𝐍𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐞

𝟏𝟓

["Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"]

❦

It's been over five years since I last looked at Maria's house. A new house, to be more precise.

I feel like the young boy I was before.  Naive and stupid, flippant and selfish, but I can't look away. Not now that the view is finally perfect.

It's a good place to hide and make other people think that you are dead. She was always the mind of the operation, always the smartest, no wonder she had a hidden place to live almost a mile away from New York.

I felt a prickling sensation crawl up my spine as if a thousand tiny needles were piercing my skin, a physical manifestation of my nervous tension.

I watched and watched as if if I looked away something would happen. But even now, when a sense of impending doom hung over me like a dark cloud, casting a shadow on his every thought, making even the simplest tasks feel monumental, I can't look away. And the next thing that happened in front of me, made me clench my fists, nails digging into my palms.

As the black car stopped in front of the mansion gate, I could see a tiny figure, like a silhouette, moving between two bodyguards who stood as if one mistake would cost them their lives.

The strand of blue hair slipped before my eyes right into that very black car, driving away and leaving nothing but the memory of being here.

Stunned into silence, I could only watch as that car drove away the thing that I thought was gone as well.

My son. Alive.

❦

I'm rusty at this. My foot is slipping and my palms are sweating. I feel like I'm going to trip and fall at any moment. But this time there's no pool under her room to ease my pain.

I clenched my teeth and once again grabbed a part of the window, rising with all my strength and power and finally, dropping in.

"I'm amused. I thought you were going to miss the room." Still, on the floor, I manage to lift my head and trace my gaze on the woman in front of me.

The dark robe hugged her body so perfectly, expanding at the end until her legs were completely covered. The black color, almost transparent, allowed me to see everything that was covering her. Or rather, everything that wasn't covering her.

But I don't feel any urge to take it off.  My eyes were now only focusing on her so fake happy face, that let her eyes darken even more than before.

I feel disgusted, even angry looking at her like this. This is not her. This was never her.

"Get off that floor, Hunter, and don't play worm." Her lyrical voice tore at me, inducing me to stand up on my feet.

I tried to look calm, keeping my body from swaying or shifting my weight from one leg to the other, but like a sniffer dog, Maria could smell fear.

"Have a seat." She gestured to me towards the chair next to her mirror, but my legs were buried in place, not letting me move even if I wanted to. "Very well." With her index finger, Maria pressed a button on the wall, activating the receiver. "Let the gates down."

A few seconds later, there was a screeching sound and a loud crash, making Maria's face light up with a bright smile.

The gates are locked.

Her short brown hair fell around her neck and at that moment I forgot why I was even here. The moonlight illuminated her figure making her look breathtaking and delightful.