Into the Storm

Chapter 9 | Resistance

MAIA

"Art please don't do this. I'm so tired of this. If we're done, we're done."
Art looks at me in shock as he stands with his duffel bag strapped across his chest at the entrance to my doorway. I don't understand why. We go through this everytime he has to leave to do a show with his friends. It's nothing new. But I'm tired. I'm exhausted of having to do this everytime, just so he doesn't have to feel guilty about putting his dick in someone else while he's gone.
"Is that what you want, Mai?" No. But I know this has to end.
I stay quiet and look over to my half grown kitty sitting on the window nook. I really need to change her litter. Art leans into me so that I look at him. But I keep my eyes away. "Hm? Mai?" He says softly. He brings my chin up so that my eyes shift to his lying eyes. "Is that what you want, Maia?" The hurt look on his face is what gets me. It's a genuine expression that only I've seen when his mum passed. I want to scream and tell him this has to be it and it's over but.. my heart breaks as much as his eyes are telling.
"No." I answer quietly and I look down at the carpet below my feet.
He keeps his hand on my chin and raises my face a little higher. "I'll be back tomorrow night. You can pick me up from the airport, and we'll have dinner at my place, yeah?"
"Tomorrow night is The Cypher. We can't."
"I'll help you host, then."
I look at him knowing he's only justifying his soon-to-be actions tonight. But he's a natural in his element on the mic. I do need his help. It's a big event. We have it once every last Thursday of the month. Jade and I have been working our asses off the entire year because this specific Thursday, is a big one. This is the one where we get our artists signed and talent producers come out. It's a big deal.
"Okay." I say to him. Giving in like the idiot I know I am.
He leans into me with his hand on my hip and kisses my neck below my ear in a soft manner. "I'll text you when I get there." I can't help but study his face in how many lies were given in that one sentence and the anticipation if more of whatever comes out of his mouth. I don't watch him leave. I hear my kitty meow in her tiny hungry voice. I ignore Art as I turn around to hear to the door shut and continue to the kitchen. I place my hands on the counter and look down to the left of me at Coco's empty food bowl. I kick it out of frustration and tears run down my face as it hits the wall and ricochets to the side of counter. It spins at the same time my mind is spinning and I sit myself on the kitchen chair with my face buried into my hands. I shake it off and pick up Coco's bowl and fill it with her food.
Moments later my phone buzzes with a social media notification:

Jade.renata tagged you in a post

Jade absolutely hates posting on social media. But she is always liking and commenting on everyone's posts. She is a funny girl.
My phone buzzes again with a text. Probably Jade texting me to tell me that she's just tagged me in a post. This girl.

Jonah: Mind if I come hang with you tonight? New movie on the stream. I'll bring shakes?

I smile and shake my head at the text and let out a small laugh. Jonah. This might be exactly what need. A distraction from Art's fuckery. Jonah is great company and he's always the best person to watch a movie with. Jade usually joins us for movie night, but I don't want to shift anything that has to do with Hiero.
I knew they would hit it off the moment they met. I didn't want to introduce them too soon on the count of Darren. Darren is way too deep into Jade's head all the time and it isn't fair that he doesn't let her move on. Maybe I do need everyone around me tonight. Tonight feels different. I feel different. I think I'm slowly shifting to realizations instead of denials. My phone buzzes again:

Jonah: ?

Oh yeah. Sorry J. I text him back with the okay. I think I'm just going to enjoy my movie night with Jonah and Jonah only.

__________
HIERO

I rummage through a pack of sticky notes of several colors and girly office decor. "Hey look at this." I show her.
"It's purple." Jade complains.
"So what. It's pretty." I argue and she shoots me a confused look with her lip curled at me. I try not to laugh. It's cute. Why wouldn't she like purple sticky notes?
"I can't see purple in the dark, Hiero. Do you forget where we work?"
"Fine. Well, what about this?" I show her another pad. "It's white and it's got little flowers on it. And look at the little edges" She shoots me another look but this time she smiles.
"Let me see that." I hand her the pack. She drops it in her hand basket. I smile.
"You've got to have a little more faith in me. I can do this." I throw her a double meaning to see if she'll catch it. She stops herself from walking away and turns to me with a straight face. Shit. What have I said? Hiero T, you dumb mad fuck. But I smirk at her in Challenge. I'm not afraid of her.
"You need to work a little harder." Her words are dry and I have absolutely no idea what that answer was toward. I walk through the isle of nothing but pens. Jade follows. I see a stack hanging on the small rack of the same pens I see her use while she's working. From the corner of my eye at the end of the isle, a feminine figure strolls by. An all too familiar one. When I shift my head up to look, my eyes confirm what I thought. I shift my body around  to Jade and take a few steps closer to her. I lean in her ear and speak quietly so the woman in the next isle can't hear.
"If I grab your hand, play along." I say. Jade lowers her brows at me with her confused curled lip. It's funny, the expression, but right now is everything but.
"What?" She asks.
"Just... allow it. Please." She studies me with her eyes in a squint.
"I don't have to time to explain now, just go along, yeah?"
"Okay." She says defeated. "Are you okay though, Raine?" She asks quietly and the soft sound of my name coming out of her lips is just-
"Hiero?" The girl says. I pretend not to hear it at first. I take Jade's hand into mine and pull her into me. I grab a pack of random bullshit pens.
"Here, Love. I like these." I say. Fuck, I'm so nervous and I want these words to be true. She plays along, "Hmm, I don't know, baby. These are really ugly and I have a feeling they won't write as good."
"Hiero? Who is your new friend?" The girl asks in a snooty tone. I give in to the madness and shift my eyes up at her. I try to keep my cool as a rush of annoyance fills my blood. I squeeze Jade's hand a little and take a discreet and slow deep breath.
"This is my girlfriend." I throw the words at her as if daggers are flying to her ears.
She puts her hand out to shake Jade's hand and want to slap it away. I don't want her filthy skin touching Jade at all.
"I'm Olivia." This lanky bitch faced redhead squints her eyes at Jade and shakes her hand. "Hiero's ... off and on girlfriend." Fuck. Liar. She gives Jade a shit eating grin. I give Jade a gentle squeeze.
"Oh. So, your just an ex-girlfriend, then. That's cool. We all have an ex somewhere, ya know?" Jade says with a smile and she seems to be playing along just fine. Jade turns her body to me with her hand still in mine.
"Baby, I'm hungry. You want to go to my place and have ...lunch?" She bites her lip while her lashes flutter up at me with her emeralds. If her fake double meaning thought what it meant, then yes. Fuck yes. I lean into her and pull her in close and kiss her.
"Yeah." I say close in her ear touching my lips to her skin while snooty red is listening and staring at us.
"Well, Hiero." Olivia says begging for the attention now. "Maybe I'll see you soon." She says.
"Maybe you won't." Jade throws. I quickly turn my head to Jade who has the most innocent fake smile I have ever seen. I shift my eyes to her lips and I want them all over me in every way possible.
"We'll see." Olivia turns on her heel and walks away.
Jade stands still watching her walk off until she she disappears. Her hand still intertwined through mine squeezes tightly with a look on her face to kill. I almost feel one of her tiny fingernails dig through the back of my hand.
I smile instantly, "You're jealous." I say. She says nothing and let's go of my hand.
"I'm not." She shrugs.
"It wasn't a question, Jade." I laugh.
"What. I'm not, Hiero." She turns back and pretends to rummage through pens.
"Yeah. You are." I chuckle. I am giddy now. Jade has been pushing me away for the last two weeks and I've been following at her every command like a jester in her castle. We've lost our word of not giving in from that first night and have been going home together every night for the past two weeks. We've spent almost every waking moment together doing things that have nothing to do with the shop. In the evenings, it's all work, but after that, we're naturally inseparable. I've learned in this time that Jade doesn't like going home alone after everyone has cleaned up and gone. I follow her home in my car and before I could even make sure she's in the door safely, she invites me in. I'll never tell her no. Her car has broken down three times in this last week and those times, I've taken her wherever she needed go. Those times I've driven her in my car, she stayed at my place. I've learned so much about her. She's absolutely stubborn and let's no man take control of her in any way whatsoever. Even her sexual seductive soul is demanding and bossy and everything her queen mode entails. Jade is a force to be reckoned with, especially when being sexually intimate. I don't recall in the last two weeks my being in charge of anything that has to do with her body. She sure as fuck is in charge of mine, by all means.
I turn in front of her in the isle where we still stand surrounded by pens. We start to walk out through the isle and I nod my head what's up at her with a smile.
"When are you gonna give in?" I ask.
"To what?" She shifts her eyes at me as she walks forward in front of me.
"You know what. To me."  I say happily and innocently answering the question.
She looks up at me through the flutter of those lashes I love.
She sighs, "Hiero. I can't be serious with anyone right now."
The words hit me like a brick to my chest but I have to recover. I know this already. It's her infamous guard standing in the way of the wall of her entire soul.
"Okay." I point behind my shoulder with my thumb, "So, I'm just gonna go down a few isles and say Hi to Olivia then, yeah?" I half play the words but I realize how fucked up that would sound if we were an actual couple. But I know the words get to her and I just want to see a telling reaction.
She let's go of my hand. Almost throwing it aside as she lets her fingers untangle. "You can do whatever you want, R.T. Let's just get to Maia's." She walks out of the store leaving the hand basket at my side. I nod continuously at myself as I pay for the things and walk to the car. The drive to Storm Koffee Hauz is silent but completely telling. I'm slightly annoyed by her stubbornness, but don't let it get to me. I want to tell her that I've never fucked Olivia once and that she was never my girlfriend at all. She's just a daughter of a family friend who wouldn't leave me alone. Much like the way Ian is with Leanne. Explaining anything to Jade right now might make her run. That is the least of everything I want with Jade. I continue the drive in silence to Storm to drop off the things we've just bought and headed to drop her off at Maia's place. I keep wanting to open my mouth to say something to her but stay silent and grip tight to the steering wheel. I reach for my phone and put on a song on the Bluetooth. I press play and I turn it up a little loud. I don't even look at her. I keep my eyes on the road and I smile because I know the lyrics will lighten and change her mood for this little production of hers during this drive.
Somo - Back to the Start
I played this song in the car the other night and I know for a fact she was digging it. I smirk as I pop a piece of gum in my mouth as the music plays. I want to glance over at her but I keep my eyes on the road.
I pull up to Maia's house where the party was gathered and bbqing. Emma, Katherine, Philly, and Vince were standing out front with other people.
"Thanks, Hiero." Jade unlocks the passenger side.
"Just text me if you want me to pick you up, yeah? And I'll come." I say.
She squints before opening the door, "I'll be alright. Someone here can give me a ride home."
Katherine strides over to the car as Jade let's herself out. "She'll be fine, R.T." She lowers her brow when she sees I don't get out. "Wait. You're not gonna stay?" She ask.
I shake my head, "No. I'm just gonna stay home and rest. Have fun."
Katherine makes a face knowing I'm full of shit and looks at Jade who was already walking to the group. She shifts her head back at me, "What's up, Hiero?" Katherine pries.
I half nod and fidget with my keys, "I'll be alright."
She squints her eyes at me, "You're too nice, R.T. King up."
"Nope!" I protest with an angry smirk and look to the figure coming up to my car behind Katherine.
"Hi-RO! Stay, man. Don't leave me." Jonah begs and I laugh.
"Why?" Easing down my laugh.
"Just stay."
"Nah, I'm good, mate. I'm tired." I lie.
"HIERO!" Vince shouts me. "Get your ass over here! Philly is trying to say you owe him for that shoot."
Fuck. I do. I owe Philly a shoot and Maia's place is always the best place to take photos.
"C'mon, R.T! The sun is setting, the photos will be fucking spectacular up here on this hill." Philly shouts. I smile because I know he's right. I turn the keys out of the ignition and reach back for my 35mm. I see Jade's dusty pink colored knit sweater under it. I grab that too. I must have snuck in a shit ton of photos of Jade on this roll. I can't touch the film in, so grab another roll of film and toss it in my hoodie. I hand Jade her sweater and give her a smile. All I want to do is wrap my arms around her and fix this little tiff we're having. She doesn't say anything as I walk past her and her eyes dip to the camera in my hands. Her eyes shift back up to me and she smiles but she catches herself and turns her head away to the group. Jade won't admit that she likes that I do photography. But I can always tell by our conversations that she is fascinated by it for some reason. She's always asking questions about my interest for it. It's one of my favorite things to talk about with her. I continue to walk straight on and unbothered into the house full of people to prepare the camera.