Chapter 50: Chapter Fifty

We spent most of the night making love until we were both too exhausted. I was sore, exhausted but oddly sated all at the same time. It wasn’t a soreness or exhaustion that I wished away but rather it felt like I had finally been able to connect with a new part of myself. I felt like me but I also felt different, as if I had just taken another step towards finding happiness.

I’m not too sure how long we slept but when we finally woke, the sun was high in the sky and we were both starving. We spent the rest of the weekend exploring the forest around us. Despite it being cold with snow trying to settle every now and then, the forest was beautiful and I was almost sad when we finally had to leave on Sunday afternoon.The real world was waiting for us after all.

Liam would be home in a few days and I was still trying to figure out how to tell him about Aiden and me while getting the last touches on Liam’s welcome home party sorted with Tammy. I was under no illusion that Liam would be jumping for joy for us. I was his baby sister and Aiden was his best friend. The level of awkwardness that Liam would probably feel would make things a bit weird but I had made up my mind; Aiden and I were a thing and I wouldn’t give that up for anyone.

“I need to head to the bar for a couple hours just to check on a few things.” Aiden explained when we were back in town.

“Okay, but I could do with heading home.” I replied.

I could tell Aiden wasn’t keen on the idea. He didn’t like me being on my own and he couldn’t get Kyle to babysit me today. It was a bit frustrating but I knew that this reluctance of his was actually from worry or maybe fear. It hadn’t been all that long since the night at the bridge.

“Aiden,” I spoke up after a few minutes of silence and caught his free hand in mine, giving it a light squeeze. “I’ll be fine. I am just going to do some tidying and watch TV. I will message you the whole time if you want.”

“No, it’s okay.” Aiden finally relented. “I don’t know how long I’ll be at the bar for anyways and I know you get bored there.”

I nodded and smiled, looking back out of the passenger window at the familiar scenery.

"I'll be back soon. Call me if you need anything " Aiden pressed a loving kiss to my mouth when we finally pulled up outside of the house.

We said our goodbyes then I grabbed my bag and headed in as Aiden drove away.

The house was as we had left it so there wasn't much tidying to do but I took my time sorting through my travel bag and laundry with the intentions of getting everything washed and dried before Aiden got back. I thought about attempting to cook for him but I didn't know when he would be back and truthfully, my cooking skills were sub-par.

In the end I decided on a shower and some warm clothes. Despite it not being that late, it was getting dark out and while I wasn't afraid of the dark and was even used to walking home in it after my shifts at the diner, I had no intentions of going out now, even if I still had some energy buzzing through me. That in itself was surprising considering how busy our weekend had been but I put it down to being on cloud nine after everything amazing that had happened over the last few days. I felt giddy even and caught myself smiling like an idiot when daydreaming.

That floaty sense of happiness sizzled out the moment I stepped off the stairs and walked into the kitchen. There was instantly something that made me freeze, the hair on the back of my neck. I couldn't figure out what exactly had me feeling like a mouse being watched by a hawk. When I had first come home earlier, I felt like I was home but now, I felt like something was terribly wrong.

"Hello Ellie."

My blood ran cold when I heard those words. It wasn't the words themselves that had the torrent of dread and disbelief building inside of me.

It was the voice.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye making my whole body snapped towards, eyes widening when the terrifying but very familiar features. Dark eyes, black hair, tanned skin…

Noah was standing in the doorway to the living room, hands in his pockets and his eyes trained on me. I could see the amusement in them, the triumph. He was so pleased with himself for being in my house and I hadn't even heard him come in. How had he gotten in?

Then I remembered that this wasn't the first time he had broken into my house. Only this time he wasn't here to plant cameras and do god knows what else.

"You really should learn to hide that spare key of yours better." Noah finally spoke up, taking a step towards me making me step a step back. "Under a plant pot? Really?"

My throat had closed up as my heart fluttered in my chest like a panicked caged bird. The front door was behind me. If I could reach it in time then maybe I had a chance to get across the street to one of the neighbours for help. I kept my eyes on Noah, trying not to give anything away. When he didn't step closer, I took my chance.

My hand barely touched the door handle before I was yanked away. I screamed when Noah wrapped his arms around me, dragging me away from the front door and back through the house. Remembering something from the classes I had taken, I managed to free my right arm drawing it forward at shoulder height and then slamming my elbow backwards. My elbow smashed into the side of Noah's head. Stunned, his grip loosened but I didn't give him a chance to recover, this time jabbing my elbow hard in between his ribs.

It was enough to get him doubling over onto the floor winded, his grip slipping from me as he grunted from the impact. Good. He deserved to feel pain.

I still had a chance to get out of here and get help. Before I could run though, Noah was able to recover and yanked my feet out from under me. I hit the floor hard, my entire back protesting from the impact, my teeth banging together and nicking my tongue.

Dazed, I didn't have a chance to get away before Noah was on me. His black eyes blazed with rage as he tried to pin me down. He dodged my knee trying to slam into his groin as his hand connected with my cheek so hard, my head snapped to the side.

The sting of Noah slapping me radiated through the left side of my face. Black spots danced in my vision as I tried to shake off the shock. My ears were ringing but it was the pinching feeling in my arm that brought me back to reality, my eyes snapping towards the site only for my blood to run cold.

Sticking out of my arm was a needle and syringe and Noah was pushing the plunger of liquid down.

“You thought you could get away?” Noah hissed, pulling the needle out roughly and chucking it behind him. “Did you honestly think dropping out of school would protect you? I know everything about you, Ellie! I am always watching. If you thought you were safe because you attended a couple of shitty self-defence classes and quit your job then you are more stupid than I thought!”

“Get off of me!” I snarled, shoving against him.

I have no idea what he injected into me but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. My head was swimming but I managed to get a punch in. It was hard but it was enough to stun Noah and for me to push him off of me.

The moment I stood up, the world shifted under my feet as if I was on a boat in stormy seas. I stumbled, knocking something over but I didn’t know what it was. My head felt heavy and it felt like I was trying to run upstream in a fast moving river.

If It wasn’t obvious before, then it was now. Noah had drugged me and it was taking affect.

I fell into something, the side table I think because it was hard and I felt the corner of something digging into my hip painfully. Still I kept moving. I just needed to get out of the house. I might not make it to a neighbour’s place but maybe if I screamed then someone would come to see what was going on. Maybe Aiden was on his way home. God, I hoped he was…

My legs gave out first as if all of the bones had disappeared and they could no longer hold my weight. Pain exploded across my forehead as I smacked my head against the doorframe before everything went dark.