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 and I would go and visit Maisie and do the chores at her home while she rested, while he was at school.

Donovan was at school right now.

"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 their day.

"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 and I cruelly hoping that Maisie is too tired to notice.

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

I first empty this dishwasher and then put everything away before reloading it with all the dirty dishes they had.

I spend time washing their pots and pans and baby stuff before putting everything that needed to be sterilised in the steriliser.

I then go to the it bedroom and neatened everything that Maisie and Dacre had out in their room, per their specific request when I ask them what to do with their room.

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 however me being short created some issues.

I guess I'd tell Dacre what parts I couldn't get to later or try and solve the issue myself, which I was going to do right now.

I jump up onto the counter and get the handheld hoover and 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 and go on top of the cupboards and Donovan walks in.

I don't know what to do now that I'm up here but I quietly come back down and try to leave the apartment even though that's not a very good idea.

Then I realise that everything I brought with me is here and I can't leave but I go anyway but 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 and 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.

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 as well as the scars I had.

He hugs me gently all of a sudden and I realise how much I like him too and the desire I have to be with but also how insecure I felt.

His hands reach up and hold my face and 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 this whole time since I started drinking 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 and then all of a sudden I'm so aware of his lips.

I look at him in the eyes and he just smirks at me before kissing me and 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." I say and he lets go of me.

"Let's clean this apartment up and then we can go somewhere." He says and I agree.

We clean the apartment up in a comfortable silence and after we're done I call Maisie and tell her I'm done and 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 as 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 are done very nicely down my arm. I also have their parents on me as well and 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 as she cheated on my father and got an STD and he passed away. 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."