Say Your Prayers, You're Really Gonna Need Them.

★ ★ ★ - Indicates point of view change.

-
When I retook my place at the counter I glanced over to him, he was flicking through a magazine but glanced up and flashed me a smile.

I just dropped my gaze, scouring the counter as Adam cleaned the tables.

I caught myself stealing glances back towards Harlan every so often, realizing then how devastatingly attractive he was, not that I hadn’t already noticed.

He had longish messy black hair, and the nicest shade of hazel eyes I’d ever seen, his face was not only handsome, it was pretty, with a perfect smudge of a nose and lovely bowed lips.

He could have only been around the age of 23 maximum which made him an older college student, but something about the way he carried himself made him seem wise beyond his years.

And as a gaggle of 15 year old girls caught my eye, staring at him and giggling, I found that I could see what all the fuss was about, he easily had the power to make you swoon.

-
I continued staring down the clock, realizing it was Adams night to lock up which made it a bit easier for me to flee.
At 9:40 the small crowd of customers began to disperse, and as I looked round it appeared so had Harlan.
I breathed a sigh of relief; he obviously didn’t want to waste his time after all.

After waiting out the last few minutes I pulled on my coat and told Adam I’d see him later,
He gave me a fleeting wave as he locked up the store room and came to lock the front door behind me.

I pulled out my cigarettes and lit one, beginning to walk.

My heart rate soared as I heard footsteps approaching from behind; I held my breath but couldn’t suppress a smile upon seeing it was only a jogger.

Breathing a sigh of relief I kept going, watching the joggers feet pound away at the pavement before turning a corner and disappearing completely.

Suddenly I felt the pressure of a hand grab my arm and was swung around by a strong grip to face the perpetrator.

Harlan just stood there, eyes burning deeply and even in the night I could still see the colour of his hazel irises.

The anger rose from deep inside my tummy, “What the hell are you playing at?” I seethed.

“I told you already, we need to talk.” He replied keeping his voice even; his expression unmoving.

“And I told you already, there’s nothing to discuss. I’ve said thank you for your help, god knows if it wasn’t for you I’d be dead by now but what do you expect me to do get on my knees and kiss your feet?”

“All I want you to do is listen, you’re in something deeper than yourself now and you know that.”

“But I don’t want to acknowledge it.” I whispered, closing my eyes.

“And you’re honestly going to stand there and tell me you’re not even slightly interested in what the fuck kind of trouble you were in the other night?”

“I’ve never been the type of person to bite off more than I can chew; the fact is that I'm safe now.”

“Listen, whatever you have got going on in your life is going to fail in comparison to what I have to tell you, accept the fact that you walked into your own trap Friday and you’re going to have to become the person who can chew until their teeth all but fall out because Ruse, you aren’t safe. So stop being so fucking naive and come with me now.” He replied, with white hot anger.

I was honestly thunderstruck by Harlan’s speech and as he pulled me along by my arm I did nothing to make matters more complicated, I just went along with him.