Mad Hatter |George Daniel|

04

Our dinning room table was decorated with playing cards and cigarettes that acted as poker chips. There's a soft hum coming from the radio in the kitchen. I toss my cards in front of me and sigh. Dougie picks up another fag and lights it while tossing his feet on the table. Amber picks at her nails in boredom.

I get up and turn up the music, Metallica drenching the house. I sat at the kitchen island and started flipping through a book I had found in the attic last weekend. Time passes so slowly throughout the day. It was another silent Saturday night. By nine, my three sleep deprived roommates wanted to rest so they trudge up to their rooms. After that I dog ear my page and go to the living room to watch some TV. Time felt even slower after that.

Out of no where my phone blasts an unfamiliar ringtone. The number is unrecognized but to my stupidity I pick up. "This Luana." I sounded like a business woman oh geez.

"Luan it's Macen." My heart sinks and a lump forms in my throat before he could even finish saying his name. This was the last person I wanted to speak with after today. "I need your help." He pants as if he was running and this draws me closer to the conversation. "I-I need to hide."

"What have you gotten into?" I ask.

"No time," He wheezes. "for explaining." and the line mysteriously went dead after that. I pull the phone away from my ear and shrug to myself. Macen always dug himself in a shit hole he could never climb out of unless his superhero parents saved him or me. He should've been grateful for all the times I let him fox hole himself into my house until cops or some ratty teenage gangsters weren't looking for his muggy face.

Hopefully he wouldn't come by so I double checked if the door was locked top and bottom. Sitting calmly back on the couch I sigh and pull a quilt over me. The house was freezing and snow was soon to come. Gladly time passed and there was no sign of Macen coming to me for whining help.

Yet when I heard a sneeze come from my staircase I got a sick feeling in my gut. I suddenly felt unsafe knowing all my roommates have been asleep for a good hour and someone just sneezed. Quietly I get up to inspect the area being the curious cat I am. There's a light on in my room, and....a shadow?

Boom. Panic.

My hand goes for my phone with lighting speed. My contacts are filled with unreachable people at this time of night. Who to call?

Fuck before I could even inhale another sharp breath I found my ear to the phone with George's contact blinking on the screen. How did I get his number? I skip my way to the garage quietly enough to be unheard and unseen. It rings and rings and rings. George please, pick up. I don't want to be alone with him.

"Yeah?" The groggy voice that probably just woke up answered.

"Oh god did I wake you?" Fuck I should've known he was going to be in bed. It's 10:30 at night Luana you're fucking stupid.

"No-no it's fine really." He replies this time sounding more awake and blooming like he always sounds. "What do you need Luana?" I freeze in my spot, looking around my garage and feeling tunnel vision. The way he said my name made me...dizzy? "Luana?" He does it again. My palms feel sweaty.

"G-George I have an unwanted visitor a-and I need your helping getting him out."

"Just tell him to leave."

"It's not that easy. He's an ex and he's got a temper. I just-" The line went dead. My heart felt so hot in my chest. I hear a loud crash come from my room and Macen's profanity right after. He's coming down the stairs I can hear him. Incase he came into the garage I leaped behind a garbage bin and held my breath. My eyes shut and I start shaking in fear. His presence was horrible to me, I just wanted to vanish in thin air to avoid him. I text George asking why he hung up but I get no reply for a good 5 minutes. I still cannot hear Macen leave the kitchen so I text Amber to see if she was awake. Nothing for another solid 5 minutes but later on I hear him trudge back to my room.

My phone vibrates. I'm here let's go. -G

I can't just leave while he's in my house what if wakes up my roommates? Then again being alone with him sounded better than I thought. My phone battery is low and I didn't have any shoes on but I still decided to leave out the back door in the garage and jump the gate. A loud rusty black mustang was outside my house the engine running and smoke emerging from the gas pipe. The tires has snow sticking to them. I tip toe across the driveway and regret it once my socks became soaked. The door unlocked and I throw myself into the passenger seat and instantly get goosebumps once my skin feels the temperature change. The car was burning hot even though George was wrapped in 2 jackets.

His golden eyes scan my shaking body. "Where's your shoes love?" He puts the car in park to peel a layer off his shoulders and place it on mine. My toes curl in my socks from the cold and I push my knees to my chest.

"Please just drive get me the hell out of here." My voice quivers. I look at the house and see his shadow in my windowsill. He's spotted the car. George takes off as soon as Macen starts to open the blinds. Nervously I start to bite my nails. The music in the background doesn't help.

"Cmon Luan you've gotta tell me something. What's got you shook up?" George moved a hand off the steering wheel and caressed me knee. You could hear the heavy rise and fall of my chest in panic.

"Let's just say I've got a violent insane stalker ex that took shelter in my house through my window. I hate him he makes me scared. I went in the garage to hide." I wheeze and think about the things that he's done to me right before I left him. It brings tears to my eyes. Just the thought of this animal makes me cry. George runs his hand on my back to console me. The drive was fast but I still continue to cry until he parks. "I'm sorry I put this on you. I-I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know who to call it all just hit me." By now I had my head in my hands rubbing the heels into my temples letting my tears of fear wash the make up from this morning off my face. The pity party on George was real. He looked like he felt sorrow for me.

"Let's go inside and get you something to drink." He exits the car and comes around to my side, pulling me out and picking me up since I was barefoot. My legs wrap around his torso and he protectively holds onto my legs as he walks up the drive after locking the car. I feel high off the ground because of his height but the tears in my eyes make it blurry to the ground. He coo's to me while walking into the house. We go to the familiar kitchen and I sit at the table. My hands in my messy hair. He sits next to me, holding onto my hand letting me calm. I drink some water to clear my throat.

"He's gone it's okay. Just breath." George pulls me into his chest and stands up. My head goes up to his collar bone and I latch my arms around him. We sway for a second while my sobs turn more into whimpers. "You're safe." He repeats that over and over until I'm silent and just wanting to be embraced. Macen made me feel like I've been electrocuted several times. George made me feel like flowers could bloom in my veins and it settles my nerves. "Look me me Luan." He commands taking a hand to my chin and raising my face from his now tear stained jacket. He cups both my cheeks. "Are you going to be okay?" His eyes deeply search mine with concern. I nod looking at his eyes then his lips. Those lips I wish I could kiss right now just to know someone wanted me back. He can clearly see the lust in my face. I open my mouth a little to breath better. Our bodies back up into the table and he balanced him self steady enough to grab onto me both our eyes tightly closed. The chair by us gets moved making a loud squeak to break us up. I back away and my finger tips brush my bottom lip. My eyes don't want to meet his so I looked down at my bare toes that needed polish and a clipping.

"Oh hey Luana!" Matty's cheery body bounces into kitchen with a glass of wine starting a conversation to mask the tense moment between Giant and I.