In the middle of the ocean

Chapter 16: First kiss

"Hello, honey," I suddenly hear a voice and strong hands squeeze my shoulders. I open my eyes with a shock and meet with dark, cold brown eyes, looking into mine.

"Harry!" I squeal and quickly straighten up. "What are you doing here?"

He straightens up as well and smiles. But it's not a happy smile. I get a strange, unsettling feeling from him... like I'm... scared.

"Oh, I just went on a little vacation and Bled seemed like a great location. How about you?"

"Me? You know... I'm here for work."

"Oh, right. Work," he replies and makes quotation marks at the word. "Then you must have a lot of work, right?" he asks with a cold voice and takes a step closer. I feel shivers run down my back and I instinctively take a step back. 

"Harry? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

At my words, he stops, looks at me surprised and laughs aloud. "Me? I'm great! Actually, I'm perfect!"

"Harry? You're scaring me," I breathe quietly and feel my legs shake.

"Really? I wonder why?" and looks around. "Oh, right. Where is your prince at?"

"Prince? What are you even talking about?" A million thoughts were running through my head, trying to make sense of everything.

He loses his smile and his eyes get even darker. He takes another step closer.

"Don't play games with me," he angrily growls. "Where is the boss, that you're sleeping around with?!"

"...What?" I ask, not believing my ears.

"You don't have to play dumb! You think I'm a twerp, that you can do whatever you want with?"

"Harry," I start but he roughly interrupts me.

"Shut up! You lying, filthy b*tch! As soon as I'm gone, you offer your ass to another guy. And I thought you truly are so closed-up and don't offer anything to anybody!"

"What do you mean?"

"You know full well, what I'm talking about. I wanted you so many times, but you were always 'No, I'm not ready. You know my pain' blah blah blah. I didn't think you would immediately change your mind when you went on this trip with your boss. It seems he didn't have a hard time crawling in your panties."

A wave of huge anger start boiling inside of me and without restraint, I swing my hand hard across his face. Pain shoots through my fingers but I pay it no mind.

"How dare you humiliate me like that?!" I yell at him with hurt in my eyes. "You know nothing about my life and the things I went through! Think first about what you're even saying! Me sleeping with my boss?! Have you gone crazy?! And I thought you're a sensible man on whom I can count on. Seems like this was a huge mistake!"

He places his hand on now his bright red cheek. Hair was covering his face, so I couldn't see his expression. 

"I'm sorry," words fall out of his mouth.

So I finally got through to him. My knees buckle from relief but I manage to keep standing.

"I hope you're really sorry because I don't intend to listen to this anymore."

I step away but Harry grabs my arm hard and pulls me behind a corner into a dark section, slamming me into the wall.

"Did you really think, I was sorry?" he asks, laughing and sinks his nails into my skin. "You're mine! If you're sleeping with your boss, then there's nothing wrong with me replacing him."

My heartbeat quickens and the relief I felt before was now replaced with uncontrollable fear. I didn't see any of the warmth and gentleness he had in his eyes when we were together before. Was this all just a big lie? Now I was staring in a black, pitless cave without a single ray of light, and I knew, there was nothing I could do.

"Harry, let go of me," I say with my teeth clenched and try to shake his stone grip. The nails buried in my skin don't let go and I feel like I'm being cut by a sharp knife.

"Stop," I now say, my voice losing its strength. His presence left me in a horrified state, eating away my freedom. Can't I do anything?

"You're not so strong now, huh? I know you want me," he sugarcoats his voice and whispers in my ear. I am overcome with disgust. 

One of his hands slowly starts reaching for the hem on my shirt and starts pulling it up. His face draws near my neck and lightly blows on it, licking from the corner of my shirt to my jawline. My body shakes from all the repulsion and Marks face pops in my mind. Our memories, our adventures together, the pleasant feeling in my heart I haven't felt in a long time. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose Mark. Mark! My head starts screaming his name and I manage to slightly open my dry mouth.

I don't want to live in solitude anymore. I don't want to lose what I fought hard for. I want to live!

"Mark!" I yell at the top of my lungs and a single tear slides down my cheek.

All of the weight is suddenly gone and Harry collapses down in front of me. Through my teary eyes, I recognize that black, slightly curled hair and I immediately run towards him in his arms. Tears keep overflowing and wet his shirt, but he just hugs me tightly and softly caresses my hair.

"It's okay, I'm here," he keeps repeating and gently sways me with him. Behind me, I hear running and a few of people in dark clothes, probably guards, quickly grab Harry and cuff him. Only then I see a dark red spot on his head and I presume that's where Mark hit him.

"Don't worry, he won't come near you anymore," Mark assures me and sightly smiles. "I came at the last second. When I didn't see you anywhere, I feared the worst. Thank god you called for me or I would have passed you. I was so worried," he trembles and hugs me even tighter. "I never want to experience this again."

I feel something wet on my shoulder and I look up, not breaking our hug. His green eyes were shining in tears and were looking at me with misery and love. I knew his eyes weren't lying and that he was truly worried for me. So before I changed my mind, I stepped on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. Electricity runs down my body and I press my fingers against his back. He slowly returns my kiss and that's when I knew, my lips were made for only his.

But my mind doesn't shut up. It lets me know that this will someday come to an end. That this is just like a winning ticket that lasts only a few minutes.

I pull away, my heart beating painfully. Nothing will go as before. Something will always go wrong.

 I know my heart loves Mark. But, I know it can't. I can't afford another broken heart. How do I know Mark won't make the same mistake again?

Mark watches me and I know, he knows exactly, what's on my mind.

"Come. Let's go back to the hotel," he says, gently holding my shoulders and starts slowly walking right beside me. When we are further away from the shopping mall, I can finally breathe. Who would have thought Harry would go completely crazy when he sees me? At the thought of him, my bones shake. Now he's only another bad memory, I'll have to try to forget.