CHERRY

Chapter 3

I met Neil in a pub I went to one night after leaving class.

Despite my destructive choices, it could be said that I had somehow managed to escape without receiving too many bumps and bruises along the way.

I still don't know how I managed to avoid getting arrested, get pregnant, or worse, but I was very grateful for my good luck. Because that lucky star was really a miracle.

Somehow I had managed to take the necessary steps to recognize what I hoped would be my calling in life. She seemed to have been blessed with the gift of tongues. My French and Italian studies were helping me realize how to manage my ability. She had informed me about what I should do to go abroad as an au pair, with the intention of touring Europe with families who needed help taking care of their children and, at the same time, perfecting my studies in the local language. The first place on my list was Italy, then France and, perhaps, if everything went well, I would eventually end up working in Spain and Germany as well. Getting away from home had become a desperate necessity, and I wanted to do it on my own. So that was my naive plan to make it happen.

Neil had been on leave for almost three weeks when he turned up at the pub that night. He looked like a golden god, with those jeans, the black T-shirt and the black Docs. Even though they were ordinary clothes, they were impressive. All those muscles hardened by military life filled out the clothes as well as if they were those of an elegant model. A very masculine model.

Neil was pure strength and virility, commanding respect simply by his presence; His stripes or his uniform were not necessary. His size also helped. He was a big man, tall and with powerful muscle mass where he needed it. He attracted all eyes, both men and women, with his physical presence and strong character. When you saw him talking to old acquaintances who wanted to catch up and show their respect for the position he held in the Army, it was easy to see how much they respected and esteemed him. That was a huge contrast to the childhood experiences I knew, and it made me extremely happy to witness all the praise he was receiving from the pub customers. Letting everyone know how incredible Neil McManus was was the only thing fair, because he undoubtedly deserved it.

The subtle confidence in his gestures, the movements he made while talking to people, the sound of his voice... Everything made me want to be as close to him as possible, to put my hands on him. He longed for the right to be able to touch him and for my caresses to be welcomed.

I would have sold my soul to the devil to know that he looked at me with anything but brotherly affection; to disappear from his expression that, "I'm your big brother and I'm going to keep you safe, girl."

I had been drinking drink after drink for at least an hour when he stopped next to me and ordered a beer. I was having problems with my boyfriend at the time, Denny, and I was in a bad mood. He had called me earlier, begging me to come to the pub to meet him so we could 'make peace', whatever that meant, since we were done for good. Yes, Denny's penchant for banging any blonde within earshot in the alley behind the pub had ended our relationship. I wouldn't be able to trust him again.

He didn't even know what he was thinking about coming to meet him.

Denny meant trouble. I guess that rebellious air of his was what had attracted me in the first place. His father had money, enough money to keep him out of trouble and buy him a flashy motorcycle, plus a lot of superficial objects that didn't matter at all.

All of this made Denny someone completely opposite to Neil.

There was always a gang of guys around him who swung between the legal and the illegal. I pretended not to notice, but I was pretty sure Denny was dealing drugs, although that was a secondary thing. His main occupation in his life was being a d**k. If my father was still alive, I wouldn't have gotten involved with a guy like him, or any other guy like that.

Surely she would still be a virgin; innocent. A pang of guilt and sadness passed through me as I thought about my father. He missed him so much... Too much. And he knew that he would be very disappointed if he saw what he had become and what I was doing.

The truth was that Denny's betrayal didn't hurt me too much, nor did stopping going out with him. I hoped that by the end of the summer I would be in Italy and, if all went well, Denny Tompkins would only be a memory of my past rebellion, which could disappear from my life without bothering me.

I wanted to leave England and forget everything I couldn't have, everything I had done.

Neil had sat on a stool right next to me, but he still wasn't as close as I wanted. "It's not fair". I took a long sip from my glass.

"Don't you think you should slow down, cherry girl?" —She asked me with that calmness that characterized her, making her voice produce a great impact despite the lowness of her tone.

-Because? I'm not bothering anyone. —I stared at him and took a deep breath, capturing his masculine scent, something that intoxicated me even more than the liquid that ran down my throat.

-That is not true.

-As? What do you mean, Neil? —I looked at him, looking for her reaction, dying of curiosity.

—It bothers me to see you unhappy. I can't stand watching you get drunk. Bothers me a lot. —I saw him narrow those beautiful eyes of his a little, so dark that they seemed black as if he were trying to read my mind.

—What makes you think I'm unhappy?

He waved his hand in front of my face, pointing at me.

—Do you think you seem like a happy person? She shook her head before taking a sip of her beer. Not me, cherry girl.

"I'm waiting for Denny to show up to apologize," I confessed, repeating his gesture, but directed toward my own body. He's probably out there screwing someone, like last time. Who am I fooling? These things happen. I shrugged, hoping he'd catch the veiled reference to his inappropriate girlfriend, Cora, loud and clear.

—You have to leave that guy. It's not right for you. Why are you with him? You deserve someone better, cherry girl.

"Don't call me that again!" —I gave him a hard look—. Why are you with your girlfriend?

—With Cora? —He seemed surprised by my question, but he instantly smiled half a smile.

He felt a great oppression in his heart, which caused him to speak recklessly, to let it all out.

—I can't have the person I want, so I guess that's why I settle for leftovers. That's why I get drunk, when even that doesn't work. —I let my horrible words settle and then I put the finishing touch—. Your turn, Neil.

I look myself. Her eyes traveled over me slowly and deliberately, as if it were a caress.

It seemed like he was trying to extract more confessions from me with just his willpower. It almost worked. His beautiful dark eyes had the power to do it when he looked at me like he did at that moment.

«Would he know what I felt for him? Would I always have known? How could she not know?

Those soulful eyes almost managed to tear the feared emotion from my lips. Almost, but I just repeated the words in my head.

"I love you".

I was drunk and he was there with me and he acted like he really cared about me.

"I love you".

And then the incredible idea occurred to me that Neil might not know my feelings. Could it be possible that he didn't know? How could he not know how she felt about him?

"I love you i***t".

I figured he didn't really know after all, because he didn't take the bait.

—Cherry girl, I know everything Cora has done so far.

—I told you not to call me that. I hate it! —I spat angrily before motioning to the waiter to serve me another drink. I instantly felt guilty for lashing out at him, but I was too hurt and wanted him to see me as a woman instead of just some kind of little sister who needed protection.

Neil stood up and told the waiter to just charge him.

-Stop! I'll take you home.

—You believed it! —I crossed my arms and looked at him, challenging him as best I could. Suddenly, I felt hot and quite dizzy.

He sneered before curling his lips from ear to ear, smiling arrogantly.

"I'm going to get you out of here, honey." —He took my hand and pulled.

"No, Neil!" —I stood up and opposed it with all my strength, but it was not easy to resist its size and power. I'm one of those people who comes up with the strangest things at the most inappropriate times, and suddenly I wanted to know what it would feel like if I had it on me. He was huge and next to him I felt very small. Would he crush me with that big body? What she was sure of was that she was willing to find out.

His eyes sparkled as he turned to look at me. Either I was very wrong or Neil was really looking at me for the first time. He swallowed hard, so I watched his Adam's apple rise and fall. I wished I could put my lips on his throat and keep them there. She was angry with him, but also intrigued by the attention he was showing me. "Holy s**t, he's so damn handsome."

—You look very pretty when you're angry, cherry girl. He emphasized the nickname with a confident smile, looking at me as if I were his. Beautiful and perfect.

«You really are completely perfect...».

That was something I had been told before. I wondered if it was possible that he believed it too.

It was impossible, right?

—You're very handsome too, but you're acting like an arrogant jerk right now.

-Really?

He leaned forward slightly, invading my space.

I hiccuped and nodded, feeling more dizzy by the minute before I found myself intimidated by him.

—You're in a late-night pub, getting drunk. I saw his jaw tighten. I'm not leaving you here, cherry girl.

Damn it! He had said it again and I felt lost.

"I told you not to call me that!" I took a step back, but tripped on the stool and fell onto his hard torso. He helped me regain my balance and I had to stop myself from burying my face in his shirt. I found it really difficult, I needed to bury my nose in his chest to be able to memorize his smell.

—Okay, okay, sit down, girl. I won't call you cherry girl again if you don't like it, but only if you let me take you home. You need to go to bed.

He put his hand on the back of my head and stroked my hair. At that moment he could have called me whatever he wanted; apple, grape, orange, banana... I'm sure he wouldn't have even noticed because he was touching me! Neil had his hands in contact with my body.

"No, what I need is to go to your bed." I raised my gaze from her to his without removing my palms from her chest, and I felt her heart beating under my fingers. He stared at my mouth and, for a moment, I thought he was thinking about kissing me. His pulse was so fast that I didn't know how it was possible that my body wasn't vibrating.

—Who do you want that you can't have? —She asked me softly. Her eyes burned dark, begging me to answer her. If I wasn't so stubborn, I could have told him the truth at that moment, I could have opened my heart to confess how I treasured every little detail, every gesture he would have made for me growing up, and that I couldn't remember a time when I hadn't told him. loved.

I shook my head as I felt my eyes fill with tears.

-Tell me...

I took a deep breath and turned my head away, just in time to see Denny, who was walking into the pub at that moment and staring at me.

-Oh my God! —I moaned.

"Baby, you've come," he said as he approached, trying to pull me into a hug. Denny's relief at seeing me waiting for him at the bar was evident in the arrogant expression on his face.

—No, Denny. No! I reached out to keep him away from me, but it was Neil who intervened.

—Elaina doesn't want to talk to you, Tompkins. Leave her alone. Neil glared at my ex, showing such an expression of hatred that Denny wasn't the only one surprised by the open hostility.

It looked like Neil would enjoy beating Denny up and leaving him bleeding to death. He could hardly believe what he saw; Neil acted like he was jealous of my old boyfriend.

That must have been the fault of drunkenness, my mental processes were seriously affected. Why was Neil acting like this in front of a guy who no longer meant anything to me?

—Elaina? Please, baby, listen to me. “That girl means nothing to me…” Denny ignored Neil's words and tried to hug me again.

I realized at that moment that my drunken state and my ex's stupidity were on par.

—It's obvious that neither is your life, asshole. Neil blocked Denny's left hook coolly. It seems like you're not a good listener, Tompkins. I told you that he doesn't want to talk to you. Go ahead, get lost.

As Denny and Neil faced each other, an overwhelming wave of nausea washed over me and I felt terrible. I covered my mouth with one hand and ran to the bathroom, inwardly thankful that the door wasn't too far from the bar. None of them stopped me.

I thanked God for that small blessing.