The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Chapter 21

Hunter

Blue had been upset for the next few days and I didn’t understand the reason why. Normally, she was very cheerful, talker non-stop, made me laugh and constantly asked me to strip from down below so she could see what all the fuss was about. But since the time that she’d been back from Hannah’s she’d remained aloof. I asked her a question, and her head was often in the clouds.

This was very unlike of her.

And now her behavior was bothering me because it continued on for another week. When Blue asked me one afternoon if she could hangout with Hannah, I said yes. I didn’t understand why she needed permission from me to go with my sister, and the same evening she said Alec invited her to go to the movies with him.

Say what?

“You said yes?” I asked Blue as I watched her dump her shopping bags into her space of the wardrobe

She was earning a lot at Max’s club, way more than what I was making at my family restaurant. She didn’t even ask me for cash anymore, and I would be kidding if I said it didn’t hurt my feelings just a wee bit.

“Of course I said yes. It’s just a movie. I haven’t been to a movie theater before.” Blue explained. Her expressions read ′duh, who turns down an invitation for a movie.′

I wanted to tell her that if she was wasn’t so fucking busy with her work schedules; I would have gladly taken her out to one. And now Alec had beaten me to the punch. Literally fucking asked her out on a date, so casually and she’d said yes.

What if Blue thought Alec was a better option then me? Maybe she liked the whole rough around the edges look he had going.

I would kill myself before I let Alec take Blue out on a date all alone. What if he had other intentions towards her? I couldn’t take any risk.

“Do you mind if I join you?” I asked.

She gave me a very bright smile. “Of course, Hunter. That would be so much fun.” She genuinely wanted me to join Alec’s date.

Take that Alec Rogers.

* * *

I went with a blue ripped denim jeans and a black t-shirt which I’d dressed on purpose to match with Blue’s black t-shirt that had a cat print on it, so now the two of us would end up looking like a couple. She took her pink colored emoji poo bag with her that consisted of a perfume, lip-gloss and her phone. I tried to change her mind about the choice of her bag but she insisted about taking this one.

The look on Alec’s face when he saw me climbing into the passenger seat of his car was priceless. Blue sat in the backseat.

“Hey man, hope you don’t mind me tagging along, Blue invited me to go with you guys.” I slid that in.

“No problem, man.” He said with a tight smile.

“I’m so excited for this movie. I can’t wait.” Blue said from the backseat.

Apart from the music, there was an awkward silence in the car. Blue was humming a tune in the backseat. She fiddled with the power window buttons, rolling it up and down, up and down. She

stopped when I asked her to.

When we stood in line to buy snacks for the movie, Alec raced to the other counter, dodging through people and bought a large bucket of popcorn and he presented it to Blue like an Oscars trophy.

Blue smiled and shook her head. “I don’t eat popcorn. Last time I tried to, it got stuck in my throat.” She looked at me shyly. “Hunter promised to buy me nacho chips with a lot of cheese. Right, Hunter?”

“Right.” I agreed with her.

At least ask the girl what she wanted, doucheface!

Alec’s face was like a glass window that had begun to start cracking into pieces. “Oh, I can buy you a drink then.”

Blue shook her head again. “My head gets woozy with drinks. I don’t want that again. Hunter says I shouldn’t drink.”

I snorted. She clearly didn’t understand he was talking about soda. Alec started saying something and then shut his mouth. He waited at the door until we’d gotten our snacks. I got a ticket that I hoped was close to Blue and Alec’s because I ain’t gonna never sit in the back or the front keeping an eye on these two.

“Where’s your seat, Brantley?” Alec asked, obviously teasing me.

“Guess I’ll just have to go sit at the back. You wanna trade seats with mine?”

Alec laughed. “Hell no, but you’re lucky to get a seat far up at the back even though you bought it at the last minute.”

“But, why can’t Hunter sit with us?” Blue asked.

“Because his seat isn’t near ours, honey.”

Honey? She ain’t no one’s honey. Stop calling her that!

I could see the two making their way to the middle row. I sat down in the backseat disappointed and frustrated with the entire situation, stuffing my mouth with a handful of popcorn in a very unattractive fashion. The lady beside me threw me a look.

What? People couldn’t even eat popcorn now?

The ads before the movies began and instead of focusing on the screen, I was looking at the two in the front. I couldn’t see much in the dark, but I saw how Blue was laughing and Alec leaned really close to her and whispered something in her ear.

Panic surged inside me like hot volcanic lavas, and acting on impulse, I was walking towards their row. I crept up beside the guy and asked him if he could trade seats with me. He was watching the movie alone and obviously didn’t want to be stuck seated beside an obviously giggling couple. Also, my seat was at the back, it was the best trade ever.

I sat down beside Blue and whispered, “Hello beautiful.”

She was surprised for a moment and then gave me a wide smile. “Hunter! How did you...” she looked behind and back at me. “There was someone else sitting here a moment ago, how did you do that?”

“Magic, Sweetheart. I can do magic.” I said.

“That’s wonderful. I didn’t realize you were capable of doing magic.” She said genuinely and that made me laugh.

Alec’s grin was wiped off his face. He grimaced and muttered something under his breath.

It was a zombie apocalypse movie starring Blue’s new favorite actor Colby Cooper. She’d watched all his movies and had asked me if she could meet with the actor. I’d told her I would try my best one day. So basically, the entire island was infested by zombies, the hero and the heroin of the movie were trying hard to survive on the island, and then start falling in love.

Some girls around literally screamed and cringed when there was a scene of the hero butchering the zombie’s brains, but not our Blue. Her eyes were glued to the screen and she continued to slurp the drink until there was no more Just the sound of the loud slurping disturbed the silence while Colby delivered an emotional dialogue.

Sluuuuuurrrrrrrpppppp.

The ice cubes jiggled loudly. And someone shushed her from the backseat. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Blue, you’re not supposed to do that. If the glass is empty, we need to throw it in the trash later, okay?”

“Okay.” She said.

I noticed as Alec slid his hand on top of the Blue’s that was resting on the armrest, but Blue didn’t move her hand, she didn’t even notice that he was making an attempt of touching her. He was slowly tracing her fingers. I glared at him, but he ignored it. I wanted to tell him to back off and I could feel the veins in my neck starting to burst with the wrath starting to bubble up. I counted back from ten just how my therapist told me to.

“Sweetheart, that’s Alec’s armrest, take your arm off it,” I took my hand off the armrest that I was using, “Here. You can rest on mine.”

Blue removed her hand from beneath Alec’s innocently. “Sorry for using your armrest, Alec.” She even apologized.

So pure. So innocent. God, or whoever you are, if you’re really up there, thank you for sending this mermaid-angel to me. Thank you for letting me find her.

A while later, Blue said. “Hunter, I want to use the bathroom.”

“Alright, I’ll come with you.”

She laughed. “I saw where the bathroom was. I can go alone.”

“I’ll still come.” I repeated.

“Okay.”

I waited outside the ladies restroom for her. A few girls who passed gave me appreciative glances, even the ones who had a date. I ignored them all. Gone were my playboy days. I watched Blue walking out of the restroom doors, I hadn’t paid much attention earlier tonight how the jeans hugged her round bottom or how her aqua hair looked like a glowing stick.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked giggling, as she walked beside me. “What are you thinking?”

I stared at her. “You can’t find out?”

“The last time I tried to look into your mind, you left me at Hannah’s. I don’t want to do the same thing again because I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t like to see you upset.”

I took her hand in mine, and laced our fingers. “I will not leave unless you ask me to.”

“I would never ask you of that.” She said giving my hand a squeeze.

“And yet you say you will leave me in one month. Tell me, Blue, how is that fair?”

She went quite all of a sudden. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but I’d asked her a question that continued to bug me day and night.

We went back to the theater and realized we hadn’t missed much. Alec was still finishing his popcorn. At the end of the movie, the character played by Colby Cooper dies tragically. Blue started sniffling beside me, she was crying.

“Sweetheart, what happened? Why are you crying?”

Alec offered her his tissues.

“Poor Henry. He’d just gotten married in the last movie, why did he have to die in this one?”

Alec laughed. “You’re hilarious, Blue.”

“It’s acting, Blue. They are actors. None of this happened for real.” I told her.

“Acting?”

“Yeah. They get paid to do this.”

“So...there are no zombies?” she asked.

I chuckled. “No, there aren’t.”

She smiled, wiping her tears. “I’m happy Colby is alive in real life.”

* * *

Alec drove us back home, and stopped the car right in front of my apartment building. Blue was sleeping peacefully in the backseat, snoring softly. She was literally a child disguised as a woman.

He let the engine run, and we stared straight ahead. This was the moment where I told him where he and I stood in Blue’s life.

“Look Alec, I really appreciate you asking Blue to go out for a movie, she’d been wanting to for a while but I can’t let you do that anymore.”

“Speak for yourself.” Alec snapped. “She’s not your girlfriend; neither is she your cousin sister, so why are you even taking decisions for her.”

“My cousin sister?!” I almost yelled at him. “Who the fuck said that?”

“Hannah did.”

I had a laugh. “She’s not my cousin, alright. Hannah is bullshitting you. She was obviously joking.”

“Then what is she? Surely I don’t see you guys acting like a couple, more like good friends, and it looks like you’re the one panting after her.”

“What? Dude, you must be blind! She’s got feelings for me, she just doesn’t say it. It’s as clear as day.” I stated.

“And why is she even living with you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Listen, Hunter…” Alec lowered his voice, and I knew what was going to follow. “I’ve lived in this town and known you all my life even though we’d hardly talked in the past. You’re not the type of a guy who’d take a girl on a date, or even live with her. With Blue, I understand your fascination, heck your obsession with her, but you gotta understand, she’s clearly out of your league man.”

“And that puts you right into her league?” I taunted him.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’ve seen what you’ve done to some girls, the damage.”

I gave out a laugh. “Again, my personal life or my past isn’t your business, Rogers and I’d appreciate if you didn’t bring that up right now. This is a polite request.”

Alec still went on. “It doesn’t change anything.”

“Those girls knew what they were getting into! I wasn’t the type of a guy who’d sleep with girls and then call or text or whatever. I’d told them that specifically. I needed a distraction, they offered to help and I took it. That’s that.”

“Exactly.” Alec’s sneered. “Distraction. That’s exactly what Blue is to you. The moment you get what you want from her, you’ll discard her the same way you did the others.”

I gave out a laugh. “What makes you think I haven’t changed?”

“You just don’t give the domestic vibe.” He said.

My jaw tightened, and the blood had rushed to my head. I was going to pound his head severely right through the car windshield.

He went on. “You should stop playing with her emotions. She’s obviously a virgin.”

That’s it. I had him by the collar, it was an impulse and I was breathing intensely.

“Come on, do it. Hit me. That’s what you’re good at anyway.” Alec said.

My vision was getting hazy and all I could concentrate on was the rage inside my head. My hands shook, his shirt collar was still clenched in my fist. I could hurt him really bad. How dare he? How dare he say that I could never become a good guy for one girl that I loved?

“Hunter…” I heard Blue’s voice from the backseat. “What are you doing?”

And just like that my anger started to evaporate. All it had taken to calm me down was Blue’s voice.

“He’s trying to hit me, Blue.” Alec complained. “That’s what Hunter does when he’s angry at people. He hits them.”

“Is that true, Hunter?” Blue’s soothing voice asked me innocently. Without waiting for me to answer, she said, “I don’t think that’s true. He was angry with me a week back and he never tried to hurt me.”

That shut Alec for good. What he’d brought up in this conversation was really lowly of him. I’d been involved with some gangs before and I had to do things like that to survive and it had gotten me arrested. An innocent man had never been beaten by me.

“Let’s go, Blue.” I said without looking at her.

We entered the apartment, not a word exchanged between us. I took off my boots, and slumped into the lone couch by the window. I felt Blue’s presence behind me and I wouldn’t look at her. I didn’t know how long she’d been awake in the car, if she’d heard our conversation and the things Alec had said about me.

Her fingers ran through my hair, “Don’t be sad, Hunter. I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

I put my arm around her waist and pulled her towards me so my head was buried in her stomach, she smelled amazing, kind of like coconuts and her hands were still in my hair, brushing. It was soothing, and felt like heaven.

“I love you so much.” I told her.

“I know you do.” She replied.

“Did you listen to our conversation?” I asked.

“I was wake only to hear what Alec said in the end, but I didn’t understand it.”

I looked up towards her. “You know I wouldn’t hurt you, right? Not even when I’m at my worst. Please tell me you understand.”

“I understand. I trust you with everything that I have, Hunter. Why are you worrying?”

“I will never take anything from you that you’re not willing to give me.” I told her.

She nodded, “You told me that before.” She shrugged and then said, “I’ll give you everything, just not my Panda mug. I always see you using that in the morning and I’m afraid you’re going to break it. And also, I’m not willing to give you my watermelon bag; you keep staring at it whenever I’m using it.”

I laughed and laughed so hard, I had tears in the corner of my eyes. “How did you even know that I’d wanted those things? You’re a genius, Blue.” I joked.

She smiled in triumph; oblivious to the joke and thinking she’d been correct with her assumption. “At least I’m learning a few things now and then.”

“You are a quick learner.” I admitted.

“Just one question.” She said.

“What’s that?”

“What’s a virgin?”