Chapter 5
2332words
“Of course, I didn't tell her! What would I say?” Loki snorted. I stop walking, hovering outside the slightly ajar kitchen door.
“Well, we can’t keep it from her!” Storm stresses, her voice so high pitch it was practically a squeal.
“She didn't ask why she was here. In your bed?” Adam questioned.
“I told her she passed out. It’s not a lie. She didn't ask further,” Loki shrugged.
“We have to tell her, what if she sees him again?” Adam urges.
“Shit... I dunno,” He groaned. I could practically see him rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. I decided I had heard enough and loudly made my entrance. Storm and Loki were sitting at the breakfast table, a bowl of cereal before them. Adam opposite them, leaning over the counter. They all looked at me as I entered before quickly busying themselves. The sudden silence, evident to anyone that something was up.
“Morning!” I smiled, pretending I hadn't been eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Morning”, they all reply. I walk over to the fridge, pouring a cup of milk before putting it in the microwave.
“So...” I start casually “, did I make a complete fool of myself last night or what?” Loki, who had just shovelled a large spoonful of cereal into his mouth, started coughing. Adam is sending daggers at him.
“That bad, huh?” I pressed.
“Well...” Storm starts her words trailing off as she looks helplessly at Adam.
“Do you remember the guy last night?” Adam asked, trying to sound casual, but it came across as angry. When I didn't answer, a confused look on my face, he added, “Black hoodie, black jeans-”
“Pervert,” Loki offered, earning him a kick under the table from Storm. He glared at her.
“I...” but I did remember. I remembered his boozy breath suffocating me. I remembered his cold callas hands, and I remembered kicking him over and over again. Until he stopped moving and somebody pulled me off him. My legs started to shake, and I felt dizzy all of a sudden. Faster than should have been humanly possible, Loki appeared at my side, his hand curling around my waist, keeping me upright. “Are you okay?” He asked, his voice low and gentle. I look up at him, my olive green eyes meeting his.
“Is he.. dead?” I whispered.
“No,” Adam answered. I looked over to him needed more information. “He was unconscious, but before the ambulance could arrive, he got up and walked away. Nobody knows where he went or who he even is.” There was a dead silence that filled the room as we all proceeded to information. The man I had knocked unconscious, who had tried to rape me. Was still walking around. Worse than that, we didn't even know who he was. Hell, I didn't even know what he looked like.
“Did anyone see his face?” Loki asked like he had read my mind.
“No,” Adam admitted, his voice filled with sorrow and anger. I swallowed and nodded my head. It had been only two years since my life had fallen apart because of some man who didn't understand the word no. No. No, I could think about that right now. I wasn't a victim anymore. I was a survivor.
I pulled myself out of Loki's grip and started moving.
“Scar!” Storm shouted after me, but I was already gone.
“Wait!” Adam shouted after me. But it was too late.
I was already running. I was out the front door before anyone could stop me. I had no shoes on, no keys, and no phone. But I didn't care. I needed to run. So that is exactly what I did. I ran with no direction, without paying attention as to where I was going. I ran like someone was chasing me. Like if I stopped for even one second, my life would be ripped out from under me. I was running faster than I had ever run in my life. My heart was beating in my ears, my breath an uneven gasp, but I didn't care. I kept running. I was going to run until my head exploded, until Blossom Lake was so far behind me there was no turning back.
I didn't know how long I had been running before I finally doubled over and vomited into the bushes. My heart was still a drum in my chest, and my vision was blurry. I retched again, but nothing came out. I hadn't eaten anything since last night, and I started to feel the effects of an empty stomach. When I finally stopped retching, whipping my mouth on my hand, I looked around. I was at the edge of a park I didn't recognise.
“Here,” A familiar deep voice offered, a bottle of water appearing in front of me. I didn't need to look to know it was Loki. I took the bottle of water, raising my mouth before spitting it out. Then took a large gulp of the bottle. It was icy cold, despite the heat of the day. I didn't thank him as I finally looked up at him. Like me, he was covered in sweat, though not remotely out of breath. His face was blank, and he almost looked, board.
“Were you following me?” I accused, defensively. I didn't know I felt pissed off at him. Loki had pulled me away from kicking my attacker to death. He had come after me when I had run away from my problems like a four-year-old child. Yet, it pissed me off. I wasn't a damsel in distress. I didn't need his help. I wasn't a fucking kid anymore.
“No, I just decided I would go foraging 30 blocks from my house,” he remarked sarcastically. His black eyes were dark and filled with rage.
“Well, great. You came, you saw, now kindly fuck off,” I fumed, turning away from Loki. But before I could walk away, his hand grasped my arm, pulling me back. If he was mad before, he was practically ablaze now.
“Not fucking happening.” He growls back. I tried to pull my arm from his grip, but it was impossible as his hands were like steel.
“I don't need your help!” I sneer, getting in his face.
“Oh please! Don't flatter yourself, princess,” Loki taunted, his face inches from my own. His black eyes feral “You have no fucking shoes on! You just vomited. Classy, might I add. And I bet you also have no god damn clue where you are right now!”
“Oh, suck a dick!” I seethe, pulling at his grip. He chuckles a bitter, crawl sound. But he let go. Without another word, I start walking without looking back. I didn't need to; he was still following me. I became aware of how sore my feet were, the pavement was boiling, and I hadn't realised in the state I had been in. My muscles were sore, and my head was still throbbing. I drank the last of my water before chucking it over my shoulder, praying that it would hit him. It didn't. I kept on walking, my stomach growling loudly. God, I was starving. I looked up, noticing that it was past midday. Jesus, how long had I been running? I saw a diner at the end of the street and quickly made my way to it.
The bell rang, signalling someone had entered, and the people inside looked me up and down, all giving me strange looks for my lack of shoes. I didn't pay them any attention as I walked up to the counter. “Can I have four cheeseburgers to go please,” I asked the woman at the counter? The bell signalled again, and I knew it was Loki. He appeared a few moments later next to me, leaning on the counter.
“You don't have any money,” Loki commented, quietly enough that nobody else would have heard over the chatter, coffee machine, and bashing of plates. I smiled to myself. The lady came back carrying four cheeseburgers in wrapping. “Here you go. Do you want anything else with that?”
“Chocolate chip milkshake, two please,” I asked nicely. Loki raised a brow in my direction but didn't comment. She came back a few moments later with two takeaway milkshakes.
“Thank you, and he is saying,” I told her, giving Loki an overly sweet smile before walking out the door. I had left his milkshake on the counter but took everything else with me as I stalked back to the park. I unwrapped one of the burgers, finishing it before I even got to the park. I found a nice spot in the middle and sat, crossing my legs over before diving into the second burger.
Loki finally came strolling toward me, hand in his pocket, milkshake in the other. He stopped in front of me; all rage was gone; instead, an amused smile was on his lips.
“What if I didn't have my wallet with me?” He asked.
“Good luck explaining that to the cops,” I shrugged, letting the silence stew before casually reminded him. “You brought that bottle of water?” He shook his head at me, half-smile lighting up his face. Then finally sat down opposite me, leaning back on his elbows. “You gonna give me any of that?” He asked. I considered it for a moment before chucking one of the burgers at him. He laughed. “I get tricked into buying you lunch, and I only get one burger.”
“And a milkshake,” I remark, taking a large sip of mine. Loki opens the burger at the same time as I start with my third. I eat half of it before offering it to him. A smile was tugging at my lips. Loki takes it, finishing it in two bites. “Don't tell anybody about this; they might think I've gone soft”, I tease, throwing his words back at him.
“Apparently, being possessive over food is something we have in common,” he teased. I shake my head, grinning before leaning back on the grass, looking up at the blue sky.
“And not paying for things”, I shot back, chuckling.
“Hey, who do you think paid for our tab last night?” Loki countered.
“Lies! Alisa is the fucking supervisor. You never have to pay for your drinks,” I claim, earning me a playful kick on the leg. I stick my tongue out at him before taking another large sip of my drink.
“You are a surprisingly fast runner for someone that doesn't train,” Loki remarked, breaking the silence that had come between us.
“I work out, just not for the same reasons you do,” I correct him. Loki moves over, so he's lying beside me, his black eyes finding mine.
“Oh yeah? What do you do?” He asks curiously.
“I help lead a self-defence class. We cover a mixture of martial arts, kick-boxing, boxing, and general fitness,” I admit. Not meeting his eyes, he didn't need to know the reasons behind it.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Loki noted thoughtfully. “How come I didn't know about that?”
“Not many people do. Its low profile mostly reserved for victims of bullying, physical violence, and sexual assault,” I explain, still not meeting his eyes. I was glad when he didn't press more on the subject. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly took it out, typing something before placing it back in his pocket.
“We should get back,” Loki suggests, getting to his feet before holding out a hand for me. I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. His touch making sparks fly through my skin. Our eyes lock, and I'm suddenly aware of how close we are. His scent was filling my nose, his breath tickling my cheek. I felt heat pour over my body. My gaze lowers to his lips. His full soft lips. I wanted Loki Morganstar to kiss me.
Loki pulled away, clearing his throat. I had to bite my lip to reframe from whimpering. “We should get back,” he repeated, his voice deep and husky. God, he was so hot. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My eyes drift over his muscle tanned skin.
He started walking wordlessly, me following quietly a short distance behind. We made our way out of the park and over to the path—the concrete feeling like broken glass on my bare feet. I slowed my pace, limping slightly as I tried to walk on my damaged feet. “Fuck,” I swore under my breath.
Loki spun round, now a reasonable distance ahead of me, his eyes falling to my bare feet. Then reluctantly, he strode back to me and bent down. “Get on,” he instructed me. He was offering me a piggyback.
“No. I'm not letting you carry me,” I protested, despite my aching feet. Loki spun around, crossing his hands over his chest.
“So what, you’re gonna hobble the ten blocks till we get to my bike?” he teased.
“It’s my own stupid fault,” I remind him, shoving past. My steps were small and slow.
“Either you hop on my back, or I'll pick you up and carry you anyway,” he declared, a daring glint in his eyes.
“You wouldn't dare,” I challenge. Oh, how wrong I was. Before I could run, not that I would have got far on my damaged feet. Loki picked me up, tossing me over his shoulder. Like I wasn't more than a bag of sugar. I squealed in protest. Loki ignored me and started walking along. My hair falling over my face.
“Put me down!” I squeal, banging my fists uselessly into his back. He laughed, his hands gripping the top of my thighs. “Loki”, I warn. I perch myself up onto my elbows, letting them dig into his back.
“I'll put you down if you agree to let me give you a piggyback,” he demanded.
“Over my dead body!” I growled.
“Suit yourself”, Loki laughed, strolling along.
