Chapter 4, V for veil

Serena’s POV

Alexander, my ex-boyfriend. Alex breathes heavily, he looks exhausted and drained of energy.                 “Alex? What the hell are you doing here?”, shocked to see him, he looks like he has been rough-handled. What has he done this time around? It's always something with Alex. The last time it was the cops, the other time it was the gang members, now what?

“Please, you gotta help me out guys”, a strange ooze filled the room.

“Eww, what's that smell? Is this you Alex?” I asked to be sure. It smelt like sewers.

“You got to help me out, guys”, breathing heavily like a dog, sweating profusely with a bad stench that worsened it all. Alex looked like he had not showered for days, what had happened to him? The only question I had for him.

“Hmm… no. I warned you not to return your broken ass to this place last time you came here. Seems you want to be embarrassed. I wonder who you're running from this time around. I'll be happy to let them know your stupid ass is here”, she was about to leave when Alex blocked her. “Excuse me?”

“No, wait, please, you don't understand”, what had he got himself mixed up in this time around?

“Hmm… hmm… we don't need you here. Get your sorry ass out of our house, unless you want me to call the cops on your sorry ass”, Benita lets him have it without allowing me to say a single word.

“What's wrong Alex?”I had to sympathize with him.

“No. Don't entertain this fool, Se. He ain't worth it. He ain't worth any of your time. Get the fuck out, Alex, or I start calling the cops” She brings out her phone.

“Fine. I'll leave. Just let me crash in here for the night, please”

“No!”Benita is really not having it. “Leave now, don't make me call the cops. I swear, don't make me do it, Alex” 

“Relax Benita, it's fine, let me just crash here for the night”, I can't just let Alex leave. Besides, it's very late. I know it's not my problem and all, but come on, I should help out at least.

“You out of your mind girl. No. I'm not letting this crazy man in my house”

“It's only going to be for the night, right”, I asked Alex.

“Yes, it is, I swear, I'll be outta here by morning, I swear. First thing in the morning”, he makes his plea.

“Beni?”, I knew she was the only one who could let him stay, I really had no say in the matter as it was.

“Hmm. Don't make me do it girl”, Benita is fighting the urge not to have him in the house.

“Beni?”, she flings her phone on the couch.

“Fuck!.”, in her frustration, she loses her cool for a moment.

“Thank you, Beni”, I know it's not easy for Benita, after what Alex did. We only took him those two times out of pity. But this? A third? Jesus Christ Alex!

“Thank you, Benita”,

“Don't fucking talk to me, or I'll kill you before whoever out there those”, she leaves the parlor and into the room. It's sad and weird and disturbing to see Alexander. 

Alex and I were meant to marry. I know I'm only 18, but we got engaged last year and he promised to marry me on my 18th birthday. And on that day, at the altar, I was left alone, with no sight of Alex. He abandoned me for another woman. Alex is 25. And to watch him destroy his life pains me to see. It's just sad. “You can sleep on the couch”, was the only solution I could offer to him at the moment.

“Thank you, Se”, the only other person that calls me Se.

“Save it”, I went into the room to talk with Benita, leaving Alex in the living room.

“I don't like this, Se”

“I don't too”

“So why is he here? Why did you let me in?”

“I don't know”, I sat on the bed with my hands above my head.

“Why do you do this to yourself? That's the man that left you at the altar“. I don't know what I feel towards Alex anymore. I don't hate him for what he did, but I can't help but pity him. He has been through enough.

“Let him just stay for the night, he's here now”, Benita disregarded what I was saying, completely ignoring what I had to say. She walks out of the room and into the living room. I had to follow her so she wouldn't make a fuss.

“Better behave, both of you”, she warns us. “I'll be back”, Benita walks out the door saying nothing more, I expected more than that but it's late and I just want to go to bed.

I stare at Alex pitifully rolling my eyes at him before going back to the room.

Later that night, I went to get a glass of water from the sink. I noticed Alex wasn't on the couch. 

“Alex?”, I called out his name. “Alex?”, I hear a faint response from the roof deck. It's Alex, smoking a cigarette.

“Here”, I went up to stay with him.

“It's the middle of the night, what are you doing up here?”, he waves a cigarette stick around as his answer. I sat next to him. “You good?”

“Have I been?”, with a forced smile, he takes another drag.

“It's been bad, huh?”

“I don't want to talk about it, Se”

“So why are you here? What do you want here?”

“I just….”, his words betray him. He finds it hard to express himself.

“You can't keep coming back here. I want you to know this is your last”

“It's fine”

“Why are you here Alex? What are you doing here, with me?”

“Nothing”, I became frustrated with him, this time I was not having it anymore.

“Nothing? Don't tell me anything. Alex, what are you doing with your life? All this is just sad”

“Uhm…”, sniffs, “thank you, Se. I'll leave tomorrow”, he stands to leave. I stood up with him in my frustration, beating him repeatedly, almost tearing up.

“You don't get to do this to yourself, why do you also do this? You just abandon everything and everyone you love. Now you abandon yourself. Fix yourself up, man!”

“Enough!”, he yells at me, disturbing the neighbor's dog that kept barking. He looks at me for a while. He reaches for a kiss, locking his lips with mine. I pushed him and slapped his face. 

“Don't you ever!”, but in my warning, he dared kiss me again, and this time I couldn't fight back. I've missed him so much that I just had to comfort his pain.

We kissed each other back to the living room, taking off our clothes till we were both naked. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't help myself. Alex lifts me, pinning me against the wall.

The action begins…