After Kiss

94. After Kiss

🤍🖤🤍 Natalie 🤍🖤🤍

He holds my jaw in a tight grip and kisses me. When I gasp in horror, he shoves his tongue inside. I can taste the bitter flavor of beer on his tongue and I can feel both hate and lust radiating from him. I push him but he pins me and kisses me back hard.

I remember how he tasted. It hasn’t changed. Only difference is I don’t crave it anymore. I hate him for trying to violate me and I hate myself even more for the heat pooling between my legs.

I turn frantic, when he presses his hard cock against my hip. I don't want this! I know I don't. I am at the edge of an anxiety attack, tied with a thin string, trying to hold my sanity. I push him harder, whimpering, practically begging him to stop. To my relief, he pulls away and looks at my face.

“Fuck!” He says moving away, running his hand through his hair.

I am frozen in my spot, unable to choose if I should rush out of the room or yell at him. I am a clusterfuck of emotions right now. My body is hot with need and my mind is disgusted with my body’s reaction.

One part of me is trying to remember when was the last time we kissed, another part appalled, Why would I even want to remember that?

“Get out of here.” He turns away from me. I stay frozen in my spot, my heart beating rapidly.

“Next time, don’t you dare say a word about Riley. You have no fucking idea what we have.“ He says in a clipped voice.

I look at him.

He is still trying to save his ass and is blaming everything on me.

It is always my fault. Isn’t it?

My fault that I provoked him.

He can torment me all year long, but I can’t even confront him. I laugh bitterly.

I wish Riley hadn’t passed out.

I hope she does break up with him.

He turns to look at me.

“I want to know, West… What is so fucking special about your relationship with her?” I spat at him. “Odd relationship. Where you can shove your tongue down my mouth and press your cock against my body.”

He looks annoyed. I continue."Does she know you fancy me?”

For once, he looks guilty. I take a step towards him.

“Tell her… I dare you to tell her what you did… or I will.” I threaten him. This time, I will follow through with this thing. I will tell Riley everything. I promise myself.

He grabs my wrist and twists it slightly. I try not to wince in pain.

”Don’t test me Natalie..” He says in a hard voice. “You were right, I have turned worse and believe me, I will make your life way more miserable than last year.”

Then he brings his face real close to mine and says, ”And don’t act repulsed because I am sure you are soaking wet right now… despite having a perfect boyfriend, your body still craves me."

He must have seen horror in my expression because he chuckles and says, “So I am right… You know what?”

He loosens his hold on me. “I always thought those were just rumors. But now I am thinking if you indeed let my team run a train on you. Shame you didn’t even invite me Natalie…”

This is the last straw, and tears burn my eyes. He looks satisfied at my reaction and lets go of my wrist.

…..

I go downstairs, my face hot with shame.

Is he right? Why would my body react if I didn’t want him?

Confusedly, I look for Jacob around with tears on the verge of spilling out. I want to kiss him to remove the lingering sensation of West’s lips on mine.

I don’t want West. It was just a fucking physical reaction. I know. But the thought doesn’t assure me.

Jacob is nowhere around.

Not in the kitchen. Not in the living room. Not on the patio.

Where the fuck is he?

I stomp outside the cursed house. When I see that his car isn’t parked there anymore, tears of frustration, guilt and anger finally come out of my eyes.

……

I have been walking towards home. Now I am feeling slightly better and completely stupid. Stupid because I decided to walk home this late in anger.

Fucking, self-harming impulse.

I had checked my phone in hopes of calling Jacob, but it was dead too.

No surprise there.

How naïve I was to think it would be alright to attend this birthday party. When was the last time I attended some party with no drama? I can’t even remember.

I have been walking home through a residential area. It’s relatively safer to walk even this late. Still, whenever a car passes by, my heart skips a beat. It doesn’t help I am wearing this stupid dress like a damn princess. My sandals are not very comfortable either. It’s not for walking after all. It has started to bite my feet.

I stop and take it off to walk home barefoot. I know my way home. But I am not sure how far.

After a while, a car comes behind me. It’s far, but on the same road. I hold myself once again in hopes it passes me away without any incident. I don’t have much strength right now. I glance towards the nearest house, and wonder, How long it will take if I run to the door and beg them to help me or let me in, just in case someone tries to grab me.

West’s kiss isn’t the only thing that’s fresh on my lips and on my mind. Despite anger and confusion, I remember his warning.

“Just watch your back! Just be safe in general.” He had told me before, pouring all that hate in that kiss, twisting my arm and cutting me his sharp words.

My wrist and my shoulder are throbbing with pain. I am sure I have some marks left. I try to see my wrist but am unable to make it out in the dark. Not sure how I will explain it to others.

The car is much closer now. It slows down beside me. I feel a twist in my stomach.

I quickly turn to see who it is. I sigh a breath of relief to see it’s Jacob.

The relief is short-lived because Jacob yells at me.

“What the fuck were you thinking walking this late alone, Natalie?” He says in anger, as he pulls over beside me and gets out of the car.

My stomach twists. What excuse can I give him now?

And he is right. Why did I walk alone this late? Anything could have happened. A year ago when I had wandered off the park, that was a close call too. Why do I always act on impulse?

I burst into tears of frustration and helplessness. He comes near and hugs me.

“I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour!.. It’s 11:30… Why would you do this?”

11:30? I am not wearing any wrist watch so I didn’t know.

“My phone was dead.” I choke out.

“I thought you left me behind at that place. You know I don’t like him. Why would you leave me behind there?” I ask him, sobbing.

He shakes his head at me.

“Don’t you trust me, Natalie… All you had to do was wait for sometime.” He says while stroking my hair, trying to calm me down.

He adds after a while, “Seriously, sometimes you do these strange things I don’t understand…”

“Where the fuck were you?” I ask again to avoid more hard time, he can give me for walking this late at night. My voice is not quivering anymore. “I looked for you! And you were not there…” I insist as he steers me towards the car and opens the door for me.

“June freaked out at that party for some reason… I had to go get her.”

“Oh… what happened?” I ask, wiping my face with tissue Jacob just handed me. “Where is she now?”

“I dropped her home and she won’t tell me what happened.”

“Why did you leave the party?” he asks, instead.

“West told me to leave.” I say. There is no way in hell I can tell him how he humiliated me, forcefully kissed me, asked me if he could fuck me.

“He what?” he says with an edge in his voice.

“Why the fuck would he invite you if he wanted you to leave?” He says in anger.

Fuck!

How can I explain it to him now? I frantically try to think of some excuse.

“That’s ok Jacob,” I tell him. ”I… I wasn’t nice to him either. ”

He shakes his head. “No… It’s not ok!“

I bite my lips, trying to think and say something. But nothing comes to my mind.

He sighs then asks, “Were you… were you trying to patch up with him because he is on the team?”

It’s half true.

“No… I … I thought maybe we could at least be on talking terms.”

“and I like being around Riley…” I add truthfully.

“If you want, we can stop having lunch with them,” Jacob suggests.

My shoulder slump. Jacob’s team won’t take it very kindly. And God knows what tantrum West will throw at Jacob.

“No, that’s ok… I like Norris too.” I try to remember reasons why I can endure West around me. “And honestly, if he doesn’t like me around, he can stop having lunch with us and sit around in a corner alone for a change.” I say, and Jacob chuckles.

“Where are we going?” My eyes widen, realizing we ain’t going home.

“There is this place I wanted to show you… Maybe it will cheer you up a little…”