Once I got to the door, I opened it and sighed my relief when I saw Tammy wasn’t there. I walked towards the desk and opened the drawer to grab the first aid kit.
“Marcus, you sit in that chair. Thomas, come over here and let me take a look at you.”
Marcus smiled and gave Thomas an amused look. “Yes, ma’am.”
Thomas walked over and sat on the edge of the desk. Upon inspection, I saw he had quite a nasty cut.
Thomas smiled. “Boy, that was sexy as hell, Olivia. You’re quite the little tiger once you get going.”
I glared at him. “This is no time for jokes, Thomas. Care to tell me what happened out there?” I took out an antiseptic wipe and swiped it across his cut. He winced a little, but smiled back at me.
“I’m sorry about that, Olivia. It’s just… That fucker said something about Rachel, but he was the one who punched me first. You saw it. I just wished I had the chance to punch back. Stupid fucker.” I sighed and stared at him. “Sorry. People like that make me so mad. They don’t know shit about the circumstances. They just automatically run their mouths. It just makes me so angry.”
I dabbed a little more antiseptic around his eye. “I know it’s hard, but you have to ignore people like that. It’s not worth getting into trouble over. You’re the better person, Thomas. Just remember that.”
I cleaned his cut a little more. When I thought it was the best I could do, I looked at him with a smile. “There. I think you’re all set.”
Thomas grabbed my hand. “Thank you, babes. You’re the best, you know that? You’ll make a fine wife for someone one day. I hope the guy who put a smile on your face this morning realises that. It’s good to see you smile. You always look so sad all the time.”
My eyes widened. “I do?”
He nodded. “You may have all the smiles in the world for us, Olivia, but a smile doesn’t necessarily mean you’re happy. You deserve to have a smile on your face every morning. I just hope this guy does that for you.” He sighed a little. “If he doesn’t, I can always save my punches for him.”
I laughed. Not because of what he said, but because I knew not a lot of people could get a chance to even throw a punch in Kit’s direction. After what I saw that night in the alley, I knew there was a lot more to him than met the eye.
“That’s really sweet of you, Thomas. I don’t think you’d have any trouble there, but I’ll keep you in mind if he ever steps out of line. How’s that?” I smiled at him cheekily.
“Sounds good to me.” He winked back.
We were just about to go back out to the dining room when Tammy walked in.
“What’s this?”
Oh shit
.
“There was an altercation in the dining room and Thomas got hurt. I was just taking care of his cut. We’re finished now.”
Marcus took that as his cue to stand up, and I couldn’t blame him. The way Tammy was staring at them made me want to squeeze her scrawny little neck. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that I needed to keep working there, I would.
“Yes,” she spluttered. “Well, the dining room is now emptying. We’re going to need to start cleaning up.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Marcus picked up his now empty plate, as Thomas picked up his. The three of us made our way out, leaving Tammy alone in the office. No doubt she was checking the petty cash.
I looked at Thomas eating everything he had left. “Do you want me to get you some hot, fresh food? That must be cold by now.”
Thomas smiled around a mouthful of egg. “This is fine with me, Olivia. I’m just grateful for food. The temperature of it doesn’t matter.”
I felt a stab of pain knowing this. Again, it made me realise just how lucky I was to have the luxury of being able to buy food on a regular basis.
Once he finished, Thomas handed me the plate. “Thank you, Olivia...for everything.”
I placed my hand on his arm. “Don’t mention it. Anytime. You have my number so don’t be afraid to use it.” I smiled at them both.
“See you tomorrow?” Marcus asked.
I smiled. “You bet.”
I watched as they both left and I went to work clearing all the tables, getting them ready for washing.
Once everything was clean, I made my way to the office to collect my things. Tammy was going through the petty cash and, by the look on her face, she wasn’t happy. I sighed.
“Did you leave those two alone in here at any time?”
I shook my head. “No. I was with them the whole time. I would have noticed if either of them went snooping where they shouldn’t.”
Tammy sighed in frustration. “It looks like there’s money missing again. I’m going to have to go through the books and take a proper look.”
I grabbed my coat, placed it over my arm, and threw my bag over my shoulder. “Look all you want, Tammy, but it definitely wasn’t Thomas or Marcus who took any money. I would have seen it.”
She looked up at me with a frown. “You can’t be around all the time to notice everything that’s going on.”
I shook my head. “I know that, Tammy. And neither can you.” My tone was sarcastic, but she never even batted an eye.
She looked up and noticed I had all my things. “You’re leaving?” I nodded. “What about the cleaning?”
I tapped my foot. “Done. Tony and I did it whilst you sat in here, counting money.” With that, I turned and walked out, leaving a shocked Tammy sitting there. “See you tomorrow,” I waved. I had somewhere else to be right now...and I just couldn’t wait.
I raced out the door a little too eagerly, I almost tripped. Once I composed myself, I went down the stairs and briskly walked back towards my house. I was so happy in that moment, it was strange. I never thought I would feel happy about getting home. I just hoped Kit was still waiting for me.
I got to my gate and flung it open with a bang, making me jump. “Oops.” I shut it behind me and was just getting the key inside the lock when my front door opened wide, revealing a topless Kit. He smiled brightly and opened his arms. I raced into them and jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist.
“My god, I missed you,” I breathed into the crook of his neck as Kit shut the door behind us.
“I missed you, too. I couldn’t wait until you got home. I made you some lunch. You must be hungry by now.”
I was starving, but my need to hold him was greater. “I am hungry.” I pulled back so I could look into his eyes, then down to his lips. “So very hungry.”
I leaned in and captured his mouth with my own. Kit moaned, re-igniting the fire that raged this morning. We had only made love mere hours ago, but I was ready to go again.
Kit lifted me up against the wall and aggressively claimed my mouth. I loved his gentle side, but I also loved this side of him. It made me feel like he was just as desperate for me as I was for him. It never took much.
I bit Kit’s lip and he growled, setting me back on the floor. He broke away, his breathing heavy against my face.
“I want you so badly, but not yet. You need to eat.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Just how bad to you want me?” I knew I was teasing, but a side of me really wanted to know.
Kit put a possessive hand around my waist. “I’ve wanted you from the very first day I laid eyes on you. You won’t recall because you didn’t notice. You were so busy looking at a piece of paper in your hands, then looking up towards the soup kitchen that you didn’t notice anyone else around you. They all looked, pointed, and said things about you. I could tell what they were saying and I wanted to punch their faces in. I never had that feeling with anyone before. It was strange and it made me want to keep away from you. I couldn’t, though. I would always follow you home to make sure you got there safely. I made it my mission to protect you.”
I smiled and felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I remembered that day. I had only just moved to London a week before and had spoken to Tammy the day before regarding the soup kitchen. I wrote the details down of where it was located and was making sure I had the right place. He was right. I didn’t notice him then, but I certainly noticed him the moment he walked through the doors later that day.
“I didn’t notice you, no. I was busy making sure I had the right place. I
did
notice you later, though. I noticed you every day. I really wanted to talk to you, but you never once looked my way.”
Kit sighed and shook his head. “I couldn’t, no matter how much I wanted to.”
I looked into his sad eyes. “Are you going to tell me why?”
He sighed and pulled away from me, avoiding my stare. “Let’s eat. I made a risotto.”
My eyes widened. “A risotto? You are a man of many talents. I know that from last night.” I winked at him. “And again in the early hours this morning.”
We both walked into the kitchen and the smell hit me straight away. It made my stomach growl in protest.
“I’m sorry about that. You must have been tired today. Maybe you can get some rest after you eat.”
I smiled timidly at him as he got the plates ready. He frowned a little. “What’s up? You look a little sad.”
I shook my head. “Oh, it’s nothing. There was a fight today, that’s all.”
Kit stood tall all of a sudden. “A fight with whom? No one hurt you, did they?”
I shook my head and sat down at the table. “No, no. It was a fight between Thomas and another guy. I told them off and tended to Thomas’ eye. All was fine after that.”
Kit put the plates of risotto on the table and sat down. “Are you sure about that?”
He could tell there was more, so I told him about Tammy and the petty cash.
“I never liked that lady. There’s just something not quite right about her. I have been watching her for a while and I just know she’s up to something.”
I raised my eyebrow. “Really? Someone else you’re stalking?” I joked.
Kit laughed. “Yes, but not for the same reason I stalked you.”
I took a bite of the risotto and my mouth screamed out for more. It was delicious. “Wow, Kit. This is great. What is it? Chicken?” He nodded. “It’s lovely.” I took another bite and he smiled.
Swallowing, I turned to him. “So, why did you stalk me, Kit? Can you at least tell me that?”
Kit paused with a mouthful of food, then smiled. “I guess I can’t keep away from you.”
“But why?”
Kit looked away for a moment. “I don’t know. Something about you just called to me. I didn’t like it so I tried to fight it, but it was no use. The fact you were obviously trying to reach out to me didn’t help. I tried to push you away, but you wouldn’t let me.”
I placed my hand on his. “Why would you try and push me away?”
Kit put his fork down and sighed. “I think you can guess that something bad happened to me before I became homeless. I didn’t agree with something and refused to do what was asked of me. I knew I would be in danger after that, so I ran. The only way I could escape was if I went underground.” He sighed and looked at me. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. I shouldn’t even be here with you. If I stay, the chances of putting you in danger increase every day. That’s why I kept pushing you away. That’s why I kept trying to tell you to forget about me. Being with me is not good for you, Olivia. You should tell me to go. Tell me to get out of your house and never come back.”
I placed my fork down and grabbed his hand. He looked up at me and I could see the torture in his eyes. “I think you know I can’t do that. I don’t think you realise just how much I need you now.”
Kit’s forehead crinkled a little. “Why do you need me so much? What is it I could possibly give you?” He gestured towards his body. “Look at me. I have nothing. The only reason I’m eating with you now is because I cooked food that
you
bought, under the roof that
you
pay all the bills for. How could you possibly be the one who needs me? I’m nothing.”
I squeezed his hand tightly and snapped at him more harshly than I intended, “That’s where you’re wrong. You give me everything, Kit. Don’t you understand that it’s not about the money, or the food, or the house I live in? None of that means anything to me. I’ve been miserable, Kit. I hurt myself because I didn’t want to feel the emptiness creep up inside me and swallow me whole. I became a prisoner in my own home, and the only comfort I sought was at the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniels. Every day, I thought about ways I could end my daily torture. To end the nightmares. I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I wanted out.” I looked down when I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I never spoke to anyone about this. I never wanted anyone to know my torture. Uncle knew, but he never knew my true feelings. I could never talk to him in the way I felt I could with Kit. With him, I knew I could open my heart up, trusting that he would look after the parts that fell out.
“I had everything, yet I had nothing. Yes, I crawled out of it and made myself a better person, but I was never happy…until I met you. When I’m with you, I feel things I have never felt before. When I’m with you, I feel like I can live for the first time in my life. For once, I feel like my life has a purpose. And it’s you who has done that, Kit. Not the money or the house. You.”
I sighed a little. “About a year ago, I was in a very bad place. I had no one to turn to. My parents were both dead, and my family and friends all disappeared from my life. The only thing that made any sense to me was my painting.”