Chapter 18. Insecurities, melted hearts and unexpected kisses.

The stale stench of cigarette mixed with alcohol and body odor pinched her nose sharply while she maneuvered over the glass bottles scattered carelessly on the floor.

More cleaning for her. Helen's location was her last bother as long as she wasn't on the receiving end of possible bruises and verbal attacks, she was okay. This allowed her to tidy the cramped living area.

After keeping her bag upstairs,  she got to work; first picking all the bottles and throwing them in the trash, then sweeping the remnants of cigarettes before dusting the chairs and opening the curtains trying to air the stiff room.

"That should be all over here." She turned and picked up the broom. "Now for the kitchen."

Halfway through clearing the dishes, a ping from her mobile had her wiping her hands on her apron to get to her phone.

'Girl Movie night at my place?'

L.

Her eyebrows pulled together. Girl movie night? Who came up with that? Besides the house was far from being clean and she had no idea when her so-called mother might come back.

Letting a sigh escape, her fingers typed in a response.

'Sorry, I'm kinda busy. Next time?'

A reply came immediately.

'Sure :')'

Leave it to Leilani to use tears and a smiley face together.

The rest of what was left of the day was spent doing homework and resting before surfing the net and finally settling on watching reruns of her favorite TV series.

For the second time today, her phone pinged and she picked it up to read the text.

'You free?'

S

Weighing her options,  she replied.

'Depends on what you want.'

A reply came as soon as she hit the send button bringing a smile to her tired face.

'I'm bored.'

That forced an eye roll out of her.

'I'm too tired and sore for this Storm.'

'Tired? What did you do :0'

Dramatic much?

'I don't need to answer that.'

'Lemme guess. . . you were... Hmm hmm...:0'

Talk about dirty.

'What?! Eww no... Why would you even....'

'Then what WERE you doing?'

'What do you want Storm 0_0?'

'Hangout?'

She bit her lip. She had turned down Leilani's offer for a girl movie hangout and guilt pumped in her head. Not knowing what forces were at play,  she responded.

'Sure. where?'

Was she being easy? She read somewhere that this was meant to be hard for him but that was a waste of time. Her guts were clawing at her stomach in rage and she would kill for a sandwich.

'That cool new restaurant around the corner a few blocks away from my place?'

'Never heard of it.'

'Good. I'm gonna be the first to take you there. . . if yunno what I mean'

'Are you really doing this?'

'Yupp. I'll pick you in ten.'

'Yeah okay.'

'Look sexy;)'

Yeah right. The only sexy thing about her right now was the numbness all over her body and the loud rumble accentuating her hunger.

A bottle of water, change of clothes, and a last round of house checking later, they were on their way with the radio a soothing sound in the background.

"You're quiet." He stated.

"I'm hungry," she explained adjusting the seatbelt which dug into her as if slicing her in half. She sucked in her belly hoping Storm wouldn't take note of her little pudge.

"We'll do something about that then."

She looked out the window watching the people and buildings flash by. She wondered where he would take her but she didn't want to ask to avoid attracting his attention to herself and the pudges of her stomach and sides so she remained silent.

Storm found a parking space at a cute looking restaurant and they got out of the car to enter the place.

Warmth mixed with the different aroma of the sizzling hot orders wafted in the air making Adana's stomach protest even more letting out an angry growl.

She placed her hand on her middle and met the amused gaze of Storm. His eyes were darting across her face as if memorizing every curve making her self-consciousness rise and she straightened in her seat once again trying to suck in her stomach.

Storm leaned forward on her opposite side,  menu in hand. "Will you stop that?"

"Stop what?" She demanded and picked up the menu in front of her. "How do you know I'm doing anything when you aren't even looking at me?"

His sigh came out tired. "You know exactly what you're doing."

"No, I don't."

They lapsed into silence while they selected a meal. After giving their orders to the young waiter who paid extra attention to Adana, Storm turned his eyes on her.

"Maybe it's just me but you keep trying to make yourself appear smaller." Bullseye. He hit the mark right at the heart.

She remained silent not daring to make eye contact with him because she knew she would break down and her insecurities would be glaring at him.

She didn't mind looking at herself in the mirror in the privacy of her room and letting the tears flow but she minded giving him a glimpse of herself. A daunting glimpse into the dark and murky combination of her life.

"I didn't expect you to say anything but we'll talk about it later," he continued, "Right now,  you're hungry and need to eat."

"And Adana?" She hummed her response with a small nod.

"Don't try to cut the amount of food you eat in front of me because I don't care how you look when you eat." He stated and accepted the food flashing his signature smile at the waitress who visibly melted. "You look beautiful no matter what."

That stunned her. Beautiful. Storm thought she was beautiful. She would've laughed if not for the battle going on in her stomach and the dragons flying about wildly.

This must've been some joke. He didn't get it. A mother like hers, combined with a nonexistent father, drugs, sex, possible underground business, and abandon added to her elephant-sized self. Guys like Storm didn't live that sort of life. He had a family who cared and was always there for him. She? A mother who continued getting high on different substances.

She couldn't say the idea of reporting her hadn't crossed her mind more than once but she had killed the idea as soon as it came. If the authorities got involved, there was a possibility of being put in an orphanage and she was no orphan.

Half an hour later they were on their way to Adana's house. The street an empty paradise. The difference between when people milled around and this serene evening, was the difference between her and him. She tried not to focus on it but she couldn't help it and before she knew,  tears had escaped her eyes,  warming her cheeks.

She almost jumped out while the car was still in motion thanking Storm in a choked voice.

Storm caught the tremor in her  voice instantly and ran after her. "Adana."

She fastened her pace even more hoping to reach the door on time, run up to her bedroom, and wallow in self-pity. That was pathetic. Everything about her was pathetic.

"Adana please stop."

She was already on the porch, her hands reaching for the door handle before his voice came from beside her. "Please."

Her shoulders tensed. Nobody except her bullies saw her cry and Storm wasn't a bully. He was the perfect guy next door. Why had he followed her? To sympathize with her? She didn't need his sympathy. What she needed was to be buried in the folds of her bed crying herself to sleep.

When she turned fully, it was to see his eyes holding confusion and. . . tenderness? Maybe she was seeing things. This was all a dream surely.

"I'm sorry."

Her gaze turned to a questioning one with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for being so insensitive."

Her heart missed a beat as the liquid running down her cheeks increased. This wasn't his fault but he took the blame anyway.

He stepped forward, his tangy scent mixed with musky cologne filling her nose making her heart hammer away so hard,  he must've heard. Warmth traveled from him to her when he cupped her cheeks.

"I just wanted you to love yourself," he started,  his voice dripping over her senses and those lips having her wish for things she couldn't have. "Heads turn and boys trip over themselves wherever you go,  I don't know how you can't see it."

"I trip over myself whenever I see you and maybe nobody told you but you're one in a million and I wouldn't change a hair of you."

She attempted a chuckle which came out as a half sigh and laugh. A small smile also graced his features, his eyes darting between her peachy lips and maroon-tinted brown eyes.

His forehead rested against hers and his hands left her face to hold her hips, pressing her to him almost in a greedy manner. She stilled when his breath fanned her, his lips less than an inch away.

"I wanna kiss you," he whispered almost inaudibly before his lips brushed over hers in a light tease.

Forgetting that they stood in front of her house,  she reached up to his collars and brought his head down to connect their lips. She had been unsure of many things in her life but she was more than sure about this. She wanted to kiss him, taste him and feed off his warmth.

The kiss was light and he tasted of spice and honey, warm and firm. His tongue caressed her lower lip, seeking entrance which she granted and he tilted her head back to deepen the kiss, his hand cupping her neck and the other now at her lower back,  crushing her soft frame against his hard one.

They were left breathless when he pulled away placing small worshipping kisses on the corners of her mouth. He stepped back,  his face holding a deep flush, lips plum and pink with a triumphant grin.

"Goodnight."

She raised her hand to touch her tingling lips while he turned and walked to his car. With one more sheepish glance at her, he drove off.