You called me a stranger
You lied
It was around 8:30 when I heard the door downstairs open and close.
It's too late, he's definitely drunk and has forgotten about this afternoon
"Nicole!!" He shouted, making me freeze in my bed. Slowly, I got down from my bed, walked out if my room then began descending the stairs. When I had reached the last step I walked straight to him so we were only inches apart
Show no fear Nicole
"Yes?" I asked, my voice bolder than I'd expected. He was obviously shocked, and that gave me more strength.
"What gave you the guts to scream at me this afternoon?" He questioned, his voice hoarse. " I thought you were someone else"I said simply, my eyes boring into his.
He gave me a small smile before I felt his fist brush against my face, pushing me to the ground.
Shit! I did not see that coming
I raised my hand to protect my face, as the belt - which was already in his hand - struck harshly against my skin. The friction between the painful leather and my skin continued and I just sat there on the floor, head behind my arms.
The belt stopped attacking me, then he stooped down and raised my chin so I could meet his gaze. " The next time you raise your voice at me, I will kill you" he warned
I pulled my chin out of his hold and glared at him. " Your breath, it's disgusting, wouldn't let me focus on your warning" I said, with a daring tone. He stopped in his crouched position, looking around in amazement. Then before I could register it, he sent another blow to the side of my head.
Then everything began to blur
•°•°•
Rays of sunshine hit my eyelids and they fluttered open, I tried to get up, but I was stopped by a sharp pain that travelled from my spine to my head. I sat up and propped myself against the surface behind me.
Looking around as my vision became clearer, I realized I was still in the floor of the sitting room, I began to recall the memories that led to my position and realized I'd probably spent the whole night on the floor.
My head was splitting in halves as I headed towards my room, dropping myself in the bed as soon as I entered, then after a while I used my right hand to search for my phone and found it, lazily I pulled it up to my face and turned it on
15 new messages from:
Stupid.
Missed calls(4):
Stupid
I looked above the notifications at the time, it was past one already
Shit.
•°•°•
I stood in front of the school for like thirty minutes before Jace's black sports car pulled up in front of me. He shot me a death glare for a few seconds before sighing, then he leaned over and opened the door.
I hurriedly slipped in, trying to save as much time as I could.
Guilt seeping into my pores, I stared silently straight ahead. The rest if the drive was like that until I let out an almost inaudible "I'm sorry".
"Are you" his immediate and stern reply making me shiver. " Look, I know you don't like me and if I could I'll swap us back but..."
"I never said anything about not liking you"
The fuck are you saying Nicole
" So, do you like me?". He asked, although I knew he was only trying to tease me. I sighed "let's just focus on the project okay?" I requested making him chuckle, that loosened up the knot in my chest.
It wasn't much longer before we pulled into his driveway. Bodway was known to be a community if rich business men and women, who just needed a small home to settle down with their families. So I wasn't so suprised when I got down and was greeted with beautiful gardens and houses, the street almost empty except for a few already fit women jogging and an elderly woman taking her dog on a walk, there were gardens everywhere and the atmosphere smelt like heaven.
"You coming?" He asked, making me turn to him and nod, his house wasn't much different from the others.
"Are your parents home" I asked as I began approaching his porch. " Nobody is, my parents went on a business trip this morning and my brother is in a boarding school, so it's just me" he said
I stopped moving
"You're kidding right ?" I asked. " Don't worry, I won't bite" he said before leading my unwilling body into the house.
His home was... Beautiful
The furniture, neat and white matched with the wall which was painted white halfway, and the sea blue pillows on them matched the other half of the wall. Flower vases if different sizes, some big ones at the corner of the room, with beautiful arrays of colors, regular table vases on the center table, and then even smaller plate like vases on the stools, and two hung In wooven baskets on the wall, each of them yielding colors that still matched with the peaceful and homely atmosphere. There was another glass table apart from the one in the center of the room, that stood beneath a TV which hung on the wall, and to the left, was a simple dining area.
" You're home, it's .. cute" I found myself saying. He smiled and nodded in response. " Please make yourself at home, I'll be back" he said before pointing to the couch.
I obeyed and watched him proceed towards what looked like the kitchen. I couldn't help the jealousy rising in the pit of my stomach as I sat there. This was what a home should feel like, this was what is missed the past eighteen years of my life. The decorations was definitely a woman's idea
A mother's idea
I wanted to cry at this point, but I knew better, so I just sat there in silence, struggling with my emotions.
"Are you okay?" Jace's concerned voice asked, pulling me out if my thoughts. I looked up at him and gave him a small smile, he was holding in a tray, a saucer filled with cookies, two tumblers and a jug of milk
"I'm fine, just thinking about stuff" I said as he dropped the tray on a stool and sat down beside me.
As I began pulling out my chemistry textbook from my bag, his phone rang. It was a video call, he looked at the I. D for only a second before quickly picking it up.
"Hey Dad, you guys there yet?" He asked as he beamed at the person at the other end of the line.
" No, we're still at the airport, how can you not see that" I heard a husky, older voice say with a chuckle " Good to see you haven't crashed the place.. yet" the man continued to say, making Jace roll his eyes.
" I actually brought a friend over" he said before placing his head on my shoulder and bringing his phone to my face. " Hello, Mr Cowell" I greeted, waving slightly as I smiled at him.
"Hello there, and what's your name?" He asked, smiling, revealing the resemblance between him and his son. "Nicole Everlyn" I replied
" Oh great, you're not Indian" he joked and I couldn't help but chuckle.
Jace brought the phone back to his face and placed his head on my laps this time. " Please dad, she's just over for a project were doing together" he defended. " Yeah yeah, and that Layla girl was over for... math lesson was it?" He continued to tease
Wait.
What the hell is going on?
What was Jace doing?. Driving me to his house, serving me refreshments after asking me to feel ' at home ', placing his head on my shoulder and calling me his ' friend ', then relocating his beautiful head to my lap. Did he not know he was giving me wild thoughts
Or did he?
Maybe it was just a sham to get under my pants, besides everyone knew how he was with girls before he and Layla started dating, although there were romours that he was still sleeping with other girls occasionally. But the thought didn't stop the butterflies in my stomach that were running wild, my heart was racing and I shivered everytime his hair tickled my forearm. The feeling was too overwhelming, something I hadn't felt in such a long time.
"I need to use the toilet" I said as soon as he finished the call. He gave me a pleading look before pointing at a door at the corner of the room.
"Okay, now I need you to lift your head" I said, desperate to break free. He let out a loud grunt before slowly heaving himself up. I walked quickly to the door and shut it behind me.
I walked to the mirror and took a long look at myself.
No make-up, not even the slightest effort
Hair tied up into a bun with strands falling at the sides - practically how my hair always is -
So why the hell is he acting this way?
Or am I overthinking it? Maybe he's just easy around girls.
I washed my face and wiped it with a face towel before walking out of the bathroom. I looked forward to find him no longer seated on the couch. I walked forward a little bit and looked around
"Hey" I heard his voice call out from directly behind me, making me jump as I turned to meet his gaze.
"Jeez, you fucking scared me" I said as I walked to the couch and sat. He let out a short laugh before following my lead. I grabbed my chemistry textbook from the table and opened it. "So today we'll..."
" I was thinking, get to know each other better" he interrupted, closing the textbook slowly
" Well that's funny, cause I was thinking, getting to know the topic better" I said, before snapping the book open again.
" We have two weeks to deal with that" he said stubbornly. " Let today be like a bonding session" he added
" And how's that going to help our project?" I asked, fighting the urge to stuff my textbook inside his face. "Well, we'll be freeier with each other and won't be having dumb ass arguments like this one" he said, before giving me a questioning look.
I really couldn't argue with what he said.
" Touché, but unfortunately, I've got to go do something at home" I said as I pointed at the wall clock at the far end of the room. Then I stood up and began to head out.
" What? You've got another dead catfish to bury?" He asked, mockery lacing his tone. I spun on my heels and jabbed my index finger nail into his chest, hard enough to leave a mark even through his shirt. " I'd have you know that Mr pickles was realer than the color of your hair" I said.
He scoffed." Mr pickles huh?, Then why didn't I see any pictures of it as promised?" He asked. His question brought back memories of what had happened last night and how it was all his fault. My heart began to swell with fury
" Well, maybe I was too busy crying about my dead fish, to be taking fucking pictures of it!" I barked. " You? Cry?, Yeah right" he said, scoffing in disbelief.
I was shocked at his comment and it showed. " You don't even know me" I said
"Maybe I do!" He screamed. "Maybe I know that you're in all my science and math classes, always at the back near the window, fifteen minutes before anyone else and that you're always alone, blending into the crowd, never any where near the school vicinity as soon as the bell is rung"
he let out a breath.
" Maybe I know that you're never at any sport event or social gathering and that you're scared because you think I'm going to change your whole routine and so you're trying to be uptight and always eager to run off to your cubicle of you- ness"
Another breath
" And maybe I know that you wish you had a pet, a puppy" he finally finished, looking up at me in expectation
I just stood there
This guy... This stranger just totally spelt me out.
"W.. what, are you stalking me?" We're the only words that came out of my mouth in an attempt to clear the confusion.
"No.. I just noticed your little routine since last year, and I've been watching you since then, always picking you out of the crowd, and something in me just wants to get to know you and pull you out if that fucking crowd Nicole" he stopped to look at me " So please let me" he finished, his eyes pleading.
I wanted to let him
I wanted to run into his arms knowing I'll find a safe haven there, to tell him all my problems and how I hate myself for always finding a way to survive through them even when I knew there was nothing worth living for, I wanted to feel his embrace and cry in his shoulder till I could no more, I wanted to...
" No thanks" I said, turning to leave. I pulled my bag harshly on my shoulder as I stepped out of the house. I heard the door open and close. " You don't know your way home" he said. That's when I remembered that I didn't
I kept walking
I heard footsteps run towards me and then a strong hand grab my forearm. The contact, sending waves through every part of my body.