From Dusk Till Dawn

Calli was awoken from a deep slumber when she heard someone banging loudly on her front door. Whoever it was, was very impatient because they started to ring the doorbell only seconds later. At this point she didn’t care who was at her door, she was angry for being waken up so abruptly. She knew the person at the door was someone she knew because they continuously shouted her name but she couldn’t pin point whose voice it was. Grabbing the baseball bat under her bed, she headed to the front door to see who was bothering her so late in the night.

“Jesus, Calli! The hell are you doing with that baseball bat?”

She glared at Richie as he helped his injured brother into her house. He carefully set Seth onto her couch as they both had traces of blood and sweat on their clothes. The Gecko brothers were always in some type of trouble but she hadn’t seen them in almost 5 years. She had no idea what they were up to and with the condition Seth was in, she was almost afraid to ask what had happened.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?” She asked, tossing the bat to the side.

Richie glanced at her as he helped Seth take off his jacket. “Seriously Cal, what were you planning to do with that bat? You need a gun or something, a bat isn’t going to do shit. Make yourself useful and grab your first aid kit and a bottle of whiskey.”

Sighing, she knew why Richie had randomly stopped by at two in the morning. Seth was badly injured and needed some stitching up. Knowing how the brothers were, they couldn’t go to the hospital for whatever reason because they were most likely in trouble with the law. Typical Gecko brothers.

After gathering the items, she sat next to Seth and helped him take his shirt off so she could tend to his wounds. He was shot in the shoulder but luckily it was a through and through so she wouldn’t have to search for the bullet. Seth snatched the bottle of whiskey from his brother as she began to clean the wound.

“Make yourself useful and grab me some towels from the bathroom,” she told Richie. She pushed her hair out of her face and began to get to work.

Seth took a swing of whiskey and he wasn’t sure if that or the alcohol she used to clean him up hurt more. “Long time no see, Cal.”

“5 years is a long time,” she smiled softly. “Do I even want to know the kind of trouble you guys are in this time?”

He laughed, “Probably not. God you have no idea how thankful I am that you live out here, there’s no way in hell I could’ve carried on with this - shit!”

“Sorry,” she apologized, “I don’t have anything to numb the pain. Just keep drinking and I’ll be done soon. The wound isn’t too bad so I should be done in 10 minutes or so.”

Seth didn’t say another word as Calli continued to stitch him up. He sat there and would occasionally grunt from the needle piercing his skin but otherwise hardly made a sound. He drank a decent amount whiskey when Richie finally returned. Calli and Richie made some small talk but Seth couldn’t make out what they were saying. He tried to focus on their conversation to help distract him from the pain but it was too much for him to table. His ribs were sore and he walked with a limp, he was lucky to be alive after what they went through.

Richie took the bottle from his brother and took a sip for himself. He walked over to the window and peaked through the blinds to see if anyone had followed them or if there were any lights flashing in the distance. He handed the bottle back to Seth as she finished stitching him up.

“I’m going to do a walk around,” Richie said, pulling a gun from his waistband. “Make sure neither of you step out of the house until I get back.”

She got an uneasy feeling in her stomach as soon as she saw the gun. Seth placed his dirty hand on top of hers, as if telling her that she had nothing to worry about. He was the one with the gunshot wound and here he was, comforting her as always. Pulling away, she headed towards her bathroom to gather some more cleaning supplies. When she returned Seth was asleep on the couch.

She did her best to clean up the blood off from his chest and face as he somehow slept peacefully on her couch. Richie was still outside circling the perimeter of her house as she grabbed a clean towel to dry him off. She stopped at his chest, admiring his sculpted body and tattoo. He hadn’t had that tattoo when she had last seen him and wondered when he got it.

“See something you like?” His voice startled her but he couldn’t help but to tease her.

Calli was one of the very few people in the Gecko brothers’ lives where they were truly an innocent person. She had such a good heart and soul that it amazed them that she still gave them the time of day. She had a rough childhood just as they did but didn’t let it control her life. She was still a good person despite all the shit she had to go through. That was why 5 years ago the Gecko brothers decided that if they were going to do one good thing in life, it was to walk out of hers.

“You’re going to have to wear this sling until your shoulder is all healed up but other than that you’re all set. Just make sure you take these antibiotics in case there are any infections. Don’t know what else you guys will be up to.”

As she tried to walk away, Seth placed his hand on her arm. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “All these years later you’re still saving my ass, it’s almost like nothing has changed.”

He was wrong and he knew it. Everything had changed. Her oldest friends had walked out of her life as if she was nothing. Then they show up unexpectedly at her door like no time had passed. She didn’t even know how they were able to find out where she lived because she had moved quite a few times in the past 5 years. But they were the Gecko brothers after all, they had their ways.

“The areas clear,” Richie announced as he sat across from Seth. “We should be leaving now since it’s still dark out but neither of us are in condition to drive.”

“Let’s stay until sunrise. We need to sleep and we’re in the middle of nowhere, they’re not going to find us.” Seth winced as he sat up from the couch.

Calli frowned as she grabbed her first aid kit again to clean some of Richie’s wounds. They weren’t nearly as bad as Seth’s but she didn’t want to risk infection. Someone had to be healthy enough to keep an eye out on Seth.

After a couple of minutes she finally asked the brothers if she had to worry about someone coming to her house because they were looking for them. “I don’t need a gun to my head if you guys pissed them off.”

“No one will bother you,” Seth promised.

She wished she could believe him like how she had used to, especially since she saw Richie roll his eyes. He wasn’t going to be around if anything had happened, neither of them were. He was going to be far away, robbing banks and getting into other sorts of trouble.

“You guys should get some rest while you still can,” she suggested.

Richie was already kicking his feet up on the table before she could even finish her sentence. In the meantime, she left the brothers alone in her living room and decided to get some fresh air from her back porch. So much had happened in the past hour that she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

The last time she had seen Gecko brothers, they were driving away from her apartment without so much as a goodbye. This wasn’t something that was unusual for the brothers because they always came back to her. She didn’t know that they would be gone for good. If she had known that they would do such a thing, she would have never given herself up to Seth the night before.

“What’s on your mind baby?”

She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped herself in a hug as she felt Seth’s eyes on her. He leaned against the doorway and stayed quiet as he watched her. He couldn’t make out her face but could tell from her body language that she was stiff and nervous. Slowly, he made his way over to the swinging bench with his dress shoes scuffing against the floor. That was one habit of his that she couldn't stand. He could remember how she always yelled at him whenever he dragged his feet. It was the one thing that they always fought about and it drove Richie absolutely crazy. He smiled to himself, thinking of the better times they all had together.

“Look, now that we’re alone I just wanna –”

“Whatever you have to say, I don’t wanna hear it. You guys are going to be gone by sunrise and you’re going to leave me with more questions than answers.” She didn’t know what was overcoming her but she found herself tearing up. She used the back of her hand to wipe her tears as Seth reached to place his right hand on her leg.

“I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. Richie and I were getting in so much trouble that we didn’t want to bring you down with us.”

Calli sighed as she could feel Seth pull her body into his. She didn’t want to move away from him because she had missed him so much. With her head on his shoulder, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. He let his lips linger on her skin because he had missed her as much as she missed him.

As much as it hurt the both of them, he knew he made the right decision in leaving.

She was too good for the life that he and his brother lived. She had a good heart and he couldn’t bring her down with him. He could feel his heart literally ache as she wrapped an arm around his waist. He could smell her sweet scent, something that hadn’t changed despite the years. Her scent was comforting and her touch warmed him. She felt like home, something he hadn’t felt since he had last seen her.

“It’s a nice place you got here,” he complimented. If she didn’t want to talk about them, he would try to make all the small talk he could until he had to leave. He missed her voice and the way she told stories. Whenever she told a story that she was excited about, her eyes would get really big and her voice would get a little too loud. He thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Still, she didn’t say anything. He began to grow a little impatient with her but didn't let it show. He was sure that after the night he had, he wasn't going to see her ever again. He had to make their moment last.

“You don’t have a boyfriend that’s going to come home soon and try to kick my ass, right?”

She stifled a laugh but he knew he had her. “You and I both know that he would have to worry about you and Richie kicking his ass.”

He smiled, feeling somewhat proud that she knew that he could still kick ass. His hand casually slid down her arm and landed on her waist. The rough skin on his hands tickled her sides as his bare skin brushed against hers. He enjoyed sitting in silence whenever he was alone because he could think and be with his thoughts. When he was with her, he loved it. It gave him the chance to day dream about what could’ve been. She was the only person that could turn Seth Gecko into a lovey, dovey fool.

Minutes later, he was feeling a little cheeky and slowly slid his hand up her shirt. She laughed, placing her hands on top of his to prevent him from moving up any further. That was one of his favorite sounds in the world and he hadn’t realized it until that night.

“Seth,” she blushed, “you need to learn how to keep your hands to yourself.”

“Baby, are you telling me that after all these years I still make you blush?”

She rolled her eyes but wasn’t able to hold back her smile. Seth could always see through her bullshit and he knew it. “You’re always going to have that effect on me.”

“Good to know I’ll never lose my touch with you.”

Neither of them knew where their conversation was going or what was going to happen at the end of the night. If Seth had taught her anything, it was to enjoy the moment and to not always think of the consequences. If she never saw him again she would be okay with it because they had this moment. As much as she loved and cared for him, she knew that they were never meant to be. Seth wasn’t meant to be tied down and to live in a house with a white picket fence.

He would always be the one who got away.

“Hey,” he said softly. When she looked up at him with her big, brown eyes he felt his heart leap. She made him feel like a dumb teenager in love and he knew he didn’t deserve someone like her. “I hope you know that I was serious about how I thought I was doing the right thing. Leaving was the hardest decision I ever had to make but I still stand by that choice. You have to know that the last night we spent together meant everything to me.”

“I already told you that I didn’t want to hear what you had to say. You’re just going to leave me more heart broken than you did before. You know how much I loved you and I can’t go through that again.”

Seth was quick on his feet and managed to stop her from walking off again. After pulling her back down onto the bench, he pulled her into a kiss and held her face close to his. Her lips were just as he remembered, pillowy and soft. He wish he wasn’t wearing that damn sling because all he wanted was to pull her into his lap and feel her body against his. Everything about her was still so perfect to him and he didn’t want that night to end.

“Listen to me baby, there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think of you. Don’t think that you didn’t mean a thing to me because you are everything to me.”

“If I mean something to you then ask me to go with you. Ask me and I’ll drop everything right now for you.”

As much as he wanted that, he couldn’t ask her to do that. He and Richie were too deep in trouble and she wouldn’t be able to handle their lifestyle. He didn’t want her to see all the bad things he’s been up to over the past 5 years. Half the trouble he got into was because of Richie but nonetheless, he couldn’t have her tangled up in his world.

She didn’t need to know that a week after he had walked away from her, he got locked up for 5 years. He and Richie were on the run because he had broken out of jail and even killed a few people on the way...either way, she couldn’t be an accessory to his crimes. The less she knew the better.

“You know I can’t do that. You’re forgetting how well I know you, baby. You don’t want to get tangled up in the shit that Richie and I are in. You need something stable, you need –”

“You don’t know shit!”

He never wanted her to be in this much pain. She deserved to be happy and have someone who could support her the way a loyal boyfriend should. He wanted to be everything she could ever want in a man but knew all of that was just a dream. He was no good.

Seth placed another comforting kiss on her head as she quietly sobbed in his chest. She pressed against a few of his bruises and it made in wince in pain but hardly paid any attention to it. He was leaving in a few hours and all he could do was to do his best and comfort her.

“No more tears, no more tears.”

Her quiet sobs calmed down but she didn't dare move from his arms. He was still so warm and smelled of sweat and cologne. It was oddly comforting since it reminded her of their happier days together. She knew she was going to be in so much emotional pain the following morning but if it meant that she could spend the next few hours in his arms, it was worth it.

Soon their positions shifted and Seth had his head in her lap. He tried his hardest to stay awake but found himself falling asleep while she played with his hair. He snored softly as she gazed up at the stars. She was surprised that she felt so content at that moment.

The man she loved was asleep in her lap. Even though she knew he would be gone within the next hour, she was happy. She was happy to know that for the most part, Seth was still safe and alive. Her thumb grazed against his jaw line, which seemed to be the only part of his body that wasn't injured.

She did the best she could to take in all his features. He was as handsome as she remembered. Up close you could see all of his old scars but to her it only made him more beautiful.

Richie knocked on the door frame, breaking her away from her thoughts. Since he was standing there she knew that it was time for them to leave. She could feel her heart break all over again.

“Seth,” she said, her voice so scared and gentle. “It's time to wake up.”

His eyes fluttered open and he cursed to himself when he realized the sun was rising in the distance. He was mad at himself for falling asleep instead of staying up and enjoying what little time he had left with her.

With Calli’s help, Seth began to redress himself as Richie loaded up the car with some supplies he had “borrowed” from her. Suddenly she felt like that same scared, little girl from 5 years ago. The only difference this time was that she would get her goodbye this time.

“Thanks for saving my brother.” Richie gave her a solemn look but didn’t say anything more. He was never one to show any emotion except for anger, anything more or less he only showed towards Seth and no one else. He left to give them some privacy together but reminded him that they had to get going soon. Carlos was waiting for them.

Once they were alone together, she pulled him into another kiss. They were both so needy knowing that this was their last moment together.

“Remember, from dusk till dawn…”

“I’ll always love you.”