The Wolf

Eyes

I woke up among crumpled sheets in a far too empty bed, the scents made me dream back to the hours before when I fell asleep in an exhausted, sweaty but satisfied pile of body parts.

Had it not been for my sore muscles and aches in more or less diffuse places, I would have thought that yesterday was part of the night's incoherent dreams.

With a low growl I got out of bed and dragged my feet towards the bathroom. On my way, I picked up all the clothes that'd been tossed all over my apartment.

Showering was out of the question, I had other things to do, and I also enjoyed his scent on me.

I sighed as I glanced at myself in the mirror and opened the toilet lid, my hair stood in all directions, I was a mess, but a happy and satisfied mess.

With a sigh I pulled my fingers through the tufts but the task felt overwhelming at that moment, so I decided to not give a f**k.

I needed a cig and I needed food. Preferably blood but that had to wait, I needed to find a contact who could help me with that and it would not be easy.

Suddenly my thoughts were drawn back to Clock, he could help me.

Damn it, I muttered to myself. You need to stand on your own f*****g legs at some point, Bel.

My feet slipped in my Converse and my hands sank deep into my pockets before I stepped out the front door.

The apartment had been empty when I woke up, but I never expected anything else.

He didn't feel like the type who stayed and ate breakfast in bed and watched Netflix the morning after. Maybe one day, but certainly not after the first night together.

The street was quite lively compared to the night before. Families were out and people were walking happily in the late summer sun.

My hands moved towards my curls but my fingers got instantly caught in the tufts once more and I sighed angrily, as I approached the grocery store on the corner.

A small bell rang as I opened the door but no one in the store responded. I glanced at the young cashier with pink hair and sooty black eyelids, but she seemed almost morbidly interested in the cellphone and did not care a s**t about me.

I walked around among the shelves and picked up a coke, bread, ham and conditioner before I started walking towards the checkout.

My eyes slid towards the liquor shelf but I shook my head, why start something I wasn't prepared to finish.

The cashier tore her eyes away from the cellphone for a few seconds as I threw the goods on the counter, the sound echoed through the empty store.

"Two packs of the cheapest" I muttered and nodded at the cigarette rack.

She looked up at me uninterestedly before turning around and took down two light blue packages from the shelf and threw them on the counter.

"Bag?"

I nodded and took out a hairband from my pocket to tie my hair in a messy bird's nest like bun on top of my head, while I waited.

She tapped the keys on the register but I didn’t wait for the sum, instead I threw some cash on the counter and mumbled a "thank you."

With a cig between my lips, I rooted the lighter out of my jeans pocket while the girl packed the rest in the bag.

"You should try dry shampoo instead," she said with a look at my morning hair.

"Thanks, I’ll try it next time" I replied with a shrug and a hint of a smile on my face when I lit the cig and received the bag.

She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before turning all her attention back to the cellphone again.

With the bag in my hand and a rumbling stomach, I walked towards the door.

With my eyes on my phone me, I pushed the doors open the door with my shoulder, but I freeze as I’m met by two guys I’ve run into way to often in my life.

The wolves immediately recognize me and I stop at the door to think through my options, my eyes flutter towards the back of the store while I feel how my heart rate increases.

There are two big guys standing in front of me and my ribs immediately start whining and reminding me of the kicks they once had to endure.

I take a long flare from the cigarette and let the phone slide back into my back pocket.

Fuck, I can’t call him every time I’m in a mess, and how damn embarrassing it would be if he showed up unannounced again.

Instead, I waited for their next move and with a frown I see how the one in the back sniffs the air before he puts a hand on the other's shoulder and whispers something in his ear.

The person closest to me raises an eyebrow before stretching his head back and the nostrils really flutter in his face, as if he wants to get in every single grain of my scent.

He eyes me for a long time before he decides to ignore me, pushes himself past my comparatively thin body and walks with heavy steps past me towards the dairy shelf.

I take a step back to let the other one pass, who curiously meets my eye contact before he walks past me and follows his friend through shelves and food pyramids.

With a relieved sigh, I fill my lungs with smoke and walk out into the sunlight again.

My legs move slowly towards my soft bed, ham sandwiches and lukewarm Coke.

But my mind couldn’t let go of what I’d just been through. What the hell was that, I thought, looking back at the store, but the street looked the same as when I arrived.

But somehow everything felt different.