Chapter 12

As soon as my feet touched the ground, my legs snapped and I fell into a pair of hands. I cursed loudly. Even after so much risk, I was caught.

I waited for the person to yell, even beat me, but instead, a cool voice said, “You are quite adventurous for a person who fainted sometime ago.”

I realized my eyes were still closed, afraid of the fall, and I opened them to see Roy sitting on the ground with his hands wrapped around me.

He was looking at me with, with… admiration?

“I must say, you surprise me, Scarlet Gill, as of all the ways I guessed you might try to run away, this one was unanticipated.”

I felt my heart relaxing and my breaths getting steadier, and my mind getting sane enough to take in the scene and think. We were in the backyard, which was decorated with beautiful flowers along the border.

I pushed Roy away hard and stood up, almost tripping again. My legs felt too weak, and it was painful to even walk, but I had to run away. I looked behind to see Roy on the ground and evaluate how much time I have to run, but astonishingly, he was right behind me, as if he never fell.

I tried to punch him hard, but he swung his face back, making me miss by inches.

“Good. That was a hard blow. But I suggest next time, you act like you are going to punch with your left so that he tries to save himself from that while you knock him out with a right hook to his throat.” He lectured.

God, he drove me so crazy.

Gritting my teeth. I tried again to punch him while I brought my knee to his loins, but he effortlessly shielded himself from both my attacks.

“Wow, you learn extremely fast!” He said in an appreciative tone, and I tried again to punch him hard. I had to fight him off. But this time, instead of just shielding himself, he caught my hand and pulled me close, turning me, sticking my hand to my chest, and caging me in his arms.

“Now, now, that's enough for today, wonder woman.” He said and picked me off the ground, hung me over his shoulders, and began walking towards the door.

I yelled on top of my voice, flung my legs, and beat his back, but he walked as if he didn’t feel a thing.

“Mind my words, Roy, whoever you are. I am going to run away from your house, and you won’t be able to find me ever again!” I cursed under my breath.

We entered the living room, which was magnificent. Though completely modern, the room had a fancy chandelier just above the yellow sofa that went perfectly with everything in the room.

He steadily put me on the sofa, and before I could protest again, leaned on me with his hands confining me.

I froze.

And not because I was afraid of him.

“Why do you wanna run away?” He asked, looking straight into my eyes.

Strangely, I found myself dumb, as if somehow I lost all my speech.

“Because I don’t want to stay here,” I replied stupidly.

“Because you are afraid I will destroy you?” He asked, and there was something in his eyes. As if he believed the statement.

But it wasn’t true. It wasn’t true.

I couldn’t bear to look in his eyes anymore, which seemed to speak of hundreds of things yet I couldn’t decipher a single word.

I looked away.

“You are beautiful.” I heard him say and looked at him.

No one in my life had looked at me the way he was looking at me. Hell, no one ever looked at anyone like that, even in the movies and novels.

He caressed my face as if confirming its originality.

“She is beautiful,

And hers is the only beauty I believe won’t destroy, or be tainted with pride.

No. She is beautiful. The kind of beauty that paints the sky. That creates rainbows with sunshine. The kind that mends hearts with a smile.”

Ignoring my alarming increase in breath and heart rate and the crazy adrenaline rush all over my body, I said, “These lines are beautiful. Who wrote these lines?”

“Rusty Scar.” He said, leaning closer.

“That’s an unusual name.”

“He’s an unusual man.” He replied, closing in on me, uniting our lips.

The kiss felt as that was the only thing that was holding me on to my life. I kissed back. Fiercely, without thinking, just feeling the spectrum of unknown feelings that were bursting inside me.

I never felt that way when I kissed Rover. It was like I was drowning. But with Roy, it was as if I was soaring high in the sky. I would get lost with Rover, but with Roy, it was as if I was exploring a part of me, an unknown yet missing piece of my heart.

Roy snatched away himself abruptly and closed his eyes. He was heaving, and there were clear signs of pain on his face.

Did I hurt him?

“You shouldn’t be kissing me like that. Not when you are planning to run away.” He said, and getting up from the sofa, began to walk away towards his room.

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t be kissing me like that either. Not when you are planning to give me away to Rover after a week.” I replied coldly and watched him stop on his step, and his body turned stiff.

“I am going to do nothing of that sort.” He said without turning back.

“Then what sort of thing are you going to do?” I asked.

He stood there for a second and then began to walk off again, deciding to ignore my question.

“Fine. Run away. But how can you expect me to just stay here while you make decisions about my life without even informing me?!” I snapped loudly. “And don’t you dare kiss me again. Not like that!” I shrieked.

This time he turned, and looking straight into my eyes, he said, “Oh, trust me, I wish I wouldn’t.”

That hit me like a dagger.

I slumped back on the sofa and watched him mount the stairs.

*******

Entering my room, I went to the bookcase and picked out the one with a blue cover, The Fault in Our Stars, and decided to lose myself in the infinitely beautiful story of Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace Lancaster.

Pain demands to be felt.

I already admired this line, but never it struck me as it did at that moment.

The sun vanished, and dusk returned to the night sky. Mrs. M woke me up from my unplanned nap.

"Master's calling you down for dinner." She said.

"Well, tell your master to go fuck himself!" I replied.

"Um, he pays me. I can't say that. Why don't you say it yourself, miss?" She replied to my surprise.

"Well, he pays For me. So I guess I do have a better chance of saying that myself." I said getting up.

I liked how I and Mrs. M were getting along.

I walked down to see Roy sitting at the dining table, talking on the phone. As soon as he saw me enter, he disconnected it, saying that he would talk later.

I slumped into the chair next to his and watched him study me.

"Where's Rosa?" I asked, looking around. I hadn't seen her all day long.

"She was out shopping all day. Just got off the call with her. She said she'll be arriving soon."

"She was out shopping?" I couldn't believe it. Rosa would shop whenever she was upset, but never without me, even if it was the two of us who made each other upset. I said aloud, looking at the table.

I was getting distant from my sister. Everything seemed like falling off my hands.

"Yeah, she did ask me if she could take you along, but I couldn't afford that." He replied.

"I am not a shopaholic! And I wouldn't have spent your money on shopping." I protested.

He chuckled. "I didn't mean it that way…"

"Yeah, I know you didn't. You meant that she can do whatever she wants, she can go out whenever she wants, but I can't! Because I was bought and put under house arrest." I slammed my hand on the table.

I didn't know from where all this rage was fuming me up, but everything was rushing back to me. As if a bolt of lightning consisting of horrible memories struck me. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to breathe.

I got up and rushed towards the stairs. I kept mounting them until they stopped, to a gate which was probably led to the terrace. As I was about to push open the gate, a guard with a strong body and gelled hair stopped me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Let her, Singh." I heard Roy command from behind me, but I didn't turn to look at him.

Singh stepped back, and I kicked open the door and stepped into the fresh air.

The wind hugged me like an old friend, and I collapsed on the cool floor. Tears no longer waited for my consent and soon turned my cheeks damp.

"Scarlet?" I heard Roy call.

"Go away." As soon as the words emerged, my throat hurt.

The terrace was lit by the moonlight, and I saw the silhouette of well-dressed Roy sit next to me.

"Why are you doing all this?" I asked amidst my sobs. "What do you want from us? Have I ever done something wrong to you? What do you intend to seek from all this?" I asked him.

All he did was sigh.

"Okay, I will reframe. Will you ever answer my questions? Ever?" I asked him as my cheeks turned red with anger.

He turned to look at me. His face was calm, soft, charismatically lit. His eyes were twinkling like stars.

He was beautiful. Beyond words, beyond poetry.

"Yes." He whispered.

I wanted to ask when and load other questions, but he took me by my hand and stood me up.

His touch and the gusting winds on the terrace reminded me of the night a week ago, when he took me to the terrace with my blindfold. I had enjoyed the dark that day.

And suddenly I realized I would have been afraid of being here a week ago, in this dark, but I had totally forgotten about it. I guess subconsciously I believed nothing could happen to me as long Roy was here.

God, I hated this. I hated these mixed feelings!

And suddenly there was music!

And I wasn't imagining it. There really was.

It was Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

Roy steadily took hold of my waist, and I couldn't help but gasp. I was afraid my heart would fly out of my chest as it began beating wildly. He took my hands, placed them over his shoulders, and began making me dance with him.

He was close, yet let the air breathe between us, but strangely I didn't want any air between us.

I stepped a little closer, and he did too, and there we were, just a finger apart.

He tucked my loose hair behind my ear and made me dance with him, to a beautiful song, to the beautiful music of the moment.

"Trust me, I don't know why I am doing this. But all I want from you is you." He whispered.

"That's very cliche," I commented, and as I watched him chuckle, I tried to suppress my smile. But I failed.

"Yeah, I realized that once the words came out of my mouth. They sounded better in my head. Though it was the truth." He replied.

"All you want from me is me. How do you want me?"

"Like right now." He replied and picked me up and twirled, rotating me with him. Holding him tight, I laughed. I laughed for the first time in days, and I felt okay. A feeling that was no less than a luxury.

Something told me Roy could get me any luxury I could want.

And we just danced.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark,

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass,

Listening' to our favorite song

I have faith in what I see

Now I know I have met an angel in person

And she looks perfect

No, I don't deserve this

You look perfect tonight...