Ivana

"Why does it look like you're breaking into your own shop? That's very criminal of you."

I ignored the dry amusement in Ace's voice, trying my best to not dwell over the lilting trill in his voice as he almost chuckled taking a dig at me.

Sometimes I really forgot that good-looking guys, especially the ones as handsome as him had this unexplainable tendency to mesmerise. Everything they did seemed to be made to charm and that was the lethal killing factor.

"It's like five in the morning, Ace. Do you really expect me to open the cafe so early?" Crossing my arms, I turned around to face him. I didn't realise he was standing that close and it seemed that he didn't either.

If anything, he looked rather flustered by the sudden proximity and immediately diverted his gaze, stepping backwards while clearing his throat. It was adorable. Not that I was going to say it out loud.

"So what exactly is the ideal time to open the cafè?" He muttered, his fingers unintentionally brushing over the bruise forming on the corner of his mouth.

I grimaced. His bruises just seemed to be getting darker and I found myself getting more and more suspicious of what he'd told me earlier. A story. One that I wasn't supposed to know...but what exactly was so terrifying about it?

"Well, mornings are always the busiest. Since there are a lot of office buildings and schools nearby, the peak hours are seven to nine when most of the employees head to work. Sales are pretty good during those particular hours." I elaborated, glancing at him casually. "Are you coming in?"

"Yeah." He nodded, a few shiny straw-like strands of his hair falling into his eyes. There was no way that haircolour was natural. Working in the cafe, I had come across all sorts of natural blondes but I had never ever encountered a natural born platinum haired person. It almost felt like I'd accidentally come across something rare.

And as creepy as it might sound, I had this greatly obdurate desire to have a close look at his roots to determine if he actually was a natural.

"Do you want something for your...face?" I pointed towards my face, not realising how stupid I must have looked air tracing my face with my own hand. "You might get an infection if you don't put something on those bruises quickly."

"I thought girls liked the rough, bad boy sort of image? The more aggressive the boy is, the more desirable?"

I made a face. How prejudicial. "Real life isn't a fancy chick flick made by avaricious filmmakers dead set on feeding people with content full of stereotypical beliefs about love between genders and high-school cliques, Ace. No one likes violence...or the aftermath of it, unless they're some sort of a psychopath."

"That's funny," Ace replied, although his tone wasn't argumentative. He spoke rather conversationally, more in an attempt to keep me busy as I foraged through the first-aid box for some ointment and bandages. And I couldn't be more thankful to him for that.

"Because most of the girls that I've come across thought that having these injuries...bruised knuckles and bloody lips actually made me attractive. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost have thought they were fascinated by the pain." Ace hissed softly as I bandaged his knuckles trying my best to be as gentle as possible.

"And while it's refreshing, it's also surprising that you don't seem to think so." He continued, letting me push him down onto a chair.

"Yes, because like I said earlier..." Frowning, I paused and pulled his chin down, concentrating on cleaning the corner of his mouth with a cotton swab. "I'm not a psychopath. I can't comment on the necessity of violence in the world but I certainly do not like displays of it, whatever the cause behind."

Ace blinked up at me silently, conflict swimming in his eyes. He looked like he didn't mind me prodding further but I wasn't interested in digging for answers. He could always choose to talk of his own accord if he wished to.

"Aren't you curious now?" He suddenly cleared his throat as I taped a bandaid across his forehead. "You were practically bustling with questions earlier. Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?"

I sighed, my own tiredness taking a toll on me. "I had a rough night." My knees finally buckled from exhaustion as I pulled up another chair and savoured the feeling of stretching my limbs after spending hours sitting with my legs folded. The events from last night were indeed horrible but sitting in the cafe with all the memories slowly coming back to me, unfolding like the scenes from a horror movie felt even worse.

I didn't realise I was shaking until I threw my face down into my hands and let out a stifled groan. It was hard being a girl sometimes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I heard Ace whisper. He had shuffled closer, his hand resting on my shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. There was nothing remotely intimate about the way he did that but all of a sudden the innocent gesture full of genuine concern felt a lot more romantic than it should have and forced me to lock eyes with him.

Ice blue.

Except they were tinged with a cool gray this time. Had his mood changed? Or was he hurting too?

In a moment of impulse, I reached out for his hand and pulled it onto my lap, gripping it tightly as I tried to arrange my thoughts.

"I don't know if you noticed but last night the police arrested an intruder in our block." I paused unsure, hoping to gauge his reaction but Ace's face was expressionless as he waited patiently for me to continue.

"It was my house." I looked down at my hands, not completely certain why I felt so much at ease telling Ace about what happened. Maybe because I thought he was the only one who'd listen without judging...or maybe I expected something more. Something like understanding and unwavering trust that I wasn't lying.

Ace's hands went cold. "Don't tell me he tried to harm your brother," His eyes shot up to my face, narrowing in realisation. "Or worse...you." He practically spat, his brow furrowing.

A silent tear slid down my cheek as I averted my gaze from his piercing one and bit my lip. "My mother thought I was lying when he tried to assault me."

My voice shook as the tears flowed, unstoppable. "I was terrified. He was waiting in my bedroom and I even contemplated running away but Jer was still sleeping in his room and I couldn't leave him alone. Every moment that I spent locked up in his room until the police finally arrived was pure terror, Ace." I sobbed, the frustration pouring out with my salty tears and hoarse broken voice.

Ace

Ivana's sobs broke me.

I'd never thought I'd have to go through the same thing again just three years after I'd seen my sister in the same state. The same tears, the same pain, the same helplessness on her puffy, red face and the same furious, unbridled anger fizzling through my veins simply because some sick, low life bastard out there had decided to sexually assault a girl again.

The only difference was that I was no longer the same reckless, hot-headed fifteen year old boy who'd marched right into the hands of the perpetrators and become a convict of intentional criminal assault despite being innocent.

"Shh, it's okay," I edged forward, leaning to comfort her as she melted into my embrace, sniffling incessantly. "The police have him now." I muttered slowly, gently rubbing her back even though my hands hurt from the constant movement.

I didn't really trust the police. More often than not, their blind brutality and inability to investigate properly caused the innocent people to get in trouble while the guilty escaped unscathed. But the police was Ivana's only hope.

Until I settled the score with whoever that fvcker was.

I probably didn't need to. No, I most certainly couldn't afford to, but the whole scene sat way too close to that little part of my heart that was still bitter and resentful. And this was Ivana.

The girl who was trusting and refused to draw conclusions even when she could have easily dug around my past and gotten me into some real shit for everything that she knew.

"Just tell me if you're hurt anywhere, Ivana." I swallowed hard, pushing the damp strands of hair out of her face and cupping her cheeks. "Please don't let this incident push you down. Please don't let it get to your head. You have to move on. That's the least you can do for yourself, for your self-esteem and happiness."

Her eyelashes fluttered in surprise but she didn't push my hands away and let me examine her face. "Crying only tells these bastards that they've won, that they've managed to terrorise you, to scar you forever." I mumbled, taking a quick once over. "I know it must feel like shit. Fvck, it might even feel like it's the end of the world but please Ivana, do not beat yourself over it. It's not worth it, baby."

A moment of silence ensued as I realised that Ivana had stilled beneath my touch, her damp eyelashes sticking together as she gazed at me surprised and a little befuddled. Her sniffs were quieter and her moistened lips pressed into an unreadable line.

I stilled, averting my eyes from her wide ones, my heartbeat going awry as the breeze outside seemed to rush inside my ears, deafeningly loud.

Baby.

What a cursed time to confess, that too accidentally.

Cursing under my breath, I clenched my hands into fists and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. It wasn't very decent of me to want to apologise right after I'd practically professed that I was head over heels for her. But I didn't know what to say anymore.

Ever since I'd met her, I was continuously messing up, revealing things that I wasn't supposed to. It was like getting stuck in an endless maze and everytime I tried to find a way out, I only ended up going deeper and divulging more. Her eyes were indeed a beautiful maze, one I couldn't help but get lost in.

I couldn't believe myself right now. I was clearly onto some poetic shit.

"I'm sorry, Ivana. I shouldn't have said that. Th-this really isn't the time—" I sighed but she was quicker

"Oh my God, Ace! Shut the fvck up, will you?" I felt her hands tighten onto my hoodie as she tugged me forward, placing her sweet curved lips against mine.