Splintered Heart (Love and Other Lies)

13 | Dani

I step out of the coffee shop, the cool night air brushing against my skin. Enzo waits for me at the curb, his hands in his pockets, a smirk playing on his lips. He looks at me like he knows something I don't, and it makes my stomach twist in a way I'm not sure I like.

Or I like too much. It's hard to tell these days what my body really perceives as dangerous.

"So, where to first?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

Enzo tilts his head, considering. "How about a little tour of the town?"

I nod, ducking my head slightly as we start walking. I watch everything with a critical eye, taking in the familiar yet changed streets of the town I grew up in but haven't been back to in years. Enzo starts talking, pointing out various landmarks and sharing tidbits of information he's picked up.

"Over there," he says, pointing to a building on the corner, "used to be the old movie theater. Burned down a few years back, electrical fire.

"Actually," I correct him, "it burned down because a few teenagers thought it would be funny to break in late at night and have a bin fire while watching a movie on the big screen. The fire spread quickly because the sprinkler system was outdated." I should know, I was one of those stupid kids.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "You know a lot about that."

I shrug. "Curious mind. Did some research."

We continue walking, and I find myself relaxing a bit. Enzo is surprisingly easy to talk to, and his confidence is infectious. Just as I'm starting to enjoy myself, someone from Johnny's gang walks past us, and Enzo's demeanor shifts instantly. He grabs my hand, pulling me slightly behind him as he has a silent stare-off with the other man.

It takes me a second to recognise the man, but his eyes give him away. One brown and the other green. Paisley used to talk about those eyes for house on end.

Jameson used to be the prettiest, and one of the smartest guys in our year, and he had Paisley wrapped around his little finger.

Not that he knew it.

Looking at him now, it seemed a lot had changed. The teenage beauty that used to enthral Paisley was now all
Man. He'd filled out over the years, and he'd lost that curious gleam in his eye that attracted Paisley in the first place. Looking into his eyes now I saw nothing but cold, hard danger.

He was nothing like the boy who used to frequent my twins dreams, though I guess I looked nothing like my old self either.

I stare between them, my heart racing. Jameson's face lights up with a leer when he notices me. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Who's the pretty thing, Enzo?"

Enzo's grip on my hand tightens. "None of your business, Jameson. Move along."

"Pretty thing, aren't you?" Jameson says, ignoring Enzo. "Why don't you come with me, sweetheart? I'll show you a real good time."

I glare at him, my skin crawling. "No thanks."

Enzo steps forward, his voice low and dangerous. "She said no. Get lost, Jameson."

Jameson laughs, a cruel sound. "Touchy, touchy. Fine, have it your way. But don't forget, Enzo, she's just a plaything." He looks at the way Enzo shields me with a raised brow. "Or is she?" His eyes come back to rest on Enzo. "Wonder what Johnny will have to say about that."

"Fuck off, Jameson." Enzo says lowly and steps forward, speaking quietly and menacingly. "You know your so called boss has no control here. Not anymore. So go running back to him with whatever you want, he can't touch us, he never could."

He says the words so lowly that I had to strain to hear them but when he eyes move back to glance at me I focus on the ground, acting dumb and naive. Jameson steps back, glaring at Enzo and then me by associating. "We'll see."

Enzo doesn't respond, just stares him down until he finally walks away, still laughing. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Are you okay?" Enzo asks, his voice softer now.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, trying to steady my breathing.

"Let's get out of here," he says, leading me away from the confrontation. "I'm not letting some douche canoe with a few too many loose screws ruin our date."

• • •

We end up at an ice skating rink, the lights twinkling in the early morning darkness. Enzo rents skates for us, and soon we're on the ice, gliding under the stars. I duck my head from the people staring at us, not because I'm embarrassed, but because I don't want them to recognize me.

Not that they would but still I look down. I hadn't been this out in the open since I moved back and there was a lot of people here.

I used to come here all the time with Paisley. It was one of the only things we still did together in the end, skating to our hearts content. When I was a child I used to believe that I would be a figure skater, that I would travel the world with my twin in tow and we'd both be dreaming and living big.

Enzo skates up beside me, chuckling. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

I shake my head, giving him a small smile. "No."

"I'm not used to women being scared to be seen on my arm," he says, his voice teasing. "Gotta say, you really know how to wound a man, Dani."

"Payton!" A voice yells theatrically , the sound of a child squealing accompanying it.

A little girl runs from her mother, laughing loudly and I glance away. I duck my head, letting my hair shield my face a little and put space between Enzo and I.

What am I doing getting close to two men? I shake my head internally and scold myself. I can't afford to let two pretty faces distract me from my goal.

I look back up at Enzo's face as he skates closer.

Even if they are very pretty.

"You scared to be seen with me, Dani?" He gives a secret smile. "Have to say I'm not used to women not showing me off every chance they get," he skates closer still. "Guess I'll just have to work harder to win your affections." The heat of his breathe skims my cheek as he says the words softly, a low promise filling the gaps between the words, sensual and all consuming.

My stomach swoops, legs almost turning to jelly under me before I pull myself together and straighten, giving him a coy grin of my own. "Cool it, cowboy."

Enzo only winks, skating closer until I'm locked in a cage of his arms. "Admit in Dani, you want me all to yourself."

I seal my lips shut with a purse, my cheeks hurting from the cold. Or the ache from trying not to smile. Who knows.

He dips his head closer. "I'm sure we can find a nice, sturdy table to-" he cuts off with a smile, "test out." His eyes slip to the side, staring at the crowd around us.

"I'm sure we can even find a sturdy enough wall," he raises a challenging brow. "Or we could find a dark closet," he looks down at me, all cocky ego. Like he already knows my answer. "What do you say, beautiful, want to give this cowboy a ride?"

I never claimed to be a woman wth much self control, if I was being honest with myself, I don't think I had ever denied myself much at all.

It's how I got into this shit to begin with.

But if I was going to continue on the path I'd chosen, I knew my life would end as soon as I'd slipped a knife between Johnnys ribs.

So, I might as well live to the fullest while I had a life to live.

My lips crash against Enzo's, our teeth knocking together from the brutality of it, I can feel him grinning against my lips before his hands are under my ass and he's lifting me up. The faint sound of his skates slicing against the icy hits me ears. 

I don't care where he takes me. As long as he takes me.