“Hey, Kim, are you ready yet?” my friend Taylor’s voice asks through the phone, referring to our mini-celebration for the end of the first term of college at Modern Taste.
Modern Taste, a smaller sized diner, is owned by my friend Alex who always gives us a discount when we eat there. He and I have known each other since we were little, connected by our parents’ friendship. Often enough, when we were teens in junior high and our early years of high school, our moms would attempt to set us up, despite my dad’s evil eye that came up when they started to scheme. Alex and I were both relieved when they finally gave up on the idea of us dating since both of us only view each other as siblings.
Plus he’s gay.
That was the main reason that our moms gave up. Alex had told me long before about his sexuality but only came out to his parents in his sophomore year. They had been very supportive and had a long talk with him about it.
I shake my head, clearing my thoughts about the past.
“Yeah,” I reply, pressing the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I gathered up my keys and purse.
“I’m heading out now.” Shrugging on my leather jacket, I exit my dorm room and lock the door behind me.
“Same, I’ll see you in a bit. Bye.”
After ending the call, I walk outside and into the crisp, chilly air. The gloomy, cloud ridden sky gives off an eerie feeling, making me shudder slightly despite the warmth of my jacket. As I continue my walk to Modern Taste, I feel the disturbing sensation of eyes burning into the back of my head. Feeling uneasy, I pick up my pace as the familiar diner comes into sight. Swinging the door open with the chime of a bell following soon after, I am greeted with the intoxicating aroma that makes me smile and relax for the most part.
“Hey, Kim!” a deep voice calls enthusiastically, making my head snap to the side, the familiar sight of a dirty blonde haired man grinning widely filling my view.
“Alex, it’s good to see you again.” I’m pulled into a suffocating hug that I return before pulling away with a soft smile. Alex scans over me, his lips tugging into a smirk.
“Your style is never going to change, is it?” he jokes, quirking up his brow, referring to my clothes.
Underneath my jacket, I have on one of my favorite shirts that is gray and says, ‘If you don’t want a sarcastic answer, don’t ask a stupid question.’ Along with that, I have on dark, distressed blue jeans that are paired with my black combat boots that I wear no matter where I go. My dove gray hair is swept up into a lazy bun, per usual. I’ve pretty much been owning this look since high school, and I’m 21 right now; I’m not going to give it up any time soon.
“Nope,” I reply, popping the ‘p’ and providing a smirk myself. Alex chuckles lightly in return, shaking his head before swinging his arm over my shoulder and guiding me over to a vacant booth. We both sit, catching up about the diner and my college days so far and joke around, messing with each other. Soon, the rest of the group arrives, and the sound of our combined laughter fills the air, earning a few curious looks.
After dining and having a good time with my friends, the group disperses, each one of us going our separate ways. I say a final goodbye to Alex before heading out into the cool air. I get that nerve-wracking feeling again and quicken my pace, eyes glancing to each side of me every so often.
A slightly rough hand presses against my mouth, the owner of it trapping me against their chest with their other arm as they drag me back and into an alleyway. Panic flares through me.
No way, no way in hell am I being kidnapped or raped.
I bite into their hand harshly, and the coppery taste of blood trickles into my mouth as my assailant sharply inhales but doesn’t pull away. Pressing more pressure onto his hand with my teeth, I clench my mouth shut.
“Calm down, will ya?” a deep voice says, an edge of pain and frustration present. I start thrashing around despite his words, fighting to get out of his grasp.
“It was worth a shot,” my attacker mutters out, sighing underneath their breath. “Guess I have no choice.” I still, momentarily frozen in fear at what his words could mean.
Before he can do whatever he plans to, I thrust my elbow into his abdomen, eliciting a groan of pain from him. He stumbles back, clutching his stomach. Gravel crunching beneath my feet, I sprint away as fast as I can, chest heaving as adrenalin courses through me. Arms circle around my waist, picking me up and crushing any hope that I had. Something sharp pricks my neck. A needle.
“Let go of me...” I try to make the words intimidating. Instead, they stumble from my lips, slurred. “What did you... what did you do to me...?” Black spots begin littering my vision, my head lolling back drowsily.
Ignoring me, my attacker brings his arm to the back of my legs, hoisting me up into a bridal position that brings terror instead of happiness. My eyes widen momentarily as he carries me towards a black SUV in an alleyway before being pulled back down by the effects of whatever he injected into my neck. Despite my efforts, my struggling deteriorates, the strength leaving my body.
Everything goes black.
Realizing the mistake in my outburst, I throw the covers off of me and crawl underneath the bed right as the door opens.
“So... we’re playing hide-and-go-seek now?” a familiar deep voice asks, border lining laughter. His shoes scuff against the floor as he comes near the bed, my eyes never leaving them.
“Look, I’m not going to do anything to you so come on out, okay?”
Instead of crawling out, I hold my breath and clench my eyes shut for a moment before opening them, immediately regretting my previous decision. I frantically look around, trying to see where he went. And there he is, right behind me and crouched down, cerulean orbs observing me. I start scrambling away, but his hand locks around my ankle, pulling me towards him. Grabbing the metal bar above me, I cling to it and kick at him, trying to get him to relinquish his hold.
“Kim, I promise I’m not going to do anything. Just let go and come out, alright?” he pleads with me, brows pulling together with his brown locks falling into his face. I allow a minuscule sigh to tumble from my lips as I release my death grip on the bar, knowing that this is getting me nowhere.
“Let go of me, and I’ll come out,” I demand, making my voice hard despite the nauseating, empty feeling in my stomach that seems to consume it. He nods, pressing his fingers into my skin slightly enough that I feel it but doesn’t bring any pain. A warning. He lets go.
Crawling out from underneath the bed on the opposite side of my attacker, I watch as he gets to his feet, finally allowing me to get a good look at the sick man that kidnapped me.
What I expect is an older man with acne covered skin, greasy hair, yellowed teeth, and beady, sin-filled eyes.
What I didn’t expect is a guy probably around my age. His jawline is sharp but not overly so, thin lips tugged up into a light, kind smile. Messy brown locks shadow his ocean blue eyes that seem to draw you in the second they capture your gaze. Torso clad in a dark gray shirt, his muscles are slightly visible to anyone that would take a glance at him. Worn jeans adorn his legs, his feet bare. He seems to tower above me at my five-foot-seven height, much more than a head taller than me.
All in all, he looks like an ordinary guy that no one could think heinous things of. Yet here I am, him being the person that abducted and brought me here.
I’m broken out of my observation as he takes a step towards me, rounding the bed. My hands fly out in front of me.
“Stay there. Please,” I say weakly, knowing this man could overpower me easily if he wished to. He nods, a small frown taking its place over his facial features.
“Alright,” he sighs out before continuing gently. “How about we go into the living room, and I can answer some of your questions?”
I furrow my brows slightly, nodding wordlessly after pondering over his words. What harm could it do? Maybe I’d even find a way out of this hell forsaken place.
He leads me out of the room and through winding halls, coming to a stop once we reach a large, open room. The walls are made up of wood planks that lay vertically, decorated with a few pictures that lay here and there. A large, beige rug adorns the tiled floor, gray couches and chairs occupying three sides of it with a one wood-topped table lying in the middle and another to the side of one of the couches. Lights hang from the wood beams along the ceiling, illuminating the room. In front of it all is a stone fireplace with a large TV settled on its mantle.
What catches my sight the most though is the door with sunlight filtering in through the windows like a beacon of slight hope through all the darkness. I snap my eyes away before he can catch me staring.
I sit down on the couch, tense, and he stands in front of me awkwardly, shifting on his feet.
“So...” he trails off, scratching his neck sheepishly. “Would you like something to drink? Water maybe?” I nod silently, turning my head away from him. “Alright.” His footsteps echo behind him as he walks out of the room.
Moron.
I wait for five, heart-pounding seconds before leaping to my feet and running out the door.
The air escapes from my lungs which are suddenly unable to work.
Tall trees reach to the sky, their branches fanning out in every direction. They group together, surrounding the house like a cage.
My legs buckle out from beneath me, and I fall to the ground, gravel digging into my knees.
“No.” The words fall from my lips breathlessly. Tears sting my eyes as I clench them shut, hoping for this to be a horrid nightmare that will soon end.
Two arms wrap around me, trapping me to a warm chest as I thrash about, trying to get out of his suffocating grasp.“Let go!” I sob, my voice muffled against the soft cloth of his shirt.
“Shh...” he shushes, his voice gentle as his hand slides over my hair. We stay in this position for a while, him softly cooing and me screaming at him until my throat aches, and the tears have dried against my face. My shoulders slump, and I become limp against him, all the energy drained from my body. He pulls away slightly, looking me over.“C’mon, let’s get you inside,” he whispers gently, his eyes soft as if I’ll shatter to pieces at any given moment.
I don’t respond. Instead, I stare at the gravel covered ground between us, eyelids hooded lowly with exhaustion. Sighing, he gathers me up in his arms and stands before walking back to the house. My warm breath flutters the brown hair along the nape of his neck as my head lays against the side of it.
Once we’re back inside, he sits me back down on the couch. My eyes follow his movements as he retrieves the forgotten water bottle off the table and sits down on the rug in front of me. He holds the bottle in front of me, and when I don’t take it, he sighs and puts it back on the table.
“I guess that I should introduce myself. I’m Aaron.” I hate the way that he says it so casually. So I snap.
“Just shut up! Leave me the hell alone! Don’t pretend that you didn’t just kidnap me yesterday! What the hell did I do to deserve this?” I yelled, my voice cracking and hoarse. Aaron looks at me with worry filled eyes, his brows drawing together. He sits on the couch, shifting me to where I’m tucked into his chest. Knowing that struggling won’t get me anywhere, I lay still, my eyes stinging with unshed tears that threaten to spill over. I hold them back though.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? I’m sorry for doing this to you. I’m sorry.” His warm breath tickles my skin as he whispers, his voice filled with sincerity and sorrow.
Why? Why would he be sorry for kidnapping me when he made the choice to do so in the first place? I don’t know. All I know is his arms feel constricting and that I am confused as hell.
I push at his chest, making him pull away but not let go of me completely.“You hungry? I can fix something up?” Aaron asks, his voice just as gentle as before.
I shake my head. “I’m going to go sleep for a while. I just- I feel like I’m gonna fall asleep at any moment,” I say breathily, truly exhausted.
“Alright. If you need me, just shout, okay?” Aaron tells me, standing up and pulling away. I nod, getting to my feet as well. As I take a step, I stumble forward, nausea overcoming my sense of balance.
“Woah there.” Aaron takes hold of my arm, voice filled with concern. “C’mon, I’ll help you get back to your room.” I nod, not bothering to argue with him.
“Thanks,” I mutter while looking at my feet, hating myself for being so weak.
“You’re not weak,” Aaron grits out, making me widen my eyes as I look up into his smoldering gaze. His eyes are dark, a storm brewing within their cerulean depths. I snap my eyes back down.
Crap. I said it out loud.
Aaron nudges my chin upward, making me look at him. I avoid his eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Look at me,” he growls out, grasping my face in his hands gently but firmly. “You are not weak.” He stresses each word.“Got it?” I nod, tearing my face out of his grasp. His eyes soften considerably, returning to their usual state. “Good.”
When we get back to my room, I close the door behind me after Aaron tells me to rest well. My face hits the pillow, but unfortunately, I don’t fall asleep immediately. Instead, I lay there for the longest time, my eyes never leaving the dim ceiling until I eventually drift off into a dreamless sleep.
The side of the bed dips in what I think is hours later and a pair of slightly chapped lips press against my forehead gently. I find my eyes fluttering open, curled into the heavy blanket with Aaron leaning over me.
“Did you sleep well?” he murmurs, smoothing out my gray locks, his hand sliding over them. Grunting, I nuzzle my face into the pillow, eyes closed. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckles softly.
“Are you hungry? You haven’t eaten anything at all today, and it’s getting pretty late.” I nod, making no move to get up though. “You want me to carry you?” I nod again, sitting up drowsily while holding my arms out. Aaron lifts me up into his arms, settling me into a bridal position once again. “Lazy bone,” he mutters teasingly.
“Shuddup,” I grumble, squirming to make myself comfortable. “You’re kinda creepy, ya know? Hovering over me while I’m sleeping, ya damn creep.” I gaze up at him through slitted lids, gauging his reaction.
His eyes widen slightly before he chuckles, shaking his head. “And you’re brutally honest, even when you’re still half-asleep.”
“Better believe it.”
Aaron sets me down on the couch in the living room.
“I’ll be back. There’s Netflix so feel free to watch whatever you want.”
I nod, sinking into the cushions as I pick up the remote on the table beside me. Aaron smiles warmly at me before exiting the room, leaving me to my own devices. Pressing the ‘on’ button, the TV illuminates. I browse through the films, finally settling for Thor: Ragnorak.
Thirty minutes into the movie, Aaron enters the room, carrying two steaming plates of spaghetti. He slides one of the plates into my hands before sitting down beside me.
“Eat up.”
Not having to be told twice, I stuff my face with a fork full of tangy, tomato sauce lathered noodles. My eyes flutter shut as I slowly chew, trying to savor the deliciousness of the dish. Feeling eyes burning into the side of my head, I open my eyes and narrow them at Aaron who wears an amused smirk on his face.
“Ya know, staring is rude,” I deadpan, arching an eyebrow at him. He just chuckles and returns to eating his own food.
Pretty much inhaling the entire plate of spaghetti, I finish it in about ten minutes tops and sit back with a satisfied stomach.
“Full?” Aaron asks, voice full of amusement. I nod, curling into the large pillow beside me. He picks the empty plates up and exits the room, coming back a couple of minutes later. I yawn despite having taken a long nap not even two hours earlier.
“Why don’t you go ahead and head to bed? You may have to sleep off the sedative from yesterday.” Aaron suggests. I shake my head and Aaron opens his mouth to argue with me.
“I’ll go to bed soon, but I want you to answer my questions first.” Aaron nods in agreement, an apprehensive look taking over his features.
“Where exactly are we?” I ask.
“My family’s vacation cabin in Livingston.” My lips part slightly, eyes widening in disbelief.
Livingston?! That’s five hours away from my college!
Recovering from the impact of this information, I slowly exhaled, eyes falling shut.
“Why did you kidnap me? Money?”
“No.” Aaron shakes his head. “As for why, I’ll tell you another time.”
I sigh but decide not to push it, standing to my feet. “Alright. I’m gonna go to sleep.”
“Okay, sleep well.” Aaron stands up as well.
I make my way to my bedroom, locking the door behind me as I enter the room. Quickly, I walk over to the window on the far side of the room and look outside before unbolting and opening it. Swinging my legs over the ledge, I take a deep breath before jumping to the ground a couple of feet below me.
Sprinting to what seems to be a garage, I spot the black SUV that brought me here as I sucked in ragged breaths. Heart hammering in hope, I throw open the driver side door, climbing into the vehicle. Turning the keys that were fortunately still in the ignition, I start the car and swiftly pull out of the garage.
“Kim!”
My eyes widen at Aaron’s dark and angry tone, cursing under my breath. I attempt to drive away, but it’s of no use because Aaron opens the door, making my head snap in his direction. His hand grabs the gear shift and pulls it into park, making the car lurch to a stop. I open my own door on the driver side to jump out but Aaron grabs me by the waist. As I thrash around in his grasp, he gently drags me out of the car. My hip hits the side of the passenger doorway in the process, causing me to wince at the stinging pain.
“Stop struggling, you’re just going to hurt yourself even more,” Aaron orders, voice laced with frustration and what seems to be concern as he continues to pull me in the direction of the front door. I ignore him though, and after a little while of this, Aaron seems to grow tired of my resistance and stops in place. Keeping one arm tightly wound around my waist and arms, he pulls something out of his jean pocket.
A syringe.
I freeze, eyes wide with distraught.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll use this on you. Understand?” Aaron threatens tiredly.
I nod in response, head lowered to the ground. He picks me up after a couple of moments of my silence. I let my shoulders slump in defeat and rest my head against his chest, tiredly looking up at him as he walks to the house. His eyes flint down to meet mine before glancing back up to open the door. He sets me down inside before sighing.
“Go take a bath. I’m going put the car up. Afterward, we are going to talk,” Aaron tells me before going back outside, giving me no time to offer any objections or complaints. I drag a hand down my face, going to ‘my’ bedroom to get some clothes. I twist the knob only to remember that I had locked it earlier.
Going back outside through the front door, I open the door to see Aaron approaching it.
Aaron opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
“I locked the bedroom door earlier. I’m going back in through the window,” I state, my voice void of any emotion. Aaron nods before saying that he’ll accompany me so that he knows that I’m inside.
Crawling in through the open window that just reminds me of my earlier failure, I allow a minor scowl slip onto my face in irritation. I tear my eyes away from the site of Aaron climbing in after me and closing the window, walking into the closet. Absentmindedly, I pull an overly large t-shirt off of a hanger and grab some basketball shorts and undergarments. Retreating from the room and ignoring Aaron’s lingering gaze, I make my way to the bathroom with an unpainted mask on my face.
After making sure that the bathroom door was locked and undressing, I enter the walk-in shower and turn on the hot water all the way. Letting the scorching water cascade down onto my reddening skin like bullets, I brutally scrub my skin free of grime with a small towel lathered with body wash. My skin starts to sting, becoming an even angrier crimson than before. The water washes the suds away as my dove-colored hair is drenched to the point that it transforms into a charcoal gray, falling down my back in clumps after I wash it.
Climbing out of the shower as fog erupted around me, I get dressed and pull my damp hair up into a messy bun, not caring about how it looked, with a hair tie that I had found in the cabinet.
Taking a look at myself in the mirror, I scowl. My usually hardened olive green eyes that are usually full of mischief are now dullened and void of emotion, swollen around the edges. Red vein-like lines rim the outside of them - most likely the result of my crying from earlier.
Turning away from my haggard appearance, I exit the bathroom, immediately running into something. Startled, I stumble back and almost fall but am prevented from so by Aaron, who catches me by the waist.
“You alright?” His eyebrows furrow in amusement, lips set into a light, close-lipped smile.
“I’m fine,” I snap, irritated with myself for not paying enough attention to my surroundings. “Let go of me.”
“Hmm, let me think,” Aaron starts, his tone one of teasing.
No. Besides, we have to talk.”
“Do we? Can’t I just go to sleep; it’s getting dark out?” I sigh, gesturing towards a window.
“After we talk, you can sleep. Alright?” Aaron begins to pull me towards the living room, not waiting for my response.
“It’s not like you’re giving me a choice, is it?” I mutter, trying to pry his hand off my arm that he had grabbed earlier. His hold only tightens though, and he doesn’t respond, knowing that it’s the truth. Pulling me down with him, Aaron sits down on the couch with me uncomfortably caged into his side by his arm. I scowl, not doing anything else to show that I dislike this predicament because I know it will be a waste of effort.
“I know you don’t want to be here.” Now, that’s the understatement of the century. “But what have I done to make you so miserable? Other than kidnap you, I mean,” Aaron asks gently, twirling a piece of hair that had fallen out of the bun between his fingers.
I scoff in disbelief. “Of course I’m going to be miserable in a place I don’t even want to be in. You make me uncomfortable with your touchy-feely ways. I’ve also gotten hurt because of you.”
Something slightly rough and warm brushing against my hip causes me to stiffen and snap my gaze downward.
“Did you not just a word I said?! What the heck do you think you’re doing?! Get your filthy hands off me!” I exclaim, grabbing Aaron’s wrist and forcing it away from my slightly exposed hip.
“I’m trying to see where you’re hurt,” Aaron states blankly, staring me down, dead straight in the eyes. His concerned eyes pierce through me, making me uncomfortable.
“I can do it myself,” I snap, trying to shimmy myself out his grasp that continues to tighten. Aaron ignores my words and lifts me onto his lap as I flail about. Pinning my arms to my side and hugging me to his chest, he effectively restrains me. Knowing that struggling any further won’t do me any good, I stop thrashing around and let out a sigh of defeat. Aaron lifts my shirt slightly, his warm hand brushing my skin once again.
“Tell me where it hurts.” His voice is gentle yet hard and demanding at the same time. He presses lightly along my skin until I hiss in pain when he prods a particular spot, making me clench my jaw.
“There,” I force out through clenched teeth.
“Alright, let’s go put some ice on it so that it doesn’t swell up too bad.” I reluctantly agree, and Aaron lets go of me, allowing me to stand on my own.
After Aaron is done rummaging around for supplies as I sat on a stool along the counter, he puts ice inside a ziplock and wraps it up in a towel. Muttering a feeble ‘thank you’ as he hands the cold pack to me, I press it to the sore area, immediately wincing in pain.
