Smoke and Promises
Rory POV
The phone buzzed loud sharp, mean screen glowing bright in the dark unknown number cutting through our quiet. My heart jumped fast, my breath shaky, and I reached slow, scared watching it shake on the floor Leo’s hand tight on my arm his eyes wide, tense both of us still sweaty from the couch rent forgotten fear creeping back. It stopped silence heavy and my chest eased slow, soft leaning into him his breath warm on my neck hope trembling thin danger fading light for now.
Days stayed tight cash low, rent late my hands sore from pouring drinks Leo’s shoulders stiff from shelves both of us quiet worn out bills glaring red fifty bucks short mocking us still stress eating us slow. That night, I slumped on the couch shirt damp, feet aching my eyes heavy watching Leo grab his jacket slow, quiet his hands fidgeting light his grin small, shaky too quick.
“Going for a walk,” he said voice soft pulling the hood up his eyes dodging mine slipping to the door fast, sneaky my stomach twisting small, cold something off something wrong. “Be back soon,” he added quick, light shutting the door click soft but loud my chest buzzing tired, unsure letting it go trusting him wanting to needing to after everything.
I waited hours slow TV humming low my legs restless my hands picking at the couch thread loose my heart thumping soft, steady thinking of him his shy grin his warm hands missing him here cash tight life hard us still us holding on. The clock hit midnight door creaking slow and my head snapped up breath fast seeing him slip in hood down hair messy his grin big too big my chest jumping soft, scared watching him close smelling it smoke sharp, thick clinging to him poker smoke old demons back trust shaking fast.
“Hey,” he said voice light tossing his jacket quick, clumsy his hands in his pockets bulging heavy his eyes flicking away shifty, quick my stomach sinking cold, hard knowing it feeling it lie sitting there plain, mean. My legs stood slow, stiff my chest buzzing mad, hurt stepping close smoke hitting stronger cigars, sweat poker stink my throat burning eyes stinging watching him dodge watching him hide again.
“Where’d you go?” I asked voice calm sharp my hands on my hips my heart racing waiting, watching needing truth needing him straight after all we’d fought after all we’d swore. He shrugged slow, small his grin fading his hands pulling out empty now too late my chest tightening anger creeping slow, hot knowing he’d slipped knowing he’d lied smoke screaming it loud.
“Just walked,” he said voice flat his eyes on the floor fingers twitching shaky, quick my stomach flipping mad, sick smelling bullshit smelling smoke trust bending cracking slow. I stepped closer breath fast my hand brushing his jacket soft, cold feeling it pockets heavy bulging still my heart sinking proof waiting lie breaking right there right now.
“Don’t,” I said voice low grabbing the jacket quick, firm digging in my fingers finding it cash thick wad rolled tight hundreds glaring my chest cracking mad, hurt holding it up shaking bad eyes on his wide, pale caught, bare trust gone shattered fast. “You swore you were done,” I said voice breaking my hands trembling money slapping the table thud loud my throat tight tears close anger boiling hot, raw cutting deep old demons back promises dust him slipping me breaking us falling again.
“Rory ” he started voice shaky stepping close his hands out soft, scared my chest heaving shoving him back quick, hard my eyes burning wet, mad not wanting his touch not wanting his lies not now not after this after us. “I won big,” he said voice quick his grin small shaky, dumb trying to fix it trying to dodge it my stomach twisting cold, sick hating it hating him right then right there.
“You lied!” I shouted voice loud cracking hard my hands in my hair pulling tight my legs shaking anger spilling wild, raw tearing us open trust bleeding fast, deep. “You promised me, Leo!” I yelled voice breaking my chest buzzing hurt, hot stepping close eyes on his wet, scared watching him flinch watching him break knowing he did knowing he chose poker over me cash over us lies over truth again, again, again.
“I did it for us!” he shouted back voice rough his hands clenched shaking bad his eyes flashing mad, hurt stepping up close, loud my chest heaving my throat burning not buying it not caring not now lie too big cost too high trust too gone shattered cold empty fast. “Rent’s covered more!” he said voice cracking pointing at the cash thick, mean my stomach flipping mad, sick hating it hating him hating us right then right there.
“You don’t care ‘til it’s too late!” I yelled voice raw tears slipping hot, fast my hands slamming the wall bang loud my chest breaking wild, hurt everything spilling Frankie, debts, fights him hiding me carrying trust gone love bruised cracking deep too deep too much too now. He froze still, pale his breath fast his eyes wet dodging mine his hands dropping soft, empty my heart twisting mad, soft watching him shrink watching him lose watching us fade fast, hard breaking loud.
“You don’t get it,” I said voice low shaking bad stepping back slow, cold my chest heaving tears drying anger settling cold, sharp cutting him off cutting us down trust gone hope thin love cracking shaky, weak done, so done right then right now. “I can’t won’t keep fixing this,” I muttered voice breaking grabbing my jacket quick, rough my legs moving fast, stiff heading out needing air needing gone needing free him breaking me me breaking him us breaking all.
“Rory ” he said voice small stepping close his hand reaching shaky, soft brushing my arm light, scared my heart jumping soft, dumb stopping me freezing me just a second my chest buzzing wanting him hating him tears close trust gone still him still us still here shaking hard breaking slow wanting back wanting out stuck, stuck, stuck.
“You’ll kill us,” I whispered voice cracking turning fast eyes on his wet, pale watching him flinch watching him break my throat tight my hand on the knob twisting slow pushing out cold air hitting sharp, fast my legs shaking walking quick down stairs dark, loud leaving him leaving cash leaving lies trust fractured deep, raw cutting me open cutting him down gone, gone breaking free breaking apart breaking us hard.
He stood door open watching me go his breath fast tears falling soft, quiet my chest echoing far, cold feeling it knowing it hurting bad hurting him hurting us old demons winning poker pulling him slipping me walking trust gone love bruised shaky, thin fading slow breaking loud leaving him there alone, small cash mocking promises dust us dust too late too late too late again.
Then a roar hit low, loud down the street my heart jumping fast my breath catching quick spinning slow eyes wide dark blurring seeing lights red, sharp cutting night car rolling close slow, mean my stomach flipping cold, hard fear crashing fast, sharp watching shadows tall, dark stepping out boots loud metal glinting sharp, close my chest buzzing wild, scared knowing it feeling it Frankie’s eyes maybe watching me watching us watching him danger back trust broken hope shaking something mean something big rushing fast cutting deep leaving me leaving him leaving us hanging breaking waiting sharp now.