Messy Love(41)

I sidestepped him and began walking away when his voice stopped me.

“There are things you don’t know about me, Marissa.’’

I looked over my shoulder. “Do you believe you know everything about me? We all have our baggage, but we don’t all lash out at others because of them.’’ Then, I touched the small tats of birds behind my ear, memories coming back at me again and walked away without another look.

***





WYATT


I watched her leave and fought against myself when everything screamed at me to stop her, to make her listen, to say something so she would stop looking at me as if I was the scum of the earth.

But what good would it do? I was a scumbag. I hurt people around me just so I stayed on top, just so I could ensure I was safe.

“You alright, young man?’’ a voice said, quivering from age as I realized once my eyes landed on my right on a short lady with more wrinkles than seemed natural. Her curved back made her appear shorter than she was, which was saying something because she looked pretty short on her weak legs. Also, her thin body covered by a billowy purple dress with tiny pink and white flowers had me wondering for a brief moment if she wouldn’t just fall and break something if she stood outside on a windy day.

“Yeah, yeah I'm all right,’’ I mumbled and stared back to where Marissa was walking. I saw her disappear inside InkSpired and she took with her my opportunity to make things right, or as right as possible.

“You hurt that young lady?’’ she asked, apparently nosey.

Glaring, I stared her down and pursed my lips. She didn’t bat an eyelid. In fact, she smiled wider at me, showing a rank of teeth, I bet weren’t natural. Her thin lips curled up so many wrinkles in her cheeks and around her eyes deepened until they carved lines I couldn’t imagine not there even when she was younger.

“Ha! You can take back that nasty look, boy. I’m too old to be intimidated by a young man who got his behind handed back to him. Men never understand the true meaning of a gesture to get back in our good graces.’’ Then, she laughed and walked inside the liquor shop Marissa had walked us to. Her laughter cackled behind her to better get on my nerves until I was left there like a stupid fucker on the sidewalk with hands balled in my pockets and my heart hammering in my chest. Anger simmered inside me, anger at myself, at the whole damn world too.

“A gesture my ass,’’ I grunted and raked a hand through my hair. I stared back at the shop the old woman walked in and found her eyes still on me between two ads tacked on the dirty window, her smile taunting me. I scowled harder at her and shook my head.

I walked back from where I came and stopped in front of InkSpired for a minute before I kept on walking. It was useless to try and apologize again now. Marissa wouldn’t listen, and in her shoes, I’m pretty sure I’d have welcomed someone with a well-placed punch instead of leading them outside to humor them and exchange a few words.

I would usually say fuck it and move on, but something held me back, and that was probably because of who her birth mother was and how I fucked up for my mom here. I had to put aside my egotistic ass and find a way to get that hurt look in Marissa’s eyes out of her face.

For once, I had to figure out a way not to hurt someone and repair who I had broken. That was, to some extent, for me too.

***





WYATT


I stared down at my third tequila shot and ignored Ralph sitting next to me at the bar where I now knew Marissa, and the others from InkSpired hung out. I was reduced to being a damn stalker to find a way to get my apology out there and accepted, but after the third evening spent here without seeing anybody but that tattoo artist chick with some guy, there was no sign of Marissa. Even Ralph hadn’t been able to get a hold of her on her phone.

“Stop fucking staring,’’ I blurted through clenched teeth. I grabbed the shot and threw the drink into my mouth, head thrown back. When the alcohol went down, it barely warmed me up from the inside. I was already burning up from the two beers and two previous tequila shots.

“Not my damn fault. It’s like when there’s a wreck on the road. You can’t stop looking. I see the wreck coming, and I have a feeling it’s about to explode.’’

“You have a feeling?’’ I snorted and signaled the bartender to get me another shot. He immediately poured me the tequila and served Ralph another beer, his second. For once, he was the sensible one. “Don’t tell me you’re palm reading or some shit too now.’’

His answering laugh made me smirk at him right when I got ready to get my fourth shot. “Alright, Wyatt, slow down on the liquor. It doesn’t look like she’s—''

When he didn’t finish his sentence, I looked up to find him grinning like a fool while his eyes fixed something. I followed his line of sight and my whole body locked down.

There she was.

Marissa wasn’t looking at us, but at Sophie, as she apparently talked her ears off. Both of them had big smiles, but I didn’t spend more than a quick look on Sophie before my full attention was on Marissa.

I drank in the way her dark blue jeans hugged her curves, curves I had explored not so long ago. I took my time taking in the way her InkSpired black t-shirt left little to the imagination when it came to her breasts and how it uncovered a patch of skin above the waist of her pants. She was edible. She was forbidden. She was dangerous.