Slice (The Elledge Family #1) (25 page)

Cypress

I reorganized the bathroom four times trying to find the logic behind what Lucas said.
He was dark. He was a monster.
I just wanted him to be frank. I hated him most when he was evasive. I scrubbed the sink until the porcelain was almost dull and then tossed the gloves into the cleaning basket. I was starving and the only thing left in those cabinets would have made one horrendous dinner. I stripped down to my nice pajama shorts and his black sweater he left over from the other night.

My cell phone buzzed on the couch at the same time my front door opened. “Oh shit...”

Lucas chuckled. “I came to save the day with some food from The Summit.” He held up a bag of food and a bottle of wine.

“Why are you really here Lucas?” I had a notion to just take his food and close the door. But I was afraid that would not work in my favor. I silenced my phone and watched him close the door behind him.

“I wanted to talk to you and apologize. I should have stayed and talked everything out.”

“Okay...” I paused. “What do you have in the bag before we start?”

“I have some chicken strips and fries for you and some soup for me. Then there is of course cheesecake and the damn pickles I had to steal from The Summit too.”

“Pickles,” I smiled. “Set up the table and I will break out the wine glasses.”

Lucas entered my apartment which reeked of bleach. I “You just cleaned. Why were you cleaning again?”

I cleaned whenever he pissed me off. It was my way to blow off steam when I knew I shouldn’t try to be the shit out of him. “Would you mind drinking from a regular cup?” I blocked his question out as I searched through the cabinet for the wine glasses. Shia must have stolen them.

“I wouldn't.” He smirked.

“Good.” I pulled two Christmas coffee mug from the cabinet and I poured some wine for him and me. Then I pulled over the food over to us. I could already smell the spices of the batter. The Summit was a world class restaurant. And yes, even the Chicken Strips made me want to slap someone. They were always cooked to perfection. “Okay, what are you going to tell me?”

“Eat your food,” Lucas opened his soup. He was obsessed with soup.
      

“Fine.” The food smelled like heaven and I hadn’t eaten since our fight from before. I dug into my food and waited for him to tell me everything.

“Some people aren't as lucky as you are.”

“Really?” I asked.

“You grew up with a loving mother and father and you really had no issues of the outside worked corrupting you.”

“Well, I did smoke once.”

“God forbid tobacco.” He laughed. “I know sometimes you feel as if you don’t know me and that’s because sometimes I don’t know myself Cypress.” He paused and watched me for a moment. “I know that I've always been dark Cypress and I know that people notice. I used to even do some dark things and then I met you and everything changed.”

“Well Edward Cullen, what is so dark about you?”

“When I was younger, I was addicted to drugs.”

This was nothing new to me. I figured by the way he casually talked about the drugs that he had some kind of prior issue with drugs.

“What kind?”

“Any kind that got me high.” He joked. “Addicts don’t necessarily care about the process to get to the high. It’s the actual high itself.”

“So what made you stop.”

“A new addiction,” he took another bite of his soup and tore off a piece of my chicken.

“What’s the new one?”

“Wanting to be with you.”

“Luc…”

“Let me talk. You wanted me to tell you what was inside and I’ll tell you. Every day I used to wake up seeking a high… it didn’t necessarily have to be drugs.” He cleared his throat and then his hands made their way up to his face. His pinched in frustration and then he exhaled. “I’m so in love with you. It’s not because I just can, it’s just because I have no choice Cypress. I wake up and I want to see you every morning. I have to be around you, it’s uncontrollable. You’ve become that something that takes me there, you’re my high. And honestly, I’m happy it’s you. I would rather it be you than anything else. I’m sorry that I’m closed off. I’m so sorry that I can’t be that guy that tells you everything about me. I can work on it. But it’s not much to see. I’m just a guy addicted to a girl that means more than anything to me.”

“More than anything?”

“More than anything,” He shrugged his shoulders.

Chapter Twelve

Cypress

Grocery shopping, I had dreaded it for months but here I was laundering the aisle with Lucas. The aisles were packed with food that was not currently in my budget and my chaperone was someone who didn’t believe in budgets. I looked at the list. Eggs, Bacon, Milk, Rice, Water. There was absolutely no way in hell I could squeeze a three-dollar jar of pickles in unless I skipped McDonalds tomorrow. “I can afford just one jar.” I mumbled.

“I have told you more than once that I can buy your damned food.” Lucas was emerged in his phone but it hadn’t stopped him from voicing his complaints.

“I’ve told you that I don't want you to buy my food. I would much rather find a better job. I hardly even get to work. Had it not been for my savings account, I would be buried in debt.” College sucked and bills sucked.

“Why struggle?” Lucas stopped mid step and turned his head to me. “I have told you several times that there is no reason for you to struggle.”

“Don't start with me today Lucas.”

“What, I am asking a general question? You struggle because of pride.”

“Shut up,” I rolled my eyes. The shirt he wore was loose on his chest, but his arms fit snugly. It accented them perfectly. My eyes trace down his body at the pants and how they fit him perfectly. My hormones wanted nothing more than to take him to the house and not leave for a few hours but there was no time for that. “When are you leaving for Ireland?”

“I don't know. Callum said something about coming here for a while. He was thinking about moving to New York. But I was thinking that I would like to go there for Spring Break in a few months. Maybe for summer vacation. I don’t know. Why?”

“That sounds good. I was just wondering. I know that you miss your cousin and your family there.”

“I miss them a ton. But I think that they can wait. Perhaps you can come with me and we could christen Ireland.” Lucas wrapped his arms around me and kissed the nape of my neck. We walked through the store for a few steps and then reached for the pickle jar. “Why are you eating pickles?”

“Because I like pickles. I had three like jars last week. And then for some reason I decided that I needed some more. Pickles are like the Gods of Cucumbers.”

“Gods of Cucumbers, good grief Cypress.” He chuckled and stood back. “You really have a strange addiction.” He stopped walking. “When was your last cycle?”

“Last cycle, Lucas, are you crazy. There is no way in hell I could be pregnant.”

“Well answer my question and perhaps I could just be at ease.”

“I don’t know; I guess it was closer to December.”

“Good grief, what in the hell do you mean closer to December. It’s practically February woman.” He griped. “You don’t keep track of your cycle.

“I'll check and you stop fussing at me. I fussed at you for months to wear a damned condom.” My heart thumped as I pushed him playfully out of the way. Shit, all the times I complained to him about condoms and now I was the one who had been so careless to lose track of my stupid period. I put the pickles back on the shelf.

“Get the damn pickles.” He put them back in the buggy. “Woman, dear Jesus must you make everything difficult.”

“You better watch your little snappy attitude. What is wrong with you today?”

“I can't have privacy anymore.” Lucas pointed to the woman in black. It was apparent that she had followed us around the store for more than an hour. I thought she was store security. “I mean, sorry.”

“Well, don't take it out on me.” I put the pickles in the cart and stared at him. It was weird that he had someone from a government agency tracking him. I refused to think about it. I refused to act like I cared about it. “Are you freaking out about the test?”

“I'm not worried about the test. I am a pull out champion.”

“Ugh stop talking,” I rolled my eyes. “Why didn't you pull your hair up today?”

The usual man bun he rocked fit him, but the sexiness of his curls down and falling constantly in his face was overwhelming. “I don't like rocking the same style as my girlfriend all the time.”

“I like it. This is sexy too.”

“Thank you.” He picked up a can of artichokes. “I am cooking tonight.”

“What are you cooking?”

“Food, you need to eat.”

“I think I'm gonna eat a frozen meal. Lasagna.”

“Come on, woman. I am trying to shower you with my love and you keep pulling out a damned umbrella. I said I was cooking and you are gonna eat.”

“Fine, but I don't eat artichokes. You are so bossy today.”

“Beggars can't be choosers.”

“Well, I'm not begging you.”

“I love you.” he tossed the artichokes in the cart and started dancing to whatever the random music was that blasted over the speakers. He bounced and slung his hair.  “This is my song!” He danced playfully around me and I nodded my head. “Dance with me.”

“No,” I laughed. “You’re insane.”

“I'm a mad man. Have I not told you?” He sways with me and kissed my neck. The two older ladies smiled at us like we were in some kind of movie. His lips grazed my entire neck, biting occasionally and I felt my knees grow weak.

“Stop,” I whispered.

“Pardon me,” Lucas kissed my hand. “I forgot where we were for a moment. We should go home so I can forget we have neighbors.”

“You're pardoned.” I laughed and we made our way through the aisles. “And no, we’ve been cooped up in that house all day.”

“You look better.” Asher said from in front of us.

I glanced at Lucas and he didn't look like he wanted to kill him. Something had changed in their relationship and it almost weirded me out. But then again, I was just really happy that he had a friend besides Mark. “Hey Asher, how have you been?”

“Perfect,” Asher looked at Lucas. “I called you yesterday.”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I was gonna call you back then I fell asleep and basically forgot. But I had every intention to call you back.”

“Sure you did.” Asher laughed. “How have you been doing Cypress?”

“Great, just ready to graduate and finally not have to worry about school.”

“Aren’t we all.” Asher nodded at me. “Have you talked to Mark?”

“I talked to him earlier, but he disappeared last night. He does that.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed. Well, Whitney wants to have some company over for dinner and I thought about you two. I invited Mark already and now I’m asking you. You and Cypress should join us for dinner this afternoon.”

“We're cooking ourselves.”  Lucas held up the artichokes in an attempt to ignore the offer.

“We haven't made solid plans.” I added. “I would actually like to get out for once. He keeps me locked away in that damn loft like a prisoner.”

“A prisoner of love.” Lucas grimaced. “What are you cooking Ash?”

“You think you two would want to try some stuffed Bell Peppers? She is cooking those and some kind of side. And I’m making dessert.”

“If you swear that you’re only doing dessert.”

“Yes, that sounds wonderful.” I pushed at Lucas.

“What is a stuffed bell pepper?” Lucas sounded disgusted.

“Dude are you gonna complain the entire time?

“Fine, tonight at what time?”

“It'll start about 8.”

“Great, we will be there and we will bring a nice wine.”

“A fair wine,” Lucas corrected.

“Mark is coming with Shia.”

“Have I missed something?” I looked at the two of them. “Why are you two all of a sudden friends and why haven't you told me?”

“Surprise your boyfriend made a new friend. Asher we will see you toni...”

“Asher! I found the perfect bell peppers. I just need some… oh sorry.”

“This is Lucas and Cypress.” He grabbed her hand. “This is my girlfriend Whitney.”

Whitney smiled at the both of us. “I am so happy to hear about you two coming to dinner! He hasn't really had a friend here since he moved.”

“I wonder why?” Lucas mumbled. “He can be a nosey bastard.”

“And you can be an obnoxious dick. I guess we were made for each huh” Asher said not fazed by Lucas or his remarks. I was proud of him for some reason. He never seemed like the type actually stand for himself.

“He is a great guy. We are excited about dinner. Should I bring a dessert wine or a dinner wine?”

“Um either or, I don't know the difference.” Whitney chuckled.