I want to reach out to him but refrain. “I'm so sorry. I can't imagine growing up with my parents the way you did and then losing one of them now.” I tuck my hair behind my ear out of habit. “From the time I was six I've had all of these years to slowly forget the details of them that I was used to and miss my parents less and less.”
“Well, my mom is pretty amazing and so tough. She doesn't let us get too down about losing him. She says there is nothing to be sad about because our dad gave us more in our eighteen years with him than many people get out of a dad in fifty.” He chuckles to himself as he watches his hands.
Before I have time to think and stop myself, I reach over the center console and place my small hand on his large, entwined ones. He sucks in a sharp breath before his eyes flash to mine.
He licks his lips causing my heart to double its pace and I can’t seem to look away from them.
My phone buzzes loudly in my back pocket, making me jump and breaking the spell Gavin has on me. I snap my hand back like I touched a hot plate and dig for my phone.
My eyes go wide when I see the screen. I have four missed texts from Kassy and two missed calls. I notice that it is already past lunch, and I was supposed to meet Kassy by her car ten minutes ago. I groan inwardly and jump out of the driver's side of the car. Gavin quickly follows me from his side.
“I didn't realize what time it was! Kassy is probably freaking out. I was supposed to meet her after lunch.” I send her an apology text back and let her know that I'm on my way. I turn back to Gavin and he is standing in front of me with a questioning look on his face. “Thanks again, Gavin, for rescuing me. I need to run now before Kassy leaves without me, or worse, causes me to have to be saved again. I owe you for... well, everything.”
“You’re welcome, again.” He flashes me his adorable dimple and then untucks my hair from behind my ear, letting his warm fingers softly graze my neck in the process. His hand leaves a trail of electricity in its path, making me shiver from the delicious sensation.
Gavin's confident smile falls, and his eyes darken slightly at the sight of me shivering from his touch. He clears his throat. “I guess you should start running then. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me.”
He drops his hand from my neck and lets out a long breath before turning and climbing into his awesome car. He drives out of the parking lot, leaving me feeling empty and cold, again.
Chapter 5
“I just don’t understand why you put me through that, and just so you could talk to some boy! I was seriously worried, El. We don’t know what kind of crime goes on around here. Maybe I am being dramatic, but I thought you’d been kidnapped or murdered!” No, not dramatic at all.
“I told you I’m sorry, Kassy. We just lost track of time, talking. It will never happen again, I swear. I don’t even know how I let it happen once.” I chose to leave out the fainting and ending up in Gavin’s arms parts because she will insist I am not eating enough and rush me to the nearest hospital in her not dramatic way. Then, she will want to know all of the details of how I felt about being so close to Gavin and I’m still not sure about that part myself, other than I can’t stop thinking about it.
She stops combing her hair in front of the bathroom mirror and sighs. “Fine, I believe you. Anyways, I’m actually relieved that you are finally talking to boys and not being such a shut-in. It also helps that it's the gorgeous boy with dreamy eyes and rock-hard pecs.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me and winks.
I roll my eyes at how easy it was for her to switch from anger to boy-talk. I run to the basket by the front door to get my black flats on so we can head out. “Let’s just go have some fun with your boys tonight and forget about today, alright?”
“El, they are not my boys! Liam is just my good friend and Max is my date.” I shrug my shoulders, not totally agreeing. “Well, it’s really more like a double date which means Liam is sorta your boy tonight.”
She giggles at my suddenly disgusted face. “What? He is super cute. Why are you so grossed out?”
“I guess I just already feel like he is my long-lost brother which makes this just extremely icky!” I shudder.
She continues laughing as she bounces to the door in her bright pink blouse, glittery jeggings and too-high heels. She is so little but never fails to get noticed. I follow after her as we head to our first ever club outing and double date. This should be interesting.
***
We meet the guys at the entrance of ‘The Vinyl’ nightclub. They are standing by the red double doors, looking extremely uncomfortable with one another. Kassy runs up and gives Max a big hug, causing him to wrap his beefy arms around her tiny frame, practically engulfing her.
“Hey, have you guys met yet?” Kassy gestures between the two boys. “Liam, this is Max and, Max, this is our friend, Liam. We met him at orientation.”
The boys each just nod at the other. “Liam is from Southern California. I know you have been almost everywhere, Max, so maybe you guys have been in the same place at the same time before!” She is trying way too hard.
Max shrugs and shows a small smile. “Yeah, I've been to Cali a few times.”
Everyone is quiet for a moment, making this awkward introduction even more so.
Max speaks again, breaking the silence. “Let’s head inside and check this place out. It sounds like people are having fun in there.” He grabs Kassy’s hand and pulls her along as she giggles with excitement.
Liam and I fall in step behind them and I bump his shoulder with mine. “You ready to have some fun, pretty boy?” I tease.
He stares at the back of Kassy’s head and shrugs his shoulders. “It’s not exactly the night I was expecting but I guess I’m ready to give it a go.”
“Woah. Calm down, man. I can’t handle all of that unbridled enthusiasm!” I say with a poke to his ribs.
He swats my hand away and finally gives me a real smile. “Okay, okay! Let’s go have some fun, Miss Sarcasm!”
As soon as we pay and enter the dark club, he spins me onto the dance floor as I giggle like a little girl. “May I have this dance, ma'am?” He bellows at me with a hand stretched out.
“Yes, you may, sir.” I give him a princess curtsy.
We dance around one another to the way too loud techno music like a couple of lunatics, twirling and dipping as if we are in some ballroom, instead of surrounded by gyrating clubbers. It is so easy to have fun with Liam, with his infectious boyish grin and easy silliness.
After we are sweaty and tired from almost a half-hour of dancing, I notice Liam’s grinning lips droop when he sees something behind my shoulder. I spin around to see Kassy and Max dancing intimately close to one another. I turn back around and feel my heartbreak a little at the look Liam has on his face as he watches them.
I tug on his arm to make him look back at me. “Hey, your dance partner is starting to feel neglected over here, pretty boy.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry, El. They are just a little distracting, you know?” he continues to dance along with me, a little slower now as the music slows down to a relaxing rhythm.
I study our whole environment and the hustle and bustle of happy faces around us. The ceilings are high with cross beams reaching from one end to the other. The bar takes up an entire wall on one side and serves anything from water to hard liquor if you are of age, which my little Mickey Mouse stamp shows that I am clearly not. Something in the back of my mind itches like a lost memory trying to come out.
“I mean, she doesn’t even know that guy and he has his hands all over her. It’s inappropriate and gross.” Liam’s complaining breaks through my perusal of the club. A full pout is very evident on his face.
I stand on my tippy toes in front of him and block his view of Kassy. “Max is not her forever love, Liam. We are freshmen in college, and he is a fun guy. I know my best friend better than she knows herself sometimes and you are way more her type than that hulk over there. You are awesome and she knows it as well as I d
o, so please stop stressing.”
He studies me for a long moment, contemplating what I said and then, in the blink of an eye, his lips are pressed hard against mine. I’m so shocked that it takes me a second to realize what just happened. The second passes quickly before I press my hands against Liam’s chest and fall back on my heels, breaking the intimate contact.
His eyes widen and he looks ashamed of himself as he rubs his hands over his smooth face. “I am so sorry, El! I, I don’t know what I was thinking... if I was even thinking…”
I cut him off, agitated. “You were thinking you could erase your feelings for Kassy with the closest distraction, but that’s not me, Liam. I love you like a brother and that can never, ever, happen again.” I say with as much emphasis on the ever as possible.
He holds his hands up in surrender. “I one hundred percent agree! I don't see you in that way at all, like seriously no way at all! I’ve clearly lost my mind to jealousy and stupidity.”
I throw my hands on my hips in mock hurt. “Well, thanks a lot. I didn't realize I was so repugnant!”
His eyes widen even more than before. “No, no, no! That's not what I meant, you're gorgeous and I'm stupid and a jerk and the worst…”
I laugh loudly, causing him to stop his adorable rambling. “Okay, okay. I was just teasing. I'm not mad, Liam. I understand why you did it and am actually glad that you see me as just a friend. You're not a jerk, you're simply crazy about my best friend and she is blind because she doesn't see it. You need to tell her, or she'll never know.”
He visibly relaxes. “You're right. Can we please agree that this never happened and forget about it forever?”
I smile. “Absolutely, pretty boy.” I tease, hoping to bring our friendship back to where it was five minutes ago.
He sighs with relief. “Great, now let’s go get a drink.”
We saunter over to the bar where Kassy and Max are now standing, and I get us two waters. I watch a group of twenty-something college guys attempt to lift one of their own above their heads and I smile over my water bottle when two of the men topple over. I hear Max say something to Kassy about the group that makes her release her belly-bursting laugh.
Liam rolls his eyes and turns to ask me if I’d like to go dance some more. I look up at him and pause at his question because this all seems so familiar. Oh no! No, no, no!
With my confusing afternoon with Gavin, apologizing to Kassy and dealing with Liam’s outburst, I have completely forgotten about my vision as if it was some lost dream. It was the whole reason I ended up in Gavin's arms in the first place, and why I need to find my best friend, now.
I suddenly feel nauseous, thinking about what might happen tonight and begin to panic. I look over to where Kassy was moments ago to tell her we need to leave but, just as I feared, she has already left with Max.
I bolt away from Liam and the bar and push through the sweaty crowd of dancing people before turning the corner to the back exit. Max already has his large hands around Kassy's neck so I immediately throw myself at him like I saw Liam do in my vision. Me being half his size, I barely hit him hard enough to make him step backward and release Kassy.
As if I had just given him a gentle shove, he spins around, unfazed, and grabs my throat instead. I use my short fingernails to claw at his hands that are squeezing my windpipe like a balloon about ready to pop. I can feel the flesh from the back of his hands scrape away but it does nothing to stop his attack. I search his eyes which are emotionless and dead like his consciousness isn't even inside himself.
My vision quickly begins to fog from the tears stinging my eyes and I feel as if my lungs are about to rip. I know I can hear screaming, but I start to feel disoriented until a blur of black shadow slams into Max's side. The blow makes him fly backward and hit the wall opposite us, leaving a hole in the drywall. I have no control over my legs and instantly drop to the floor in a heap, gasping and choking on air as it floods my starving lungs.
“It's okay, El. I've got you, just keep breathing, okay?” Kassy is at my side, sweeping the hair away from my face with one hand and rubbing my back with the other.
I try to ask her if she is okay, but it only comes out as a barely audible whisper that burns my throat, causing me to cough more.
She shushes me and starts crying. “I'm fine, you got to me just a second after he grabbed me. I doubt I'll even have a bruise.” She sniffles through her flow of tears. “You could've died, El. And this is not just me being dramatic this time.”
“I know, but I had to stop him. You're my other half and I can't lose you.” My voice is raspy but louder this time.
Kassy smiles softly at me through thick tears and it falters when we both hear a low growl. I look down the dark hallway and see the guy who saved me at the party last weekend. I can only see his intimidating back heaving, but he is still dressed from head to toe in all black and guarding us against a very confused Max sitting on the floor.
Max looks at us like he is seeing us for the first time tonight. “I uh... I don't know what happened. Did I just...?” He looks from Kassy to me and runs shaky hands through his disheveled hair. “I'm...”
Liam alerts us to his presence when he steps next to Kassy and I and cuts him off before he can finish. “You're nothing!” He roars at Max. “Get out of this club right now and never look in my friend’s direction again.” Max doesn't move so Liam steps closer and yells a second time.
“Now!”
Max stands and makes his way back to the front of the club without another word. I turn back to my savior, for the second time in the past week, to see his back still toward me and his fists clenched tight by his sides. He starts to turn in my direction but quickly turns back and leaves through the back exit, never showing us who he really is.
Liam, Kassy and I just look at each other for a long moment before Liam pulls me into a tight hug. “Should we call the cops? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?” He throws questions at me, concern lacing his voice.
“I will be fine, soon. When you stop squeezing my ribs.” I chuckle quietly.
Liam gasps and releases me. “I'm so, so sorry! I’m going to call the cops and let them know what happened here.”
I shake my head, sure that somehow Max wasn’t the one responsible for what happened here. “You're fine, Liam, and I'm alright. I just need some fresh air. Don’t call anyone yet. I honestly believe Max didn’t know what he was doing for some reason. Maybe he needs some kind of help other than jail.”
Kassy speaks up. “I agree. He just changed in a second.”
“Liam, see to Kass. Max had his hands on her neck before I took her place. I will meet you guys out front in a few minutes.” I rasp out the words before picking myself up off the floor and pulling Kassy with me. Liam stands with us and watches Kassy with sad eyes.
“Do you know that guy, El? The one who saved you?” she asks me, still sniffling.
I shrug. “I'm not sure, but I can't let him leave without thanking him. I should hurry.” I let go of her and head toward the exit.
I glance back before going through the exit door and see Kassy's feet leave the floor as she is wrapped up in a bear hug from Liam. He whispers something in her ear which only makes her cry harder. I leave them alone to go find the person that knows what really happened here tonight and the one who seems destined to keep me alive.
I pour out into the dark alley behind the Vinyl club and I immediately feel disappointed, while also slightly relieved when I don't see anyone outside. I scan the alley from end to end, and it seems whoever was there is now long gone, so I decide to just walk around to the front of the club to wait for Kassy and Liam.
Just as I step into the well-lit sidewalk that runs in front of the club, I am pulled back into the dark and pressed gently up against the outside wall of the old building. I start to struggle against my captor but freeze when I feel his gloved fingers run like a feather along the tender skin of my neck.
I look up into his
striking golden eyes, still the only things visible on his covered face. I stop breathing at the way they burn into me, like there is a blazing fire behind them, trying to break free and burn me.
He leans forward and presses an achingly soft kiss on my bruised throat through his face covering and whispers against the tortured skin. “Breathe.” I realize I am still not breathing and slowly let out a shaky breath. Even through the fabric, the feel of his lips causes my heart to leap in my chest.
The man leans away from me and the sadness in his eyes makes me want to break down and cry. I can’t stop the tears that come when he pulls me close to his chest while I bawl like a big baby. I have no idea who this person is or why he affects me so strongly, but I find myself longing to be in his arms always.
I feel reckless trusting a stranger, especially after what happened with Max, but something about him calms my fears. How have I fallen for two boys so easily, my first week into college? I seriously need to go home and think about some things.
I pull away from him and wipe my tears away. “Are you going to tell me who you are?” I wait patiently for some answer. “My guardian angel perhaps?”
He just watches me in silence. He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment but doesn’t speak.
I just nod. “Okay. I get it I guess; everyone has their secrets. Maybe not quite in this way, but I don’t even care. Thank you for saving me. I really want to know what happened back there and I feel like you already do. Can you tell me?”
He looks uncomfortable, his eyes showing some sort of pain. “Soon.” He whispers to me.
He steps closer but doesn’t touch me. I close my eyes; afraid he’ll hug me and make me start crying again. I feel a cool breeze and when I open my eyes he is gone. I make my way to the front of the building, stuck with the thought of how in the world my life became so incredibly complicated.
Chapter 6
“Welp, there's no hiding that,” I grumble to myself in the bathroom mirror. The bruises on my neck have turned a disgusting purple and green color since last night. I run my fingertips along each of the finger marks left behind by Max. I can still feel the burn on my skin from his tight grip and if I think about it too long, it gets hard to breathe as if it's happening all over again.
Captivated: Part 1 of the Intended Series Page 4