Realism Fan Fiction ❯ White lies ❯ Tug of War ( Chapter 4 )

White Lies: Chapter Four

“Oh Vince! I couldn't allow you to do that...I'll just be a burden!” Mimi called out to the frantic boy, catching an old tan cushion as it flew in her direction. She pressed the cushion against her burning face, trying to hide the blush of humiliation from him. It was bad enough that Vince had seen the damage done by Chris, but now he was getting himself involved by trying to make her stay with him. What good would it do? Chris would find her eventually...And when he did what would happen to Vince?

“It's either this or I phone the cops...” Vince's voice remained calm but dark. As if phoning the cops was the last thing he planned to do in this situation. “There it is!” He whispered as he knelt down to the bottom of a large pile of boxes, plucking a rolled up sheet from under the last box. Again Mimi had to catch the flying object aimed for her, though sheets come at someone a lot slower than cushions do. Vince straightened up immediately and ungracefully manoeuvred his way around the mountain of boxes once again.

Mimi's grip tightened around the sheet and cushion, her eyes darting around the small apartment, looking for something else to focus on other than Vince's rather pissed stature. She settled for locking her eyes onto a weathered box next to Vince marked `Sketches'. However, out of the corner of her eye she could still see Vince shove his hands into his pockets, his jaw locked tightly.

“If that bastard gives you hell, he can answer to me. You don't deserve this Mimi!” Even though the words were said through gritted teeth, there was no doubt of the concern in his voice. It surprised them both. He did not know her that well, but was that enough to offer her a place to stay in such a situation? Or had she simply struck a painful cord within Vince... She silently replied with a nod, tears brimming at the corners of her sullen eyes. Tonight she would be safe, or at least in a better situation than what was awaiting her back in that hell she called home...

 

 

 

“You're such a good artist...Why aren't you making money off of these?” Mimi exclaimed blissfully, gazing at yet another one of Vince's sketchbooks. An innocent smile that usually only a child could achieve remained plaster on her features as she flipped the worn pages of the leather bound book. Rolling over onto her back at the edge of Vince's bed, she handed the small book to Vince, who was positioned on the floor. He only shrugged in response, his cheeks a soft crimson; it was not every day that he received a compliment about...Well anything about his self.

“Most of the stuff you're looking at is my older work, years old...” His tone was calm and soft, no longer full of anger as it had been an hour ago. His callused hand grasped the book from her gently, and he seemed to visibly gulp at their proximity to each other. Putting the sketchbook back into the box, his hands groped the edges of his trench coat, pulling it tighter around him.

“Vince...You saw the bruises my Uncle left on me...Does that suggest to you that I'm somehow a threat?” The question was soft, as if she was addressing a frightened animal rather than a human acquaintance.

There was an awkward silence that lay between them, killing the carefree ambience that they had acquired during their idle chit-chat. For a moment Vince just sat motionless, his eyes in a far-away, hurt gaze. Mimi's heart sank a little as she witnessed the blur of hurt emotions flickering in his eyes, for a moment she regretting bringing up his odd behaviour.

“I...Well...Let's just say...Uh...” Vince stumbled over fragmented words and sentences, his gaze dropped to the floor and his hand ran itself through his midnight black hair. Unbeknownst to him he had foolishly removed the bandana from his head, exposing the entirety of his face to Mimi. Such beautiful blue eyes, soft features, and the way his shaggy black hair hung in his face... It was the second time that day that the boy seemed more humbled... Not intimidating as someone clad in a trench coat usually appealed to people.

“It's just—“ Vince meant to continue his pointless stumbling, but Mimi had ceased that effort by pressing a slender finger against his soft thin lips, causing him to blush even darker as he silenced his self.

 

“Don't worry about it Bright Eyes... Just answer me one thing...” She asked, keeping her voice soft and airy, as if she was trying to verbally patch the wound her earlier statement had ripped open. Removing her finger from his lips, she used the hand to support her head as she continued. “When I met you...What was with that mannequin?” She had brushed off the oddity at the time, considering she was more relieved that she had not discovered a dead body on her first day in a new town.

The question had most definitely caused the awkwardness from before to evaporate out of the room, and for the first time since she had met him; Vince laughed. It was soft and warm, just like the contagious smile on his lips, and Mimi's heart almost seemed to skip a beat witnessing it.

“Oh...That thing? It was a gag gift from a friend of mine, when I wished that I could be in two places at once. Now it just serves as a comical prop...In a small town there's not much entertainment...”

“Except for scaring new comers into thinking they've just stumbled upon a corpse, you're sick!”

They shared another melodious laugh as Mimi reached over a lightly smacked Vince's arm, and for once he didn't flinch or slink away from her. Before she could really control it, a smile had found itself on her lips, and there was a tingling in her body that she couldn't define, or match up with any emotion she was familiar with.

`Maybe this is what it's like to be happy...'

At that thought, her smile erupted into a full blown grin, and she found herself sighing happily. Maybe Vince was caught up in happy thoughts as well, but neither one of them had noticed that from when Vince removed his bandana; their eyes never parted one another. It was only when the laughter disappeared only silence remained, that they noticed their staring and both blushing, broke the gaze between them.

 

“So...How did your...Friends handle your leave?” Vince was the one who changed the topic this time, his eyes now locked on a loose thread on his black trench coat.

“The few I had, cried of course. But I took it with a grain of salt...I was involved with...A lot of plastic people...Brooklyn high schools are full of them...The only bad part was when my `darling' boyfriend at the time thought I was using it as an excuse to cheat on me...So he told me if I left we were done.” Even if Vince wasn't looking at her face, the eye roll was evident in the tone of her voice. She spoke as if the memory of her last time in the city she grew up left a tainted, awful taste in her mouth.

“Sounds like you weren't too fond of the people there...”

“Vince that is an understatement. Those people loved their drama... Whining about how horrible their parents where because they didn't let them go tanning or confused why no one likes them because they can't keep their legs shut—“ She would of continued with her venomous ranting, but Vince's own lone finger was pressed lightly against her lips. A blush on her cheeks, she smiled sheepishly.

 

“I really have to thank you Vince...But I doubt I can thank you enough for what you are doing for me...” Mimi said, slowly taking hold of one of his charcoal stained, calloused hands. A yawn consumed her for a moment, interrupting her attempt at thanking the kind boy for his vast generosity.

“Mimi...Don't worry about it...It's what friends do...Right?” Vince, cheeks ablaze by having her hand on his, half smiled and discretely pulled his hand away.

Of course, she blushed and opened her mouth to argue with some good point she had, but another yawn consumed her, causing her to slump against the bed.

“You're tired, go to sleep”

“Gr...Okay...” Mimi groaned as she pulled her body up to a sitting position, wincing as she noticed how sore her back had become from laying in such an awkward position for -She glanced at the clock next to the mattress—Three hours. With another wince she flung her legs over the side of the mattress, meeting Vince's confused stare with her dazed one.

“What have I done wrong?”

“Where are you going?”

“To the couch, Silly...”

Vince seemed to scoff at such a notion, placing a hand firmly on her shoulder. For a moment, warning bells were going off in Mimi's mind, why would he have such a reaction to her going someplace else to sleep? Suddenly she began to wonder if trusting an acquaintance so much, so quick, was such a good idea.

“I won't have a woman sleep on that god awful couch when there is a bed available.” His tone was firm but gentle, but the statement only made Mimi gulp audibly. “I'm taking the couch.” He added reassuringly, as if sensing her irrational fear. He flashed her another soft smile, the one that made her heart beat out of rhythm, as he grabbed his toothbrush and stood up to make his way to the bathroom.

“Oh, no way Vince! I'm not putting you out of a bed!” Mimi called out to him as he passed her and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. She was more than a little relieved. She didn't want Vince to be just another bad guy she was foolish enough to stumble into. He had been so kind to her, and in the city that was a quality to be wary of. But this was a small town, and she had hoped things were different here. As long at Vince remained nothing but a sweet guy to her, she would keep diluting herself in that fantasy; no matter how often her Uncle raised his hand to her.

 

“Mimi, don't be stupid! You need it more than I do!” Vince called back out to her from the safety of his bathroom. The only place right now he could be away from Mimi. Not that he had a problem with her company, on the contrary; he was beginning to enjoy it. But it was a relief to be able to drop his heavy guard for a moment or two.

“I have to watch how I act around her...It's bad enough I have to sleep in this tonight...” He muttered softly to himself, dreading the dry heat of the summer's first heat wave. Hopefully he would be able to survive the night, even with a heavy trench coat blocking any breeze from reaching him.

Vince plucked the toothbrush from his mouth after a vigorous brushing, wondering if Mimi had gone against him and was now sleeping on the couch. It didn't seem too farfetched for a girl like Mimi to do. A small smile on his lips, he opened the door from the bathroom and slipped back into the rest of the tiny apartment he called home.

“It's okay; really...I'll just end up on the floor anyway—“He said as he peeked into his bedroom, half expecting a long argument over sleeping morals between the two. But Mimi was down for the count, passed out on the bed in the same position in which he left her. A soft laugh escaped him as he silently leaned over her body, enough to reach and open the window on the far side of the bed.

She looked peaceful, curled up on his bed, a slight smile on her face. It was a serenity she deserved to enjoy...After dealing with such a despicable excuse of a guardian. He shook his head of any thoughts of the mongrel that would be dealt with all in good time. For now, they both needed a good night's sleep. Vince plucked the thin sheet from the corner of the bed, draping it over the girl's sleeping form, and then leaning in closer to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face.

“Sweet dreams, Mimi.”