"If you run, I'll kill you,".
"If you scream for help, I'll kill you,".
Suriah sat besides me in the car with her head down, fidgeting with her hands, tensed shoulders and her eyes wide. I leaned closer to her painfully tense body and brushed her hair to the side so I could get a better look at her face.
"Try anything, I'll kill you,".
"Got it?" I asked in a whisper.
Suriah's lip trembled as the words in her mouth tried to come. I sighed, using my finger to lift her chin up and face her towards me. She shakily stared into my challenging eyes. In her own I only saw sheer terror for a second until I saw the trust slowly slipped out of her eyes.
She pursed her lips and relaxed her eyebrows, "G-got it,".
I smiled, tilting my head to the side. Good girl. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled Suriah closer to give her a peck on the forehead.
"Let's go," I grinned, stepping out of the car.
Yelling. Flashing lights. Chatter. Cars pulling up. It was all so chaotic but nothing I wasn't already used to. My only worry was how well Suriah would handle the amount of pressure, even though her identity would be hidden to the public.
I walked to the other side of the car once I got out, facing all of the blinding lights. Security was already next to the car, ready to cover Suriah once she got out. I exhaled, cracking the door open and looking down at Suriah's round, fearful eyes. I extended a hand that she hesitantly took. The second Suriah stepped out, she was covered completely and we rushed up the stairs and into the building.
As we entered, the doors quickly shut behind us and went into the coat room where our coats were taken.
"Mr. Knight," the man said, taking his leave.
I turned around, finding Suriah's eyes wide as she held onto herself. I walked up to her and took her arms into my hand, rubbing them gently.
"Are you alright?" I asked, peeking at her face.
She nodded her head roughly, "Mhm,".
I pursed my lips. She's lying. I sighed, staring down the hall that led us into the ballroom where the main event would be held. Was it a good idea to bring her in the first place? I sighed. Fuck it. I looked back down and lifted Suriah's head up.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Yeah," She answered quietly.
I held her hand in mine, tightly. She held onto my arm as I guided us down the exhaustingly long hallways until the chandelier lights hit our bodies. It was a large ballroom with paintings decorating the cream ceiling. The lights illuminated the golden floors and of course all of the highly dressed people chatting within small groups. This is a lot of people.
The second we stepped into view, all eyes were on us.
Suriah's grip tightened.
"Mr. Knight!" Someone yelled, I turned my head and found an older woman coming our way.
Rosaline. Wife of Angel, who owned a company that's been around longer than mine has. She had her hair put in a tight low bun and a sparkling emerald dress. Don't be angry, you knew this kind of attention would come to us.
I smiled politely, turning Suriah and I her way, "Rosaline,".
She kissed the sides of my cheek, "What a surprise to see you here!".
"Indeed," I chucked.
"I must say, it's wonderful to see you here tonight," She smiled. "Your attendance holds a great deal to the party itself,".
"I'm glad," I grinned.
Her eyes flickered over to Suriah, something I wish she wouldn't have noticed. She eyed me with a mischievous look. Rosaline approached Suriah, taking in her looks. Suriah couldn't look up and held onto the side of my arm tighter than ever.
"And who is this lovely lady?" Rosaline asked.
"My partner," I answered with a straight face. Walk away Rosaline.
"Partner?" She questioned, "Goodness, she must be from the heavens to have been caught by your eyes!".
We all laughed. Suriah held a painful smile as her eyes wandered away until Rosaline held her free hand.
She leaned close and I swear I could feel Suriah's heartbeat.
"You're a lucky one, he's a good young man," Rosaline winked.
Suriah stared hard into Rosaline's eyes, letting the words sink in. I watched her as Rosaline smiled at her, making sure she didn't fuck anything up but, her mouth opened. Just as Suriah was going to speak, I pulled her back.
"Take care, Kieran," Rosaline grinned.
"You too, Rosa," I smiled.
We turned back around and proceeded to move further into the ballroom. I squeezed down on Suriah's hand and she tried to pull it away-I refused to let go.
I leaned down, "What did I say earlier?".
"Kieran," she whimpered, "Stop, it hurts,".
I stopped us just enough so we were fairly out of sight, "Don't cause a fucking scene,".
She flinched at me, stopping all struggle. Her wide eyes, nearly filled with tears, locked with mine. We haven't even been here for ten minutes and she's starting shit.
"What did I tell you, Suriah?" I said slowly.
"Kieran, I wasn't going to say anything," She defended, lowering her head, "I was going to say I know,".
I leaned back. Oh. I rolled my eyes, unable to contain the embarrassing smile to myself.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I guess my mind was playing tricks on me again,".
She smiled, reaching up to brush a few strands of hair away from my eyes, "It's okay. It happens,".
I sighed, wiggling my eyebrows at her as she giggled and locked arms with me again and walked back into the large crowd. The tension that was ready to kill all of us, disappeared between us and we gladly had our own small conversations as we roamed the hall.
Suriah giggled as I grabbed a glass of wine from one of the trays passing by.
I took a sip.
Suriah's puppy eyes burned into the side of my head, "Can I have a sip..?"
"No,"
"Please?"
"No,".
"Just a sip,".
I sighed, "Just a sip,".
Her eyes lit up and she took the glass in her hands, practically drinking the whole damn thing. I snatched it back.
"I said a sip!".
Suriah patted her lips and chuckled. I couldn't be frustrated with her if she was giggling this much over such a small thing. She's always been a sneaky liar. I rolled my eyes and gulped down the rest of the wine before placing it back on a tray.
A couple of hours went by. I was greeted more than a few times and the amount of small talk was starting to irritate both Suriah and myself. Several people asked about Suriah and several of them already heard of her and just wanted to see her for themselves. Rosaline has a big mouth. The word spread fast and everyone inside knew about Suriah.
Now, the hour of the toast was here. And I was the one in charge of this.
Suriah and I walked up the stairs where the toast would be held.
We stopped halfway and I turned around to face her, "Stand here and don't look at anyone. Do you understand?".
She nodded her hand and handed me my glass of wine. I sighed, taking a long look at her before turning around to the crowd. This'll be over in a second.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I called, getting their attention.
Everyone turned around and focused on me. I despise this.
"Thank you for all attending the Winter Charity event," I said, letting everyone clap for a moment, "I'm more than glad to have been able to attend this year's affair,".
More cheering and clapping. It'll be over soon.
"We have a total amount of 20 million dollars raised from this event tonight!" I exclaimed. More applause.
"Thank you everyone! Please help yourself to drinks and enjoy your night!" I lifted my glass that initiated everyone else. I took a sip of the wine, initiating the toast.
I turned around and Suriah smiled at me. My shoulders rested from the tension.
"You did very well," She complimented, locking our arms and walking down the stairs together.
I chuckled, "I half-assed it,".
"That's still good for half-assing it," She scoffed, "I would've embarrassed myself so bad,".
"I doubt that," I said, smiling at her.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and as I turned to look forwards, my mother stood there with a glass in her hand and a stoic expression. I clenched my jaw. Great. There was no avoiding her. My mother faced her body towards us and took a few steps forward.
"Kieran," She said nonchalantly, "Your speech was short,".
I crooked a brow, "Obviously,".
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes softly before focusing her attention on Suriah a lot longer than I wanted. She leaned on her leg, scanning Suriah up and down. Jesus Christ. I pulled Suriah's tense body closer. She's as stiff as a twig.
I leaned down to Suriah, "Don't worry, you can relax,".
"And who is this lovely character?" My mother said, interrupting my whisper to Suriah.
I rolled my head and used my free hand to brush a few strands of hair back.
"Hm?" My mother hummed.
"My partner," I answered, staring hard into her eyes.
"Partner?" She scoffed, double checking Suriah, "Honestly, I expected more from you. Not some street rat,".
"The only street rat here is you," I snapped, "Actually,".
Her jaw twitched and her eyes glared at me weakly.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" I sighed, tilting my head to the side.
My mother's mouth opened but before she would say anything, the most excruciating and god-awful voice screamed my name. I sighed out, shutting my eyes. I pray right now that it isn't who I think it is.
"KIERAN!" they screamed again.
I finally opened my eyes and saw Ava coming our way with...Ceila. Goddamn it. I pursed my lips as I watched them approach us. From the corner of my eye I saw Suriah look up with a very curious look floating in her eyes.
Ceila. Someone I used to mess around with. Keywords: used to. And somehow, she thinks we still have a thing going on when I directly told her to fuck off but, she's fucking delusional so it never worked.
She had long blonde hair, green eyes, and of course expensive clothes on and the most annoying face to ever exist.
She jumped on me, hugging me tightly as if Suriah weren't there. I leaned away and she pulled away, holding onto my arm.
"God!" She exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in so long!".
"Mm," I hummed, rolling my eyes to the side.
She chuckled out her embarrassment and took a step back next to Ava. Ava hesitantly looked at me before sending a weak smile my way. I guess she finally doesn't like me anymore. I rolled my eyes again.
"Well," Ceila huffed, "When I heard you were going to be here, I couldn't pass up the opportunity,".
Everyone stayed quiet. Ceila tucked her hair behind her ears, then her eyes found Suriah standing next to me.
"Oh," She sighed disappointingly, "Who's this?".
"A commoner," My mother answered.
I cut her off, "My partner. And also none of your business,".
Ceila blinked a few times, trying to process the sight of me being with someone else. She stepped closer to Suriah, leaning down to look her in the eyes.
She chuckled, "She kind of looks like a scared puppy,".
Everyone but us laughed lightly.
Ceila opened her arms, "Nice to meet you, I'm Ceila,".
Suriah's shaky hand patted her on the back gently. But I was more focused on how long Ceila hugged her for. What trick is she planning now...
Ceila pulled away and smiled oddly long at Suriah.
"Oh!" She gasped, clasping onto Suriah's hands and pulling her forward. Away from me. This bitch. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. All of the tension that was gone came back like a tsunami.
"There's a small party happening," Ceila thought to herself for a second, "Somewhere! But, you should definitely come with us!".
Excuse me? Suriah is going nowhere, especially with you.
"The party is kind of a girl thing," Ceila wiggled her eyebrows, "You'll come with right?!".
Ceila pulled Suriah closer to her and further away from me. Not giving Suriah any time to answer for herself. I stepped forward but Ava stepped behind Suriah, blocking me entirely away from her. Fuck. I gently pushed her to the side and was ready to charge at this bitch Ceila when a hand grabbed my arm, yanking me back.
I frustratingly turned around, "What?".
My mother held me tightly, "What's wrong, Kieran?"
I clenched down, the blood purging inside of my body.
"Let the girls have fun, without you. Your partner is in good company," she insisted, "It's not like that poor girl is going to run away from you,".
My mom's prideful eyes scorched mine. My nostrils flared and I turned to look in the direction they left but they were no longer in sight. No. No. This isn't how things were supposed to go. I pulled my arm back and stormed forward only to be crowded by a wave of people. Get out of my fucking way. I panically looked around for Suriah and found nothing but more people blocking my view.
A hand grabbed mine. I snapped my head to the side.
"Suri-," I stared at my mother's face.
She leaned forward, whispering into my ear, "Don't cause a scene my son. It'll ruin your image,".
Heavy breaths left my body like no one's business. Get rid of these people and I'll find Suriah. Yes. And thing's will be back to normal. I raised my eyebrows, putting my social mask on. I faced the crowd and began shaking their hands and started chatting with them, Suriah clouding my mind.
***
Fuck. 10 minutes turned into 20 and that turned into 30 until a full hour passed. I was beginning to loose my fucking mind. Ceila thought she could drag Suriah away. The worst part was there were still so many irritating people who "needed" to talk to me about the most useless shit ever.
"...and in that year of working with your father, I noticed his health decreasing," A man who's name I didn't catch said, "I thought-,".
"Excuse me," I interrupted, "I'm afraid I have to be leaving now. I'll make sure to catch up with you another time,".
I didn't wait for him to answer. I took off, pushing my way out through the crowds of people. Where is she? Where is she? I walked down the painfully long hallway and pushed past the front door. I scouted outside, watching what seemed like a million cars pass by. No, tell me they didn't...
High pitched chatter coming from the corner shot through my ear. I snapped my head to the side and saw Ceila, Ava and a couple of other girls laughing their way across the sidewalk. I walked down the steps, completely ignoring everyone else.
"I know!" Ceila exclaimed.
"Where is she?" I sternly asked, grabbing her wrist.
"What?" She asked stupidly.
"Where is my partner? I repeated.
"Oh!" She threw her head back and laughed, holding onto the other girls for dear life.
Stop playing games, I need to find her right now. She wasn't even supposed to be out of my sight until you fucked everything up, like you always do. I ran my hands through my hair.
"For god's sake, Ceila stop acting like a dumb bitch for one second and answer the question!" I almost yelled for the public.
She instantly stopped laughing but kept smiling, "Funny story, actually,".
Ceila pressed her hand on my chest, "We were heading to the party just across the street but she stopped walking and we were like "what's wrong?" and she didn't answer. So we were confused until she finally said she had somewhere to be,".
No. My heart stopped. The heartbeats that were pulsating though my body ceased. I looked harshly at Ceila to continue the rest of her story. No.
"And she asked us to tell you that she'll be back later, " Ceila snorted, "And then,".
Ceila pointed down the sidewalk, "She ran that way!".
I no longer could hear the cars. The music. Ceila's annoying voice. Not even my own heartbeat. My heart had plummeted to the dark pit of my stomach, almost causing me to drop to the floor. My eyes drifted down the sidewalk Suriah ran down. But nothing was making sense.
Everything's ruined. Nothing went my way. Everything's ruined.
Then, in that moment my eyes caught a glimpse of the white flurries of snow beginning to fall. I looked up, staring at the snow starting to fall heavier. The cold, I completely ignored, hit my body all at once. I've never felt this cold in my life, it was almost like I was dead. Sharp wind passed by, enhancing the cold and bringing my lost conscience back to reality.
I focused my eyes on the sidewalk Suriah ran down. Footprints. The only sounds heard were my uneasy breath and the snowy wind. Time suddenly passed by slowly.
I clenched my jaw, balling my fists up and stood in the middle of the sidewalk on a freezing winter night. Abandoned.
Fuck.