BLUE

Chapter Fifteen

We pulled into the parking lot of the Riverwood Café, the truck lurching forward as Blue shifted up the emergency brake. With a sigh, he opened the truck door and hopped down. As usual, I trailed behind him toward the entrance.

I scratched at the collar that itched my neck. Honestly, I'd rather endure a bit of torment than have to wear that dress for even another second. There was a terrible place for it that I reserved in my heart for it, and a part of me wished it'd burn to ash.

During his spare time on a kill, Blue fetched me a maroon, knitted turtleneck and a pair of black slacks. I felt ridiculous, as if I were preparing for a work interview. Yet, I would choose this outfit for every meeting with Hollis if it meant avoiding that hideous, yellow dress.

Blue opened the door for me and motioned for me to walked inside first. As I passed him, our eyes met, and I found myself captivated by his bright blue irises. He seemed happier and more at ease, as if his soul was slowly coming back to life, breaking free from the husk that impeded him.

I murmured a quiet 'thank you' and moved past him, my cheeks burning from the gesture. Ever since Blue had shown me his face yesterday and revealed that he was Elliot Boyle, something has shifted between us.

It was hard to put into words, but there was this feeling between us — like I could truly trust him, and he could trust me in return. It was as if we could rely on each other completely, without the nagging fear that one of us might betray the other.

Last night, I ended up sleeping on the couch while he was in his bed, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to be beside him. I curled up with one of the pillows on the couch, my body aching for the warmth only Blue could give me.

The same waitress from last time looked up from her phone, her expression shifting to a frown. After a quick glance at her screen, she said, "He's waiting for you at the same table as before. You both know where it is."

We took that as our cue to seat ourselves, so we did. I followed behind Blue as he walked ahead, almost as if he was surveying the area and keeping an eye out for any potential danger, which I knew meant Hollis.

I kept my head down, ignoring the stares we received from strangers due to Blue's mask. He suddenly stopped, and I nearly collided with his back, but I managed to halt just in time.

Blue wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me into the booth, where I kept my gaze fixed on the table, avoiding eye contact with Hollis as I felt his stare bore into my head.

"Good morning, you two. It's lovely to see you again, Syvl," Hollis uttered softly. He took a sip of his coffee before clearing his throat. "How's the deal coming along? Considering that Syvl's wearing a turtleneck, I assume that you two have been busy, yes?"

"No, we haven't... done anything." Blue's voice carried a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "She just doesn't like that dress from our last visit."

Hollis nodded and said, "Ah, I see. Well, a dress is more becoming of a lady, my dear. And so is looking at someone when they are speaking to you." Reluctantly, I tilted my head and looked up into Hollis's dull blue eyes. He resembled an arile — empty and unrestrained by anything. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he raised his coffee to his lips and took a small sip. "Such dazzling eyes, honey. I can't wait to look into them every night."

Ugh, what the fuck? I cringed at his words, not just because of what he said, but also because my face gave away my reaction, and there was no use in trying to hide it.

"I wanted to check in on both of you and make sure that everything is going well. If the situation were different, I would have Elliot marry you — my mistake, son. That just slipped out." Hollis couldn't stifle his grin as he cast a quick glance in my direction.

"Well, at least now we can stop pretending. Ideally, I hoped that Elliot would marry you so that your son could become part of our family and eventually marry when he's older. However, given Elliot's strong desire to take his mother away from me, it's clear that I need a wife of my own. A true man cannot stand without a wife, Syvl."

I swallowed hard. "I'll... be marrying you?"

A fleeting glimpse of the monster flickered in Hollis's eyes, a dark shadow that vanished as swiftly as it appeared when he adjusted his glasses. His voice was laced with a calm certainty as he replied, "Yes," pausing before adding, "And you'll bear me a son, too."

"You said that you wanted a grandson," Blue stated firmly.

"You're right. I want a grandson and a son. Maybe this time, I won't repeat the mistakes I made with you. I was too lenient, Elliot, and look what happened. You drifted away from our family, acted recklessly and rebelliously, and hide your face from everyone. That's why you wear that stupid mask—

With a swift motion, Blue unfastened his prosthetic. He slammed it onto the table with a forceful bang, the sound echoing through the diner and drawing attention to us. "YOU DID THIS TO ME," he exclaimed.

The café fell silent, with an awkward tension hanging in the air among Blue, his father, and the other patrons. The waitress, who was on her way to our table, redirected her path and approached a nearby couple to take their order instead.

Blue panted, his jagged face contorted into a scowl that accentuated his scars. Hollis removed his glasses, cleaned the lenses with his white shirt, and then put them back on before sliding out of the booth.

Once standing, Hollis looked at Blue with a distant expression. "I'm disappointed in you, son. I expected you to know how to behave in public, and we just wasted a perfectly good breakfast together because of your actions. I hope you show me the respect I deserve during our next meeting."

He then walked away, leaving Blue and me speechless. A chorus of whispers and murmurs erupted in the café, causing Blue's breath to hitch as he fumbled to put his mask back on. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he swallowed sharply, clearly trying to refrain from crying.

"Hey, hey, hey. Elliot..." I placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him flinch but ultimately stopped him from putting on his mask. "You don't need that."

He inhaled sharply through his nostrils. "I do," he stated, molding his prosthetic to his face.

🔹🔹🔹

Authors Note
I apologize for the short chapter. Work has been incredibly busy with the upcoming holidays, and on top of that, I'm writing a fanfiction to attract more views to my page. Despite all this, my heart has been longing to write Blue for quite some time now. Hopefully, despite the length, it meets your standards.

That's all I have to say for now 🌀