"I mean this only as a friend." He said as he pushed his sunglasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. Before she could answer, the nurse walked back in with a hand full of papers and booklets.
"Here miss these are your discharge papers, treatment instructions, follow up appointment card, and some pamphlets the doctor thought you should have." The nurse handed the paperwork to her and quickly left the room, shooting Xavier a glance on her way out.
Joslyn's eyes widened as she flipped through the papers, "What the hell!" She shook her head and squished the stack of papers and booklets into her fist. As she stormed toward the door she dropped the stack into the trash can and marched out the door.
Xavier glanced down into the trash to see the writing on the top pamphlet and laughed out loud. He bent to grab the rest of the pamphlets from the can and flipped through them.
Joslyn quickly turned around and walked back toward him. The grin spreading across his face only made her madder. "Put those back in the can and come on!" Xavier laughed again as he tossed them back down into the can, "Are you sure you don't need information on battered women and abusive relationships? Some of those looked pretty informative." She shot her a toothy grin, "Just saying..."
She growled at him in response, spun on her heels and stomped out of the clinic.
"Where are you going?" Xavier asked as he chased after Joslyn. She had taken off down the street once she was out of the Clinic.
Joslyn didn't even bother looking behind her as she answered, "The bus stop…" strong hands clamped down over her upper arm, pulling her to a stop. She closed her eyes tightly, praying for composure as Xavier used his grip on her arm to spin her around.
He ran his hand through his silky black hair in frustration, "Look, I get it, I truly do, but you can't just take off down the road looking like that." He indicated the large bandages covering the various wounds. "Plus, where do you plan on going? Back home to two werewolves that apparently have both attacked you over the past few days?" He knew he had hit a nerve when she turned and tried pulling away from him. He gripped her arm more firmly.
Joslyn spun around again fury lighting the aqua depth of her eyes, "So what? Now you are going to leave bruises on my body too? Let go!"
A stunned expression lit his face as he loosened his grip but didn't let go. "Please, just hear me out. Okay?" Right then Joslyn's stomach growled loudly. Xavier laughed, "How about we start with lunch?"
She sighed heavily as she shook her head yes. {Surely there would be no harm in a quick lunch...}
"Do you have a place in mind?" Xavier asked finally letting go of her arm. He let his hand brush hers hoping she would take it but instead she quickly shoved her hands into her pockets. {Well it was worth a shot anyways.}
"Shit…" Joslyn mumbled as she continued filling over the various areas she usually kept her cell phone. She glanced up to meet playfully inquisitive eyes.
Xavier crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled, "Well don't stop on my account. Please, continue fondling yourself all you want."
Joslyn could feel her cheeks heat up, "Um, you wouldn't mind eating on the island, would you? I guess I forgot my phone earlier. I should probably stop by and see if my other roommate picked it up for me."
Xavier shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, no problem." He threw her a playful grin, "As long as you don't get me mauled, of course."
The heat in her cheeks spread, "No, um… Do you remember the girl with purple hair?" When he nodded yes, she continued. "She works at the large bar and grill near the boardwalk where your party was."
"Ah, you mean Calypso's bar and grill? That's near my new shop; I need to swing by there anyway." He led the way to his jeep and quickly unlocked the passenger side door. He held it open and waited for her to get in.
Joslyn looked up at him uncomfortably, "You know, you don't have to hold the door for me."
He looked down at her with fake confusion, "Why not? Have you suddenly become something other than a female?"
She gave him a bewildered look, "No, why… that's kind of a strange thing to ask."
He chuckled imitating an old world bow as he continued holding the door, "I was taught that a gentleman always holds the door for a lady."
Joslyn arched her brow at him, "Is that so?" she climbed in before looking back at him, "When were you raised? The 18th century?" She couldn't help the smile that turned up the corners of her lips as he busted out into laughter. {He was such a nice guy. Why did things have to be such a hot mess now.}
They drove in awkward silence for the longest time before Xavier finally spoke. He stared intently out the window as he said, "You know, I don't expect anything from you." He glanced over and met her surprised eyes. "I'm not saying you didn't leave a lasting impression Friday night, but that aside I would really like nothing more than to be your friend and get to know you better."
She turned away from him to stare out the passenger window. {Friend? Who was the last person I could call such a name beyond my current roommates.} Before a face could fully form in her mind she shook her head to dislodge the image.
He bunched his brows as he stared back out at the road. "I know you may not be looking for a friend right now, but I can't help thinking you need one."
She let out a sigh, "No, you're right. I really don't have many friends outside of my roommates and now the relationships with them have gotten…. Complicated…." She shrugged her shoulders, "Aside from a few coworkers and a few people I know around the college…. I really haven't gotten close to anyone since moving here." She continued speaking, her mind in a foggy haze as she thought back over the past several years. "Since leaving our homes 15 years ago and coming to the states; we have moved around frequently. I found it easier not to make friends outside of Shelly, Raven, and…. Russ…"
Xavier glanced over at her, deciding to take advantage of her sudden talkative mood and asked, "I've wondered since I met you. Exactly how did you end up living with such unusual roommates?"
Joslyn was too lost in her own thoughts to think better of answering, "I grew up with Raven, she and my mother were close. My mother was also very close to Russ and Shelly's parents, we frequently visited. I was fascinated with their culture and… well, them in general. I spent most of my free time with the twins as they grew. Then when their parents…" Joslyn's words trailed off as the painful memories came flooding back, tears began rolling down her face as she continued staring out the window.
Xavier reached over and brushed a tear from her cheek, "I see. You don't have to continue if you don't want to."
She turned back toward him, "Sorry, I got lost in thought I guess." She blushed as he brushed a loss strand of hair away from her face. She looked down at her lap before adding, "You're really easy to talk to."
He smiled as he clasped the steering wheel once more. {If I don't keep a tight grip on the wheel I'll be tempted to touch her more...} "I'm glad you think so. So…, Your mother, is she…"
Joslyn jerked her head up to look at him, surprise colored her words as she answered, "My mother?" It finally dawned on her what he was asking, "Oh! She is still alive, Though I haven't seen or spoken to her in several years. She wasn't very happy about my decision to move her and help Raven with the twins."
He gazed up at the red light as she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did she end up with them in the first place."
Joslyn frowned, "It's a complicated story." Her words trailed off as she turned and began staring out the window again.
They continued in silence for some time before Xavier announced, "We're here."
Before she could respond he had already shut off the engine and was on his way around the Jeep. "Thank you." She responded as she hopped out of the vehicle.
He shut and locked the door then quickly caught up with her. They walked side by side into the bar. They had barely made it through the front doors before Raven came shooting out from behind the bar at them. She threw her arms around Joslyn, then held her out at arms-length to examine her. "Damn girl, you look rough."
Joslyn rolled her eyes, "Ya don't say?!" concern filled her expression as she added, "How is Shelly?"
Raven jerked back in shock, "How is Shelly?! Really?! How the hell are you?"
Jos shrugged her shoulders, "Could be worse I guess…" worry took over her features again as she asked once more, "But seriously, how is she?"
"I'm not too sure, honestly… She put up a hell of a fight against Russ then stormed out of the apartment. I texted her earlier, she said she was going to 'her boyfriends'…. Didn't even know she had a damn boyfriend…" Raven shook her head in exasperation, then reached into her back pocket and pulled out Joslyn's phone and tossed it to her. "Anyways, we're pretty much dead if you want to grab a bite at the bar."
Joslyn nodded and followed her friend toward the bar. As Xavier pulled out a barstool beside her she said, "Oh, and by the way this is Xavier. I don't remember if I introduced you guys Friday night or not."
Raven looked him over, then smiled before reaching across the bar to offer him her hand to shake. Her face lit up into a mischievous smile as she said, "Xavier, you definitely give off an… Interesting vibe. I look forward to seeing more of you."
Xavier gave her hand two firm pumps before pulling his hand away and turning back toward Joslyn, "If you would excuse me for a moment, I'm going to step outside and make a phone call. Just order me whatever you think I'll like." He shot her a grin, before making his way toward the door.
Raven watched him as he made his way to the back, deck area. As soon as she was sure he couldn't hear, she grinned wickedly down at Joslyn, "Look at you, you little sup magnet."
Joslyn shot her a questioning glare. "What are you talking about now?"
Raven's eyes lit up, "Well, without seeing his eyes clearly I can't be sure exactly what he is; but I can tell you he's not human... come to think of it Russ said the same thing when he brought your phone back the other night."
Joslyn's eyes shot back toward the back deck. {Come to think of it I hadn't seen him without some sort of sunglasses but once, and his eyes had given off a strange glow. But several supernatural creatures had reflective eyes.} "They glow or maybe reflect green. I saw them Friday night when we were in the ocean together."
Raven shrugged, "Well that doesn't explain much, but didn't you say that the other guy was his brother?"
Joslyn nodded as she continued to watch him move around through the windows of the bar.
"And he is the same person Shelly has been spending the past few days with?" Raven followed Xavier's movements through the windows as she thought over a few possibilities in her mind. Then quickly shook her head, "There's no way…"
Joslyn quickly turned back toward Raven, "What do you mean 'no way'?"
Raven stared at Xavier's back as it became ridged. He seemed to be having a heated conversation with someone on the phone. "Well there are several types of supernatural's that can do things from implant suggestions all the ways to actually controlling someone's mind, but that would be nearly impossible. Shelly may be young, but she comes from one of the strongest, purest bloodlines there is… it would have to be something incredibly strong…"
"What the FUCK are you trying to pull?!" Xavier yelled into the phone.
[Just having a bit of fun, brother.]
"Is the girl with you now?" Xavier asked, exasperation coloring his words. No other person in the world could piss him off as well and as frequently as his own brother.
[Of course.] Dante's laugh reverberated through the speakers of the phone.
"You realize they live with a fucking fey of some kind, right?!" Xavier threw his hands up in the air. "If she doesn't already know what we are, it's not going to take her long! This is too dangerous! You need to leave the girl alone!"
[Come now brother, I'm just getting warmed up.] Dante laughed manically.
"I got there just in time today to take Joslyn to the urgent care! What would have happened if she hadn't been able to get out of the apartment?!" Xavier slammed his hand down on the counter, "You've truly gone too far this time!"
The laughter came to a halt as Dante replayed with a sinister seriousness, [As I said, I'm just getting started.]
The phone line went dead before Xavier could respond. He slammed his hands down on the railing of the deck twice more, "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Xavier quickly used speed dial for his next call.
The call was answered on the 3rd ring. [Hello boss, what's up?]
"Cancel my meeting for the next few days, I'll need you to make reservations instead of sending them directly to the house." Xavier began to hang up but thought of one more thing. "Oh, and do we still have a tracker on Dante's phone?" He heard rapid typing in the background.
[Yes sir, there is still a tracker on your brother's phone] there was more typing. [But it looks like it has been inactivated at the moment, sir.] There was a short pause with more rapid typing, [I should be able to have it reactivated within the hour, sir. Would you like me to call you when I have it up?]
"That's not necessary, a simple text will suffice, thank you." Xavier hung up the phone and ran his hands through his now wind-tousled hair. He fought to compose himself before heading back into the bar.
"Looks like the phone calls didn't go so well," Raven said still watching Xavier from the bar. She grabbed an empty glass and began filling it up with her favorite draft beer. "Here, take this out to him."
Joslyn gave her a questioning look, "Why would I do that? Don't you think this whole thing is giving off the wrong impression already?"
Raven shrugged as she slid the glass toward Joslyn, "He said he was fine with being friends, right? Plus, you never know. You may still find yourself needing that distraction." Joslyn's mouth dropped open.
"What? Don't get me wrong I love Russ to death and there's no denying, he's grown into quite the little hunk… but… well, I don't think I need to make a list of all the problems you two face, now do I?" Raven sent her a knowing grin with her brows and shoulders both shrugged.
"Awww!!!!" Joslyn growled, "Hand me the damn beer!" she grabbed hold of the glass and stomped off toward the door. {I don't care what Raven thinks, I refuse to give up this quickly.} Joslyn watched as Xavier ran his hands through his hair as he gazed out over the beach. Her heart jumped impulsively at the sad arch of his back. {But she does have a point. It may be better to avoid burning this bridge… at least for now anyway. Especially since there is a chance his brother has something to do with Shelly's recent behavior. I knew a relationship with Russ would make things awkward for everyone, but I never expected her to react this way.} She pushed the door open and quietly made her way out onto the deck.