Chapter five
Teegan
“ G osh, this exam is going to be the death of me,” Beverly muttered as we walked out of class and made our way to the exit. I groaned as simply thinking about studying made the books in my bag double in weight.
“You’re telling me. I feel so stressed and overwhelmed. I wish I could just spend most of my days cuddling with Grayson.”
And Levi.
No! Be good, Teegan.
“Are you sure that cat isn’t a real person? Sometimes, I think you treat him like he is one,” Beverly muttered cautiously as we exited the building, and I laughed softly as I had the same thought the other day as well.
“He’s my kitty, Bevs, nothing more, nothing less.”
Soon, I bid her goodbye as she walked to her car, and I began making my way home. On my way, however, I flinched when I heard a voice behind me.
“Teegan... I hear you’re coming to my party,” Alec said, looking down at me with a smile.
I shrugged. “I-I’m still thinking about it.” Truth be told, I had no intentions of going, but Beverly was being so persistent that it was hard to say no.
“Well, I definitely hope to see you there,” he replied, giving me a slight wink as he walked away. I bit my lip as I held my bag a bit tighter and speed-walked my way home.
Alec was sometimes harmless, but he sent shivers down my spine for all the wrong reasons at times. I didn’t favor being alone with him for any reason whatsoever.
Upon arriving home, I placed my keys in the lock, and looked up to see Mitchel walking into his apartment, looking battered and shaken up. He unlocked his door but paused as I spoke.
“Mitchel, are you okay?” I asked him softly.
He didn’t say anything as he entered his apartment and slammed the door shut. Levi was helping him pack the other day, and I knew he was a bit late on rent. I hope he’s holding up okay.
I opened my door, and Grayson immediately made his way through my ankles happily as he purred. I picked him up slowly and petted his fur as he snuggled closer to me. Walking over to the couch, I sat with him and brought out a few of my flashcards. Soon, he had gotten comfortable in my lap and dozed off.
I received a phone call from my mother as I’d just finished detangling my hair tie from my bun, letting my messy curls fall down my back.
“Hi, Mama,” I said after I answered, and I could tell she was delighted as she replied.
“Oh Teegan, sweetheart, how are you, my baby? I just wanted to call and say hi,” she said happily, and I automatically knew something was up. She only gets this happy when—
“Your brothers are here to visit, and oh, do they miss you. They were looking forward to seeing you, but they became upset hearing that you were still out of town,” she said sadly.
I unconsciously played with Grayson’s hair. I found peace and freedom being in school, and even if we were just a few hours away, I never felt the urge to go back to visit them. I enjoyed visiting my parents… but not my brothers.
Dakota was the oldest at twenty-nine years old and the most reasonable of the two. He was my best friend for the majority of my life before he suddenly found a disinterest in me when I wanted to go to medical school. I remember him always telling me to chase my dreams and ignore my bullies… before he turned to the dark side himself.
And Declan, only two years younger… scares me . He was never all that nice to me to begin with, taking the spotlight, being the youngest, I presume, and I believe he put the evil idea into Dakota’s mind that women shouldn’t be in medicine. He was truly awful and never approved of anything I did, which makes me question why I still seek their validation at times.
“Oh, that’s… great, Mama.”
My hands began getting a bit clammy and shaking slightly, and she gasped softly.
“I forgot the apple pie in the oven! Boys, why don’t you have a chat with your sister? I’m sure it’s been a while since you three spoke to one another,” she said in a hurry, and soon, there was silence over the phone.
“Well, hello, little sister,” I heard Declan start.
I gulped softly as I responded. “Hi.”
Dakota continued, “Why haven’t you visited home recently? Mama was talking about you not wanting to be home a bit earlier.”
“I’ve been very busy… b-but I talk to Mom every day,” I said, trying to make up for the fact that I hadn’t seen them in more than five months.
“That doesn’t answer the fucking question,” Declan growled, and I bit my lip as tears filled my eyes. They were always so mean to me. “Mama misses you… and here you are, putting a career over your family. Do you understand how selfish you’re being?” he asked me, and I took a deep breath, trying to control the tears threatening to spill.
“I-I’m not trying to, but it’s something I really want to d-do,” I whimpered as I wiped my eyes quickly.
“If this is how you’re going to act now, imagine when you have children, your own family. You won’t be fit to be a doctor and a mother at the same time. You can barely take care of yourself,” Dakota bellowed through the phone.
I couldn’t help but sob silently as I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders once again. They made me cry like this before, and it took me days before I could stop.
I didn’t hear anything for a moment, then Declan spoke with irritation.
“Here she goes with the fucking tears,” he muttered, and I couldn’t help but sob even more.
“I-I have to go… tell Mama I love her, and I’ll call her tomorrow,” I said softly and ended the call as I held my face in my hands.
This wasn’t going to be easy, I know, but they have never shown me any kind of support, none at all. I already knew the long journey I had ahead of me was going to be challenging, but they didn’t have to rub it in my face like they always did. And because I wore my heart on my sleeve with them, my tears were practically never-ending.
Through the walls, I could hear Mitchel still packing some of his things again. I could only hope he would be careful, considering the state I saw him in earlier.
A few minutes passed, and I heard silence. Grayson jumped off my lap and rushed to the door as he meowed for someone to hear him from outside. I heard a few knocks at my door, and I stood, wiping my eyes as I went over to the door. I opened it slightly to see Levi looking straight at me.
“Mr. Amante… hi,” I said softly, and he gazed down at me.
“Tesoro, you don’t seem too well. Were you crying?” he asked, and I shook my head, lying. He tilted his head to the side. “I don’t like liars, baby. What’s wrong?” he asked, slowly pushing the door open, and I sighed heavily.
This is the second or third time he’s seen me vulnerable. Part of me wonders if he just has bad timing or if I’m a crybaby… Probably the latter.
“M-my brothers were just being a bit mean to me. It’s nothing, just a normal sibling fight,” I said, shaking my head as it sounded childish, even coming out of my mouth. He didn’t say anything as he just stared at me. I could really use a hug… where did Grayson go?
“...Do you want a hug?” he asked, almost reading my mind.
Hearing those words coming from him seemed a little unnatural, but I was grateful for them nonetheless. “I would love a hug,” I said happily as I wrapped my arms around him and sighed contently.
He cautiously wrapped his arms around me as well. If my brothers knew I was hugging and crushing on a man I met not too long ago, especially a man like Mr. Amante, I would never hear the end of it. But I enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms around me far too much to be concerned with the logistics of us spending time together.
I let out the remainder of my final tears, and soon, we entered my living room.
He sat on the couch, and I handed him a mug of tea. He looked at the mug curiously, and I laughed internally since it had an adorable panda design he was fixated on and studying. He took a sip after examining it a bit more and asked me a question as I sat beside him.
“What did they say?” he asked, and I shrugged, looking away. I felt a small surge of excitement when he pulled my face back to look at him, and I gulped softly.
“What did they say, Tesoro?” he repeated, and I blushed slightly as I averted my eyes from his intense gaze.
“They... were just telling me I’m not cut out to be a doctor and that I should come home and be with my family. It’s a stupid thing to cry over, I know,” I said, shrugging.
“It’s not,” he began. “You shouldn’t limit yourself to what you think they want. Don’t let anyone, especially a man , not allow you to pursue your dreams.”
I bit my lip as a dark joke came to mind, and I tilted my head as I said to him, “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me you’d kill them too since they made me cry, hmm?”
He took another sip before responding, his face remaining comically serious.
“If you want me to, I would.”
I giggled at his response and thought back to earlier, wondering why he was here again.
“Did you help Mitchel finish packing for his move?” I asked him, and he nodded slowly. “He seemed a little battered when I saw him earlier. Did something heavy fall on him by accident? There was a lot of commotion the other night,” I asked, wondering.
He shrugged. “Something like that…”
I nodded slowly as he stared at me for a little while longer before standing up. A brief silence ensued, and I could feel my heart race slightly. His eyes seemed to linger on me, and he bit his lip in thought. I glanced down at his mouth shamelessly before looking back into his alluring eyes.
He looked away after a moment and breathed in slightly. “I should get going,” he muttered, and I felt a bit sad as he stood.
“B-but you just got here,” I whispered, not realizing what I was saying at the moment as he shook his head, avoiding eye contact with me.
“I... can’t stay,” he responded, and I placed my mug on the table, standing as he walked toward the door.
“Was it something I said?” I asked him softly.
He paused by the door. I had the feeling he was going to tell me yes, and I felt a bit upset as I was possibly going to be losing what could’ve been a new friend.
Instead of responding, he turned around abruptly, and his next move shocked me.
He approached me with such intensity, and I gasped as he placed his hands on my face. He stared into my eyes for a split second before placing his lips against mine.
I had little time to realize what was going on as my eyes widened, and my mind felt utter shock . However, my eyes fluttered closed as I soon gave in to the kiss. His intoxicating scent filled my nose, making me feel all warm inside.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he picked me up by the waist, placing me on the kitchen counter. He was slowly devouring me, hungrily , as his hands moved up and down my waist and thighs.
I felt on fire as he grabbed my hips firmly all of a sudden and pulled me closer to him. Running my fingers through his hair, I panted heavily as he pulled away, resting his head against mine.
“...a taste,” he whispered, and I bit my lip, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
This was highly unexpected… first, we were enjoying tea, and now we’re having a full-blown makeout session. I hope Grayson’s precious eyes aren’t looking at us…
He shook his head, his eyes closing almost as if he was in pain.
“That’s all I wanted,” he whispered again, and I watched his fingers slowly trail up and down my thigh as I trembled on the inside. He looked into my eyes, and I felt a surge of intensity as they darkened slightly, sending a surge of excitement and hesitation through me.
“But now… I don’t think I’ll be able to fucking stop,” he growled as he wrapped his hand around my throat and pulled me in for another kiss. His grip on me wasn’t painful, but it was clear who was in charge at the moment.
Was I in heaven?
I felt his tongue slip through, and I moaned softly as I tasted him. He felt so good. His hands were in control of me entirely. Everywhere they went left a fiery sensation on my skin, and I felt more alive than ever. I whimpered slightly into the kiss as he groaned, pulling me closer.
After the crying, the stress, and the anxiety I’d faced today, it felt nice to have someone in control, someone to take away all of my pain and fill me with something new, something I’d never experienced.
And then I woke up—
—to the sound of my alarm blaring and the light of the sun shining through my window.
You have got to be kidding me, Teegan. Why are you fantasizing about this man at night, too?
I rubbed my eyes softly as I pushed my hair out of my face... Was that all a dream? When did the day end and my dream begin? Was Levi even here? Did my mother and brothers even call me? Is Grayson even a cat? What if he’s a bunny…?
One of my questions was answered when I noticed my little kitty was sound asleep by my side, and I shook my head.
Wow… I think I may be going crazy.
I looked down at my attire to see that at some point last night, I did change, but I just couldn’t remember when. I was probably sleep-deprived; that would explain why everything seemed so foggy.
Walking into the living room, my heart sank as I noticed a panda mug sitting on my coffee table along with the pink mug I’d been drinking out of yesterday as well.
Going into the bathroom, I rinsed my face with water before noticing something on my thigh… a minor red bruise indicating someone did, in fact, squeeze my thigh like in my dream.
Not just anyone… it was Mr. Amante, and boy, did I look crazy with the smile plastered across my face.