Chapter 4
Nate
Sweat ran down my back and into my shorts. It was disgusting. Every single thought in my head was screaming for a shower and a cold beer and not necessarily in that order. I’d been at it for hours but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. The removalist had shown up four hours later than they should have and I should have been pissed. Instead I found myself thankful for their tardiness. I was nowhere near ready to have my life brought inside to this filth.
I’d returned to my place just as the sun touched the horizon and got to work. I didn’t have anything to use, so I’d focused on what I could. One good look at the disgusting carpet and I knew it was going to last the day. Grabbing hold of one threadbare corner, I yanked it up and it came away easily. Manoeuvring the gigantic roll of mouldy, smelly carpet out the back door wasn’t the easiest thing to do, yet somehow I managed it. What was left under it was enough dirt to fill a garden bed. I found myself wishing I could just drag in the hose and wash it all away, but I doubted even that would be enough.
When nine o’clock hit, I took off down the street to get some much needed coffee and some cleaning supplies. As much as I could carry. The moment I returned, I downed the cold coffee, making a mental note not to bother getting coffee from the take out place ever again, before throwing myself at the mercy of the house.
A knock on the door brought me from my cleaning chemical daze. Wiping my brow with my discarded shirt, I let them began bringing my stuff in. Despite their offers to put it in the right rooms, I just got them to pile it in the middle of the family room. Nothing was clean enough yet to be put away properly. When they carried in my favourite black leather recliner, my knees buckled under me. Finally something felt like home. I couldn’t help myself. Covered head to toe in dirt and grime, I flopped back against the worn leather and closed my eyes.
It didn’t take long before the truck was empty and my life was piled up before me. It was as depressing as hell. Suddenly I felt the overwhelming desire to collapse into my bed and not wake up until this nightmare was over. It’d been one thing to pack everything into boxes, but that was nothing though. Not compared to this. This was real. There was no denying it or hiding from it. This was my whole life. My whole world. I had nothing. Sure I had a bunch of shit, but none of it meant anything. It really sucked.
I needed a drink. At the thought, my stomach rumbled, reminding me I should probably eat at some point.
“Fuck!” I swore loudly, my voice echoing through the empty rooms. I wish I knew what possessed me to buy such a huge house. Right now it felt really big. And lonely. Too lonely.
Digging through the box marked “linen,” I grabbed a couple of towels and headed for the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, I turned the taps, waiting for them to splutter to life. With one final groan, water started shooting from the shower head and I was thankful I wasn’t standing beneath it. It was a dirty, dishwater brown colour. And the stench. There was nothing like it. I’d smelt farts nicer than that. It took almost three minutes of watching it circle the drain before it eventually began to run clear.
Groaning, I knew this was as good as it was going to get. Seizing the bottle of shampoo, I stepped under the scalding water and held my breath. This stench was going to take some getting used to. As quickly as I could, I scrubbed off the dirt and sweat before stepping out and wrapping a towel around my waist.
Wiping the mirror with my hand, the face I saw staring back at me was barely recognisable. The guy standing there looked old. And haunted. And broken. And I didn’t have time to be any of those. I had shit to do. Rubbing my hand across the stubble on my chin, I decided that a change was as good as a holiday. This was the biggest change I could have ever imagined. All I had to do was make the best of it and get on with it. Find something to believe in again. Let go of the past and start over. No one else would do it for me, so I had to suck it up and do it myself. Ten minutes later I was on my bike, headed back to the club. The food had been tasty and the beer cold, and right now, that was all I needed.
I pulled into the deserted car park and climbed off. I loved my bike. No one was ever getting between me and her. Even the short, boring ride through the streets relieved the stress. Pushing my keys into my pocket, I made my way towards the door. The moment I went to pull it open, I heard someone yelling. Pausing, I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. Thinking I was going insane, something that was a very real possibly right now, I yanked open the door.
“Get off me!” The call came again and this time I knew it wasn’t just my delirious mind playing tricks on me.
In long, quick strides, I rounded the corner and saw two people in what was an obvious disagreement. The smaller one, the woman I’d met last night—Jane, Jemma, Jenna, something like that—was pushed up against the huge blue skip bin by an oversized a drunk.
As much as I didn’t have the energy to deal with this shit today, I wasn’t about to walk away. That wasn’t me. Hell, no one should walk away from a scene like this. Digging my hands in my pockets, I stepped out of the shadows and into view.
“Hey! What’s up?” I tried to hold my voice steady as I spotted the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
At my voice, the drunk turned and stumbled as he tried to place me. I knew he had no idea who I was, in this town nobody did. “Fuck off!” he slurred as he stumbled towards me.
With his attention firmly focused on me, his would-be victim shuffled away from the bin as quietly as possible. “Hey man!” I began, holding my hands up in surrender. “I’m the new guy in town. Just looking for the entrance. In this damn heat, I need a beer. Know what I mean?” I tried playing the new guy card. It was worth a shot.
He staggered towards me, tripping over his own feet. My eyes never left his bloodshot ones. He was fucked. It was embarrassing really, but nevertheless there he was, cursing and calling me every name under the sun, and some I’d never heard of before. I wasn’t worried. Hell, I’d been in worse situations than this and come out unscathed. My eyes never left him, though. I wasn’t a complete idiot. Who knew what he’d do. When someone grasped my arm, I spun and instantly jumped into fight mode.
“I-I-I’m sorry…” Her voice was so shaky and timid I immediately felt like an asshole. I hadn’t meant to scare her. She’d snuck up on me and I was already on edge.
“You fucking him, Jenna? Not good enough for this anymore?” the drunk taunted as he grabbed his crotch suggestively.
I rolled my eyes. If he was trying to make a case for what a catch he was, then he wasn’t mounting a very good one.
“Go home, Paul,” she sighed sadly at my side. “Sleep it off.”
There was a weariness there that made my every nerve frazzle. I didn’t know this chick from a bar of soap, but she deserved better than to be treated like this. I’m not claiming to be the nicest guy in the world, in fact I could be a damn right prick at times, but this was just sad. Looking down at her, the defeat was undeniable.
Ensuring she knew what I was doing before I did it, I offered her my arm, “Come on. Let’s head in. I’m sure you could use a drink and I know I definitely can.” It took a moment, but when her small hand wrapped around my forearm, I felt the warmth seep through the leather sleeve of my jacket. We moved off, but I only got two steps before something hard hit me square between the shoulders, knocking me off balance.
After stumbling for a couple of steps, I managed to right myself and spin around, only to be met with the seething anger of the drunk standing before me. “Think you can just come in here and steal my girl?”
What the fuck was this guy on? He was as dumb as dog shit if he thought for a second I had anything going on with this woman. Fuck, I couldn’t even get her name straight in my head. In fact, the only thing I did know about her was that she poured drinks like a champion. Well, that and she deserved a hell of a lot better than this asswipe.
Forcing her behind me, I squared my shoulders and stared at this guy head on. Most of the time that’s all it took. One look. One defiant stance. Yet for some reason, this guy didn’t budge. Maybe it was the lack of brain cells or possibly there was too much blood in his alcohol stream. I didn’t care either way. If he thought for a second he was getting his meaty paws on her, he’d have to get through me first. And I was no push over.
He swung wildly.
