Ghosts Of The Past [BoyxBoy] ✓

13. Cry

After a while of smelling the pillows like a pathetic stalker, I get up and put on some clothes.

So as it turns out.. it's not morning, but the late afternoon. We slept straight through the day.

I spot Mr. Santiago making some coffee in the open kitchen. I do a double take and notice he's pouring a drink from a flask into his coffee. 

I turn around quietly, hoping he won't notice me.

"So.. are you two a 'thing' now?" He asks sounding very skeptical. 

I freeze. I turn around slowly. 

"No, we were just messing around." I answer awkwardly, running my fingers through my hair.

I'm sure he's about to go all catholic on me now.

Instead, he turns to me and eyes me with that strange look again. 

"Have we met?" He asks. 

I'm taken aback by this.

"N-no.. I don't think so." 

"Hmm.." He wonders as he leans against the counter. 

I watch him carefully.

"Would you like some coffee?" He asks. 

"Uh.. yeah, thanks." I walk over to the kitchen and he hands me a —non alcoholic— cup. 

I start to drink and it's amazing. 

"It's so good!"

He chuckles. It sounds just like Aron but deeper. That's so weird. I don't think I'm anything like my mom.

I'm stuck looking at him for a while. He's such an impressive looking man. It's not just the suit and tie.. it's his presence. He's even taller than Aron and his eyes are so penetrating.

"What do your parents do, Sky?" He asks, looking up from his drink. 

I look away. I need to stop staring. 

"Uhh.." How do I explain this quickly and cleanly?

"My dad's actually not in my life. He's.. doing his own thing, I guess." 

Mr. Santiago nods. 

"And my mom.." My mom takes off her clothes for tons of horny men on a daily basis, she's great!

"She's a.."  I tap my ring against the cup. "She's a waitress." Or something. 

"Ah, I see." His eyes narrow as if he's thinking of something. 

"Where does she work?" He asks. 

"Oh, you know. Just a.. a diner." I lie. Why is he grilling me about my mom?!

"Is that so?" He comes closer to me. 

He's kinda freaking me out now.

"You know, when I first saw you yesterday, I will admit, my first feeling was awe. At how strikingly beautiful you are. Especially for a guy." 

I shift uncomfortably. The closer he comes, the more I realize he's drunk. He didn't seem it at first but now it's so obvious. I wonder if his drinking is why Aron hates him so much.

"Your long hair, delicate body, fine features.. and those eyes.." He comes even closer to me and traces my cheek. 

I stay very still.

"Those ocean blue eyes.. I have seen them before. I know I wouldn't forget such a stunning face. And then I remembered, just now." 

What is he talking about? I search his eyes for an answer, unable to speak. 

"Your mother. I used to visit her all the time."

I frown. 

"At her job." He clarifies. "She was my favorite. She was just about the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." 

Wait.. he was my mother's customer?

"Every Friday night, I'd visit her at the club. I used to watch her up on that stage with such awe. I was completely infatuated with her. I'd heard she took some of her favorite customers home. Now, I always made sure to tip her well. So after her shift I approached her. But she turned me down. She said I was.. sleazy. She said she hated businessmen. I offered her crazy amounts of money but she said she wasn't for sale. That night she took some hippy home instead. Now, as you can imagine that really hurt my ego." He smirks darkly. 

"I never visited her again after that." He lights a cigarette. 

I can't do anything other than stare at him confused. It's hard to imagine that someone so seemingly classy went to a strip club. That someone like him would be into my mom.

"Of course that was a long time ago. A different me, you might say. But you can imagine my surprise when I saw you, practically a copy of her, walk in here." 

His intense eyes linger on me. 

"So.." He leans in. "How much do you cost?" He whispers. He smiles maliciously and I have no idea if he's serious or not. This has to be a joke, right?!

I smell the alcohol on his breath.

I swallow uncomfortably. And try to get my voice to work. 

He's only saying this because he's drunk. He can't be serious.

He comes closer to me, caging me between him and the counter.

He starts to touch my shoulder, then moves to my neck and my jaw. 

I feel myself begin to tremble. 

"I.. I'm not.." Is all I can get out

He pulls away a little to look at me. His dark eyes are gleaming with lust. 

The front door opens and in a matter of seconds, he's on the other side of the kitchen. Calmly sipping his coffee. 

"Hey, I got bagels." Aron says, holding up a paper bag. 

I'm still stuck, frozen against the counter as Aron takes out the food.

Mr. Santiago walks by me and whispers: "Our little secret." As he gives my shoulder a squeeze. 

I watch him aghast, as he walks out of the room. 

Aron looks up from the food. 

"You okay?" He asks. 

Come on. Calm down. 

I try to breathe normally and snap out of it. 

"Yeah, fine." I lie. 

"Come on, sit. These are the best bagels in town. Do you know how long I had to wait in line for these?" 

But I can't snap out of it. What the fuck just happened? I feel my hands start to shake and I get nauseous. 

"I'm not hungry. I gotta go." I rush to the door.

"What? Sky?" Aron calls but I'm already out the door. Practically running down the stairs. 

When I'm outside I get another wave of nausea and can't hold it back anymore. I vomit into a patch of grass near the building. 

I get flashbacks of things that I've suppressed and thought I'd forgotten. Over and over again. 

I drop down to my knees and I can't stop the tears streaming down my face at full speed. I cry louder than I ever have. 

"Sky!" Aron runs up to me. He drops down next to me and wraps his arms around me. 

I don't stop. I bury my head in his chest and cry uncontrollably. He holds me close to him. And I feel so safe in his arms. 

"I'm here." He repeats again and again as I cry into his chest.