Falling for the Forbidden

I stood in the dim living room, the early morning sunlight casting its light through the closed curtains. The room was filled with the scent of alcohol, mixed with the scent of the breakfast I had just prepared.

My father lay sprawled on the armchair, his head slumped against the backrest, mouth slightly open.

I sighed heavily, setting the breakfast tray on the center table. It was well covered as I doubted my dad would wake up anytime soon.

He came in late yesterday, cursing at the top of his voice about how I ruined his life and how I caused my mom to leave him. She tried to take me with her, but my dad wasn't like this then. I thought it was probably just a phase, and he would get over it soon, but I was wrong. It had been spiraling down ever since then.

I arranged the cutlery on the tray, trying not to wake him up with the sound. I was already getting late to work, and my boss is a sucker for punctuality. The last thing I wanted was another argument with him.

I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I looked around the house to see if I was forgetting anything. Just as my hand reached the doorknob, a gruff voice stopped me.

"Where do you think you're going?" My father's voice was raspy, the after-effect of a long night drinking.

I turned, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible. "Work. I'm going to work, Dad."

His bloodshot eyes narrowed. He struggled to sit up, slurring as he spoke.

"Liar."

"What?" I was confused.

"Don't lie to me! You think I don't know what you're up to? Running around, thinking you're better than me. You're probably going around whoring yourself out."

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my chest tighten. It wasn't the first time I've heard it, but each time, his words cut deep. I blinked back the tears threatening to spill out. I cleared my throat, keeping my composure. I wasn't going to let him get to me. Not today.

"I made breakfast." I said.

His eyes glanced at the covered food on the table, and in a swift motion, he pushed the tray down from the table, spilling its contents and breaking the plates.

"You want to poison me? That has been your plan all along, hasn't it? So you'll leave me and join your whore of a mother." He barked.

My eyes remained on the spilled food on the floor. The tears were so close now. No, I'm not going to cry in front of him. I pushed the door open and stepped out.

"I–I'll be back by evening." I said, my voice cracking, and I slammed the door closed before he could reply.

I mounted my bicycle, the creak of its old gears providing a momentary distraction from the emotions swirling inside me.

"Breathe, Lily." I said, trying to calm myself.

I gripped the handlebars tightly as I pedaled down the street, trying not to think about what had happened. Every day, I thought maybe it would get better, but it only seemed to get worse each day.

Lost in thought, I turned a corner, and the screech of tires brought me back to the present. My eyes widened in fear as I spotted a car coming straight at me out of nowhere. I slammed hard on the brakes and veered out of the way, missing the car by a hair's breadth.

"Are you blind?" A voice barked, getting down from the car.

I shook my head, trying to calm my racing heart. I couldn't believe I almost had an accident because I was lost in thought.

I slowly got off the bicycle and faced the man who stepped out of the car. A lean, wiry man in his mid-30s with a quiet, intense presence. He had short-cropped brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and was glaring angrily at me.

"I–I'm sorry." I stammered, trying to collect myself. I didn't want any trouble.

"Sorry?" He scoffed, his voice filled with disdain. "Do you know how expensive this car is? You almost destroyed it with your little bike."

All the emotions running through me since morning suddenly swirled and morphed into anger as I glared at him, annoyed.

"Look, I don't have time for this. I'm getting late for work. I don't have time to argue about your fancy car. It's not like I hit it."

His eyes darkened at my reply, and before he could respond, I got back on my bicycle and started pedaling. My boss was definitely going to have my head for coming in late. He had been complaining for a while.

When I finally arrived at the restaurant, I was panting heavily, my legs aching from the frantic ride. I pushed through the huge double doors of the restaurant, and I was immediately met with the presence of my boss, a gruff man with a thick mustache towering over me.

"You're late." he snapped, arms crossed. "Again."

"I'm sorry." I breathed heavily, trying to catch my breath. "I had a bit of an issue on the way-"

"I don't want to hear it." he cut me off. "All your excuses. I've had enough of it."

"Boss, it's not-"

He raised his finger to my lips, interrupting me. "I don't want to hear it. You're lucky I'm not firing you on the spot, but I'll be docking your pay for today. Now get to work." he ordered.

"Yes, sir." I nodded, my head low in defeat.

I headed to the backroom, grabbing my apron. I slipped behind the counter, getting ready to start the day's work.

"Rough morning?" Ben, a cook, asked through the opening that connected the counter to the kitchen.

"Something like that." I muttered.

"Cheer up. It gets better." he said, trying to comfort me.

"Thanks."

As work got busy, I found myself taking food orders, serving them, and clearing up after them. I got lost in the rhythm, temporarily forgetting my personal problems.

Just as I was clearing the table of some customers who had just left, I overheard some loud-mouthed customer talking at the top of his voice behind me.

"Did you hear those gunshots yesterday?" The man asked his partner.

"Yes. I had to hide under my bed. It was absolutely terrifying." his partner replied.

I was interested, so I leaned in enough to act like I was working but still hearing all they were saying.

"I heard it was the Serpents gang and some other smaller gang." the man said.

The Serpents? I had never heard of that gang before. I know there are a lot of gangs in the city. The police have been doing their best to catch them, but they are as elusive as ever.

"Yeah, the cops came quickly, thankfully. I heard they found bodies. When I came out of my home, I still saw traces of blood on the road." his partner said, which sent shivers down my spine.

"The cops should really do something about this. It's getting too common." the man concluded, reaching for the glass of wine in front of him.

"Lily!" My boss called out.

I quickly cleared up and walked back to the kitchen. I prayed I wouldn't have any problems with any of the gangs; they terrify me a lot.