Natural Chemistry

Chapter 33: Selfish

Melissa's POV

A week had passed and Vince was going to therapy each day but the walls around him only grew stronger. I heard from my father, who stood witness to what had occurred, and I knew Vince was not to be blamed for what happened but I also knew that anyone in his place would never forgive themselves. My father had to pull some serious strings to erase all evidence of Vince in the crime scene, but judging by the fact that Vince roamed a free man, I'd say he succeeded.

Ernesto Montero was imprisoned for life, thankfully, but at what cost?

I entered the room Vince was staying at in our house. He did not look up, he had not spoken to me unless absolutely necessary in the past few days. I did not push him to either, he had a therapist who did that already. I stayed by his side, watching him immerse himself in books. I studied with him, holding his hand at times when he stared at it in disdain. School was over yet the teenagers were not unware of the occurrences, word got around in high school even when it was closed. Prom was a four nights ago, and missing it raised a lot of questions. And questions are the fuel to gossip.

"Vince?" I called out, trying to get him to look at me instead of outside the window, it worked in a sense. His eyes physically turned to me but his mind stayed in the garden outside.

"You have to eat something." I said casually, one thing I knew was that Vince did not need pity. I placed the plate in front of him on the table and leaned beside it.

"Melissa." Another thing he had done was he had not called me Jinx, I know it seems like such an insignificant matter to be worried about but I could feel the distance between us. I did not want him to be alone yet I could not figure out a way to be with him either. Maybe I wasn't the ideal person to comfort him, then again, who was?

"Yeah?"

"I wanted you to hear this from me first." My heart rate increased, his words sounded final, like he was saying goodbye. "I am moving." His blue eyes stared back at me and after so long I saw a glimpse of emotion in them.

"Where?"

"To another branch of my father's company, you are known to the drama that followed after-" His voice cracked but he continued, "I need to be hands on with all that goes on there now." Vince was still named heir to his fathers legal business and with him in jail, a lot of investigation was going on in the office to check if it was clean.

"When?" I didn't pay heed to the slight quiver in my voice.

"After the finals."

"When will you be back?" I could feel my heart pounding in my ear.

"I don't know." He pushed his chair back and stood up holding my face in his hands, "You have a whole lot of good life left ahead of you. Please don't waste it by thinking of me. I cannot put it in words how much I regret dragging you into my drama but I can ask you to try and forget about it. Forget about me." How easily he said those words, words that made my head spin and stomach fall.

I was crying, I knew from the blurred vision and the coolness I felt when his breath hit the path my tears left. I cannot tell why I got angry at him, how selfish my actions were but I could not help it. I pushed his hands off of me.

"That's it? Huh? You think you can just walk out of my life and I would happily let you?" I scowled at him. I was done walking on egg shells.

"Mel-"

"Stop calling me that!" I exclaimed, the tears were now an endless stream. His widened eyes irked me, did he really think I would sit and roll over?

"Listen to me,"

"No, Vince, you listen to me." I poked a finger to his chest, "I love you. You hear me? You want to leave? That's great, do that. But don't you dare ask me to forget. I will never and I promise you, Vince Delicia Montero that I will never stop waiting for you. So, go ahead, leave. You have been doing a lot of thinking lately, I've heard, then think of this conversation too." I was breathing hard after my unsympathetic speech, "You are not alone." I added in a whisper.

"Oh but I am, Melissa. I killed my own mother and sent my father to jail, want that written on our wedding card?" He was shaking, "So, don't you dare make this about you!" Vince had never raised his voice at me like that before but somehow it felt like a win, I had got to him, pulled him out of his world.

"Let's make something clear in that head of yours. You did not kill her nor was it because of you that your father went to jail." I walked towards him slowly, "Things happen, Vince. We have to face it not run away."

"Stop acting like you understand!" I let out a little shriek as he punched the wall beside me.

His chest was moving up and down rapidly and the wall had blood on it.

"I don't understand but I am here, let me be here with you." I took his bruised knuckle in my hands and brought his hand to my lips. "Let me take care of you." I pulled his head to my shoulder and hugged him, I wished I could take away all his pain.

"I am not good for you, Melissa, I can only kill."

"That is complete bullshit. Let me be a judge of that. You will not bail on us because of self doubt. I know the smart man you are, yes, you have killed but humans make mistakes but we are also more than capable of making up for it. So, stay with me and I will be safe." I had thought about this over the week, my father didn't leave any gruesome detail untold, perhaps trying to warn me but I couldn't abandon Vince. Albeit, he had done some serious criminal activities over the two weeks he spent with his dad.

It takes only one hand to save a soul, a few honest words to mend a heart and a person to keep make you whole.

"We are only eighteen, promises like those don't last forever."

"There is a first time for everything, Vin." I gave him a weak smile, I was questioning my teenage heart as well, wondering if the words I had said in the last ten minutes were going to be true in the next ten years. But love is all about risk, right?

"I-" I didn't let him finish his sentence, only pulled him into a kiss. I poured all my heart into it and I could feel him do the same. I felt his hand on my waist, its warmth drowning me. Yet his emotions weren't mirroring mine, he was hesitant and vulnerable at the same time.

We separated by an inch and I looked into his eyes, "We'll figure this out, okay? I just need you to not give up. I may not be a professional therapist or even someone who can come up with rational advice but please talk to me, Vin, we can get through this."

"I can't," I backed up at his defeated tone, I attempted to place my hand on the table to steady myself but did the complete opposite as my palm rested on the corner of the plate, toppling it and causing all the food to nose dive onto the floor.

"Oh shit." I muttered under my breath looking at the spilt pasta staining the carpet. I bent down to pick up the mess but Vince's laughter stopped me. I turned around to see his dimples, ones I had missed so much over the weeks. I forgot about everything and just stared at him, I missed seeing him laugh like that.

"Jinx," My breath hitched at his humour filled voice, "You totally live by that name, don't you?"

"Only for you." I replied with a smile. We looked at each other for a while and the atmosphere changed, the serious Vince had returned but thankfully this time he didn't leave the playful on behind.

"It'd be selfish for me to stay with you, Jinx." He pulled me away from the mess I made, it was too late to take it back anyway.

"Be selfish then and let me do the same."

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I'm going to miss these characters so much, they aren't perfect yet there is a certain satisfaction in that too.

Thoughts?

Thank you all for joining me in this journey and for the ones who joined later. Drop in your views and comments!

Keep a look out for the epilogue coming up.

Love,

Rojesta.