Truth Forever 21

Truth Forever 21
Truth 

Chelsea was a pain in the ass. But we had a job to do. Fender wanted her at Cooks, where everyone was waiting to celebrate her birthday with her. 

He wanted to buy her, her first legal drink, which was funny all by itself. Everyone knew Chelsea had started drinking way before she was eighteen. Most of us had got her out of more scrapes than I could remember. Fender would call her a wild child with a proud look on his face. I would call her a pain in the ass. 

And she was still a pain in the ass when we pulled up in front of Cooks. Wicked got off his bike first, his face grim. Not that I could blame him. I would have a face like that as well if I had just had her at my back for hours. 

“I want to go home.” She whined as she climbed off the bike. 

“Fender wants you here.”

“I don’t care, do you always do what my dad wants?” She pursed her lips. A stubborn look on her face. 

“Yep.” I didn’t even think about it. I upended her over my shoulder. Ignoring her pathetic whines to let her down. I wasn’t about to do that. Wicked had been right. I needed to find Cali and get her to listen to me.  And I couldn’t do that until I deposited the spoilt princess in front of her father.

I had barely stepped foot out of the rain and into the warm confines of Cooks when her foot connected with my balls. The pain was instant, but it wasn’t her kick that caused the air to leave my lungs in a whoosh. 

Cali stood by the bar. Between Gent and Youngblood. Fender was in front of her. Everyone had smiles on their faces, but they were smiles that slipped when she turned her face towards me. 

“Cali.”

I knew what it looked like. But I couldn’t seem to say anything but her name. I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare at her and the pain that made her face into a mask. 

Gent said something I didn’t catch, all I could see was his hand on her arm. And then she was moving toward me. 

For a second I thought she was coming to me and I loosened my grip on Chelsea’s waist. Letting her slide to the floor. Cali didn’t stop, though. She gave a chin lift in greeting to my brother. But she didn’t even look at me. 

“Cali,” I said it after her back, as the door swung closed behind her. 

“That’s Cali?” Chelsea’s girly voice sounded bemused, and I shot a look at her. Didn’t she get what had just happened? Was she that immature that she didn’t fucking know?

“Go after her.” Someone said from further into the room. I didn’t know who. It didn’t matter. I was already pushing my way out. My eyes searched the street, the rain making everything blurry. 

She was hurrying, almost running with her head down. 

“Cali.” I caught up with her quickly. Spinning her around, so she had no choice but to stop. “Wait.”

Reluctantly she lifted her chin. “What do you want Truth?” There were no tears on her face that I could see, but it was hard to tell with the rain coming down as hard as it was. 

“You.” I reached to pull her towards me. My head dipping. She scooted away. 

“This was a mistake.” She sounded miserable. 

“What was?” I let my fingers trace across her cheek. “Coming to talk to me? You have to realise that Chelsea is no one?”

“Just a girl? Gemma warned me about you. When I saw you getting head that you were a man whore.” She shrugged. “We aren’t together Truth. We haven’t been together for a long time. Who you fuck is none of my business. I wasn’t going to Cooks to see you.” 

She was lying. I was sure of it.

“I went because Gent asked me to go and Gem had been nagging me for days.”

“Days?” My hand slipped up under her hair so I could cup the back of her head. I wanted to kiss her. She was so close. Not quite touching but close enough that I breathed in her scent with every breath. “You have been here days?”

“I came to visit Gem… I…”

“Your roommate Layla made it sound like you had left the country.” I dipped my head again, my lips hovering over hers. Not quite touching. But fuck it was hard. Layla hadn’t quite said that though. She had said she was miles away. Had she known that she was on her way here?

“You went to see Layla? You best not of hurt her.” Her eyes flashed. 

“Of course I didn’t fucking hurt her Cali. What kind of man do you think I am.” I knew what she thought of me, though. She thought I was an animal.  “I would have never of hurt you.”

“I know.”

I blinked at her in surprise. 

“You do.”

“I know you want to believe you wouldn’t have hurt me Truth but let’s be honest you wanted to.”

I took a step back. My face slack. “You really think that? Do you really think I wanted to hurt you? Jesus woman. I’ve been in love with you from the moment I fucking laid eyes on you.” I shook my head. “But I get it now. Come back to Cooks. Have drinks with the people you came here to see.” I sounded bitter, and I didn’t care. I valued honesty above everything else, and she was being honest. “I won’t bother you again.”



“She came here to see you and within five minutes of you talking you have already given up?” Ruin sounded bemused. He wasn’t looking at me, though. His eyes were trained on his old lady Avery as she laughed in the small group that had closed around Cali. 

“She didn’t come to see me. She came to see Gem.” I tore my eyes away from Cali, who was doing a great job in pretending I didn’t exist and turned them on Gent. “And you.”

He didn’t blink.  Didn’t back down even though I was glaring at him. “She did come and see me, it’s true but because she wanted to have a tattoo.” He shrugged. Dismissing me. “ I seem to be her go to guy. Told her I would do it for free.” He winked, and my fist clenched under the table.  Why would he be inking her for free unless?  I forced the thought away.

“You need to stop being a dick and go and get your woman.” Ruin said, and my brother nodded his agreement. 

“She doesn’t want to know, and I am not begging.” My eyes found her again. 

“Then you are a fucking fool. If I hadn’t of swallowed my pride with Avery, do you think she would have given me the time of day?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “ You saved her life, of course, she would. I don’t think I can pull that kind of grand gesture with Cali. As far as I know, her life isn’t in danger.” Was I above begging, though? I wasn’t sure. Hell, I wasn’t sure of anything when it came to Cali.

“Heads up brother.” Wicked lifted his chin, and my breath caught as I watched Cali walk towards our table. Was she coming over to us? 

“Truth?” She stopped in front of me. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey.” They chorused in answer. Every single one of them not even trying to hide their interest.

“Truth? Can we talk?” 

I felt the smile spread across my face and tried to hide it. 

“In private?” She added. Her eyes were doing the rounds of the table. Her meaning clear.

I didn’t want to have this conversation here. Not with so many ears listening in. 

“Yeah, Cali.” I stood, causing the chair to make a screeching sound as it scraped backwards. “We can talk in private.” I wanted to put my arms around her as I lead her out of the bar, but I didn’t. Somehow I kept them at my sides.

She wanted to talk. Which meant I had a chance.

All I had to do now was make sure I didn’t fuck up anymore.