Because of Ethan, I neither feel like eating nor doing anything. My phone starts buzzing, showing Aiden's caller ID. I don't pick his calls and place my phone aside. If he hears my voice, he'll comprehend that I'm not okay. But if I don't pick up his calls, he'll get angry. So, I take the phone and pick up the call. “Hello…Aiden,” I murmur, my voice barely audible. “Belle, what happened? Are you crying?” he asks instantly. “Is a guy troubling you? Did a guy touch you? Tell me. I'll beat the person. I'm here to protect you. You don't need to cry about anything. Just tell me what happened?” “I'm okay. No one touched me. Don't worry. I could beat a guy on my own if anyone would have touched me,” I inform and gasp. “I'm just not feeling well. I'll talk to you later. Bye.” I end the call and cover my body with a blanket, tears still shedding from my eyes one by one, the weight of loneliness pressing down on my chest. My head throbs from crying so much. Overall, I'm just a mess. Max
Flabbergasted by witnessing Ethan here, I don't even stand up to greet him and stay like that. My father approaches him and they both shake their hands greeting each other. Ethan averts his gaze to me and again to my father then; as they both sit on the sofas my mother walks inside the room. I am stunned. Don't know if I should stand and go, or stay here and listen to their talks. “How's the business going on?” my father asks him. "Everything is well, Mr. Dubois! Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about your hotels…sounds impressive,” Ethan says. "How do you think we can team up?" "Well, imagine this: we throw awesome events at your resorts, mixing live shows with the vacation vibe. It could be a hit, don't you think?" Ethan cocks his brows. "Hmm, I like the sound of that. But how do we make sure everything runs smoothly, with all the moving parts?" "No worries, we've got a skilled team for that. We'll work closely with your folks to make sure every detail fits the vibe of your pl
Pushing Ethan away from me, I take steps towards the elevator door and kick on it in frustration. My heart skips a beat as the elevator light starts flickering. The elevator jolts to a sudden stop. I press all the buttons, but nothing happens. Claustrophobia hits me hard, making it impossible to think clearly. My chest tightens and I can barely catch a breath. “Shit! We are stuck now,” Ethan curses under his breath, and turns on his phone's flashlight. I back into a corner, my hands shaking uncontrollably and my body sweating. My breath hitches in my throat, as my eyes widen in terror. The small space in the elevator is haunting me. “Help,” I try to murmur, my voice barely audible. Ethan averts his gaze to me, and comes towards me. “Belle, calm down. It will open. Don't panic,” he says, trying to soothe my anxiety, but I can't. All of a sudden, I see my younger self, stuck in a car. I'm crying and hitting the glass window of the car, trying to open the door. “Mom. Dad,” I'm
Next day, I attend the school, but don't know why—I'm not feeling well. I'm feeling like something bad is about to happen. It's the first time that Aiden didn't call me at night time. He didn't call me last night. Maybe he's angry that I didn't pick his call the previous night. And I didn't call him either; I never do. My gut feeling is telling that it's the calm before the storm. “I hope nothing bad happens,” I murmur to myself, as I enter the cafeteria. Now Ethan will come and sit beside me, like he does everyday. How bad my life is! No matter what I do, say, or behave with him, he is still adamant. Can't he like some other girl? Out of nowhere, the microphone’s harsh sound bounces off the walls, catching everyone off guard. What's this now? Why is there noise coming from the microphone in the cafeteria? “Attention, everyone.” As soon as I recognize the familiar voice I hear all day and night, I turn swiftly; and to my surprise, my eyes meet Aiden's eyes, who's settled on a
The school nurse bandages Aiden's head; since it's just a minor injury, there wasn't any need to go to the hospital. Aiden's head has been bandaged. And now, three of us—Ethan, Aiden, and I—we are in the principal's office. I'm standing in between them. Principal, sitting on his chair, is glaring at us, from the past few minutes. Three of us are silent, just staring at the floor, as there's nothing to utter. My mind is still swirling with thoughts of Ethan. How can a guy be like him? He hit his best friend's head, just because of a girl. To have me, Ethan can do anything. He's crazy, for sure. Breaking the ice, the principal finally blurts out, “Ethan and Aiden, you both are best friends. How did you end up fighting? Can you please share with me? Huh!” Ethan and Aiden exchange glances, and none of them utter anything. The silence works as fuel in the principal's anger. “Belle, at least you tell me what happened between them?” he asks. I don't know what to say. They both fou
Now that I have reached the police station, I scamper inside in a hurry. Aiden is sitting on a seat, in front of an officer. I take quick steps towards him. “Aiden…” I utter. He turns his head slightly to me, his expression hard. “Why are you here?” he barks. “How could I leave you alone?” I shoot a quick response. He gasps. “Belle,” he says, looking into my eyes. “Why don't you understand? It's not a decent place.” “I know, but I can't leave you alone. I'm your girlfriend,” I say, taking his hands in mine. And finally, a soft smile appears on his face. His face softens. “Don't worry about me. Dad will come soon, and I'll be discharged then,” he blurts out, caressing the back of my hand and kissing it. “Hey, Romeo and Juliet. Be lovebirds after going home. This is a police station,” the officer says. I nod in response. The officer averts his gaze to Aiden again and renders him his own phone. “Type your father's number. All the time you were barking…call my dad, ca
As Aiden finally pulls away from the kiss, he kisses my forehead gently and wipes my tears. “I told you, I can't see your tears. It hurts me,” he blurts out. My lips quirk into a smile, hearing his words. Aiden turns slightly to his father, his gaze unwavering. “I think you've seen the future,” he says. Mr. Allen is just glaring into Aiden's eyes, consumed by his outrage. “If I wouldn't have come here, you'd be behind the bars,” his father states. “Then go. I'll go to jail,” Aiden announces. I turn my face to Aiden, furrowing my brows. Why is he saying all this now? Does he want to cause more trouble for himself? What is the need to show ego now? Idiot! Both father and son are glaring into each other's eyes, their jaws tense. “Officers,” Mr. Allen says aloud. “I need to get my son out of here,” he says firmly, his voice commanding attention. The officer, terrified by his father's authority, nods and begins the process of releasing Aiden, while Aiden's father and brother ste
“Belle…please, listen to me. Open the door.” Aiden is begging me to open the door, apologizing for his behavior, but neither I open the door nor reply to him. Lost in my thoughts, I cry until I drift into a deep slumber. I just need something to escape this pain and hurt. Due to a loud thud, I flinch and open my eyes. The city lights shimmering like stars in the skyline view of Aiden's room's glass wall. I rub sleep from my eyes and settle on my feet. I'm feeling a bit better after taking a nap. “Belle…are you listening to me? Please, open the door. You are scaring me now,” Aiden's voice guards me off. Turning the door's knob, I open the door slowly. My eyes meet Aiden's eyes. He's sitting across the room’s threshold, tears brimming in his eyes. Settling on his feet, he steps towards me, while his tears begin to shed from his eyes. “I'm sorry. Forgive me,” he demands, cupping my face. Tears well up in my eyes as I gently push him away. “You always say sorry, Aiden. And you alw