The time was past twelve. Selena pedaled her bicycle hard and fast on the white curvy road that led to Victor’s cabin hut. Slung to the handle bar of the bicycle was a grocery bag. Inside the bag was a roll of newspapers. As she rode, her heart was beating fast, an exhilarating excitement coursed through her. She couldn’t wait to see Victor.
All of a sudden, farther in the distance ahead of her, she saw a car coming fast and hard recklessly on the dusty road, throwing up dust. It was as if the driver was crazy or something. The ray of the sun shone hard on the car and it glinted like diamond. It was a red car. It was Marianna alright. No one needed to tell her. Expertly, she swerved the bicycle into the thickets, dismounted and crouched down. Few moments later, the red swept past her. Through the windshield, Selena caught a glimpse of Marianna. A cigarette hung limply on her lips. She was white, and she was sullen and scowling. Selena could have sworn she was crying. What happened? She wondered. Did something happen between Marianna and Victor ?. The only way to find out was to get to Victor . Quickly she picked up the bicycle, mounted it and rolled out of thickets onto the road.
When she got to the cabin hut, the door flung open and Victor stepped out. He was wearing an open ripped Jean shirt, showcasing his magnificently developed torso, jean pants and boots. His hair was tousled and his face was heavy with a frown. When he saw her, a little smile came to his lips. But the frown was still evident on his face “Hey, how’s my rabbit doing?” He stuck his hand into his inner pockets and raised his other arm, resting it on the wood that held the roof of the cabin.
Selena pouted at him. Inside of her, she was all fired up. She had missed him so much and seeing him standing there, looking sexy as hell, she couldn’t manage to feign any pretense.
“Where’s your phone, Victor? I’ve been calling you crazy.” She whined as she dismounted from the bicycle. She took off the grocery bag, rested the bicycle on the porch rails of the cabin and came over to where he stood. They stared at each other. Victor’s eyes burned into hers with a hot intensity. His gaze unsettled her. He leaned forward so that his nose was close to the nape of her neck. He inhaled deeply. She shivered as his nostrils fanned her.
“Hmmmm, been a while I smell beautiful.” His voice was deep and gritty.
“Beautiful that you didn’t bother to call or pick her call?” She said tightly, her heart throbbing wildly in her chest. Down below her, she felt a trickle of wetness between her thighs and she cursed herself for being so weak when with him.
Victor leaned away from her and stared at her for a long moment.
“I’ve been busy these past few days. A lotta things came up.” he said solemnly.
“But baby, I’ve been worried sick. I thought something had happened.” She wailed. “When I saw your text this morning, you can’t even imagine how happy I was.”
Victor shrugged his shoulders but he did not say anything.
Infuriated, she gnawed on the bottom of her lips.
“I saw Marianna’s car. What was she doing here?” She said curtly.
“Nothing,” he replied.
“Nothing?” She glared at him. “Victor, I don’t like this. It’s that why you haven’t got time to pick my calls? Cause of Marianna? Because she has been here for two days fucking you while I desperately try to reach you?” Her eyes were filled with rage but Victor wasn’t moved.
“Like I said, I’ve been busy,” he said absentmindedly and looked down at the grocery bag she was holding. “Brought the papers?”
She nodded stiffly.
“Good! Let’s go in.” and he moved away from her and entered the cabin hut.
Selena squeezed her face. Nothing even a kiss! Nothing even a hug. Gosh, I wanna feel like strangling this man! Humph! She thought as she entered the cabin hut. Despite the hotness outside, the room was cool and airy.
“Let’s have it.” Victor said, anxiously, his palm out.
Selena bit hard on her inner lip but said nothing. She dropped the grocery bag on the cane chair and took out the papers. She threw it to him angrily. He caught it. If he took note of her haughtiness, he did not show it. He moved to one of the cane chairs in the room and sat heavily into it. He opened the small fridge and took out a can of beer. He opened it sharply and quickly lifted it to his mouth, absorbing the foam of the beer on the rim of the can. He put the beer on the table and unrolled the papers. He began to read. Selena dropped onto the bed, lying flat on her back, her hands folded behind her head. She watched his face closely, trying to see if she could read anything going on through his mind from his eyes but she got nothing. The stiffening silence in the room was broken by the rustle of the papers as Victor flipped through it. After a while, he flung the papers aside and picked up the beer.
“Caesar is doing a lot in that town.” he said tightly as he drank the beer.
Selena narrowed her eyes at him.
“What do you mean?”
Victor shook his head.
“Christ! I warned those fools! I warned them!” He drew in a sharp, long breath. These past few days had been hell for him. The whole thing with the wedding, seeing Jack and his former pack, seeing Safiya again; the woman had thrown him into his misery, and now Caesar killing off his kind. He was highly disappointed with what he had read in the papers about how Caesar had killed two werewolves and one had luckily managed to escape. This was all too much to bear. All of a sudden, he slammed the beer can in his hand to the floor. “Fuck it!” he yelled.
Selena screamed.
“Victor ! What is it?” She was terrified and it showed on her face.
“It’s nothing, sweetheart! It’s nothing.” he said breathlessly and dropped into the chair. His head dropped down, his arm akimbo on the table, his hand covering his face.
Selena jumped to feet. Quickly she picked up the bursted can that was oozing out beer onto the flood. She opened the door and flung the fan into the thickets. Then she looked around the room. She saw a dirty rag wedged into a corner. She picked it and dropped down to her knees. She mopped the beer spillage clean and took out the rag outside to dry. She washed her hand in a small basin, dried it thoroughly and turned to look at Victor. Where he sat he looked so forlorn and unhappy. She couldn’t see his face but she knew something was bothering him. He must have read something in the papers. she wondered what it was. Quietly, she came over to where he sat. She placed her hands on his massive shoulders. The warmth of his skin burned her through the shirt he had out on.
“Baby,” she said in a voice scarcely above a whisper. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing!” He answered in a low voice.
Selena's face creased into a deep frown. She hated it when he was like this. She hated it when he wouldn’t tell her anything.
“I don’t like this Victor,” she complained. “Why wouldn’t you talk to me? Why wouldn’t you talk? It's nothing! It's nothing! But you just threw your beer can on the floor! It’s nothing! But you just yelled ‘fuck it’ and now you don’t look so happy. Why can’t you just say anything? Just something! What the hell is going on?” She shrilled.
“Because there’s nothing in hell you can do about it!” He said and dragged his hands through his thick hair.
Her violet eyes stared at him incredulously.
“What? So because I can’t do anything about what you are going through, that means you shouldn’t tell me anything about it?”
Victor hunched his shoulders indifferently.
“It’s a man thing, Violet. There is something as a woman you can’t handle no matter how you try. This is one of them. Let’s sit this out, please.” and he turned his face away from her.
Selena was stunned. She looked at him, her eyes a cold pellet of ice. She moistened her lips with her tongue. Then she nodded her head.
“Okay, alright! Since you want to sit this out, then let’s sit. I guess you don’t need me. I’m getting the fuck outta of here.” and she started towards the door. As she opened it, Victor rushed to her and caught hold of her arm.
“Selena! Wait!”
She paused at the entrance, one leg inside, the other, outside. She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with anger, her face hard as granite.
“What is it?” She sneered at him. “What do you want?”
“Don’t go! I want you to stay.” Victor said gently, his eyes pleaded with her.
Selena saw the solemnity on his face. But she was not going to give ground. If he wants her here, then he must act like it. Behave like it.
“Why? I thought you don’t wanna talk to me?”
He dragged his hands through his hair exasperatedly.
“Of course I want you here, sweetheart. But there are a lot of things that are going on with me. Personal things. Things that most people don’t know. You know, I’m still getting used to being in love with a woman. Hell, I'm still getting used to a lot of things. But I promise you sweetheart, with time I will get used to telling you things. Just be patient with me, my love.” there was contrition on his handsome, rugged face.