WARNING!
This Chapter Includes Violence That May Be Triggering For Some. Viewers Discretion Is Advised!
Ever's pov
"What the hell do you want Enzo?! And would you stop calling me that already!? I told you we aren't getting back together– so leave me alone! " My good mood was destroyed the minute Enzo showed up acting like everything between us was just peachy- again!
He looks- and smells- like shit. His wavy blonde hair was matted and gross–Is that a piece of gum stuck in his hair? His clothes were covered in mystery liquids and old rotting foods. I'm honestly surprised I haven't thrown up yet! I would laugh, but I'm too angry to care.
What is he doing here anyway?!
Slowly walking towards him I noticed how his eyes drifted to the now very visible bump on my stomach where our– my babies are growing happy and healthy. Without him. The clear disgust in his eyes was enough to tell me that he still doesn't approve of my decision.
"you still haven't gotten rid of those fucking things? I hope you know that I still want nothing to do with this pregnancy–"
I held up my hand, successfully shutting him up.
"Listen, I don't care. I don't need you– I never have! I was with you because I thought that I loved you and that you loved me. " I swallowed thickly, a lump forming in the back of my throat as I tried not to cry.
He doesn't deserve my tears
"Clearly you never did, and that was my mistake. But I won't make that mistake with these kids, so even if you did want something to do with them I wouldn't let you. " I tilted my head back and smiled at Adrian, who looked like he was going to rip Enzo's head off at any moment.
Reaching back, I grabbed his hand and looked back at Enzo, noticing how he glared at our intertwined hands.
"I found someone who does love me– pregnant and all. But I can't be with him because I'm too scared to fall in love again." tears started streaming down my face and I noticed how the crowd surrounding us had gone quiet. I feel like we're at the school's parking lot all over again.
"So please Enzo, just leave me alone… " I pleaded, hoping that he would understand that I meant every word. That he would let me go.
I watched as a dark look washed over his features. One second I'm standing there trying to convince Enzo to leave me alone, then the next I'm falling to the ground– my left cheek was burning and my ears were ringing from the brute force of his slap. Before I could land on the ground, multiple pairs of hands caught me.
Jake, Jade, and Bri were the ones who caught me.
"Oh my god! Ever, are you alright?!" Bri shrieked helping me steady myself, while Jade did a once over making sure I wasn't hurt anywhere else.
"Yeah… yeah I'm fine, just a little shaken up… " I stuttered, reaching up and gently pressed my hand against my swelling cheek. Hissing when my hand brushed against my lip, I realized that, not only did Enzo just hit me– something he promised me he would never do– he also busted my lip. The taste of copper on my tongue nearly made me sick.
"ADRIAN STOP! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM! " whipping my head around toward Jake's panicked scream, I was horrified at the sight before me.
Adrian was on top of Enzo's nearly unconscious body dealing blow after blow to his face. Each sickening thud of his fist against my ex-boyfriend's skin sent a wave of fear down my spine. I'm scared– terrified even. What if Adrian turns out to be like Enzo– he promised he would never hit me and did it anyway…
What if he's no different?...
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the nauseating crack of a bone breaking. Worried, I ran to help Jake pull Adrian off of a now passed-out and very bloodied Enzo.
"Adrian come on let's go, he's had enough we–"
"Enough!? Ever, he hit you! Do you really expect to just let him walk away after that?! Your pregnant for fucks sake! " he snarled, still trying to get out of Jake's hold while avoiding looking at me.
"Just look at him, man! This guy can't even stand up anymore! Calm down! " Jake argued, holding him tighter.
Gently grabbing the sides of his face, I turned his head and forced him to look at me. When he looked into my eyes I could see all of his hurt, his anger, and a little bit of something I couldn't quite recognize slowly morph into concern when his eyes flickered down to my lip. Adrian slowly raised his hand towards my face and tenderly brushed his fingers along my freshly bruised face.
"I'm so sorry… " his voice trembled as his hand slowly made its way towards my lip, " I couldn't protect you… "
I tried to hide the pain I felt when his hand accidentally pushed a little too hard on my lip, but I failed. Wincing slightly in pain, he quickly pulled his hand back, a look of regret and sadness swimming in his eyes.
" I'm so sorry precious..." The way he sounded like he was going to cry broke my heart, so when Jake and I successfully pulled him away from Enzo's body, I threw my arms around his neck and held him close. He didn't hesitate and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer–but not too tight that he could harm the babies.
He always puts me and the babies first so there is no way that this man is anything like Enzo… I'm ashamed that I even entertained the idea that these two could ever be the same.
"Please stop apologizing, this isn't your fault. If anything I should be thanking you, "
Before he could say anything, the sound of sirens in the distance sent everyone into a frenzy.
"SHIT! ITS THE COPS, EVERYBODY RUN! "
I noticed a couple of people I recognized from school lift Enzo off the ground before running in the direction of his bike. Adrian grabbed my hand and we raced our way back to his bike and panicked when we couldn't find it.
"shit where the hell is it!? " scanning the crowd, I was just able to make out the very familiar black motorcycle on the back of Paula's pickup.
Jade and Bri were waving around like maniacs trying to get our attention.
"OVER THERE! " I yelled, pointing in the direction I saw them in. Adrian nodded and wasted no time in picking me up bridal style and booked it to the truck, dodging people and bikes left and right as they roared past us.
"Do you have a baggie? " Paula asked as we entered the truck. Adrian barely had enough time to close the door before she started driving full speed out of the parking garage.
"I have the bag the waitress gave me when we got our ice cream to go, Why?" I asked as Adrian helped me sit in the middle seat and buckle up.
"Because you might need it! " I was about to ask her what she meant when she took a really sharp turn into the alleyway next to the parking garage, and then another sharp turn so that we were now on the main road to her house.
Blue and red lights flooded my vision the second I thought that we were safe, and I instinctively grabbed Adrian's hand, giving it a hard squeeze.
"Hold on tight, this might get rough! " Paula yelled over the sirens that now blared behind us.
And rough it was indeed. We drove around for what felt like hours, trying to get rid of the cop car that was tailing us. We were finally able to get rid of it though thanks to the train that routinely passes through town.
It was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing that has ever happened to me and I couldn't stop laughing the rest of the way home.
I laughed even harder when Paula muttered about 'being too old for this shit. " She and Adrian laughed along with me. His arm wrapped around my shoulder and he pulled me further into him, placing a soft kiss to the side of my head.
"How are you feeling? " I knew what he meant, but I chose to play dumb
"You mean about the fact that I felt like I was just in a freakin Fast And The Furious movie? I'm awesome! " I smiled when I saw his lip twitch in amusement.
He sighed, "You know what I mean Ever. " He looked directly into my eyes and it felt like I was just seeing him for the first time.
His eyes that were dark like the midnight sky were filled with so much warmth, and a love so intense that I had to look away. His short chestnut brown hair was disheveled and rested just shy above his brow bone– right next to a small scar. His squared chin was covered in stubble that made him look more mature and sexy.
The more I stared at this gorgeous man in front of me the more flustered I became. I could feel my heart beating so hard that I wouldn't be surprised if he heard it.
I cleared my throat and rested my head against his shoulder, playing with his fingers, "I'm okay, I promise. " Kissing each of his bruised and still slightly bloodied knuckles, I could feel him slowly relax.
I could feel the drowsiness I felt earlier slowly return, so I decided to finish what I was saying before the cops decided to interrupt.
"Thank you for standing up for me," I started, trying to ignore the heat of his stare on the side of my face.
"You may have overdone it just a tad, " I laughed, "but I'm still grateful. "
"I hate that you saw me like that… " the sadness I saw in his eyes made my heart clench, "but I don't regret what I did. "
"Good, because you shouldn't. " I finalized, curling myself into his side. He let out a heartfelt laugh that made my insides ignite and placed a kiss on my forehead, pulling me closer.
"You guys are so cute it's almost disgusting." Paula yawned, turning on the radio to play some 80s rock music. Adrian and I only chuckled, falling asleep in each other's arms shortly after.
There's nothing like almost becoming a criminal to end your day.
...…
The next morning I woke up to the smell of freshly cooked bacon and French toast. I don't know what time we got home, but it must have been super late because as I looked at the alarm clock next to my bed I realized it was 11:30– guess I'm not going to school today.
Yawning as I stretched, I rubbed my belly, "Good morning my beautiful babies, today's gonna be a good day! "
A sudden knock on my door startled me as I was getting up from the bed, "Come in! "
Adrian greeted me with a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek when he walked in, "Morning precious, I made breakfast if you're hungry!"
I smiled "Morning Bub, I'll be down after I get a shower, " After pulling clothes out of my dresser, I turned and noticed how he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, scratching the back of his neck.
"What's wrong? "
"Your dad is downstairs, and it's getting kind of awkward… "
I chuckled, patting his cheek as I walked out of my room and into the bathroom, "You're a big boy, I'm sure you can handle 20 more minutes. "
He started sulking like a little kid as he followed me to the bathroom, "but he's scary… "
My dad is a 40-year-old man who stands at 5'5– almost half a foot shorter than Adrian. So it's adorable that he's so scared of my dad.
"You're gonna be fine, he's not THAT scary– believe it or not, he likes you. "
He hummed in response, scratching his chin before looking at me with a hopeful smile, "Are you sure you won't be lonely? "
"I'm sure" I laughed while quickly closing the door behind me. "Have fun, I'll try to be quick! "
"You better! I don't know how much longer I can sit through your dad's interrogating glare! "
...
Just to mess with Adrian, I decided to take an extra long shower. Shaving your legs when you're pregnant is hard, what can I say? Plus all of my fans at my pretend concert wanted an encore– who was I to deprive them of such a thing? I also had to cover up this ugly ass bruise Enzo decided to give me last night!
There's nothing I can do about my split lip so I'll just have to make something up if he asks me about it.
Sauntering my way into the living room after my most refreshing shower, I noticed both Adrian and my father sitting on opposite sides of the room. Adrian on the leather recliner, and my dad on a matching couch.the sight alone made me laugh silently as i greeted dad with a back hug and a kiss on the cheek. I made sure to send a cheeky wink toward Adrian, who didn't seem too amused with my mischievous behavior this morning.
"Good morning Father" I greeted in the most posh British accent I could muster up in that moment without laughing. It was something we used to do before…well, you know…
It made me happy when he was more than willing to oblige, "Good morning daughter, how was your slumber? Good I hope! "
"Well, I'm still a bit knackered, but I'll manage. " I plopped down on the couch next to him, laughing a bit when I noticed Adrian looking at us with his brow raised in both amusement and confusion.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the middle of giving a lecture right now? " I asked, noticing the clock on the wall saying 12:20– the usual time my dad has a class.
"I got a call from the school this morning, they said you didn't show up for classes so I got worried and came over to check on you, " he motioned towards Adrian who was sitting there silently with a look I couldn't quite describe as he watched our small interactions.
"when I made it over here Adrian had told me about the crazy night you two had! "
"Oh yeah? " I looked over at Adrian silently panicking, but he only shrugged with a sly smirk that said 'two can play at this game' and I never wanted to punch myself more for screwing with him before.
my skin grew cold as I replayed the events from last night in my head. The babies kicked for the first time. I found out that Adrian, Jake , and Jade are illegal street racers– Enzo hit me, Adrian nearly killed him, and then we were chased by the cops. I'd say it was more than eventful– it was downright insane!
"yeah! He told me about how you just couldn't keep anything down, so you were puking off and on, all night long! My poor little girl! " He pulled me into his chest, rubbing my back soothingly.
and for a moment I was brought back to a nostalgic moment when my dad would hug me after a bad day of school, reassuring me that he would always be there for me when things got bad. It almost made me cry.
Speaking of nostalgia… I meant to call him yesterday about the odd dream I had after my nap yesterday.
"Dad?" Sensing the sudden seriousness in my demeanor, he pulled away and looked at me with curious eyes.
"yes? What's the matter sweetheart? "
I looked over at adrian, silently asking him to give us the room for a bit. He understood almost immediately, "I'm uhh, gonna go do… something, I guess? " He wasn't very subtle about his exit, and it made me smile.
"Is there something wrong with the babies? " my eyes widened as I violently shook my head.
"no no no! It's nothing like that, the babies are fine! I just have to ask you about something… "
"Can I ask you something first? " his eyes flickered to the cut on my lip and I let out a nervous laugh, playing with the hem of my shirt.
"ah this? " I pointed to my lip, "I opened my door a little too hard last night and it smacked me in the face– it left a pretty nasty bruise too but I decided to cover it up so it didn't worry you… "
He stared at me skeptically for a moment, before ruffling my still slightly damp hair with a wide grin, " I guess you're still just as clumsy as I remember. "
"yeah I guess I never really grew out of that. " I giggled, pulling my knees to my chest. Well as much as I could to my chest anyway.
"So what is it you want to talk to me about?"
"The thing is, " I scratched at the nape of my neck, not entirely sure how to begin. With a reassuring smile, dad placed his hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"it's alright, take your time. "
After taking a few deep breaths, I began speaking– feeling slightly more confident.
"well yesterday, I had a dream about something, but it seemed too real to just be a dream… " I noticed how dad's demeanor changed slightly. He was no longer slouching, and he had turned his body so he could face me more directly.
"what was it about?..." he seemed nervous as a rather pensive look washed over his face.
"I was a little girl again and we were visiting Mom at the hospital, but when she saw me she freaked out and tried to kill me with a pen when I asked who Niko was– she called me a little murderer." as I began explaining I watched as his face paled with every word I spoke– which only confirmed my suspicions.
It wasn't just a dream after all… it really happened.
"Dad… who was Niko really? And why does mom blame me for his death? "
"He was your twin brother… and he died at birth… "