Chapter 65

~Arlo Frantz~

I sat by the villa’s porch, waiting.

I repeatedly tell myself that I hate unfinished things as I scan the field for that familiar blonde girl. That no one hurts the ‘Frantz’ without facing the consequences.

So no, I am not looking for her because I want to see her again. I am reclaiming something.

That girl will pay for what she did to my face.

“Ugh.” a groan escaped my lips as I readjusted the ice pack on my cheeks.

Throughout the nineteen years of my life, women around me knew how to behave themselves. They lower their voices when speaking to me, bow their heads, avoid meeting my gaze, they smile too carefully because I am one who deserves respect.

But that girl did not give me respect.

She gave me a bruise.

The memory from yesterday irritated me. Like an idiot, crying with my back pressed against the ground. I should have been embarrassed about that moment, but instead, my mind keeps going back to the way that girl looked at me upside down, like I was more than the grief that drowned me.

But the way she acted afterward ultimately broke my trance.

Kerri. Her name. I subconsciously repeat it in my head again and again.

She annoys me. So much so that I forgot why I was here in the first place, which is to forget about the pain of my family’s passing. Perhaps the pain radiating from my cheeks has been distracting my mind ever since, because now, all I can think about is when that girl will reappear?

And just like fate, I spotted that bright yellow hair of hers peeking out from across the fields, just way past the tall grass.

I sat up instinctively, but the sudden movement made me lightheaded for a second.

When I shook my head to regain composure and opened my eyes, she was gone.

“What the…” I shift my head from side to side.

The field is empty, which most likely means she went deeper into the forest.

Mustering up enough courage, I took a step forward and left the porch. My shoes touched the grassy floor, and then afterward, the muddy ground of the forest.

I kept thinking what I would say if I saw her, what kind of face I should show.

She should fear me.

She should beg for my forgiveness.

She should be—

My thoughts were interrupted by a sound of whistling.

It’s her.

Kerri.

I instinctively pressed myself against a tree, peeking lightly to see her long hair, with leaves sticking out of it, as if she had rolled herself all over the floor to achieve that kind of unruliness.

She was crouched near a fallen log, her sleeves rolled til it reached her shoulders, and it seemed like she was digging something with a stick.

I found myself frowning. I was already prepared to berate her, to show her where she belongs, underneath me… but seeing her so focused, so grounded, made me rethink my initial decisions.

Before I could even re-evaluate my choices, I had already stepped forward.

She heard me and immediately whipped around.

Her eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into a distrusting gaze aimed at me.

“Oh, it’s you.” She straightened while wiping her hands against her cargo pants, like I’m a problem she needs to deal with quickly.

“You came here for round two?” she said.

Heat flared in my chest again.

I glared at her, “This is private land,”

“So?” she tilts her head.

Arguing with her seemed pointless, but I pressed on.

“You assaulted me. If you apologize, I won’t press charges.”

She shrugs, “You chased me,”

“Because you trespassed.”

“I did not,” she crossed her arms, her stance brimming with unrivaled confidence.

I purse my lips, every word she utters feels like a challenge, and she has no plans on losing against me.

We both stand face to face, the forest holding its breath.

“Leave at once,” I snap.

“You are rude,” she stated, furrowing her brows.

I stepped closer, until there were only inches between us.

If my words didn’t work on her, perhaps my tall silhouette would intimidate her.

“Do you not know who I am?” I ask.

“No, and I don’t care,” she squints at me, proving that she is not the least intimidated by my presence, no matter how much I make myself look terrifying.

Something twists in my chest while I quietly stare at her.

Something sharp and bright.

Something unfamiliar and unwelcome.

I don’t know what it is… but I have all the time to find out.

“Don’t.” she suddenly spoke, taking a step back so she didn’t need to tilt her head just to look at me.

I furrowed my brows, “Don’t what?”

“Don’t look at me as if you’re about to fix something,” she hissed. “I don’t need fixing.”

My shoulders tensed, no, my body stiffened all over.

How did she know?

That I was thinking of ways I could crack her open and see what she’s really like.

So I could determine the right course of action in making her beg for forgiveness.

To control her.

Immediately, my mother’s voice began echoing in my mind again. Telling me that someday, I would feel something so indescribable that I would have no choice but to yield.

I never understood what she was saying, until now.

I stare at Kerri, truly stare, and all of a sudden she is not just a random girl with a sharp tongue and a reckless hand.

She intrigues me. She puts my mind elsewhere instead of the reality of my loneliness.

“Okay…” I spoke in an absentminded manner.

“Okay what?” she asked.

“Okay, I won’t try and control you,”

“Uhh… that’s not what I said, but sure, thanks.” She considers me for a moment.

I stood there, heart pounding, throat tightening to the point that I had difficulty breathing.

Since I am a man of my words, I mean it when I say that I won’t control her… so instead, I’ll control everyone around her.