Chains and Roses

It was a familiar place. Rusted metallic chains on a filthy desk, scraped walls with unidentified words, and a stone-cold atmosphere. It's uncanny how this room gets even scarier."Please, don't", I whispered, my voice hoarse and small, "not again plea-"My voice was cut off when I felt a pair of dark, lanky hands against my throat. Tears streamed down my eyes as I started struggling to unlatch the iron hold.I jolted up from my sleep, sweating profusely. My heart beat faster than ever while I tried to catch my breath. I pushed the blanket off my legs to stand up and wobbled my way across the room. It was around three in the morning when I checked the time while quenching my dry throat."It was just a nightmare", I mumbled to myself repeatedly, in a desperate effort to calm my nerves. It has been a very long time since I got a nightmare that I started to believe that they stopped. I, apathetically, blamed stress and the recent burdens of moving to a different place. It has been almost

My mind concocted different scenarios in which Anna could get hurt. I gently touched her cheek and saw her flinch."Anna? What happened? Were you hurt?", I asked, softly, holding her hand.She fiddled with the hem of her dress, something she used to never do, and looked at me."Uhm, it's stupid, I fell down the stairs", she nervously laughed.I narrowed my eyes, not completely believing her. She would've told me if she fell, right. I brushed it off, not wanting to push her more."Let me guess. Here to watch movies?", she asked, eyeing the snacks I bought on the way.My lips broke into a smile as I dumped all the junk on the couch. In a few moments, we were giggling as we opened the bag of chips while flipping through the movies. I honestly needed it with everything happening so fast..It was late at night. I could stay back at Anna's for the night. However, a part of me wanted to see him around. Would he be there lurking around the streets? Is he hurt again?I brushed off all the tho

"Lisa seems like a very bubbly person", I said, remembering her noticeable energy.He uttered a quick "yes, she is" with his eyes on the road, never glancing away.I started to realize that I walked for so long to be this far from my house or Aiden's place seem to be further away."What were you doing there all alone? In the middle of the night?", he said, after some time, glancing at me slightly.To be honest, I did not have an answer. If I did, it would sound stupid. I put my curl behind my ears and replied." I lost my way after attending a party," I said, trying to make it believable.He raised his brow before replying."It didn't look like it. Are you lying to me, Haven?", he asked, without showing even the tiniest bit of hesitancy.I took a deep breath before attempting to tell him the truth." I came outside for a walk to clear my head. I didn't realize that I was going astray.", I said, feeling stupid by the way it sounded.He seemed convinced but he didn't respond, leaving m

It had been a while since I started my stroll. I started to think that it had become my thing to forget time while going on walks to get some fresh air. Remembering that the last time I did this it didn't go well, I decided to go back. No matter how many times I find myself in front of the mansion-like house of Aiden, I can never get used to it.I hummed along with the song that was playing in my head parallelly with my thoughts while stepping inside the house. I decided to greet Martha and let her know that I came back home before going to bed. However, shattered pieces of the bud vase that used to stand on the end table caught my attention. I immediately dashed inside to see if Martha was okay only to find her cleaning an even larger mess of glass bottles and glasses."Oh my god! Martha! Is everything okay?", I exclaimed, rushing towards her and picking up pieces."Oh! It's okay, dear. I think Aiden is having a bad day. He tends to take it out on things surrounding him.", she said l

I rested my head on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Last night, we kissed again. I guess, it could have gone more forward but we stopped and declared that it was too late. It was almost nine, which means I had to get ready for work, which means I had to face Aiden. Would it be awkward to look him in the eye after last night? I was not sure.I lazily dragged myself to the bathroom and got ready for the day.Breakfast was moderately entertaining. I told Martha about college and a little bit of my previous job. With everything that had been happening the last few days, I realized that I had not been checking my emails or applying to new jobs nearby. We chatted for some more time until I saw Aiden making his way down the stairs and checking something on his phone. I took a sharp breath and held it for God knows how long. He gave me a quick glance and approached the dining table. Martha immediately got up, ready to serve him breakfast."Finish your breakfast, Martha", he said, b