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 four months since I moved to Shoresland. I just couldn't stay in Seattle anymore. I had to move, after everything. Fortunately, Anna was more than glad to let me stay at hers for a few months until I found a job and moved out. I did make some great friends here, mostly with the ones Anna introduced me to. It has been a great headstart to start a new life.
.
.
I jumped out of my skin when I heard an ear-piercing shrill. Anna? Really? Now?
"You're finally up, sleepyhead. Let's go", she shrieked.
She needs to stop doing that.
"I think the whole world is up, Anna", I replied lazily, "And where are we going exactly?"
I squinted my eyes because every time she plans something all of a sudden, it doesn't go well.
"Don't give me that look, Haven. We are going shopping, remember?", she said with an exasperated sigh.
" I do remember but is it really necessary to go shopping this early? And how did you get in?", I huffed, while trying to get up and make the bed.
" I have the spare key, doofus.", she groaned, setting
the coffee mug on the table.
Anna is a vivacious person. She lives by her own rules and doesn't even hesitate to do what she likes. Modeling has always been her dream job. She is so dead set on taking up a career in the industry that she had to leave her parents when they tried to talk her out of it. Along with the struggles to find opportunities, she also works as a bartender to pay her bills. Such an inspiration, she is.
I quickly showered and wore a simple dress to start the day.
.
.
.
"My legs are killing me. Remind me never to go shopping with you, Ann", I groaned, as we entered the cafe BlossomBee.
It was a homely place with a bunch of dandelions on each table. A delicious scent of coffee and muffins lingered in the air instantly making me relaxed. We ordered cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and blueberry muffins for brunch. The ambiance helped me become more cheery from a semi-querulous phase.
" Oh please, I am sure you enjoyed it. I was just helping you improve your fashion sense", she replied, munching on the blueberry muffin.
I scowled at her false statement and continued eating. Anna started telling me about her boyfriend Kyle, while I patiently listened to her. Without any warning, the entire place fell silent. The only thing audible was the rustling of the slow wind barging its way through the window. I gazed around confused with the sudden change in the atmosphere. When I looked at Anna, I saw her face go pale and her hands fiddle with the hem of her dress.
I looked at the entrance when I heard the shoes clicking against the wooden ground. A dark-haired man made his way through the door with a group of men behind. He had a chiseled jawline with a deep scar on top of his eyebrow. Being such a klutz I am, I accidentally dropped the fork that I was holding a while ago, grabbing all the attention. I looked down at my plate avoiding all the stares that I received. Within a moment, I sneaked a glance to see him looking at me with a grim countenance. His green eyes with a glint of gold at the edges pierced through mine unknowingly making me swarmed with butterflies. They were magnificent. In a matter of time, the people at the cafe broke into whispers and mumbling.
"Oh my God!", Hannah whisper-yelled. " Aiden Walters is back!"
I saw him exit Blossombee taking one last look at me.
"Who is he?", I asked Hannah, digging into my pancakes again. She looked at me with a serious expression and spoke
" He is bad news, Haven. Aiden Walters is a part of Chains and Smokes- one of the most dangerous gangs in this town. Nobody in this town dares to even cross paths with him. He has a temper and it got him into trouble so many times. He almost killed Ryder, a member of his rival group. Four months back, he fled somewhere for some unknown reason. Nobody knows where he went or why. Now that he is back, it's better to stay away from him. He has done bad things, Haven. Really bad things."
A shiver ran across my spine when I heard her last words. It was surely etched in my brain that I need to just stay out of this person's way. After hanging out at the cafe, we went to Anna's to watch movies.
.
.
"You can stay here for the night, you know", Anna said as I pulled myself to the feet with a yawn.
It has been extremely late. The sky was pitch black with no gleaming stars like usual. The Winter breeze swayed through the window sending us icy chills.
"It's okay Anna. I have work tomorrow.", I replied with an uncertain lump in my throat. "I'll collect the items I bought tomorrow. Is that cool?"
She suspiciously nodded and tried to say something to make me stay. But before I could succumb to her impending attempts to restrain me from going, I made my way out of the door with a quick Adios.
My footsteps against the ground resonated in the empty streets. Not even a single soul was present. Instead of getting freaked out by the fact that I was walking all by my lonesome at empty streets during midnight, I was exhilarated that I could accompany my thoughts in peace and solitude.
As I ambled past the street, humming a tune that had been stuck in my head. Out of nowhere, I saw a silhouette of a tall man limping towards my side. He was over six feet with a dark familiar appearance. As I squinted my eyes, it took me a while to realize that it was Aiden Walters almost approaching me. I tensed up and put my head low planning to avoid him as Anna's words reached my mind again. He has done bad things, Haven. Bad things.
My heart thumped loud against my chest when I felt him nearer. Before I decided to walk from the right side of the street, I caught a glimpse of something. I widened my eyes when I realized it was blood. Aiden was bleeding. At that moment, I didn't know that what I was about to do would change my life.
I approached him and squealed, "You're bleeding! You need help."
His hazel eyes met mine showing a layer of amusement which was immediately replaced with his signature cold look.
Then I did something, I am sure Anna would disapprove.
. . .
The starless night gleamed with city lights and his blazing eyes.I shook from the trance when I looked at his bruised cheek. My hand involuntarily touched it making me hear a subtle wince."You're hurt. Let me help you", I whispered, holding his bleeding arm to take a look."I don't need your help. You shouldn't be here at this time", he said, jerking his arm away from me.I didn't know why, but something in me was determined to not let him walk away hurt."You are coming with me. I am sorry but you're extremely hurt. Let me help you,", I argued back with surprisingly a firm voice.He looked at me with clear amusement and frowned. His lips curled up into a smirk."Kitten, you have no idea whom you're dealing with. I suggest you fucking shut your pretty little mouth and go mind your own business," he replied, darkly.My lower lip shivered from the threat. Yet, I managed to put a straight face before speaking."I cannot let a hurt person walk away when I am more than capable of helping
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
I still couldn't process the fact that Aiden kissed me. After the kiss, I didn't waste a minute but rushed towards my place and never came out. A part of me wanted Aiden to follow me or knock at my door when the night unfolds, however, I decided to not show myself out for a couple of days. I spent the weekend indoors, reading and applying for jobs. It was nice to find myself in solitude for a few days, which gave me time to think.It took a while when Sunday blew in and I decided to visit Anna for our usual movie nights. I left her a message only to know that she was planning on going to the club and invited me to tag along."Some other time, Anna. I really don't enjoy parties that much", I replied to the phone.Parties trigger my anxiety and bring back some unwanted memories that I desperately try to bury with me. I knew that Anna would insist and I prepared myself to answer her in all ways."Come on, Haven", she said, "have fun for once in your life"After a long conversation of her
"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 took us a little while to get back to his place in silence. Uncannily, I didn't want to get off the car. I just wanted the journey back to go on forever, putting the time on loop and not even getting a glimpse of the future. When we reached his place, I expected him to get off the car and make me do the same. However, we stayed still for a few minutes in silence before Aiden started the engine and drove around for a little more time. I was too tired to be surprised how he could know what I wanted."I need to tell Anna about all of this, I guess", I said. "Uhm, she kind of invited me over tonight. And, it'll be a problem if she randomly comes over to my place."Aiden seemed to be thinking about what I had said as his frown deepened."Don't visit her for a few days, until I understand the seriousness of this situation. You can just tell her that you'll be busy for a couple of days.", he said, still putting thought to it. "Just find a reason.""Yeah, just blatantly lie to her.""Blata
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 prepared my monologue in mind when I saw him enter the house, checking something on his phone. He went straight to his room after sending a quick glance at me. This was it. I decided to go to his room, knock on the door, and tell him that I needed to talk to him about something.Letting out a huge sigh, I made my way across his room being hit with a sense of Deja Vu. It was funny though, a few hours ago I decided to just run away from this place and go home. However, I was not someone who'd make impromptu decisions. I didn't want to risk anything or anyone. So, there I was succumbing to the gravity of the situation and standing in front of his door. I slightly knocked on his door and waited for him to say something."What?", he snapped, clearly agitated with someone disturbing his solitude.I cleared my throat before speaking."Uhm, it's me", I said, softly.After what felt like a minute or two, he opened the door. I noticed a hint of faded shock on his face. He probably was not exp
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