Battle To Be Free (z.m) ✔️

Chapter 32

“Look,” I cut him off as I noticed the time. “I think we’re both aware that we need to talk about this face to face, correct?”

“Yes but how can I be sure that you won’t try to kill me?”

I snorted and rolled my eyes before I realised that he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. “If I wanted you dead I would’ve had plenty of opportunity considering all the times you fell asleep in the bed across from me.”

Clearly, he didn’t like the reminder as he let out a small grunt. “Fine.”

“Let’s make a deal,” I suggested. “You don’t try to kill me, I don’t try to kill you.”

“Ok,” He agreed. “Where we meeting?”

“Name a time and a place and I’ll be there.”

“I’ll text you the details later.” He said in a detached tone.

I waited for him to hang up but when I could still hear his heavy breathing on the end of the phone I knew that there was something else he wanted to say.

“What?” I asked frustrated.

“Finn just wanted to say happy birthday.”

I was confused. “I thought he hated me?”

“I don’t think he could ever hate you Alanna,” He mumbled some words after that but I didn’t quite catch it.

Then he hung up.

I forced myself to think of something different aside from the conversation I’d just had. As much as I hated to admit it his words actually hurt and I didn’t want to think of why that was.  I gasped when I saw the time and in a way I was glad that I’d had Zayn’s ridiculous assumptions to distract me as I knew that all I would’ve been doing in that time was worrying about the outcome.

I tapped on the wall, fidgeted with my hands, picked at my nails but nothing calmed my erratic heart beats. I forced myself to focus on breathing; repeating the words in and out, in and out in my head. Hearing the faint chimes off church bells in the distance, which goes off every hour, I knew it was precisely 10pm.

No matter what I did my anxiety simply wouldn’t fade and I found myself checking the time every few moments. I didn’t know him and that’s what made me nervous.

Minutes came and went and with those minutes went those last shreds of hope. I was stood by the front entrance but I was now rethinking that. Maybe he snuck in through her window? All the building was one floor so it could be possible. I thought myself stupid for thinking that he would just walk in through the front doors like he owned the place.

I stepped out of the shadows, no longer finding any use of the protection they provided. I crept round the side of the building trying to locate her room. I faintly remembered her telling me her room number but I couldn’t see her room number from the outside so I had no idea which window was hers.

Feeling frustrated, I decided to go back to the hotel for the night and try again tomorrow. It wasn’t like she was going anywhere, and by the sounds of it neither was Demetri.

The night suddenly felt chillier and I pulled my coat tighter around me. I realised that this probably wasn’t the best plan anyway and I internally cursed myself for trying to find him whilst being unprotected and vulnerable.

What really frustrated me was that he was probably inside the building as I was thinking and not being able to run in there was killing me. I quickened my pace and wondered briefly what I would’ve been like if I had been brought up normally. I sighed loudly to myself at the thought.