Entangled (Entangled Trilogy #1)

by Anika Rahman

  “Elliot,” I whispered as he turned to face me. His eyebrows shot up and he ran over to me, lifted me off the ground and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back while I cried into his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, Rose. I’m really, really, really sorry. Please, forgive me. Please don’t kill yourself or leave me. I need you. I love you. I don’t hate you, lil’ sis. I can’t bear to lose you. Please forgive me. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my little sister,” Elliot murmured into my hair. “You’re the only thing I have left. The only one who is my family.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” I murmured.

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” We went at each other’s throat like that until he gave up and we both doubled over, laughing like two weirdos.

  “No, but seriously, I’m sorry, Rose,” Elliot said as he pulled me in for another hug.

  “It’s okay,” I smiled.

  “If you want to know anything, anything at all, I’ll try my best to tell you, but I can’t promise you any answers because I have to protect you. Sometimes, the truth can be dangerous,” Elliot said. I smiled and he led me over to the dining room for breakfast. Apologize to Elliot: Check. Deal with Adrian: Handle on Monday.

  * * * * *

  “Roza! Roza, my Roza. All mine. No one else can have you, Roza. You’re all mine,” Adrian murmured into my hair repetitively as he pulled me in for a tight hug. Great, two tight hugs to begin the week. Yay me!

  “Roza, please forgive me for all the pain I’ve put you through,” Adrian apologized.

  “What are you talking about? You didn’t cause me any pain,” I shook my head and smiled.

  “Yes, I did. If I didn’t, then you wouldn’t have run away from me that evening,” Adrian blushed. I thought that it was nearly impossible for guys to blush. It was an uncommon moment when you caught a guy red-faced.

  “No, you didn’t, Adrian. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for ignoring what’s between us. I really want to give ‘us’ a chance, if you are willing to do the same,” I told him as his face lit up. His eyes were all sparkly and he was grinning from ear to ear.

  “I love you, Roza,” Adrian said as he hugged me again.

  “I love you too, Adrian,” I laughed. Adrian pulled away and kissed me tenderly. For the first time, I actually kissed him back, letting him know that I really did love him. He pulled away with a mischievous grin on his face.

  “Umm . . . Adrian?” I asked.

  “Yes, Roza?”

  “Why are you all playful all of a sudden?”

  “I finally feel confident enough to ask you what I wanted to.”

  “Which is?”

  “Will you go out with me after-school for a walk in the park?”

  “I would love to, but my brother is expecting me home after-school, no exceptions.”

  “What if I asked him and he said yes?”

  “I doubt that. You’re a sweet guy and all, but no exceptions.”

  “We’ll see, sweetheart, we’ll see,” Adrian grinned before pulling me in for another kiss. I guess we’ll see. Just wait and see.

  * * * * *

  “Let’s go, Roza. C’mon, hurry up,” Adrian whined as he wrapped his arms around my waist from the back. I laughed again as he nuzzled into my neck.

  “Where is your patience now?” I asked.

  “On a vacation in Hawaii,” Adrian teased as he pulled me in for yet another kiss. Apparently, Elliot allowed him to take me to the park. I guess Adrian was an exception. After I said yes to Adrian this morning, he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Either his hands were around my waist or around my shoulders or just intertwined with mine. He couldn’t even stop kissing me. We’ve kissed like a million times today.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To the park, as I promised,” Adrian said as he intertwined our hands together. With that, we were headed off to the park to fulfill his promise.

  CHAPTER 15

  A WALK TO REMEMBER

  I love to take long walks in the parks like this. Not the ones with swings, but the ones that showed off nature’s beauty. Adrian‘s hand gave me a playful squeeze to get my attention and I looked up at his towering figure.

  “Roza, do you like it?” he asked, clearly nervous about my preferences. I patted him on the shoulder awkwardly and shook my head. He instantly let go of my hand and pulled away from me. Adrian’s eyes were shining with tears and I knew that he felt futile and angry at himself. Some guys can be so sensitive some times.

  “No, Adrian. I don’t like it at all,” I shook my head.

  “You don’t?” Adrian questioned as a tear had managed to escape from his eye. He felt like a failure and I somehow sensed all of his emotions. I don’t know how, but I just sensed it.

  I stepped up and guided his hands towards my waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me. I looked up into his eyes, but he didn’t dare meet my gaze. He was so sensitive and I didn’t like that in a guy, but I liked it in him.

  “Adrian, I don’t like it at all. I love it. I love, love, love it. I love it, Adrian. Thank you so much,” I said as Adrian sighed in relief and his hold on me tightened as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. I smiled at his shyness, hugging him back, reassuring him that I truly did love it and most importantly, I loved him.

  “I love you, Roza. I really do,” he murmured.

  “I love you, too, Adrian,” I mumbled back.

  “Do you, Roza? I feel as if you love James more than me,” Adrian pulled away as his expression became infused with jealousy.

  “Oh, no. Adrian, I can’t believe you feel that way,” I shook my head again.

  “I don’t. I feel like a failure,” he replied.

  “You’re not a failure,” I reassured him.

  “Love is what causes madness. If someone seems crazy to you and all those people who are mad and crazy, those people in the mental asylums, are the true warriors of love. They are the future Romeo and Juliet. You love everyone freely. You don’t judge but you choose who you love very carefully. You love like he’s what is keeping you in pieces. Why is that? What is it that you see in him and not me? What does he have and I don’t? I’ve watched millions of people fall in love, get married and have kids. I’ve seen how they all look at each other in that special way. Why don’t you look at me that way? Am I not perfect enough for you? Am I that badly messed up? Do you think I’m a failure too?

  “I know I may not be good-looking. I make millions of mistakes and it is hard to control me sometimes. I may not be perfect but you could at least give me a real chance. What is it that he has and I don’t? How come you look up at him in adoration and not me? I try, Roza, I really do try to change myself, to become the man of your dreams, to become your Romeo but I fail again and again,” Adrian finished off as I gasped and instantly wrapped my arms around him. I couldn’t even believe that he, my Adrian, felt this way about me. I felt a familiar lump in my throat and tried to push it back down.

  Adrian thought that his speech was enough to get me to listen to him and try to actually love him. That’s not true. I really do love him. Now, it’s my turn for a speech. Let’s just say I have a thing for speeches myself. He’s not the only one.

  “Humans are made of 95% flaws and 5% perfection, Adrian. That 5% is what your boyfriend or your husband or your brother may think of you as. To the rest of the world, you are mysterious and unknown. No one really cares about what you do. So, instead of trying to change who you are and trying to discard your flaws, you should embrace them because a perfect life is boring. Trying to change that 95% of you is like trying to suicide. Don’t hide your flaws and make an attempt at being someone else. You don’t know what they do behind your back. The outside doesn’t matter, the inside does. Take a chocolate bar, for instance. The package looks really pretty but you are not eating the package. You are eating what is on the inside, the chocolate. Embrace your flaws, don’t hide them. Flaws make you h
uman and that is better than nothing,” I finished off as Adrian wrapped his muscular arms around my petite frame.

  I cried and cried into his shoulder. I wish I could change myself. He shouldn’t change himself. He is perfect. Adrian is always there for me. Adrian held onto me tighter and sang comforting words into my ear.

  “Roza, oh God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to cry. I am so sorry. Forgive me? God I feel like an idiot right now. I hate it when you cry. Please forgive me, love,” Adrian pouted and I could tell that it wasn’t a fake pout.

  “I will forgive you in one condition,” I smiled.

  “Which is . . .,” Adrian arched an eyebrow at me.

  “You have to stop underestimating everything you say and do,” I said. Adrian nodded and leaned down to kiss me. One thing I loved about his kisses was that he wouldn’t rush into anything. It would be tender, as if he was afraid of losing me if he pressured me. Adrian pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine.

  “A chocolate bar? Really? You couldn’t think of a better example?” he teased.

  “Shut up,” I blushed. Adrian leaned down to kiss my blushing cheeks and pulled me closer to him. I was so glad that he was finally being himself. As if he read my mind, Adrian grinned.

  “I glad that I can make you happy,” he said and leaned down to kiss me again. This was definitely going to be a walk to remember. It will always be glued to my brain. Especially his words of wisdom: What is it that he has and I don’t? How come you look up at him in adoration and not me? I try, Roza, I really do try to change myself, to become the man of your dreams, to become your Romeo but I fail again and again.

  I wish I could make it all better, Adrian, I thought to him, realizing then that he couldn’t hear my thoughts like James.

  CHAPTER 16

  A NIGHTMARE DRESSED LIKE A DAYDREAM

  Adrian was truly an amazing boyfriend. He is the kind of guy anyone’s parent would approve of for dating. He’s the sweetest guy on earth. He was a million times better than James. Before you ask why, I want you to know that I have my reasons for this belief. First of all, Adrian doesn’t hurt me. Second of all, he isn’t possessive or forceful. I mean, he’s possessive, but in a good way. Third of all, he is kind and loving. And I guess you guys get the idea. He really loves me. I had begun to love this whole week until they ruined it. Care to guess who they are?

  “Ah, Rosemarie. We meet again,” James smiled as he dramatically spread his arms out. To be honest, the whole week was really cold so I had a hard time concentrating on him because I was too busy trying not to freeze my butt off on the roof.

  If James tried to do something to me, I would have to depend on myself because Adrian wasn’t here. I don’t need his help anyways. I am strong enough to help myself. If anything happens, I can always try and run away from him.

  * * * * *

  “Roza . . .,” Adrian whined.

  “What is it?” I smiled.

  “I need to go somewhere after school and I can’t drop you off at home tonight,” Adrian said as he wrapped his arms around me.

  “And this is making you sad because . . .,” I said.

  “You have after school and I’m scared to leave you alone. Please don’t hate me, Roza. If you want, I can just stay and skip what I had to do after school—,” Adrian started, but I cut him off with a quick kiss.

  “Don’t be sorry and definitely don’t blow off something important because of me. I’ll be fine. I’m a big girl and I can handle myself. Don’t you trust me?” I told Adrian and added the cute-adorable-sparkly thingy eyes as the bonus.

  “I do trust you. It’s them I don’t trust,” Adrian said as he kissed me again. He didn’t need to tell me their name for me to understand who he was talking about.

  * * * * *

  “What do you want from me?” I asked, my voice strong and confident.

  “What do you think?” he smirked once before leaping off from his current position to get on top of me. I somehow saw this coming and dodged his attack and turned around to face him. If James was surprised by this, he didn’t show it on his not-so-smug-anymore face.

  “You still want me? After everything we’ve been through?” I smiled and inclined my head to the side.

  “See, that’s what I love about you,” James smiled before trying to get to me once again and succeeding this time. He pinned me to the wall, a position I loathed every time. “You never give up on anything.”

  “Get off me you jerk,” I said as I pounded my fists helplessly against his well-built chest.

  “Nope,” James grinned and pressed his lips onto mine. Oh, yeah? If he wanted a kiss, he should’ve just asked. I pretended to kiss him for about a second or two and he held onto my waist, but I bit his bottom lip, hard.

  “Ow! What the hell?” James growled in pain, pulling about a millimeter or so away from me.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” James snarled again.

  “Don’t ever freaking try to touch or kiss me again,” I smiled, just in time to see Lucifer appear.

  “James, get your filthy hands off her,” he hissed. James muttered something incoherent under his breath before leaning in close to my ears.

  “Love, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  “Actually, I do know.”

  “Ha, ha! I may look like a trustworthy person, but really, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream,” James smirked and left me. It’s not like I didn’t come to an agreement with what he said. Lucifer made his way over to me and I shook my head.

  “Let’s get this over with. I have my arms pinned to my side. You’re gonna try to kiss me and blah, blah—,” I rambled, but he cut me off.

  “No, Rosie, I’m not like that. I’m better than that,” Lucifer said softly, a slight bit of hurt flashing across his eyes.

  “Oh, okay. If you are better, then can you properly introduce yourself to me?” I challenged.

  “Fine, I’ll try to be as vague as possible. Hello, Rosie,” Lucifer began. I nodded my head as if to say, go on. He got the message loud and clear and went on.

  “It is very nice to finally meet you. My name is Lucifer. You may not know who or what I am, but here is a brief intro on who I am. I am the Son of Morning, the Morning Star, the Prince of Darkness and Hell. I am Satan, the Devil. I am Lucifer, the Morning Star,” Lucifer grinned as I gasped in unmasked horror.

  So this is Lucifer, the ruler of Hell. The Angel of Light. The most feared one. What have I gotten myself into? He is a nightmare dressed up as a daydream. Literally. He is the Morning Star

  CHAPTER 17

  LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN

  “You’re kidding, right?” I asked.

  “Nope,” Lucifer grinned casually. I gulped and tried to take a step back as he took a step towards me, but I soon encountered the brick wall behind me.

  “Okay. So you’re the ruler of Hell. No biggie,” I said, picking my head up and keeping it up high. I kept my voice strong and steady so he wouldn’t sense my fear.

  “Yeah, no biggie,” Lucifer grinned and took a step closer to me.

  “Okay. If you are the Prince of Hell, then what are you doing here? What on Earth caught your attention?” I asked, a bit chary of his intentions.

  “You,” he shrugged. That’s it? That was his reply?

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because . . . You are a special young lady and you’re all mine. After the Choosing ceremony of course,” Lucifer said a bit thoughtfully.

  “I will have you know that I am sixteen years old,” I said as I raised my head higher.

  “I can see that, Rosie,” Lucifer smirked as he looked me from head to toe. I blushed and looked down at my shoes. Why should I care? Why should I try to make myself more presentable in front of him?

  “What do you want from me?” I asked.

  “Now, that is an excellent question that I can’t answer. If you really want to know the answer, you should ask your Prince Charming,” Lucifer winced and
smiled a bit bitterly. Why couldn’t he answer me?

  “Can’t or won’t?” I interrogated.

  “Can’t,” he smirked again.

  “So . . . Are you a fallen angel?” I asked.

  “Hah! I am Lucifer. I am Satan for goodness sake,” he laughed.

  “Okay . . . Is Adrian a fallen angel?” I asked.

  “Ask him that yourself,” he answered.

  “Why won’t anyone answer me? I hate life,” I muttered as he took another step towards me and pulled me in for a friendly hug. He is the Devil and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it felt as if he cared . . . for me.

  “Rosie, we would all love to answer your questions and make your life easier, but unfortunately, we are bound by covenant law that wouldn’t allow us to answer your questions. I remember what breaking that stupid law did to me,” Lucifer grimaced. I nodded, showing him that I understood, but I really didn’t. I just want to know what this stupid fallen angel thing has to do with me. What is the covenant law?

  “I have to go home, Lucifer,” I said crisply as I pulled away and headed for the door.

  “Rosie, please listen to me and stay away from James. He’s a bad influence,” Lucifer warned me with a smile.

  “I will,” I replied before running out of that door that was calling my name.

  * * * * *

  I tried to relax as I made my way over to the bench. I decided not to go home and instead, I went over to one of the benches. New York at this time of the year was beautiful. The weather was so warm yet cold. The whole city looked beautiful. I loved coming to the Riverside Park. The whole park looked out to the river. I loved it here at night. I began crying without knowing it and I didn’t even care by this time. I sat there a bit longer until I felt someone’s arm brush mine gently. I turned around and saw that Adrian was sitting next to me, his expression filled with hurt, agony and he looked really, really wounded.