Nude » h.s (#Wattys2016)

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I glanced down at my hands, lowering my head and letting my long hair cover my face as I cried again. A soft sob escaped my lips and I brought my hand up to my mouth to muffle the sobs that followed. I felt so useless and weak, I was broken. The only person that I wanted to love me hated me, he had said it himself, yet I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him. I missed his kisses, the way he touched me and the way he looked at me-- I missed staring into his emerald coloured eyes. Gizele shook my hand lightly and I lifted my head up, revealing my tear stained face. I took a shaky breath and parted my lips. "I-I'm in love w-with him." I whispered. Her expression changed immediately and her hand let go of mine as anger took over her calm features.

"Love? What do you mean you are in love? You can't possibly love a man like him, he is a killer. You don't even know him, Angelina! How can you fall in love with someone in only three months? You are just a girl, you don't know what love is!" Gizele yelled, standing up quickly and pointing a finger at me in disapproval.

"And you do? You know what love is?" I asked her raising my voice. I didn't like the way she reacted, the way she talked about Harry like she knew him and I certainly didn't like the fact that she talked to me like I was a kid. I knew what I felt about Harry and it was as real as it could get. She folded her arms over her chest and opened her mouth to speak, but she said nothing. She couldn't reply to my question, she didn't know. "Love is caring about someone else deeply and unconditionally. You can't think about anything else and you worry about them when they are not around. You are willing to sacrifice everything to keep them safe, even your own life. Sometimes it makes you selfish and sometimes it makes you stupid. That's what love is Gizele and I'm in love with Harry." By the time I finished speaking she was looking at me with surprise and awe. She wasn't expecting me to talk like that to her and to be honest neither was I. I didn't know where all that courage came from, but I was proud of myself that I said it. I was tired of people treating me like this, I could think for myself and I could stand up for what I believed. I wasn't the small girl that Alexander found in the alleys, I was a grown woman.

"A-Angelina, I don't know what to say." She said truthfully. "How?" She asked in a whisper.

"It just happened, I guess. He cared about me, he didn't use me like Ethan did and he made me happy. But I ruined everything, Gizele. I did something stupid and I didn't tell him the truth because Alexander threatened to kill him. I did it to protect him, but when he found out he got mad and... and now I think I lost him. I don't even know what happened to him Gizele, I have a bad feeling." I informed her. She pursed her lips together, looking deep in thoughts.

"What do you think happened?" She asked curiously.

"When he learned that I lied to him and that I kept in contact with Ethan and Alexander he went to find Ethan and they fought. The last time I saw him he was being taken away by the police. They accused of murder, but it can't be Ethan. He promised me, Gizele, he didn't kill him. Harry is not a killer." I told her.

"Ethan? I haven't seen him around lately." She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth as her eyes widen. She shook her head. "You think he is dead?"

"I don't know, but as I told you I have a bad feeling about this. Alexander told me that Harry killed someone, but the last person he was with was Ethan and he said he didn't kill him. They had simply fought. If he is dead, then someone else killed him and they framed Harry." I told her, pacing around the room as I tried to think of what could have happened. The more I thought of it the more true my theory seemed. Who could kill Ethan? Why was Alexander so calm about it? Had he planned this?