Trouble Times Two

Chapter Sixty-Three

Friday

I had been avoiding Donovan this week. It wasn't that difficult as he had to go to school.

While he was at school, I would go and visit Maisie and do the chores at her home while she rested. By the time the school day ended, I would already be gone.

"Okay, are you sure you don't want to come with us darling?" Maisie asks, and I nod.

"I'll look after your place, change the bedsheets, continue on with the boys room. You guys enjoy your first family day out." I really don't want to impede on this really special occasion.

"Oh yeah that reminds me that Donovan will be here around five, are you going to be here still? You guys can have dinner here if you want. He's a great cook." She says and I shake my head.

"I'm leaving at four unfortunately, I have stuff to do at my house..." I sound unsure but that's because I'm lying through my teeth. I cruelly hoping that Maisie is too tired to notice.

I hug the babies, Dacre and Maisie before getting started on the house.

I start with emptying the dishwasher, and making sure everything is in the correct place. I couldn't have one thing out of order, because I knew Maisie and Dacre needed the routine. I also spend time washing their pots and pans. It's the least I could.

I make sure the baby stuff is washed and dried, within an inch of its life. I also run stuff through the steriliser. I took this aunt shit, very seriously.

I then go to the it bedroom and neatened everything that Maisie and Dacre had out in their room, per their specific request.

I then vacuum the whole apartment, every single nook and cranny, using all the attachments on the vacuum to reach all the places that I couldn't.

Me being on the shorter side did create some issues though.

I guess I'd tell Dacre what parts I couldn't get to later, or I could try and solve the issue myself.

My need to do everything myself could not let Dacre step in.

I jump up onto the counter, and get the handheld hoover. I start cleaning the tops of cupboards and all the places I couldn't reach.

I am cleaning peacefully when the door opens and I reflexively jump up to the empty gap between the ceiling and the top of the cupboards.

Donovan walks in.

I'm not actually sure what to do now. I get down quietly, and I considering leaving the apartment. Then I realise that everything I brought with me is here and I can't leave it.

I start gathering my stuff quietly, and I am about to leave, when Donovan walks back out from wherever he was and sees me.

"Giana, come on, come back here." He says as he grabs my hand and pulls me from leaving the apartment.

I can't look at him because first of all, I'm embarrassed that I didn't realise that he likes me, second of all, I can't handle him being upset that I've been trying to avoid him and lastly, I like him back.

I've liked him even when he was a prick to me. That made me ashamed in some way, it just wasn't right.

Who's to say that he won't be like that in the future? Even though I know that it won't be the case, seeing as he intentionally acted like a prick.

He pulls me to the island and I don't know what to do or say. I feel very exposed right now.

I'm just in a tank top and even though he's seen my tattoos before, in a very dim and busy holding cell, they're all out in full display. So are all my scars.

He hugs me gently all of a sudden and I realise how much I like him too. The desire I feel to be with him is overwhelming. The insecurity is just as strong.

His hands reach up and hold my face.

He makes me look up at him, delicately.

"I thought it was really obvious. I should've told you sooner." He says as he smiles. "You know you really are beautiful, I wasn't just saying that."

He pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of a note. He reads it out to me.

"Today is the 18th of December. I realised something very shortly after making Giana my next 'goal'. She's so amazingly beautiful and she kind of makes me want to not do this stupid target thing anymore. I did it as a way to fill the void but now I finally see somebody who's time I will never be worthy of and it makes me mad that I reduced my life to this. Drinking and messing with people. I even wrote this stupid letter because that's how much I want her, I hope I at least get one shot at being with her to tell her how I feel." He looks at me again and I just am staring at him in awe.

I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tightly before pulling back and looking at him.

All of a sudden I'm so aware of his lips.

I look at him in the eyes and he just smiles at me before kissing me. I kiss him back and it's the most wonderful, amazing kiss I have ever shared with someone.

I pull back and he just pulls me in and hugs me again.

"Will you come to prom with me?" He asks and I nod.

"Yeah. I will." We hug for a while.

"Let's finish cleaning this apartment up, and then we can go somewhere." He offers, and I agree eagerly.

We clean the apartment up in a comfortable silence and after we're done I call Maisie and tell her I'm done. I leave the apartment with Donovan.

We sit in his car.

"Can I see your tattoos?" He asks and I nod.

I'm not very vocal around him. I feel tongue tied.

I take my hoodie off and show him the ones on my upper arms and chest.

"I've got my cousins names." I show him them, which go down my left arm. I also have their parents names on me as well so I show him that.

"This one is obviously for Jess." A Jessica sits on my other arm.

"I've got these ones on my chest. This is for baby 11, the baby my mother never got to have. Angel was his name." I explain all the others to him as well.

He runs his hand over my scars and hugs me.

"You don't deserve what happened to you." He says and I nod.

"I know."