LINA
"Calm down, precious. It's only me," he says, like we lunch together at least once a week.
At some point, I stop my screaming. I'm vaguely aware that I'm disturbing the neighbors over what may be nothing.
This is Bruno, the man I've been obsessing over for what seems like forever.
But I'm still not convinced that I'm not in any danger.
"So, did you enjoy the wedding, precious? It certainly seemed that way from where I was standing. You couldn't stop dancing."
So he was there! I knew I wasn't going crazy.
Wait, Why doesn't knowing that make me feel better?
"You don't look too well," he observes coldly." Would you like to sit down?"
Is he offering me a seat in my own house?
"I'm fine," I croak, my throat dry as the Sahara.
A small part of me is a little mortified at how pathetic and weak that came out. it's not the first thing I wanted to say should we ever see each other again. I've imagined this moment a thousand times in my mind and I'm a little more composed in it and Bruno...doesn't look so handsome.
I don't know how it's possible but he's even hotter than I remember. Sitting on the armrest of my couch with a glass of my wine in his hand, I see that he's tall and well-built with deep golden skin, along with well-defined features-a firm square jaw decorated with a five o'clock shadow. His long jet-black hair coupled with his brown eyes make him look a little scary but in a sexy way. But all I'm seeing is the scary part.
"How...how did you get in here?" I ask, as scared as a mouse.
"I picked the locks," he answers blandly, moving to sit on the couch, " I'd suggest an alarm system but that would be pointless since this won't continue being your home."
What's he saying? I'm not sure I follow.
"W-what are you doing here, B-Bruno? I-I th-thought y-you..." I trail off and leave the rest of my sentence unfinished.
It would be strange to say, 'I thought you didn't remember me' when he's right here, in my house.
"Thought I what, precious? forgot you? I did but I've recently regained my memory," he tells me before gulping down his drink and bitterly adding, "No thanks to you."
Whoa, what's he saying? It sounds like he's blaming me.
"What does that mean, Bruno?" I ask, hurting inside.
"All I'm saying is that you left me when I needed you."
"Your parents threatened me and my family, you know."
"But you're the one who chose to leave and never come back."
I can't stop the tears that well up in my eyes. He's making it sound like I abandoned him. It wasn't like that.
"I didn't have a choice!" I scream.
"You always have a choice," he tells me with an icy tone.
I bite my lips to stop tears from falling from my eyes. This was getting us nowhere. He was firm in his belief and it seemed like nothing could shake that.
It's weird, the Bruno in my imagination would've understood.
Letting out a shaky breath, I ask, "Why are you here?"
He places his drink with a thud on the table and looks at me with a face devoid of all emotion. "Isn't it obvious yet, precious? I'm here for you."
He's wrong. It's not obvious, not even a little bit.
However, I can't help but let out a whimper at his words. I've waited a long time to hear those words. I just thought they'd be said with more feeling.
Suddenly overcome by the need to sit down, I push back from the door and go sit on the couch opposite the one Bruno is occupying.
" I'm engaged," I say, needing to put it out there.
This is all starting to feel surreal. My mind is having difficulty processing what's being said after five years of nothing.
"Not for long you won't," he says to me harshly," You'll break things off with that man or else..."
Bruno seems to stop himself with difficulty before taking a deep breath.
Was he about to threaten me?
"End things with him, Lina," he says in a much calmer tone.
"And if I d-don't? I ask, alarmed.
"I'll end him," he says without blinking, his brown eyes cruel. I look at him in horror.
Oh, my God! I think, standing from the couch. I back away from it and Bruno until I suddenly fall on the floor.
It suddenly occurs to me that the guy standing in front of me is not the man I used to know. My Bruno would never threaten me. He's changed. All these years I'd romanticized him, forgetting that he was violent in nature. I never used to be scared of him because I thought he loved me too much to hurt me. Now, I'm not sure. From the way this Bruno talked, it seemed like he was perfectly capable of hurting me right now without blinking an eyelash. He also just threatened to commit cold-blooded murder. This man has no humanity in him!
I'm in danger.
I'm suddenly filled with a lot of fear and an urge to run. My heart starts pounding hard in my chest. What should I do? Where should I run? How far is the nearest knife?
It's getting hot. I start heaving for breath.
Bruno looks immediately regretful, sighs, and stands from his chair.
I crawl backward on the floor when he advances toward me." Didn't mean to scare you there, precious. I'm sorry," he says but I don't stop, the fear of him keeps me moving.
" There's no need to be frightened of me, Lina, I'd never hurt you.'' He stresses the "you" as if I'm the only exception. It doesn't make me fear him any less. In the last few minutes, he's gone from great love to heartless monster. We need distance between us.
Before I know it my back hits the wall and I have nowhere to go. I'm trapped. 'God help me,' I think, as he crouches down until his face is level with mine. His dark, shoulder-length hair sways with the motion to cover half of his face, making him look dangerous and yet fiercely seductive.
"Please don't hurt me," I beg him.
"I told you that I'd never do that," he says, "I just want you by my side."
I whimper in fear.
"Get out of my house," I cry.
At that, his face darkens. His jaw clenches and works as if there's a battle going on inside of him. I hold my breath in fear, wondering how it will end. He finally lets out a puff of breath.
************************************************************************
BRUNO
Looking at Lina's face, I have to conclude that I didn't handle this well. She looks petrified of me. That hurts. I never meant for that to happen.
In fact, I never meant for this whole thing to happen. It was never my intention to meet her today-I'd planned to wait a little longer until I'd cooled down. That plan was shot to shit the moment I saw Moretti dancing half the night away with her in his arms like she belonged to him. She doesn't!
She's mine. ALL mine!
Her place is by my side and I decided to finally put that to rights. The world needed that she was claimed. I planned to take her with me tonight.
I'd broken into her house while she was still at the wedding and poured myself a glass of her wine. Then I waited to make her mine.
I'd fucked that up royally.
Right now, tears ran down Lina's cheeks, smearing makeup on a deathly pale face. She's staring at me like I'm the devil reincarnated, like she doesn't know me. In some ways, she doesn't. I'm different from the guy she met in college. However, I still want her. I wish that I'd conveyed that instead of acting like an asshole. It couldn't be helped though, the images of her with Moretti were fresh in my mind. The things I said came from a place of jealousy and rage. Now I'd succeeded in alienating her instead of winning her back. This was stupid, I see that now. It's true that Moretti is with her now but I'm her future. I should've remembered that instead of letting my anger and bitterness control me like this, I'll never get her back that way. It looks like I'll have to forgive and forget. It's not gonna be easy but it looks like I don't have a choice. I might lose her forever.
What have I done?
I've just complicated things for myself, she won't come with me so easily. Her beautiful face is contorted in so much fear right now.
I lift my hands from my thighs and reach for her face. She flinches a little which stings a bit. Despite her obvious distaste, I cup her face in my hands and we look at each other for a long time. I find myself lost in her black eyes, which make it almost impossible to find the intersection of the pupil from the iris. So beautiful, I think. In fact, her whole being is beautiful, even now with mascara running down her cheeks. Wiping her tears with my thump, I say "Okay, precious, I'll leave for now. But I'll come back for you in about a week, alright?"
At that, she gives me a horrified look and starts to wordlessly shake her head.
"This is quite a shock to you, I understand. This week will give you time to come to terms with things and get your affairs in order. I hope that by then you're ready to come and live with me."
More tears start to flow now while she vigorously shakes her head. My gaze then slides to her mouth which I notice moving to form a 'no' that isn't actually voiced. I can't resist tracing my thumb along her plumb limps as she does this. She bites my thump like a tigress which makes me inhale sharply. I don't mind her doing that at all. In fact, I kind of like it.
I sigh deeply, not wanting to give her that knowledge.
"I don't like telling you this one bit, precious, but you don't have a choice here. You are coming to live with me, as my woman, whether you like it or not. Be ready in a week," I say. I then remove my wet thump from her teeth which she unfortunately lets go.
"I've said all I've had to say so I'm going to leave but don't for a second think I'll forget about you. You're honestly the center of my attention right now. And remember, a week is all I'm giving you."
She says nothing in response, just regards me with a shocked but petrified silence. Deciding to take advantage of the moment, I do something I promised myself I'd do the moment I'd set my sights on her again: Reaching behind, I grab her neck and pull her close. I then smashed our mouths together roughly, kissing her, hard and angry. When she whimpers in pain, I feel myself soften, open, touching my tongue with hers.
God, she tastes amazing.
All my anger fades away as she wraps her arms around my neck and starts kissing me back. I groan long and deep into her mouth before detaching our lips. It's pure torture but I know that I have to leave at some point.
Bad idea, I think.
That last part was agonizing.
"See you in a week, precious," I say hoarsely and stand up to leave.
It's only when my hand is on the door that it occurs to me to say, "Don't think about running Lina. There is no place where you can run from me."
With that, I yank the door open and step out of her house.
I walk briskly away from the house. After all, the sooner I left the sooner I could come back for her.
This was going to be the worst week of my life, I swear it.
But what can I do? It seemed like she sorely needed this moment.