Affinity (RDJ)

Chapter 41 - Forget

Do you ring the bell? You can't just walk in, right? No... you're not at that stage yet. Shit, he doesn't even have a bell. Who doesn't have a door bell?

You're hovering outside his house having called home for a quick shower after school and leaving a note for Lexi and George letting them know you'd be late back. The drive over here was full of excitement buzzing in your stomach but it's a different story now that you're here.

Sighing at your own inability to decision-make, you finally settle for three knocks on his door and stand awkwardly chewing your lip and pulling at your sleeves as you see a shadow appear behind the frosted glass. A rush of air greets you as he swooshes open the door and as you raise your eyes to meet his, the look on his face isn't what you expected to see.

His chocolate eyes look sadder somehow than they usually do and his mouth is pressed into a hard line, only breaking his stern demeanour for a moment when a forced smile ghosts across his lips as he's inviting you in. You step inside, not really knowing what to do as he closes and locks the door behind you without a word spoken. You're about to break the silence when you feel his warmth press into your back. His fingers trail up your arms to your shoulders and he slips off your leather jacket, leaving it in a heap in the floor. You gasp in a quick breath, taken aback by how he's managed to make you feel in just a few seconds and before you know it, he's spun you around and is parting your lips with his tongue.

His kisses are desperate, one hand fisting in your hair, pulling you in closer to him as the other grips your hip, tugging you flush against him until your bodies mould together. He walks you back and presses you against the wall, causing a sharp breath to leave your chest that he catches with his lips.

There's a helpless urgency in his actions as his hands move everywhere all at once, raking through your hair and then trailing down to your chest, leaving you breathless. A strong hand hikes your leg up around his hip as his lips move to plant wet, sharp kisses to your neck.

As much as you're taken completely by him right now and you can't believe you're about to interrupt, you can't shake the feeling that something is... off with him. 'Hey,' is all you manage to whisper through your arousal but it's enough to make him falter. His lips break from your neck and his breaths warm your skin as his breathing slows. His hand loosens and your leg drops back down along with his head that now slumps on your shoulder.

After a minute, he lifts up and you get a good look at his face for the first time tonight. He looks totally defeated. 'What happened?' you ask, flicking your eyes between his, searching for answers.

He sighs shaking his head. 'They're taking me to court. For full custody,' he admits, pushing off the wall and walking away, hand furrowing his brow before he quickly turns back around again. 'Jesus, Rem, I'm sorry. Turns out I'm not good at dealing with my own shit at all, jumping you like that.'

You press your lips closed, stopping yourself from telling him it was almost impossible for you to make him stop. 'I get it. It's okay,' you reply, taking his hand loosely in yours. 'What did your lawyer say?'

He pulls you toward the sofa and you sit down but he doesn't join you, instead choosing to pace as he speaks. 'They want to move to Boston. With her. Only, our shared custody agreement means they can't move her out of state unless I agree to it and I'll be damned if I move my entire life again for them.'

'So they're trying to remove all your parental responsibility just so that they can move? It just doesn't make any sense.' Your eyebrows meet in the middle as you try to figure out why they're making such drastic steps just to move out of state for the second time in as many years.

'It's an excuse,' he says. 'He wants them as far from me as possible and as long as I'm around, he's not getting the perfect family he so desires,' he spits, venom in his tone. 'So the only solution, it seems, is for them to move for this 'new job' that's magically sprouted from nowhere that just so happens to be in his home town. I don't know what it is he has over her Rem but I can't believe she's blinded to his bullshit. It's my daughter, for God's sake. She'd never have taken her from me. Never.'