Page 55 of Dissolving Prejudice

The plane shook again, and Camilo’s body tensed. If I wasn’t worried for him, it could have been incredibly cute seeing such a big guy getting scared over something so silly.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I cupped his face. “Open your eyes and look at me,” I told him, my voice low yet strong enough for him to hear over the noises of the plane.

He did, and the vulnerability in them touched me the wrong way. I was too soft when it came to him. Too forgiving. I thought we’d passed the turbulence when the whole plane shook again, and Camilo closed his eyes, whispering Maria’s name under his breath.

Good to know he’s a man of faith.

He then leaned forward, resting his hands on the sink while I was locked between it and him. I didn’t care. It would probably only last another minute or so. Camilo’s breaths deepened as he squeezed his eyes harder, his body jumping whenever the plane trembled. About a minute later, the shaking stopped, and the flight went back to normal. Camilo was still a bundle of nerves, but at least he wasn’t shaking like a leaf on a tree.

“Are you okay?” I asked when he opened his eyes to meet mine. The depth of them drew me in, and for a second there, the thought of going back to where we stopped crossed my mind. But then, a loud knocking on the door startled us both. I was ready to panic over being caught when we heard Andrei’s voice coming from the other side.

“One of you better open the fucking door before I break it down,” he warned.

Camilo rolled his eyes. “Always the cockblocker,” he grunted.

His comment pissed me off, and I glared at him before I unlocked the door and opened it to a pissed-looking Andrei.

I didn’t say a word as I was too embarrassed to come up with anything and quickly slipped out of there and went back to my seat, hoping no one else noticed us. Grabbing my headphones that were on the seat, I sat down before glancing aside at a sleeping Jordan. The amount of guilt that washed through me made me realize what a piece of shit I actually was, and I looked down at my lap. This had to end. I nearly came in Camilo’s fist just now, like Jordan wasn’t here, sleeping. Why was I such a selfish creature? Why couldn’t I block him and all my emotions away?

Diesel

I tried going after Shay-Lee when Andrei stopped me by grabbing my arm.

“What the hell, man—”

“Have you lost your mind?” he hissed, eyes furious as he blocked me from the aisle.

Not enjoying his tone, I frowned. “The fuck is your problem?”

His jaw twitched. “My problem is you, acting like a fucking idiot.” Glancing over his shoulder to make sure we were still alone, he then looked back at me. “Doing it in the washroom, with Jordan two rows down the fucking aisle?”

Oh, so that was his problem? I snorted because who gave a fuck about Jordan?

“You gotta be shitting me,” I said, a half smirk on. “Who cares about that moron?”

“It’s not about caring for the dude but respecting him. Fuck. And not just him, D, but Shay-Lee, too. You know how cheap this looks?”

Irritated by his words, I furrowed my brows. “The fuck you saying?”

“I’m saying that you better have some self-control because this is fucking embarrassing.”

I was ready to answer back when an old man interrupted us. “Eh, are you in line for the toilet?” he asked.

“All yours,” I hissed as we both stepped aside. I waited until the geezer locked the door behind him before I focused back on Andrei.

“What’s embarrassing is you guys being okay with Shay-Lee dating that prick in the first place.” A bitter taste filled my mouth just thinking about it. “Did you forget how he lied during my trial? That asshole wanted me jailed.”

I didn’t remember much from my trial, mostly because, at the time, I didn’t give a shit to listen. Yet, I did remember when Jordan took the stand and lied through his teeth about how I lured Shay-Lee to be with me and how I corrupted him. Fuck him! My Shay-Lee wasn’t corrupted, and if anything, the only one to blame for the scars on his body was his fucking father. Shit. Now I was thinking about him, and my blood was throbbing through my veins.

“We don’t like him, D, okay? But that’s beyond my point.” Andrei sighed, finally looking calmer before he placed his hand on my shoulder. “All I’m saying is… have a bit more self-restraint.”

I snorted because clearly, he had no idea what it was like to want someone as much as I wanted Shay-Lee. It wasn’t a want but a need. I needed him like my next breath, so telling me to restrain myself was like asking me to stop breathing.

Fuck that.

In fact, fuck anything or anyone who stood in my way.

But since Andrei was on my team and had agreed to join me on this trip, I didn’t see the point in getting into a fight and simply nodded. “Sure.”