chapter 2 - Lunatic!

Eva's POV:

"Mine," He whispered, hiding his face in the crook of my neck. He inhaled my scent and planted a kiss on my neck. His hands were gently rubbing my back, stroking my hair. He was a stranger and I shouldn’t feel this way, but it felt so good. His touch spread a soothing comfort all over my body.

What was I doing? He needed to release me. What type of person hugs random women?

"Let me go!" I struggled, but his grip on my arms tightened suddenly. It tightened to the point that it started hurting.

Tears gathered in my eyes now.

"P-please, leave my hand. Y-you are hurting me," I crocked in pain.

He instantly loosened his hold on my hand but didn’t let me go. Rather snaking an arm around my waist, pulled me closer. His other hand took my wrist which he just hurt and kissed on it.

"W-who are you? Let me go. O-or I will call the police!" I warned, even though my heart was thudding in fear.

The pupil of his brown eyes turned golden as they were glimmering like burning fire, and he let out a deep growl.

He was giving me a beast like vibe even though he was a human.

"Why are you growling? Are you a dog? Say something!" I stated and in response he growled even louder. His hands around my waist tightened to the point that I winced in pain.

My body pain awakened with retaliation and I felt standing too exhausting, too painful.

This time I cried, "Please, let me go. I am already injured. You are hurting my wounds." Tears rolled down my cheeks.

He stared at me for some time and finally released me. Then he opened his mouth, "Leave as soon as you can. Or you will be killed."

He started walking leaving me confused and shaking in fear.

I didn’t understand what to do. My head spun. The sun was brightly glaring at me. I quickly sat on the floor to prevent the fall.

After a minute, I got up.

Walking a few steps from there, I saw someone driving. I didn’t know if it was alright but I waved my hand for a lift.

The car stopped before me. A middle-aged woman opened the car window.

"Can you please drop me to the nearest bus stop?" I asked.

"Okay, get in," She unlocked the door. I opened the door and got in. But after I got settled on the seat, the lady eyed me in a scrutinizing gaze.

"If you don't mind may I ask where you from are? You people don't actually come this area." She said starting the car.

You people? What did she mean?

"I am sorry but I didn’t get what you mean by that. I was actually delivering food. In my way back, I was attacked the day before yesterday and someone brought me here for treatment. So, now I am returning my home."

"Oh! It's so sad, dear." She spoke in a sympathetic tone.

"I didn’t mean anything particular; I just said that people from other areas hardly come to our neighborhood. Where do you live?" She asked.

"I live in the Park Street Valley." I said.

"Oh, it's a coincidence. I am also going there." She smiled.

"If you don't have any problem, you can go Park Street Valley in my car. You wouldn’t have to take the bus. Besides, you seem injured."

"If you are going there, then please. Thank you." I responded in gratitude. It would be really great. Hopping on the bus would be tiring for my injured body.

An hour later, she entered the Park Street Valley area and dropped me a few minutes’ walk away from my home.

I thanked her for the help and invited her to come to my restaurant by giving a card. As I entered my apartment, the emptiness filled my heart, sinking my soul in despair.

The pain of losing a loved one is too much to bear.

As my gaze fell on the smiling face of my grandma in the photo frame, my heart ached. Her gray hairs were tied in a bun, a thick framed glass and her lips stretched in a warm smile.

I still couldn’t believe she was no more.

It felt like she would come out kitchen with her right hand filled with flower and would call me, "Come to eat, nina dulce. Grandma made enchiladas for you."

It was only for grandma that I was living here. Even though the apartment reminded me of her and her memories tormented me but it still made me feel that she was somewhere close to me. I was close to her, around her memories.

My mom died when I was ten years old. After that dad started getting away from our family, more specifically, from me. Three years later, he got married again and hardly contacted us.

His new wife wasn’t quite accepting to a teenager like me in her family. Dad needed his wife more than his daughter, and he chose to be with her. Grandma was so angry at him that she didn’t even give my dad a single penny from her savings or anything from her.

Grandma took care of me alone. She was my everything.

She died six months ago. I thought of selling this apartment a few times but I couldn’t make up my mind for it. It was grandma's last memory as well as her restaurant. She rented two rooms in the first floor and started her restaurant a few years back.

She loved cooking and feeding people. My grandma used to cook herself for this restaurant though she had hired a help.

And after keeping it closed for so many months, I opened it up a month ago.

The restaurant was small but popular among this neighborhood people. Each day more than hundreds of people used to come here. They were my grandma’s regular customers and fan of her excellent cooking. The profit from this restaurant was good and grandma deposited every single dollar in my account.

The restaurant was something grandma loved most after me. Once she told me that even if she died, I must not close this restaurant. I could cook all the dishes of this restaurant and grandma told me to continue.

I was going to do exactly the same. I wanted to continue and extend this restaurant, continuing her legacy.

That day, I was returning after delivering food parcel in a place. Normally, I had a rider who used to deliver food in distant places. As the restaurant was closed for so many days and I couldn’t pay him, he got another job somewhere.

Usually, we never delivered food so far from my home. But that day, I got a call from that place, and they wanted food for twelve people. Even though it was a bad idea to go so far only to deliver food, I went for it. And my luck was bad and my delivery motorbike broke down in the way. I sent it to a repairing shop and was retuning by foot as I couldn’t find any taxi or anything at that place. The night already fell by then. That's when two men attacked on me.

I was the one at fault. Who would go to deliver food in an unfamiliar place?

I entered the bathroom, got freshened up carefully enough not to hurt my wounds and then went to my room.

Who was the man?

Why did he hold me all of a sudden?

He was so tall and bulky at the same time. I could feel that his huge frame was filled with hard muscles. He was so powerful; overwhelming energy and force of violence were emitting off him.

He was handsome. Extremely good-looking for a savage. His facial features were almost perfect except a fading scar in his left cheek.

But his beauty was overshadowed by his dangerous aura. He was looking more like a demonic beast in his human form.

He gripped me so hard that the intense pain of my body reappeared.

"Leave as soon as you can. Or you will be killed."

A chill flowed down my spine remembering his words.

Who was he? Why did he say this? Who would kill me?

Why did he say that I was his? His eyes changed colors, as intimidating he looked his caresses were gentle. He caressed my hair, rubbed my back at first. It was so soothing.

I felt him inhaling my smell, and then he kissed my neck. It was a tender gesture only meant for lovers.

Why did he do it?

He must be a lunatic.

The person who was scolding Natasha, I couldn’t see his face. He was facing his back at me.

Now that I heard his voice, it seemed like that this man could be the one who was scolding Natasha.

I lay on the bed taking a painkiller. My body needed rest.