Prologue
AIDEN
3 years ago
This was bad.
Really fucking bad.
I cursed under my breath as I watched the black cat crossing my path and jump over the fence of my neighbour's house. I ran my hand over my face, reflecting on the bad things happening since the start of this morning.
First, I woke up with crows cawing their way through my sleep and waking me up. Justified that I had slept through my alarm and forgot that my training was going to start in half an hour. Then, just as I was going to leave the house, the mirror hanging right next to my door unpredictably fell and shattered into pieces.
The two worst things that could happen today considering it was the first day of training.
"Aiden?" My mum's voice spoke through the phone and I snapped out of my stupor.
"Yes, sorry. I just called to ask you if you were alright," I said, adjusting my bag across my shoulder and standing rooted to my spot.
Her soft chuckle managed to ease a little bit of the anxiety I was feeling, yet I could not help the slight tremor in my hands. "I am alright, sweetheart. Your father is right next to me having breakfast, would you like to talk to him?"
Despite my anxiety, a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I appreciated how understanding she was of my superstitions, never judging me. In contrast to my teammates, who had a tendency to poke fun at me for my beliefs, making jokes at every opportunity, she was different. Whenever I reached out to ask how they were, she made an effort to comfort me, acknowledging and respecting my quirks rather than mocking them.
"It's alright, as long as nothing happened to the both of you." I walked around in a circle, counting to thirteen in my head as I waited for someone to cross the path for me so they could take the bad luck with them. "I have to go now. Love you, Ma."
It felt as if a higher power had heard my silent plea when a girl darted past me, hurrying towards the pedestrian light that was about to turn from green to red. I proceeded on my path shortly afterwards, feeling a pang of guilt, as if I had passed my misfortune onto her. This whole superstition might seem silly to others, but to me, it held great importance.
Something shit always happened, and I wished nothing traumatic happens to the girl who had obliviously passed by me. By the time I reached the crossing, I saw her standing there, impatiently pressing the call button as if it would miraculously light up for her. When the sound of the other light rang, she nearly walked through the busy road and my hands reached out instinctively, pulling her back.
As her footing faltered, her head fell onto my shoulder, causing us both to flinch at the unexpected contact. Reacting instinctively, I quickly removed my hands. When she looked up at me, her long lashes framing those beautiful brown eyes, I could hardly breathe. Her expression was filled with anger, as if she thought I had offended her by saving her from walking into the street.
Before she had the chance to say anything, a loud screech echoed in the now-silent highway taking away her attention. Whatever she saw, it was enough to push her right up against me, her back to my front.
I furrowed my brows at her reaction, dragging my gaze to the road when I heard the skull cracking and a woman laying still on the crosswalk, with her blood pooling around her.
I cursed again for the second time today, watching as the truck driver jumped out of his vehicle and approached her in horror, his phone already out as he called the emergency services.
Jesus.
I looked down when I heard a choked cry and realised the state the girl before me was in: the white blouse was splattered with blood. Her hand, which had specks of blood, covered her mouth as she turned around and pushed through the crowd. I stood there, staring at the gruesome and terrifying sight, before glancing down at my watch.
My coach was going to chew my head off if I got to training late, but just as I was about to take a step to cross the path, the memory of her frantic state replayed in my head. Gritting my teeth, I impulsively ran in the opposite direction of the gym, following after the girl.
I found her inside an uncanny alley, crouched against a brick wall, next to a bin, hands trembling as she blankly stared at the pebbles before her. Her face had was drained of any blood and I was concerned whether she even realised she was in an eerie alley.
In an instant she stood up and opened the lid of the bin, emptying her stomach. I approached her, without much of a thought, and collected her hair from her shoulder. The foul odour of the bin penetrated my nostrils and I felt my stomach churning at the putrid smell. It was a combination of old food, decaying garbage, and a faint hint of something metallic. Not just that, the sound of her gagging was also not helping the situation as I looked anywhere but the scene behind me, hoping to divert my mind.
Lord help me.
When that did not help, I began counting the lines on my palm. Anything in this situation that could distract me would be beneficial.
The girl, finally seeming to notice my presence, pushed away my hands and turned around, alert. I raised my hand, hoping to show that I was not a threat. I couldn't even defend myself with the way my stomach was coiling and flipping like some pancake.
"Don't fucking touch me," she rasped, reaching for her bag to grab an empty bottle.
I held in my retort at her accusatory gaze, understanding she was still traumatised by what happened before and now she had a random guy touching her. Immediately opening my bag, I pulled out my bottle and twisted the lid open. "I was just trying to help you out."
She accepted the bottle, yet kept enough distance to possibly fit a table between us. Her other hand clutched her bag and I knew she would swing at me if I even took a step towards her. I waited while she cleaned her mouth and gulped down almost half of my water.
"Aiden Lee, by the way," I offered, hoping it could loosen her tense shoulders a little.
But she paid no attention to my word, her face finally filled with blood.
Once she gave my bottle back, she rested against the wall, heaving in a deep breath like she was trying to get herself to come to terms with the circumstance. While she collected herself, I shamelessly stared at her.
Noticing the white mini skirt that reached around mid-thigh, I couldn't help but notice how much shorter she was without the white boots she had been wearing earlier. The white blouse she wore - a netted fabric that exposed her collarbones - accentuated her curves, and I had to forcefully suppress any thoughts involving my lips on her soft, tanned skin.
She had her bottom lip clutched between her teeth, and I glanced away for a moment, feeling a rush of heat to my cheeks. A small dimple had popped, forming a mini dent in her chin.
The next thing I saw was the white blouse pulled over her head leaving her only in her black bra. I blinked and stared shamelessly at the sight, caught off guard.
She raised her perfect brow, reaching down to pull a beige, knitted jumper without removing her eyes from me. "Would you mind?"
As if splashed with cold water, I turned around, aware of the heat in my cheeks. Now was not the time to be acting like a lovestruck teenager. But damn, she looked perfect. My throat worked as I swallowed down my reaction, trying to ignore the image of her in just her bra and skirt, the way the fabric hugged her curves.
"I would appreciate it if you forget about our encounter and go on with your day," she spoke, grunting while taking off her blouse I assumed. "It was already traumatising to witness that poor thing when I could have saved her and knowing that you had to hold back my hair while I was wretching out my meal..."
She did not continue, and I understood her. I had watched her while she was vulnerable, a stranger she met not long ago. A stranger who had decided it was worth running after this girl, despite knowing he was going to be asked to run laps for missing the first training.
"It was not your fault," I reassured her. "It was unfortunate, yes, but I guess it is what it is."
When I turned around, I found her staring at the gravel on the road, her lips once again between her teeth. Despite the circumstances, it was an adorable trait that I recognised to be something she did when she was in deep thought.
She snapped out of her stupor when her phone rang, and it was as if reality dawned upon her that she cursed under her breath. Not picking up the phone, she glanced at me for a brief moment before grabbing her bag.
"Thank you for..." She gestured before staring at her hands and then dropped them. I nodded.
She offered a small smile that sent two dimples popping across her cheeks, and I folded so quickly that my back almost gave out, before walking away. I rubbed my hands over my face, my grin widening at the events of the day. I knew my coach would chew me out, but the chance encounter with someone who already occupied my thoughts made it all worth it, even if it meant I might never see her again.
My eyes swivelled around our surroundings before landing on a card that was abandoned on the ground. Frowning, I lifted it realising it was a Student ID, with a photo on the side.
Hana Kim. University of London.
"Hana!" A bright grin split my face. I ran towards the girl who had managed to take my breath away before she got too far away. She turned around, her brows scrunched together. "You forgot your ID."
She stared at my face and then down to the card I was holding before her eyes widened and she quickly accepted. "Thank you so much."
And then she was gone in a blink of an eye. But I knew I would see her more often than not.
— • —
Kind of a long prologue.
