“I am so glad you agreed to come with my son for my birthday!” Tammy, Noah’s mother or as I had been introduced to her, said. Her eyes were glistened with moisture, as she helped me with the tray dish I was holding, putting it away before replacing it with her hands as she held me lovingly. It was just the two of us in the cozy kitchen. The rest of the family were busy having fun as they danced the night away. “You know, he does talk a lot about you. Every time he calls, it is just you, you and You! No chance to ask about mama.” She giggled, wholeheartedly as she tried to shake the tears away. I let out a shaky laugh, not sure on what to say after that revelation. “You make him so happy. I love the glow I have seen on him today, and I would be so blessed to call you my daughter in law someday.” She burst out crying, clinging on to me to hide away her tears. “He has been through a lot! You know and am just so glad someone out there is making him happy!” The tears cascaded down her
A glimmer of hope flashed through his eyes, before fluttering them close and shaking his head. “Bambi, you are completely out of it. You need to get back to bed and sleep. I will bring you some water.” He said making out to leave, but before he could go, I grabbed him. “I am very serious Noah, and I am not drunk. See!” I leaped on the bed, my wiggly form making it hard for me to stand up straight. “Yeah right, and I am good at parkour!” He joked “Noah, I need you to be serious with me, I am not joking with you right now!” His face softened, as he caressed my cheeks softly. “Bambi, how about we talk about this tomorrow, when you are okay and SOBER!” I huffed in frustration, stomping my feet like a kid which resulted in me losing my balance completely and falling on my face. But I was quick to get myself straight and face him head on. “You really don’t believe me, do you?” I whispered, my eyes watering. No, I was done crying for the day. Wiping away the fallen waters, I continued.
The soft patters of raindrops cascading down the windowpanes pulled my consciousness away from the depths of sleep. My first reaction being to grab the blankets that I could feel tangled and intertwined with my legs, to shield me from the chilling cold and boy was it freezing! I angrily moaned to myself, cursing my short arms for not reaching the blankets sooner. Reluctantly, my eyes fluttered open when I could not feel the soft blankets onto my hands. A scowl formed on my face, when I realised that the bits of my beauty sleep would get wiped away by the cold. Trying to save the last remaining bits of sleep and savour the cold weather, I quickly huddled the blanket over my head, turning around the bed to find a cozy position, that would allow me to finally drift off to la la land. My body stiffened in alert as I came into contact with what seemed to be a warm body. ‘What was that!’ I asked my inner conscious; afraid it would be something I would not like. Hesitantly, my eyes flatt
Months had passed ever since Noah, and I made it ‘official’. And to be honest, it wasn’t quite bad. In a way, I had gotten used to it. Noah was lovely, too lovely and I truly didn’t deserve him. His home had become mine; an allegiance had formed between his family and me. It had become a daily occurrence for us to visit Tammy and the gang, at least twice a month. Just never thought I would look forward to those trips as much as I did, well except the drinking parties that took place after the kids went to sleep, I had vowed to myself to steer clear from those! I had come to terms with the fact that sometimes, life was not always a smooth road. What we wished to have may not always come through. This was settled when I noticed that the house was wiped clean of Hayden’s presence. His belongings, his presence all gone without a single word. Monica too, was nowhere to be seen. Looks like he had finally gotten over me. Huh! I laughed at that memory, the pain that I had felt in my chest t
“Just wait until you see the room!” Noah exclaimed excitedly, like a little kid who just got his first toy on Christmas, as he directed me towards where the presidential suite, with the help of the hotel’s staff of course! The hotel was truly breath-taking. I had thought that I had seen it all, but apparently that was only a fraction of it! My doe eyes were wide open in wonder and amazement as I took in the intricate curvings done on the hallways, and how the artwork complemented the old but beautiful Victorian designs. In my world of amazement, I failed to see the incoming guest, as my feet wobbled. If it were not for the Noah’s hands holding me in place, my lack of balance would have sent me kissing the ground. After a million ‘I’m fine’s and am okays to Noah,’ I finally turned to look at the one who had almost caused a scene in the middle of the hallway. “Steve!” I exclaimed, shocked at my former coworker who was looking at me sorry, as he raised his hand to hand me my fallin
Suddenly, the air was filled with the warm cinnamon scent, I had earlier whiffed in the hotel’s lobby. Was that person also near the hotel suite with us? Or was I just hungry for a banana muffin with lots of Cinnamon? Similarly, to Noah, I got up and went on and wrapped the hotel’s robe around my body. “Where was that scent coming from and what was taking Noah so damn long! I came to a screeching halt, when a tall daunting man, with visible age lines, walked into our hotel room, the cinnamon scent becoming much stronger! ***The driver! Hayden’s driver? But what was he doing here? My mind raced with questions. My blood was now cold in my veins, as I tightly wrapped the bathrobe around my body. What a coincidence would it be, that Hayden’s driver of all people, would walk into our hotel room! I mean what business would he have here! My heart thumped loudly. The old driver, who had countlessly driven me to school or accompanied Hayden during his impromptu pop ups at the house or
“Leave. Now!” I screamed at the man, who had not only given me the world but also caused it to crumble. He just stood there, unmoved. In lightning speed, I was pinned to the wall. “Tsk! Leave? There is no way in hell am ever doing that! am not going anywhere.” He sneered. And just like that, I lost my sanity! “Oh my God, stop it! Stop it, Hayden. Just stop with the damn mind games. You have now hurt my friend who has been nothing but nice to me for your selfish ego, yet you don’t even want to help him and now this! When will you stop being so damn selfish!” I cursed, the most curses I had ever cursed my entire life! My eyes were burning with anger, I looked crazy! In my frantic tantrum, I ripped myself off of him, poking him harder on his abdomen with my fingers, hoping to reciprocate whatever I was feeling in my heart. Suddenly, my hand were yanked of his chest, and instead I was back at that damn wall! “Selfish! Selfish! I am selfish?” He repeatedly chanted those words. At f
“You are a murderer! You fucking murdered him!” I cried at the cold man blankly staring at me his face ridden of any remorse. “Somebody HELP ME!” I screamed for what seemed like the millionth time, ever since I was dragged without my consent, to this forsaken house. I did not even have a clue as to where I was exactly. It wasn’t the same house I had found comfort in. All it had, was very dark walls and a tiny window to remind me of the days that had passed. It was HELL! “Don’t touch me, MURDERER!” I screamed thrashing around the bed, the furthest my chains would let me. “You fucking killed him, Hayden. I hate you!” Like he had done for over the past few days, he completely ignored me, settling on the beige sofa besides the bed. He rolled the tray that the servants had brought, opening it to find it untouched and cold, like it had been routine for the past few days. “Are you planning to starve yourself!” He flared, staring at my empty shell. “It has been two weeks! Bambi, you n
Gingerlocks and Her Three Bears It was supposed to be one day; a one-time thing but- I no longer know what am doing anymore. I was just going to shoot some content with my friends, then go about my day, I swear! That was the original plan. But then, shit happened. The rain, the wolves, losing my friends... and now, I’m surrounded by three hulky men, who are all hot and primal and determined to never let me go. I call them bears because they are humongous! I mean, just look at them. I am nervous, I don’t think that all three of them can fit yet, my heart flutters like a caged bird, so fast and rhythmically to the beats of anticipation and excitement. I am thrilled... and am so going to get ripped. Yes, I am going to get ripped! I know it is wrong. What will people say? My supporters! My career is on the line and there are already nasty rumours floating around about me, and now this! But surprisingly, that doesn’t bother me. To be seen with all these alpha males; my three bears, who
“Adrian! Hayden?” I called out frantically to my four-year-old and husband. I continued searching the vast expanse of the sprawling mansion that was our Italian holiday home, my eyes dotting arounds in the hopes of finding them. ‘Where were they?’ I asked myself. One minute, they were with me in the bedroom, patiently waiting for me to get our three-year-old girl ready and the next minute they had completely vanished. The ginormous mansion did not make it easy for me either. “Chiara, hang on to mommy okay. Let’s go find your dadda!” I cooed softly at my little bundle of joy. Her mesmerizing grey eyes shone brightly as she gave me an ear to ear grin happily throwing her arms in the air. Shifting my body to accommodate her small frame in my arms, I kissed her cheeks before resuming my search for my other child and husband. “Dadda! Dadda!” Chiara continued chanting softly, her eyes on the lookout for her favourite human, her dad! She was such a daddy’s girl, even I sometimes got a litt
“You are leaving?” Lillie asked sadly as she watched me finish packing my bags. Her look was so disheartening, I felt guilty knowing that I was leaving her alone even though she was going through a lot; with her pregnancy and the break up. She hadn’t told me the full story yet, but I suspected that there was another woman involved from the little glimpses of her history she had given me. However, I was still glad, with the help of the therapist we had gotten, she was starting to be herself once more. Hayden was at first adamant when I suggested the idea but after a slight push he agreed. “Yes,” I looked at her with pity. “Listen, if you want I could-” “No, no, noo!” She cut me off, grabbing my hands. “You have already been through a lot, you need a break.” She lovingly hugged me, her hands making sure I never moved a spot. “It is okay, don’t cry. I will always facetime you everyday.” “I know! I know! I am just going to miss having you physically, but you promise you would be back, r
“You sent her here, pregnant! Are you nuts!” I yelled at the metallic phone, the end speaker sighing in regret. “I know, I know- but she insisted and you know how she is.” I breathed to calm myself down. If he wasn’t my dear friend, I would have murdered him by now. “You know brother you do not need to worry, I know how to take care of my woman. I am always right behind her.” He said with sadness in his voice which made me question, what the hell was up with them. I had definitely noticed the tension and longing in his voice, even though he thought he had carefully hidden. “What is going on between you two? Hang on!” I said, cutting off the line as I had noise approaching the mini office I had at this house. “Yes!” My heart rate calmed down a bit when I noticed that it was just my Bella. “Bambi! My love, what are you doing here?” I asked as I stood up to go and embrace her, she just gave me a tired smile before coming to sit on my lap. It had been a week ever since that incident, a
The air hung heavy with palpable discomfort. Each passing second, felt like it had stretched to an eternity. I pulled my dress further down as if it wasn’t low enough already. I refused to stare back at Lillie's eyes. I did not want to see the betrayal in them. The ground was interesting enough for me. “Hey, how did you know I would be here?” Hayden broke the silence as he went ahead to embrace his daughter. “Collins told me,” Lillie answered, distractedly as I felt her blue orbs pierce through me. “He shouldn’t have done that. That was a dangerous mistake after he knew what this night was abou-” “I know,” Lillie cut him off, “I was the one who insisted. I wanted to come and comfort you!” Her blue eyes were back to me, questioning me. “How long had this been going on?” Lillie asked, the question directed at me. I pulled my eyes away from the ground as I returned back her stare. Oh my God! I had hurt her. Her eyes were teary, as she looked at me in betrayal. “Lillie, I swear-”
In the hazy realm between wakefulness and sleep, I could hear loud creaks from a distance. I found myself drifting like a passenger in a moving vehicle, the sensation of motion pulling me further away from consciousness as if journeying to some distant destination. To where, I do not know. I slowly woke up, feeling groggy, only to find myself sitting on a man's lap. Startled, I let out a loud scream and fell backward onto the floor. My heart raced with confusion and fear. "Shh... Calm down my love, you are safe now" I heard a voice say softly, pulling me out of the so-called fog of thought. Cold but hard hands patted me softly on my head pulling me back up, in turn I could feel my nerves unwinding. “Hayden?” I softly called out meeting his beautiful green eyes. They were lowered, watching me attentively and concerned. His eyelashes formed a curtain over them, partially hiding the mesmerizing shade of green. If only he could fall back lower. I thought to myself, then I would get a
His men were all stoic, showing no sign of emotions on their faces as they guided me to who God knows where. I keenly took in all the doors and corners of the hallways, hoping that I would eventually get a chance to gain my freedom back. However, that felt like a dream, considering the hasty pace the men were walking. In a jiffy, I was being pushed inside a room that looked similar to where I had been imprisoned before but much smaller. The other ten? If I had counted properly went ahead to surround all the corners of the damned small room, making it seem much smaller that it was already. The others remained outside. Holy molly! How was I going to get out of here, if the security was this tight! Ryan, who I presumed was their boss now, went ahead, perusing and scrutinizing every corner and invisible dust speck, before nodding his head satisfactorily. I guessed that this was where we would be staying for the night. The atmosphere was silent among us. Not a word, not even a buzz of a
When, they came back, not a minute later, the worlds had turned. Hayden was no longer the one in restraints, instead, Lorenzo was, and he was laughing! “Well done! Well done son! Just like how I taught you! Never let them know your next move!” He congratulated, smiling ... proudly? The men in the room had also been replaced, basing my judgement on the unfamiliar faces. “Where had the others ran too?” I inquired myself, blinking my eyes several times to get used to the new found light. It was not after a minute, that my eyes caught on to the lifeless bodies, lying on the floor with a hole on their heads. One who was next to me, had his eyes wide open, but they looked lifeless. I screamed at the horror before my eyes, my heart skipping beats. I felt like vomiting, as the acrid metallic smell of blood and death was too much too handle. I could feel the two pairs of dark eyes, molesting me, with a click of disdain following me. “She doesn’t know who you are, does she?” I could hear Lor
“Well, Well...well,looks like you two have finally met. The chloroform was not that strong after all.” A rich and harmonious voice graced my ears, with it vibrating at the end as it closed the distance that was between us. The sound was so well spoken and warm, if I didn’t know any better, I would have been entranced by it, hoping to crawl towards it for warmth. However, I could also sense the extensive cold undertones, tones that were so sinister yet hidden carefully within that soothing voice. I do not know why, but suddenly my heart was running a mile. It felt like, at any moment, it would burst from my chest. My body had also gone cold, seemingly the blood that was running in my veins had been wiped dry. The air also felt sinister, it was as though the devil himself had joined us. My head ambivalently shifted towards the frame of the man that had just made his presence, wondering whether it was wise letting him see my fear. What met me, the moment my eyes reached his eyes, was