Paint Me Saved ✓ Book 1

14. Can love happen twice?

Leonardo

A while back

My mother was more excited about Zemira's move than all the world combined. She even got me involved in the mundane task of selecting guest room furniture. Within a matter of a few hours, my apartment flooded with useless items - chandeliers, vases, and a coffee table so clean and shiny, I was reluctant to touch it.

"Why are you bothering with any of this, Mom?" I asked when her untamed excitement spilled again while setting up a newly purchased coffee machine. "You know this is a year's deal, right?"

Just like Zemira, my mother loved rolling her eyes at almost everything I said.

"And just because it is a business deal doesn't mean you treat her like an invisible entity."

"Mom," I resigned myself, already knowing how this conversation would shape up. "I told you, Zemira's role wou-."

"Lalallala... I can't hear you." Palming her ears, she brought her childishness into play. "Whatever it is, can't you treat a woman right? Don't be like your dad..."

"I am not like him."

My tone spiked, hitting the roof and raining back on her. She flinched when I took a step closer, cowering lower, and revealing the magnitude of my father's viciousness.

"Mom," I lowered my tone, my knees curled to meet her stooped position. "I'm not going to hurt you." Carefully, I stretched my arms around her, drawing her into my embrace. "I didn't mean to make you feel scared. I promise I'll be good to Zemira."

Mom gripped my shirt, exhaling relief-laden breaths. As a child, I had seen her being disrespected by my father. 

However, the verbal abuse was only the superficial layer of his affliction. There were issues, unknown to me that cut her so deep, a spiked tone scared her.

~

When my roommate's belongings arrived, Mom squealed with excitement, directing her luggage placement like a music conductor at an orchestra. She scuttled when Zemira showed up.

I stood a silent onlooker to their subtle interaction. They clung onto each other, swaying on both sides. Neither of them wanted to leave, interlocked not only physically but also on some deeper.

Not long after, Kiera made an entry. She evaluated the area, owning everything her eyes fell upon, drifting from one room to another.

I followed her for the tour only to realize the trap I walked into. Inside my bedroom, she stood, arms folded over her chest and exhaling loudly.

"If you dare hurt Zemira, I'll hunt you down, Leo."

Her voice carried a certain vibration, an infrasonic sound that could only be felt. In an animal kingdom, it was a way to mark territories and declare war. In the human world, I was yet to learn the implication.

"I mean it," she grated. "Don't take it lightly."

Unsure of the reason for her vague threats, I nodded, reminding myself that she was looking out for her best friend.

"I have no intention of hurting her."

Kiera walked around me in circles, a proud lioness evaluating her prey. I felt my tissues stretching thin, sinking deeper into my body to escape her intense, frying gaze.

"I'd believe when I see it," she said, tapping her left foot on the floor, her right side tilting under her weight. "Right now, all I see is her heartbreak that's written all over you."