VioletThree Weeks Later"That's all I have for y'all today." The teacher at the front of the class checks her watch. "I know it's fifteen minutes early, but let's go ahead and cut out. I'm sure we've all had a long day."When I started night classes, I wasn't sure what to expect since before this I didn't have more than a high school education. There was a fear I wouldn't measure up to the other students, but I learned quickly we all had our own stories. Meeting Karina Holland changed my academic life. She'd tutored Leighton in one of the subjects she needed some help with, and when I told her off-handedly I wanted to go back to school, she'd made it happen. As I put my backpack on my shoulders and pick up my bottle of water, she stops in front of me, a welcoming smile on her face."You doin' okay, Violet?""I am." And I mean it. The last few months have been difficult, but I'm happy with this life I've carved out for myself. I'm doing better than I ever imagined I would be.
VioletTonight has turned out to be super long. Rolling my neck around on my shoulders, I reach over to the bedside table and grab my cell phone, checking the time. A little after midnight. It's a good thing I don't have to work tomorrow, because I can't get my brain to shut off. I wonder if Anthony's having the same problem I'm having.V: Abs of steel, you awake?Immediately I see the three little dots on my phone, indicating he's awake and typing a message.A: Yeah, I can't sleep after what went down with Caleb.V: We're in the same boat. A: Come over, we can watch TV or something.Those were the words I wanted to hear. Being stuck here by myself with nothing to distract my brain made me think of everything I could have done differently for the last ten years of my life. Things that have no bearing on my life today are all I can think about. Pushing the covers off my body, I get out of bed. Looking down at myself, I realize I need a pair of sweatpants and a bra under t
VioletBreakfast rush is over, allowing Leighton and I to lazily fill the syrup dispensers and talk about what's been going on in our lives. Since the wedding, I feel like all of us have been balls to the wall. We haven't hung out in forever, and after what happened between Anthony and I a few nights ago, I'm wondering if I want to discuss it with my friend or not."You and Ace looked pretty close at the wedding." She hits my elbow with her own as she cuts her eyes at me.Stupidly I wonder if she can see what happened between us all over my face. I can feel my cheeks heat, and my thoughts are plunged back into how I felt on top of him with his hand caressing my entire body. It would be a lie if I said I have thought about anything other than that particular situation since it happened. Pulling myself out of the memory, I give her a look."Just because you're married and pregnant doesn't mean that everyone else has to be too," I joke with her, secretly super happy she and Holden
Ace"Requesting back up at the bottoms, down by the boat ramp."I can hear Tank's voice on the radio. It seems amused, tired, and inquisitive as he requests another patrol car to come help him. I'm in the area, so I pick up the radio and call in my position. Flipping on my lights, I accelerate so that the police package in my cruiser responds. Carefully, I make my way through the bottoms, and in minutes I'm pulling in behind his car, turning off my siren.Getting out, I take in what I see in front of me. Tank's got what appears to be a teenage guy and a teenage girl leaning against the back of his patrol car. He doesn't have them cuffed, so I'm assuming it's not that big of a deal, whatever went down, so now I'm wondering why he called for backup."What's going on?"He turns to me so that we face each other, but neither of our backs are to the kids. "I was doing a round down here, making sure nobody was loitering or doing anything they weren't supposed to be doing, when I saw
AceIt's a slow night in Laurel Springs – my kind of night to be honest. When there aren't people acting insane and hell bent on breaking the law. I'm an hour away from going off shift and ready to Netflix and spend some time with Violet. We've been good since our interlude on the couch, but I'm unsure how much longer I'll be able to keep my hands off of her. She's an itch I can't scratch, a temptation I can't give into. Sitting on the side of the highway, I'm randomly clocking speed while finishing up some of the reports I have lingering from earlier in the night. A few cars have gone by about five over the speed limit, and I've let them go because it's only going to cause me more paperwork. There's something else I want to see tonight rather than a stack of reports. I'm finishing up the last paper to work on when a car goes screaming by me. I glance at the mounted radar, whistling when I see they were easily twenty-five over. Punching my radio, I call in my position and give
VioletYou know that moment in time when you realize a situation you thought was handled, no longer is? It's a moment that takes your breath away, that makes your hand fan your face as heat rises up your neck. It's the flush of awareness when you realize the man who's been living next door to you is so hot he should be on the cover of a calendar.Typically when I see Anthony after shift, we've both changed and gotten comfortable. Nine times out of ten, he's knocking on my door wearing a pair of sweatpants and a ratty old t-shirt. Not that he's not a good-looking man when he's dressed for lounging, he's hot then, too.Tonight though, as he climbs out of his squad car, he looks different. On the one hand he looks dangerous. Like a badass no one would dare to cross. On the other hand, he looks all buttoned-up, too-well put together, and I want to muss the control he seems to have on himself. A bullet-proof vest rests over a black t-shirt, down into a pair of black pants. A thigh-hol
VioletThe knock on my door at eight a.m. causes my heart to pound against my breast bone. I know without a doubt that knock is from Anthony. Last night I spent way too much time wondering what it would be like to share a bed with him for real. To give him free reign over my body, and to hand over my pleasure to him. Today? I'm draggin' ass, but I'm going to do my best, to keep up with him."Morning." I give him a bright smile as I pull my door open. There's a smug part of me that's happy with the dark circles under his eyes. Maybe he had as hard of a time as I did going to sleep last night, after what we shared in the kitchen. "Morning." He hands me a to-go cup of coffee, with a soft smile. I take a grateful sip of the hot beverage and turn in a circle, feeling his eyes on me. "Do I pass inspection?" I'm wearing a pair of cut-offs and a t-shirt, but I've lifted the t-shirt so he can see my bathing suit is a one-piece. Even though his eyes are covered by aviators, I can
VioletIt's a dead day at The Café as Caleb and I sit at a booth folding silverware into napkins. It's been a week since the lake, since Caleb got pulled over. I've bided my time, but now I'm interested in how he's doing. "How are things going?"His gaze is intense before he shifts it back down to our task at hand. "I know Ace told you about pulling me over, me being drunk, and then calling my dad. That's why you said what you did when we were out on the lake.""He did, but it hasn't been my place to bring it up."He's quiet for a few minutes, and I wonder if he's going to speak about any of it to me. Blowing out a deep breath, he scratches a cheek that looks as if it has some stubble on it. When did Caleb start growing up on us? Eventually he shifts in the seat and begins to speak. "Dad and I had a really long talk.""How did that go?" I can just imagine what Mason had to say to his son."Awkward as fuck, but he said some things I've needed to hear, I guess." He shrugs