🐞MTOABB🐞

"Gomes?" I whisper. He was facing towards the door that led to the balcony and he somewhat looked defeated as he laid next to me.

"You're asleep?" I tried again, I wasn't sure what I was going to say but I wanted to comfort him - have him in my arms and whisper sweet nothings.

I somewhat felt like I knew the feeling because he was me when mom and dad went their separate ways. I felt lost and confused because I was so used to the world 'parents' that when it was no longer plural - just 'parent - I felt like I was suffocating from within.

I bring my hand to touch his arm and he flinches. I wasn't sure how I should be reading into that - he was hurting and I am in the right place now to know that I need to take the backseat and be as understanding as I can - isn't that what people in relationships do?

"I just need to get some sleep," he mumbles. He didn't shift to look at me, just laid there stoic and somewhat numb. I stayed looking at his back for a while and maybe it was more than need be, because when his body turned and our eyes linked, it was almost as if I could read his whole entire life story. My Gomes laid it all out in the open with just that one look. I bring my hand to cup his cheek and he lets me as he brings his hand to cover mine.

"I just need to see her..." he trails, drifting his gaze beyond my stare.

"I know," I whisper as I move closer to him and place my head on his chest. We stayed like that until... until my eyes closed and all I could remember was him moving his hand up and down against my back. Instead of soothing him, he was the one comforting me.

It was 2:30am when my eyes fluttered open to find his side of the bed empty. I sit up and spot him outside on the balcony. I have never wanted to take someone else's worry like I did in this very moment as my eyes couldn't stop staring at him. I leave the bed as I join him on the balcony. He turns to look at me with his blue eyes resembling the full moon in the night sky through his spectacle.

"Did I wake you?" He asks and I shake my head. I wrap my arms around his torso and he responds by holding my hands in place. I begin leaving kisses on his bare back and his body remotely relaxes to my touch.

"I think I need a cigarette," he says and I stop what I was busy doing.

"What?" It wasn't smart acting dumb, I knew exactly what he had just said. "Why?" I ask right after.

"I'm anxious," he nervously chuckles. "I guess there's a reason behind me smoking after all." He frowns at himself a little.

"Gomes..." I begin, but he cuts me off. "You should go back inside and get some more sleep," he says letting go of my hands that were still wrapped around him.

"I'll only go back in if you're going to lay by my side," I tell him and he shifts to turn around and my arms drop to my side.

"Do you mind if I smoke, Rossita?" He asks softy, barely audible but I could perfectly read his lips.

"Kiss me instead," I tell him.

"I would rather not do that," he says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because I'm not in the right mindset to just kiss you." He holds my stare and then drifts his eyes to the empty bed behind me and I raise my eyebrows. He lightly chuckles, brings his hand to scratch his head a little. "Why don't you go back to bed, okay?"

"When I leave are you going to smoke?" I ask.

"No," he says adamantly.

"Don't stay out too late," I tell him as I leave him standing outside.

He didn't end up coming back to bed and I forced my eyes to stay open for a little while longer and still no Gomes. Maybe he had slipped in while I was sound asleep?

My Type of a Bad Boy

"So what's the plan?" He asks me as he comes to a halt in front of my house.

"I'll have to go down on my knees and beg mom to let me come with you," I lay it out honestly.

Chloe grunts as she unbuckles her seatbelt. "Mom won't go for it, so forget it."

"Stop with your negativity," I turn to address Chloe and then I turn to catch his anxious stare. "Don't worry, I have stored tears just in case she says 'no' for the hundredth time."

"That doesn't make me feel any better. Maybe I should speak to her?" He suggests.

"And tell her what exactly?" I ask him.

"Well..." He scratches the back of his head, then checks his watch. "We have four hours before we have to board the plane."

"I am going to jump out now," Chloe says, leaving Gomes and I to discuss the best tactic to get me on that plane.

"It's not a good idea to tell her that you're a father," I shamefully state, but I knew my mom and she would have forbidden me from seeing him ever again if she knew, because then in her eyes Gomes would be a bad influence.

"Okay," he whispers.

"You should go home and freshen up." I hold onto his hand. He takes a minute to memorize my print on his and then he looks up and nods.

I jump out of the car and grab my duffle bag from the boot and rush inside. I didn't want to look back and wait for his car to drive away. I had a mission to fulfill and Gomes needed me to complete it successfully.

"Mom, I'm---" I muffle my words by placing my hand against my mouth. No shouting, Rossita! You should be used to that by now.

Chloe was sprawled in front of the television with a soft drink in hand. "Where is mom?" I ask her.

"Probably in her room," she says.

I started making my way upstairs and with every step, it felt like my heart was about to escape my body. The nerves were about to eat me alive before I even got to her bedroom door. With the way my heart was beating so fast, one could swear I was being placed at gunpoint and there was no way of getting out of it alive. That is truly how it felt like and I was going in there already knowing my faith -- she wasn't going to allow it.