La Dulce Vida

Disclaimer: This is a FICTIONAL story describing the life and problems from the POV of a Young man. If you find this type of story offensive, or viewing this material is illegal where you Are, then refrain from reading it.

This story is a continuation of Rain_On_Me (found in HIGHSCHOOL section of nifty)

Feel free to send email or comments about the story to

sum1plezzCall_911@hotmail.com

Edited

-Dedicated to my new nephew

LaDulceVida- The Sweet Life

ADRIAN'S HORIZON ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had missed. I remember kicking at her strong and running up the stairs trying to wake up Eric. Elle didn't pursue me. I didn't know why, but truthfully I thought it was some kind of small blessing. You know the kind of blessings that happen when you least expect it? I figured this one of them. You could call me stupid, but you wouldn't be thinking if someone was getting at you with a baseball bat.

Eric was still sleeping. I ran inside of the room and closed the door, slamming it so hard that he woke up. He was wiping his eyes, probably wondering why I wasn't still laying next to him in the warm bed that we had just shared. I didn't know how to explain it.

"Elle knows..."

That was the only thing I could get out of my mouth. Eric looked at me with a clear confusion at first, but not much panic. His new haircut seemed to have a little more maturity in him but that innocence was still there to the point that I thought for a moment that he was looking at me for answers.

BAM! There was a loud knock on the door that caused me to jump away from it and onto the floor! I knew it was Elle. She had hit the door with the baseball bat. I made out a little noise, not sure what to do, but then I felt Eric coming up from behind me. He held me real tight, holding me with his arms so that we hugged tightly.

"Don't worry, Damien," he assured me, with this strong look of stableness that for some reason made me believe him. I usually wouldn't believe these little words of comfort, because most of the time they didn't mean anything. This one meant something though. I could see it in the curl of his lips.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Eric grabbed onto me and led me to the other side of the room. We started frantically packing stuff in suitcases and shit. I was never in a rush like I was today. I hardly even recognized what I was taking. I just started shoving shit into bags and grasping it.

"Eric, I think she called for help . . . I think she called Robbie," I frantically told him.

He looked at me with this look. Damn. I loved that look.

It was one of those looks that said, "I'm here until the end." I just wasn't sure what end he was talking about. I had the feeling. It was this deep ass feeling that said something else was going to happen today. It felt as though Karma was rearing its ugly head at me once again. I hated the feeling. I more than just hated the feeling actually. Elle was still screaming outside the door, but she wasn't hitting the door with the baseball bat anymore (probably because she didn't want to put dents in the door).

"She just a girl, I'll knock that bitch out," I suggested, in a sort of cold way because my mind was full of fear and discomfort.

"No. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."

I hear the crackling in his voice as he said it. He was thinking about Adrian. Was I jealous? I had this completely strange feeling, as though for the first time Eric's mind was somewhere else but on me. Perhaps jealousy was too strong of a word, but I disliked the idea of Eric feeling such a strong regret for protecting me (even though I found his choice a little drastic).

I walked up to him and kissed him on the lips.

"You love me?" I asked. I had an urge for him to say it. It was hard to describe. I wanted it to come out of his lips.

"I love you more than life."

"Then if you are my boy, then you are my boy until the end."

There was another bang on the door from Elle! I knew she was trying to get in. There were footsteps around the house. Eric leaned over and kissed me again, holding me tightly this time as though it was our last kiss. It was that kind of passion I had from him every time we kissed. Every time he held me, it was the best.

He let go of me and leaned out of the window, looking over at the ground that was just below us.

"Damn, it's too tall to jump from here."

There was a loud thump on the door and this time I couldn't take it anymore. I had run to the door and opened it. I threw myself at Elle...or at least I thought it was Elle...

Robbie was standing there. I had tackled him down to the floor and was now positioned over him, staring into his eyes. His eyes were looking in my eyes. He was watching me. I didn't know what to do. My heart stopped. It was probably the same emotion that Eric would feel if he saw Adrian again. I just felt creeped out. I could feel Eric standing behind me and he was probably confused as hell why I had so much intensity looking at Robbie.

I felt Robbie looking at me strangely and then I squirmed slightly as he put a warm hand behind my head. He still had that SEXINESS about him. He was from my past and yet he still had that straight tension every time we were near each other. I would never really love him, but I would never stop lusting over him either.

"You remember that song you always used to listen to," he whispered so softly in my ear that I could hardly hear, "Storms will come, this we know for sure, but tell me can you stand the rain?"

I remembered the song. Robbie would always watch me listening to the song when I was in my room. He would never listen to it really, but just sort of watch me listening to it. He said that when I was enjoying myself that I looked like a young Caesar.

"Damien, come on," Eric said and went to me. He grabbed me by my arm and lifted me up off Robbie.

Eric held my hand, (the cuddling our fingers together kind) and he pulled me away. We were running then, running to the staircase as though we were clear. We should have known better. I saw Byron standing there all of a sudden. Him and some other guys from the Syndicate.

"Byron?" I asked, a little confused that he was standing with Syndicate guys.

"I'm sorry, Damien, but me and Robbie made up," Byron explained with this sort of pathetic sympathy like Eric and I were lost puppies, "I just couldn't take it when I heard that Adrian was dead. Robbie was right all along. You two have dangerous emotions. You need to be broken up."

"What!"

I couldn't believe that Byron, the guy who actually planned the entire thing was now backing out of it! Not only was he backing out of our deal, but now he was preaching to us about a choice he wanted us to make!

"Fuck you," Eric said, defensively and coldly with all the emotion that I had.

I realized that we were walking right back into Robbie. I would rather face Byron and the entire syndicate than face Robbie. Robbie knew ways to conquer people with just an enticing stare. He didn't have to look very long either. He just have to give a short, beautiful stare and you were lost in his eyes forever.

"Damien, come on," Robbie explained and showed me his hand in a welcoming way, "You are innocent. The cops won't even ask you any questions if you are with me. You don't want to be with a murderer."

I saw Eric clenching his fist. He was going to swing at Robbie. I wasn't going to stop him if he chose to, but I did want a chance to talk to Robbie before all hell broke loose.

"He's not a murderer," I explained and went to him, "Please Robbie. You got to believe me. He's not a murderer. I can't let you kill him Robbie."

Robbie looked a little confused all of a sudden and then he started to laugh. This confused the hell out of me because then Byron and the other guys in the Syndicate began to laugh. I didn't understand what they were laughing about, but it seemed so goddam funny at the moment. Were they laughing at me? Was I that funny to these guys?

"Kill him? I'm not here to kill him. I'm here for you Damien. I don't give a fuck about Eric. I just made Jay think that so that he would tell me where you were. We got that girl Elle tied up downstairs. Neither Jay or Elle will mention you in court if they value their lives..."

"What about Eric?"

Eric was still holding my hand. He grasped on tighter. I knew he didn't want me talking to Robbie at all. It wasn't that he was worried about what I might say, but he seemed to realize that Robbie still had that same look in his eye for me. I could see that Robbie was still in love with me. It surprised me even more that Robbie never really wanted to harm Eric.

"We gotta leave him," Robbie said with this bluntness that made me a little shaky, "I'm here for you Damien. Come with me."

"Please . . . Eric . . ."

"He killed Adrian. It's all over the news. This is going to be the court case of the year. I don't want you to be a part of it, Damien. I got connections so that you won't even have to appear in court."

Eric pulled me away from them. He was still holding my hand tightly. He was still claiming me as though I was the most precious property that he ever had. I knew he was mine. He had killed for me and now I was going to live to pay him back. My honor wouldn't let me settle for any less.

In the corner we started to talk, "Damien listen to what I got to say before you say anything. I want you to take the offer."

"No!" I argued.

I caught them looking at us in the corner of their eyes. They could hear us. I was trying to fight back these emotions that I had been holding for so long. Eric had sacrificed so much for me. He had killed a man that he probably loved because of me. I couldn't leave him.

"Go with Robbie," he pushed, palming my hands in his own, "I did what I did out of my own judgement. I knew I would have to pay for it. I didn't do it so that we both can go down together. You go away with Robbie and I'll take blame for what happened."

"Did you hear me say NO!" I yelled out.

This time I was sure Robbie and everyone around us could hear it. I didn't want it to be like this. I never wanted to leave Eric. I wanted for one time in my life for our relationship to just be "cool". No more drama, no more anguish, no more law and definitely no more crime.

Eric pulled his hand away from me, breaking the bond, "Get the fuck off me! Didn't you hear me the first time that I said it? I said that you should go with him! STOP CARING WHAT HAPPENS TO ME!"

He basically then shoved me into Robbie, so hard that even Robbie fell back hard when we bumped into one another. I looked at Eric. He couldn't act hard against me even if he tried. Even as he shove me, he was probably praying that I wouldn't get hurt by it. He was trying to show tough love, but all I saw was the love. I loved him even more.

"Aren't we emotional today?" Robbie said to Eric and then gave him a stern look, "You did the right thing . . ."

He was leading me away, as though he expected me to just leave Eric and wait till the cops showed up to take Eric away. I took Robbie by the collar, first as though I was about to threaten him, but then I just loosened my grip and felt my legs give up from underneath me.

"Please," I begged Robbie, grasping onto his arm tightly, "I know you can help him somehow. He is innocent. I swear that what happened with Adrian was an accident. Adrian was trying to kill me and Eric stepped in."

Eric gave me a look. I knew he didn't approve of me begging Robbie and putting aside my manhood and pride like I was doing now. I really couldn't believe what I was doing either.

"Damn boy," Robbie realized, appealing to the fact that I kneeled to him on one knee as though asking him to marry me, "Why should I give a fuck about Eric?"

"You care about me right?"

Robbie put on a mean looking face as though not wanting to weaken his stance, "More than you would know. All Eric did was cause you to get in that bridge accident . . . or did you forget about that?"

"It was not my fucking fault!" Eric cried out, rushing forward in a way that I was almost sure that he was going to start fighting with Robbie for the umpteenth time. I couldn't believe he was

"I don't care!" I bursted out and then I finally let that single tear drop come out, which sort of was my last hope.

I swore that I wouldn't cry anymore. The last time I cried was the day that Robbie came to visit me and Eric got mad, which caused me to get into that whole bridge accident. I wasn't a fan of tears. It was such a weakness to me. I even hated to see baby's cry, not to mention grown men who had been through shit that hardened me like stone.

Robbie suddenly said it, "Damien, you're crying."

"I have to. I mean, if I'm going to beg you, I might as well go all out."

Robbie laughed. He thought I was joking, but I was so serious. Eric was mad as hell by now. It confused me. I saw how he was looking at me. Eric was pissed, while I was trying to save him. Robbie turned around.

"You guys are way too fucking dramatic for me," he said, his back facing us in this cool and laid- back way.

I looked back at Eric. That was one thing that he could agree on. Eric and I were too fucking dramatic for our own good. Thinking about all the shit that we been through, Eric had really began to believe that the world had a vendetta against him. I could even see in his eyes that he really still thought it was absolutely necessary to deal with Adrian the way that he dealt with him. We both were beyond emotional at this point.

Eric and I were riding on madness and we both knew it.

"If you were in my position . . . wouldn't you be a little dramatic?" I asked Robbie.

Robbie had changed. He wasn't the person that he was before. I wasn't the person that I was before either. I had gone from a flirtacious, grimy, rough-house hoodlum to this deep, emotional wreck. I still had a little bit of the old Damien in me though and I figured Robbie still had a little bit of the old Robbie in him.

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked a little sarcastically, "After all I been through to be with you, you just want me to let you go this easily?!"

I stopped looking at him. Adrian came up to my head again. I couldn't stop thinking about Adrian. How many people had Eric and I hurt for our happiness. When would it all end . . .

"Robbie, please," I began to say, realizing that Eric's eyes were piercing into mine as well as everyone else in the room, "I died. I was kidnaped. I have the weight of Adrian's death on my shoulders. Eric isn't your enemy. I am. I led you on. If the cops come then I'll confess everything to them. Eric didn't kill Adrian. I did. I think its about time you stopped hating Eric. "

Robbie stopped talking. I guess he was thinking. I wasn't sure. I was tired and there was a heavy thumping on my chest that kept beating and beating. It wouldn't end. I watched Eric and Robbie. They were looking at each other. Their eyes stared deep into each other's eyes. I was wondering what was going to happen next. Crazy things came in my head like Eric snapping at Robbie or Robbie turning a pistol on him.

For the first time Robbie was nervous.

Eric came out first though. I guess my speech had affected him directly. He reached out his hand to Robbie. At that time, I was holding my breath. Yeah right . . . like Robbie would shake his hand!

That was when Robbie shook it.

"You're right. This is getting crazy," Robbie suddenly explained, "Damien if this is what you want . . . then I'm cool with it. I believe what happened with Adrian 'was' an accident. I guess I always believed it, but couldn't admit it. There's a car outside. We'll take a trip to see my lawyer and I promise nothing will happen to him."

I was happy. We all were happy. Eric thanked Robbie with this glassy look. Byron gave both of us looks and then just left the room. I guess he was a little mad that things hadn't turned out the way he wanted them to. I looked over at Robbie. He was leaning against the wall and staring back at me. It was one of those things that we both wanted to say something, but neither of us knew what to do. I thought about thanking him, but I doubted he really wanted thanks from me anyway. I didn't know what to say. He was being so understanding all of a sudden.

"Damien, c`mon." Eric said, grabbing at my hand like he usually did when he wanted me to move.

I pulled back, "Can you go on ahead. I'll be right there."

I looked at Eric. He didn't like it. I knew he had shook Robbie's hand and all but I doubted his shaky feelings for Robbie all of a sudden subsided. Eric looked at Robbie and then back at me. Then he disappeared down the stairs without saying another word.

I walked up to Robbie and leaned against the wall, exactly how he was. In fact, I was mocking him a little. He let out this sexy smile. The smile that had trapped me into believing I had deep feelings for him in the start.

"I'm really gonna help him," he assured me, probably because he thought the reason I stayed back to talk to him was to get reassurance about it.

"I believe you," I said softly, "I just wanted to say . . . I wanted to say, ah . . ."

"It's ok, its fine," Robbie explained, before I had a chance to finish, "My life isn't what it seems. With you, it seems like I couldn't have gone wrong. Do you know that I would give it all up just to be with you?"

I didn't say anything. Robbie had a little crush and in his mind it had grown into something so much bigger. Yet he was able to do what Adrian wasn't able to do . . . he was able to let go. I had a sort of respect for him admitting to it.

Robbie continued talking after a second or two of silence, "I would give it all up in a heartbeat. No lie too. Well, it's too late I guess. Hm, how about a kiss?"

"A what?"

He laughed, but I really hadn't heard him because he had said it so low. He quickly repeated though, "One last kiss."

I hesitated. I should have known he wouldn't let go so easily. I didn't want to do it. The truth was that I didn't even want to stand too close to Robbie before this dream of peace between him and Eric evaporated.

"Damn, I dunno."

"I'm not gonna kidnap you like your boyfriend did," he said and caused me to crack a little laugh and just as I was he quickly added, "What about I just steal one so your boy won't know about it?"

He didn't wait for me to answer before he quickly pressed his lips against mine. His lips were soft. The smell of his cologne was strong. Before I knew it, it was me opening my mouth and trying to force my tongue into his mouth. He refused . . . keeping his mouth closed and then pushing me away.

"I'm. . . I'm sorry," I apologized, finally realizing how much I missed those lips.

"Yeah, so am I," he said in a tone that sort of suggested he was sorry for ever meeting me at all, "You should go though. Your boyfriend is going to be waiting."