narrowed. How did he—

"Everyone has a story in Citadel. You don't mention yours, but its in your tattoos, in your words." He ran a finger down my arm, over the black and white jungle, over the faintest sketch of a mansion behind the beauty. I fought back a shiver. "I'm good at that,  seeing stories."

Antoine's eyes were sparking, alive in a way I hadn't seen them before. There was anger and pain, but there was something else. "I notice it now though, it obvious how you look at me. Like I'm something special, like you can see me living my life, even if I don't."

His tongue darted out, drawing my eyes as it swept over his lips. All plump and rosy and red. "There it is, that's new too...the lust."

Antoine got even closer, the warmth of his body sinking into mine. He shivered, then lent against me fully, only thin cloth separating his chest from mine. "I like it, the way you look at me."

His pale hand touched the cotton over my heart, then lazily traced my chest as he sank down in front of me. This close, I noticed his hair wasn't simply brown. It was full of faint red and tawny strands and some other color that was too light to be called black and too dark to be called brown. And how his skin wasn't just pale, it was milky and smooth under my fingertips. And his eyes—how they weren't just simply blue, how he had small green spots in them.

His hand slid past my hip, loosely clutching my belt. I swallowed.

Do you think Tobias was right in being upset with Antoine? Or do you think Antoine was right and Tobias was being too overbearing? Let me know.

TO VIEW THE PRIVATE CHAPTER INVOLVING TOBIAS AND ANTOINE, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW ME AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIND IT ON MY PROFILE!

I'm dedicating this chapter to CaptainNautilus! Thanks for all the love, and I'll be hitting you up on your PM so we can groan about how hot Florida is lol!

- kirstin (and rollo)