THIA
River stares at me, wide eyes swirling with emotion. "What?"
Smiling tenderly at him, I repeat, "I love you."
Beneath my palm, his heart beats wildly, as if it wishes to escape the confines of his chest. His breathing quickens into short, fast pants. His cheeks redden and a for a moment, a confusion of emotions war on his features. Fear, excitement, indecisiveness, defeat, and finally resolve spreads across his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with anxiety. "Really?"
Giggling at his silliness, I nod in confirmation, "Yes."
How can I not love him? He's perfect. He's kind, handsome, and whenever he touches me, my whole body responds with butterflies and tingles.
Within a fraction of a second, he has me pinned to the bed. Slowly, he lays himself on top of me, his long hard body pressed against mine. An odd tingling sensation between my thighs makes my cheeks heat up. He holds most of his weight with his arms, so I am not crushed.
"I am so glad, baby girl," he whispers huskily into my ear, his minty breath fanning my flushed cheek. He spreads his legs on either side of my hips, kneeling so he can lift his hands to carress my other cheek.
Feeling myself become even hotter and more tingly between my thighs, I frown in confusion. "I feel funny," my voice comes out husky for some reason.
Suddenly, his head jerks up in surprise, staring at me with wide, shocked eyes. "Where?"
Whimpering, I pout as I point to my crotch area. "It feels tingly, River. Why? I've never felt this way."
His eyes darken, a strange emotion shining brightly, "You haven't?"
His husky voice sends a shiver down my spine, and I get even hotter. "No," I moan, not understanding what is happening to my body.
Bringing himself to lightly press his hard pelvis against my hot part, he gently brushes the hair out of my face as I squirm uncomfortably. "Don't worry, angel, it's perfectly normal. Did your mom never tell you about making babies?"
What an odd change of subject. "Yeah," I say, confused, "She said parents get babies by kissing."
His eyes darken further, rubbing himself against me, shooting pleasure through my body.
Enjoying this immensely, I rub myself against him. "That feels so good," I groan, rubbing harder.
"F**k!" River jumps away, panting heavily. "D*mmit, Thia! The things you do to me."
I look up at him, confused. Looking down, I see his sweatpants tented strangely, like a stack of marshmallows are under there. "What is that?" I point to his pants, sitting up and crawling closer to the mound that keeps getting bigger. "Woah! River, it's growing!"
He grunts, as if in pain, "That is my penis, baby."
Glancing up at his red face, I wonder why he's wincing. "What's that?"
"Something men have," he explains, grunting again as I lightly touch the tip of it.
"What does it do," I ask curiously, touching it again.
"So many things," he groans, lifting his hips to push it further into my hand.
He seems to like me touching it, so I gently rub it, "What things?"
"RIVER!"
I turn to face the door as someone knocks on it.
"What?!" River sounds angry, almost savage.
The voice sounds like Caleb, the guy with cold hands, "We got 'em!"
River freezes, "Okay. I'll be out, put him in the holding room."
After a moment of silence, I conclude that Caleb has gone from behind the door. Turning to face River, I smile at him, "Who is he talking about?"
River looks into my eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "The guy who shot you."
Thinking this through for a minute, I grin brightly, "Can I see him?"
"No," he immediately shoots down the idea, his smile falling, "Don't you need to call your mom?"
I gasp, remembering that I do, in fact, need to call my mom. "Oh yeah, may I use your phone?"
He turns over and grabs his cell from the nightstand beside the bed. "Do you know how to use it, baby?"
Giggling, I reply, "'Course, silly! I have a phone."
Inquiringly, he lifts a brow, a whisper of a smirk dancing across his lips, "Where is it?"
"I lost it," I admit gravely, looking down at his Galaxy s7, "It ran off into the wildlands of the laundry room, never to be seen again."
He chuckles, sending shivers down my spine, "Really?"
My gaze snaps to him and I frown at his inappropriate choice of timing to laugh. "This is a solemn time, River."
This only makes him laugh more.
Slowly, my scowl relaxes into a grin. I can't help it, his laughter is utterly contagious! I laugh with him until he remembers that he was supposed to be unhappy with the guy who shot me.
"You stay here, okay? I'm gonna go down to talk to him," he tells me, climbing out of bed. Sliding a t-shirt over his bare upper body, he glances my way one more time before walking out the door and shutting it, "Call your mom, but don't leave this room under any circumstances."
"Mmkay," I hum in agreement, turning on his phone.
It's locked. But luckily, he has it on the setting that allows emergency calls without typing in the passcode. Quickly, I type in the number I know by heart and bring the cell to my right ear.
After four rings, she picks up. "Who is this," she asks suspiciously on the other end. Before I can reply, she growls out, "Do you have my daughter?!"
Giggling, I say, "Mom, this is Thia."
I hear her gasp in shock before she says thickly, "Who has you? Where have you been? You had everyone worried sick! You could be kidnapped or killed or worse! I could have lost you!"
Guilt starts chewing me up inside, bringing tears to my eyes. "I'm sorry, Mama."
"You better be sorry! Your father is blaming himself and Hayden won't even leave his room! Where are you?"
My lower lip trembles, "Well, I got lost and then a man rescued me."
"A man," she asks, sounding horrified.
"Yeah," I confirm, not sure why she's scared. "I was sitting all alone and it was dark, then the man I told you about; the one who took a picture of Mr. Franco for me, he saved me. He brought me home- well, to his home- and I went to bed! Then," I continue theatrically, "I was shot! Do you believe it?! Now I get to cross that off my bucket list! Anyways, River got me all better- actually, it still hurts a bit, but that's beside the point- and now I love him. But he doesn't think you'll like him because he said parents don't like him, but I don't know why. He said he would bring me home, but that you wouldn't let me see him anymore! Is that true?"
"What," she asks numbly.
"Will you let me still see River when I get home?"
"You got shot?"
Can't she keep up? Sighing in frustration, I scowl, "yes. Now, will you answer me?"
"YOU GOT SHOT?!"
I pull the phone away from my ear and I wait a moment before putting it back. "Yes. Please answer me."
She's breathing heavily on the other end, like she's freaking out. Why should she be freaking out? I'm perfectly fine. Oh my gosh! Is she?
"Mom?! Are you okay? Don't die! I love you," I panic, starting to breathe heavily myself.
"MY BABY GOT SHOT," she wails loudly, sobbing soundly into the phone.
"Mom?!" I hear Hayden come in, sounding worried. "What happened, is that about Thia?!"
"MY BABYYYY," she screams overdramatically.
Does she have another baby? I mean, I know I wasn't gone that long, but I feel like she couldn't be acting this way about me when I'm perfectly fine.
"WHAT HAPPENED," he shouts, freaking out as well. "MOM ANSWER ME!"
Everyone is so loud. I never liked loud noises. Feeling like they aren't paying attention to me anyways, I just hang up.
They'll call back when they calm down.
Tiredly, I sigh and flop back onto my back in the fluffy bed. This is a really comfy bed, I ponder to myself, running my fingers over it reverently.
Maybe I'll just nap for a minute, just until River comes back.
***
"Be quiet, d*mn it," hisses a harsh sounding deep voice.
"You be quiet," growls another as cold hands grab at me and lift me from the softness of the bed.
Not liking the feeling of it, I whimper in objection, "No, no, no."
I feel myself moving farther away from the warmth. The first guy snarls in a quiet voice, "Go back to sleep, girly. You're perfectly safe."
River said I can't leave this room until he comes back, though. Opening my heavy lids, I look up at the big, scary guys.
One has a bald, scarred head, an eye patch over one of his yellow eyes, ghostly pale skin, and a really muscular body. The other has short blond hair, pale green eyes, a scar across his cheek, tan skin, and a muscular build. The first guy glares down at me and curses before reaching into his pocket to get something, dropping one of my legs in the process.
I start struggling, feeling that they aren't good guys. "Let go of me! Go away! RIVER!"
"F**k," the second guy says as heavy footsteps pound up the stairs toward us. "Hurry, Archie!"
Archie, the bald one, takes a gun out of his pocket and holds it to my head, dropping my other leg, so I can stand with the other guy holding my arms. "Don't move, girly," he snarls as the door slams open, revealing a panting River.
River takes in the scene, his eyes taking a murderous glint as he steps closer. "Let go of her."
The guy holds me tighter and Archie presses the gun more painfully against my skull. "Give us our man," growls the guy holding me, squeezing my arms tight enough to make tears fill my eyes.
"Ow, stop that," I demand, starting to really dislike these guys.
River's fists shake at his sides and his jaw is clenched to the point of snapping. His eyes look so cold and enraged that I have to look at my feet to stop myself from crying.
"I'm sorry, River," I whimper, feeling like this is my fault.
I hear his heavy breathing across the room get shaky. "It's not your fault, Angel."
"The clock it ticking," sings Archie, pointing the gun at my shoulder before pulling the trigger.
I hear the deafening bang before the terrible pain tears through me, rendering me speechless as the world swirls around me.
"NO!" River sounds more than angry now, but Archie presses the gun to my head again before River can move.
I don't like being shot, not again. The first time was necessary, but this was just bullying! These guys are meanies! And I hurt a lot.
"FINE," River roars, "I'll take you to him, but you have to give her to me."
"Ah, ah, ah," says the guy holding me, "We have the gun, we make the orders." Then he digs his thumb into my bullet wound they just gave me.
This closes my throat tighter, restricting my breathing. Tears pour down my cheeks and my knees buckle under the weight of my pain.
"D*mn, she doesn't even make a sound," Archie whistles, pinching my wet cheek painfully.
As the room fades, gunshots explode around me and shouts ring out.
It's as if I've entered WWIII.