G I N
As she closed her stall that evening, Gin looked across the empty street to the bursting Chip-vines. It was Tuesday so Freddie wouldn't be there. Living under the same roof with him had left her exposed to all his schedules for so long that she knew where he'd be at any given point in time, just as she knew he'd be off at his parent's place for the whole day. She'd met them once and they'd been very encouraging.
She weighed her options carefully, then rubbed her rumbling stomach. Being pregnant made her lust and thirst for food like she'd never done. Sometimes it'd be sushi at midnight, grilled cheese tomato sandwich at noon; these were highly unaffordable which meant she went about eating on credit with the bills piling by the day. It gave her restless nights honestly but she always found a way to convince herself that she'd be fine. With or without him.
Crossing over toward the restaurant's entrance, she slipped her red cardigan over her head then pulled up the hoodie. The cardigan helped hide her miniature bump which had been the very first of symptoms. A groggy capsule enlarging at the base of her stomach.
The nurse had said that the lethargy would stop in a few days or so and her cheeks already felt hollow with all the constant fever and morning drowsiness. There were times she contemplated giving up, with the weakness crawling in, seeping her veins of every little energy she possessed.
She stood at a corner, just inside the door staring at a lot of familiar faces. They'd all somehow found out what happened between Freddie and her but since it'd not been their rightful place to pry, she felt a lot safer.
Heading straight to the bar, she pulled the hoodie over her face, a little above her eyes so she could still see, then ordered a lemon drop.
The normal Gin wouldn't take that. Of course, she thought such drinks were for chickens afraid to have liquor, but she'd just have to fall back on it for a while. Beer would have an effect on her baby and goodness knew her sins didn't in any way deserve a deformed child.
From the corner of her eyes, she watched the man beside her stiffen, his blue alluring eyes plunging her into a haze she'd been all too familiar with. Not again. She felt tempted to leave, to set a grave distance between both of them. It'd certainly save her a lot of trouble that was to come.
But he wouldn't make it easier for her, his pull was so strong that when she felt him draw closer and closer, she couldn't pull away.
It sucked.
"What exactly do you want?" She asked, eyes bulging in alert. Hogs like him we're harder to escape from, once they lulled you in, you'd get stuck.
It's sad to say that she'd been stuck once. And it'd been with him alright.
He smirked. "I really don't mean to bother you anymore. Not after what your boyfriend did to me last time" he reached out to pinch her left cheek but she dodged his gesture on time, glaring intensely. "Actually the seat you're on belongs to my friend." she got off the stool at once.
"Well then, you can have it!".
"It's alright miss, you can have it. He won't be returning anytime soon" he sounded sincere, charming even but that had been the woman she'd been once. He could have made a very good bed partner if he wasn't such a casanova.
"What are you doing all alone in a hellhole place like this?" he softened his tone into a whisper, a sedative strong enough to get into her head.
She sipped her drink slowly. "Same could go for you. What are you doing here?"
He smiled gently, understanding the better part. She'd never been a woman with direct answers. When she'd first met Freddie, it'd just been like this; with him throwing off the flirtatious questions and her replying back with a question or a loop of her own. It was a night she couldn't seem to get out of her head each time she thought about it. The memory made her smile even now. They'd merged into a whole piece that day and it meant more than she could explain.
"Attagirl,"
She adjusted her posture.
"You don't look too good," he said next, observing keenly. "Are you sick?"
She shrugged. "Maybe,"
It'd taken her ages to learn that direct answers were a whole lot stupid.
Again, that smile.
"Let me guess, you're gonna tow that road with me?"
"Be my guest,"
He shifted even more closely at this, so close that his harsh cologne stung her noses instigating a ruckus down the pit of her guts. The bile slowly rose from somewhere deep inside her then it increased at an average level causing her to grimace as she swallowed.
The evening wasn't going the way she'd expected, not with this man at the very least.
"Do you mind moving a bit backward? It's as they say, personal space means a lot these days." she croaked hoping it'd achieved the sole purpose aimed at.
He blinked, then backed away quietly. He'd have done much worse if people weren't around them. One of those rare times she could actually appreciate the company of others.
She downed the last drop of liquid.
She got up abruptly, cutting him off from whatever he was about to say. She brushed past him towards the door, a low mischievous glint lit his eyes. She however cared less anyway, his aura was choking.
Snaking her hands down to her sides, she felt her right pocket for her keys. They were still there. Intuitively, she felt her left pocket as well, noting the rustle of crumpled paper. Pulling it out halfway, her chest lurched at the familiar name and the clear crisp command.
Oscar Rodriguez.
Call me as soon as you get home.