Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep .Beep.
I groaned, slamming my fist down on the alarm clock. It was six in the morning; I’d only gotten a couple of hours of sleep. I dug my head under the pillow, trying to go back asleep.
“Oh, crap!” I cursed, jumping out of bed. I hissed in pain, feeling my shoulder pulling at the wound. I limped to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I looked horrible. My hair was a tangled mess, no doubt filled with knots. It was stringy and crusty with dried blood. I twisted my face into a disgusted expression. The suit was stuck to my body, with rips here and there and the back was left unzipped. I looked like I had gone through a mud pool and been attacked by a ravenous lion at the same time.
Carefully, I tried pulling off the suit, grimacing when the dried up blood refused to let go of the fabric. Once it was off, and after much difficulty, I hopped into the shower, bathing myself in the warm water. I scrubbed furiously at my skin until the red water was once again clear. That was the easy part. My hair was a whole other situation. After shampooing three times, I could still feel some of the clumps of dried blood in my hair. I let out a sigh of frustration. I would just have to deal with it.
I stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around my body securely. I saw the corner of the wet bandage on my back peeking out from the towel – a sore reminder of what had happened earlier.
I spent a long time blow drying my hair. The good part was that once my hair was dry, the dried blood began falling out. The bad part was that there was a mess of dark red solids on the floor. I wasn’t planning on cleaning it up but I ended up doing it anyways. I scrubbed my hands to wash off the gross feeling before I stepped out of the bathroom.
“Arrgh!” I screamed. I’d walked smack into Ian who was wearing a smug smile. I clutched at my towel tighter, praying that it wouldn’t fall off. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I just came to see if you needed help in the shower,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him. He stumbled back a step. “But maybe you need more help changing,” he said, watching me as I struggled to get clothes out of the closet while keeping a hold of my towel.
“Shut up! Go away, I want to get dressed without a pervert staring,” I snapped. Ian chuckled but made no effort to leave. “Any day now, Ian,” I muttered.
I heard shuffling and was about to drop the towel when his arms wrapped around my waist. I let out a scream and elbowed him in the ribs. Ian grunted a little but didn’t let go of me. Despite the shock, I could feel the warmth of his body burning through the towel and sending fireworks dancing along my skin cells – it felt like my cells were having a party generated by Ian’s proximity.
“Is there any particular reason for why you decided to hug me while I’m changing?” I asked sarcastically, and then added, “Besides looking down my towel.”
Ian laughed and released me. I spun around to face him, still clutching the towel in my hands which had slipped down an inch. Ian stared only at my face and for that I was glad. Maybe he wasn’t all that perverted.
“Your bandages are soaking wet,” he stated. Oh, yeah, I forgot that I had those on. “Let me change them before you get dressed.”
And now I could see his sick sense of humor. He would be changing my bandages while I was covered with nothing but a towel. I sent him a disapproving frown.
Ian gathered all the stuff he needed while I took a comfortable spot on the edge of the bed, my back facing him. I dropped the towel a little lower down my back, making sure that it was still securely covering my chest. I pulled my hair over one shoulder to keep it out of the way. Ian gently peeled the bandage of my back and dried the spot.
I pictured the hole in my back, almost an inch deep. I shuddered, and then I remembered that Ian had stitched it up. I felt the cool air sooth the pain in my shoulder. Ian’s hands were helping too with the way he did everything so delicately. His hands began expertly massaging my back once the bandage was taped on, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft moan – it felt so good, so soothing.
Ian’s lips were gentle, pressing feather light around the stitches. He planted soft kisses along my shoulder and up my neck. Subconsciously, I tilted my head to the side, giving him better access. I let out another moan, loving the way his lips felt against my skin. The hands that had been massaging my back now gripped my shoulder and turned me around to face him. Without another thought, he leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips. I parted my lips and this time, Ian let out a quiet groan. My hands automatically ran up his neck and into his dark hair, pulling him closer to me. He pushed me back gently until I was lying flat on my back with his body hovering over mine. It wasn’t until I felt my towel slip down a little more that I realized what it was we were doing.
I pushed him off of me, scrambling off the bed and away from him. I sent him a ferocious glare, but it was lost to his dazed expression. Somehow, I couldn’t believe that I’d had more of an effect on him than he had on me. I had felt the fire, burning in the pit of my stomach, but at the same time, there was a huge bucket of water that was always ready to douse it when things got too heated. I had a suspicion of what, or rather who, the water was, but it was too elusive to make sense in my mind.
“I should get changed,” I said, emotionless. Ian didn’t look at me; rather he headed for the door to leave me by myself. He paused before he left, turning only his head to glance at me.
“I hope you didn’t forget that I’m coming with you to see your sister,” he said. It would have been a normal topic change if it hadn’t been for the heated moment just mere seconds ago.
“Oh yeah, I completely forgot in the three hours that I was asleep,” I said sarcastically. Dammit, he had remembered. I had been hoping to get out of the flat without him noticing but I guess the long shower had been loud enough to wake him up. I changed quickly into a pair of comfy leggings, and half-sleeved purple dress. I slipped my feet into a pair of colorful gladiators and then headed out to the kitchen where Ian had made breakfast again. Today it was waffles; sweet-smelling, syrup- drenched waffles. I was as attracted to the smell as Sam Witwicky was to Bumblebee.
“Our flight leaves at four in the afternoon,” Ian said, breaking the silence. I nodded, my mouth too stuffed with waffles too make room for words. Ian cracked a grin when he saw my puffed up cheeks. “Do you have anything you need to pack?”
I shook my head, taking a large gulp of apple juice. “Everything I own hasn’t left the bag I brought it in.”
“Excellent. You should grab your stuff before we head out. We don’t really need to come back here after you see your sister – we’ll head straight to the airport. I got us seats in separate parts of the plane under different names so no one that knows us would be suspicious.”
“I hope we’re not still under the name Baghearst anymore,” I said. Ian laughed, causing me to smile a little.
“Nope, you’re under the name you came with, Adaya Harisburg.”
“What’s your name then?”
“Brock Lee.”
I almost choked. “That sounds like broccoli,” I laughed.
“Exactly,” Ian said laughter in his eyes. I shook my head, still smiling.
Ian wanted to drive, so I made sure Arthur knew today was our last day here. I thanked him when he stopped by and handed him the keys to the apartment along with a quick hug.
I sat silently in the car, lost in thought as we drove towards the London Eye. The closer we got, the more nervous I felt. My fingers danced across my leg, twisting and bending in uncomfortable ways.
Sonya was hanging out with the wrong crowd. If she was working with Marianna and Alexander, then there was some doubt to her sincerity. I didn’t know her very well; I’d only just found her after eight years but she could be a malicious person, toying with my emotions. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her so quickly, but she had tried to help me escape. And she tried to stop Alexander from shooting me. I just didn’t understand how she was involved with them.
What bothered me even more was what Dr. Abdul, my dad, had told her about my disappearance. How could he have told her that I was kidnapped? He knew where I was. Adrian’s stepmother had called him numerous times and told him. What was his reason for lying? And then to tell my sister, and my mother, that I was dead. That was a low blow.
I didn’t realize my fists were clenched until Ian place his hand over one of my own, rubbing circles with his thumb until I relaxed and let the blood circulate again.
“Are you nervous?” he asked, sparing me a quick glance. I shook my head but my mouth had a mind of its own and said ‘yes’.
Ian chuckled at my confusion. His fingers entwined with my own, pulling my hand onto his lap. He kissed my hand, sending tingles up my arm. I pulled my hand out of his and folded my hands on my lap as from him as possible. Ian’s brow dipped just a little, barely noticeable to anyone but me. I hated that I could see his disappointment.
“You shouldn’t be nervous,” he said. “She’s your sister, there’s nothing stopping you two from hitting it off. Besides, you spent nine years of your life with her; she’s bound to remember you.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about the fact that we somehow are working against each other, our jobs aren’t exactly helping with family bonding,” I said, averting my eyes.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
I nodded. “My dad told her that I was kidnapped, and that I was killed before they could find me.”
“But that’s not true.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. “I was with Adrian, his stepmom had called my house and told him that I was with them. She even took me back but they were gone, they had suddenly moved out. I lost the only family I ever had.”
Ian’s hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, but his words were gentle. “You have Adrian, and you have your friends at school. They’re a better family to you than your real family. You have me, too,” he added quietly. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, but his eyes were set on the road in front of us.
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
He parked a distance away from the Ferris wheel. We walked side by side in a comfortable silence and waited near the bottom of the wheel. I checked the time.
7:50.
“She should be here soon,” I said, a bubble of excitement bursting through. Ian grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He stood close to me, our arms pressed together. He held my hand hiding it behind us. This time I didn’t pull away.
We waited. And waited. I peeked at my watch.
9:11.
We’d been waiting for more than an hour. Ian had already led me into the line, paid for the ride and took us into a car that was a little less crowded. We rode the London Eye twice before getting off and returning to our original position.
“Tanya,” Ian said, noticing how jittery I had become. He turned to me and held me still, pressing my shoulders down. “I don’t think she’s going to show.”
I shook my head adamantly. “She has to. I only just found her, she can’t not show. I know she missed me as much as I missed her.”
Ian sighed but dropped it. “One more hour and then we really should go.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I muttered, searching eagerly over the heads of the crowd. Another hour came and went. This time I let Ian drag me away and I followed, albeit reluctantly. Sonya wasn’t going to show and there was no way I could contact her. I just hoped something horrible hadn’t happened to her in the aftermath of yesterday’s events.
Ian drove us to the airport in time to catch our flight. Once the plane had taken off, Ian came by and asked to switch seats with the woman next to me. She eagerly gave it up, unable to take her eyes off his attractiveness. She hovered next to him for a bit until he gave her a curious look.
“It is alright if I take this seat for the rest of the flight, right?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, of course!” she exclaimed. Ian beamed at her.
“Thank you, darling,” he drawled. When she made no further movement, he rolled his eyes conspiratorially at me. He grabbed my chin and turned my face towards him. His lisp moved against my own, my body reacting automatically. I kept my eyes open and saw the woman’s glare over his shoulder. She stomped away, taking Ian’s seat in the other section of the plane. I pulled away from Ian to see him grinning like a kid that sprayed his buddy with a Nerf gun.
“I think we should get into the habit of not doing that anymore,” I whispered. “We’re going back home now, it’s not going to look good if someone sees us kissing.”
I hated the fact that the happiness in his eyes disappeared once I said that, but we both knew I was right. If anyone saw a student kissing a teacher, or even a coworker, there would be some big shit.
“You’re right,” he said. He sat back in his seat and shut his eyes, reveling in the sleep that he had missed out on. I was so tired, but I couldn’t make myself fall asleep, especially with Ian’s arm resting only a few inches from my own. I could feel the tension there, the magnetic pull I had, but I knew it was wrong. I couldn’t deny that there was a strong attraction between us, except there was still that something holding me back. And that something was stronger than any attraction would ever be. I just had to figure out what it was.
And what if that was really all it was between the two of us? What if it was only lust? There would never be a relationship. I had to be smart about this; there was no possible way I could fall in love with this man that was once my enemy and was now something closer to a friend. Being a teacher, too, didn’t help with the equation.
I set my resolve – once we touched down in New York, we were back to a no platonic relationship. There would be no touching, no kissing, no anything; hopefully the tension between us would dissolve. Maybe he could find someone his own age to actually fall for.
With my mind cleared, I spent the rest of the flight watching movies that I didn’t get a chance to watch back home. I watched every kind of superhero movie that was on; The Amazing Spiderman, The Dark Knight Rises Again, and The Avengers. It was an action-packed flight. Every now and then, I’d feel Ian’s eyes raking over me. I ignored him, but my body was giddy for his attention. I tried to stifle the urge to reach over and hold his hand. I saw his fingers twitch and I couldn’t help but let a small smile form curve my lips. He was struggling with the idea too.
In the last few hours of the flight I was able to finally fall asleep. When I woke up, it was to the sound of the captain declaring the stage we were in of landing. I lifted my head up, only to find that I had been leaning on Ian’s shoulder with his head on mine. Ian’s head dropped when I removed myself from him and shook his head, startled with eyes wide open. I laughed at the deer-in-headlights expression on his face. He frowned at me and punched me lightly on the arm. I winced a little, the fact being that the wound on my shoulder blade had been stiff and stretching it out of the blue was making it move in a way it didn’t want to.
“Sorry,” Ian apologized. He patted the spot he had punched but did nothing further. It must have taken a lot of self control because his hands were still twitching as though he wanted to hug me, to comfort me.
We got off the plane as soon as it landed. We didn’t have anything to get from the Baggage Claim so we went straight out to the exit. I had called Adrian earlier from inside the plane so the two of us were waiting for him to get here. I didn’t think it was a good idea for Ian to be hanging around, Adrian was already mad at me for living with him while we were in London, but Ian promised to stay with me until Adrian arrived.
“Ugh, it’s so stuffy in here,” I complained. The airport wasn’t too crowded, especially since it wasn’t holiday, but there were many people walking around in business suits with briefcases. “I’m going to go buy a drink, I don’t think I can survive in the humidity.”
Ian pushed me down when I tried to stand up. “You wait here; I’ll go get it for you. I don’t think Adrian would be happy to see me with you, anyways.”
I stared at the passing faces, searching for Adrian while Ian disappeared to get me a drink. My cell phone buzzed with a text.
Look behind you. – A
I turned around slowly and found a pair of blue eyes smiling at me. I leaped into Adrian’s arms, and he spun me around. It was a total cliché moment, but I loved it. He planted kisses all over my face and I almost slapped myself for the giggle that erupted. He pushed me away, looked me up and down, and then gave me the tightest hug ever. My shoulder screamed in pain, but I stifled the scream and settled instead for a wince that was unseen by Adrian.
“If I had known you’d miss me this much, I would’ve taken you with me,” I laughed at Adrian as he smacked another kiss on my cheek.
“Don’t go boosting your ego,” he said. “The house was too empty; just seeing another life form would have made me happy. I just settled for you.”
“So you ignored the hundreds of men here, eh?” I smirked.
“That’s not how I roll.”
I made a face. “Don’t ever say that again. It doesn’t become you.”
“It doesn’t become you,” Adrian mimicked. I rolled my eyes and stuck my arm through his.
“Hey! Don’t get clingy,” Adrian exclaimed, trying to tug his arm out of mine half-heartedly. I grinned cheekily.
“You’re the one that thought kissing me was a great idea,” I smirked smugly. Adrian was about to answer when his mock-angry expression changed into a cold grimace. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ian holding out a large cup of soda. I took it from him graciously, ignoring the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach when Adrian pulled me closer to his chest.
“Novosi,” Adrian nodded, the coldness in his eyes still lingering. After thinking about it, I realized that the detached expression didn’t suit him; it marred his handsome features. I pulled out a few cubes of ice from my soda and slipped them down Adrian’s t-shirt.
“Hey, what are you – Ahhhh!” he shouted. Adrian wiggled around smacking his chest as he tried to get the ice to fall out. When the clink against the floor was heard, Adrian turned to glare at me only to find me in fits of laughter.
“You looked like a constipated worm!” I gasped in between chuckles. Adrian cracked a grin and I even saw Ian smile a little. I tried to reign in the laughter when my stitches felt like they were being pulled out one at a time. I winced in pain, unnoticed by everyone but Ian. He stepped up against my back and placed his hand on my shoulder, straightening out my back.
“Thanks,” I said, still smiling. The small smile on Ian’s face told me he was amused, but the twinge of pain I had felt was ore worrisome than our entertainment. Adrian watched the little exchange with narrowed eyes.
“We should get going now,” I said. “Do you want to go out to eat Adrian? You can come to Ia-Novosi.”
Ian noticed the correction I made and then shook his head, his demeanor suddenly very staidly and humorless. “We have to get back to our normal lives tomorrow for school; I don’t want anyone to see a teacher out with his students. You two go catch up; and Tanya, you should get some rest. Call me if you need anything,” he added quietly.
“Yeah, yeah, I will. Come on, Adrian, let’s go! Bye!” I dragged Adrian away from Ian, the thickness of the air decreasing as the space increase between us. Adrian held the car door open for me and I hopped in, avoiding slamming my back too hard into the seat.
“Where do you want to eat?”
“I’m urging for some all-American fast food,” I said thoughtfully.
“Taco Bell?”
“Yes! Drive, friend, to the end of the yellow brick road!” I exclaimed pointing ahead. Adrian chuckled at my ridiculousness. We got a bunch of 5-layer beef and cheese burritos for takeout and then drove to the park near our house. Adrian and I sat cross-legged in the grass under the shade of a tree. There was a nice, cool breeze blowing while we munched out our tacos.
“So what did I miss at school?” I asked. It was Thursday evening, so I had miss about four days.
Adrian pretended to think about it. “You mean, besides the mountainous pile of homework?”
I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air. “I’ll pay you to do it for me.”
“I’d do it free of charge, babe, plus a few other things,” he winked.
“Don’t wink at me,” I warned. I raised my palm threateningly, “I have a hand, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“To stick it down my – “
“The children!” I exclaimed, slapping my hand over his dirty mouth. Adrian glanced around the park. Unfortunately, there weren’t any children around, so my excuse was useless. Something wet pressed against my palm.
“Ew!” I screeched. “Why the hell would you lick me?”
“I could do a whole lot of other things to you,” Adrian smirked. I frowned at him.
“Something is wrong with you,” I said seriously. I pressed the back of my hand against his forehead. “It’s not a fever. Who has contaminated your mind?”
“It must have come from the dirty deeds I’ve committed while you were gone,” Adrian crooned. I repressed a shudder.
“I’m going to need to go to Rite-Aid,” I muttered.
“Why?”
“To buy the entire soap aisle so I can wash your mouth.”
“Among other things.”
“That’s not even dirty; it’s disgusting. You make it sound like I’m going to give you a shower.”
“More like take one with me. We can clean each other,” Adrian laughed.
“I’ll pass a hundred thousand times on that.”
“We should get back now, it’s getting dark and the hobos are starting to come out,” Adrian said, pointing to a figure with a garbage bag on its head.
I stared at the shadowy figure. “I think that’s Mrs. Olinski’s son.”
“Oops. Let’s get out of here before he tries to tell us that story about his pet werewolf again.”
I giggled and let Adrian pull me away. When we pulled up to the cottage, Adrian ran to the passenger side and picked my up, arms under my knees and back.
“You know, this is what a married couple would do after their honeymoon,” I pointed out as we crossed the threshold. I glanced up at Adrian to see him grinning.
“Well then, I’ll just have to find you a ring to make it official.”
I grabbed the car keys from his hand and slipped the key ring onto his finger.
“There; now my part is done. You better get me an amazing ring, I got you a pretty fabulous one,” I declared.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find you the best ring ever,” Adrian chuckled, but I heard a faint undertone of something different, something more serious. “Get ready for bed, okay? You look like you swam across the English Channel and then waded through cloud of grasshoppers.”
“Thanks, Adrian. I can feel the glow of beauty I’m radiating,” I muttered sarcastically. He dropped me on my bed. I was getting used to the idea that with all this movement, my wound would never heal – I could feel it throbbing.
“You always look beautiful, even after the grasshoppers.” I chucked a pillow at Adrian before he slipped out of my room. After staring at the ceiling for a while, I began extracting myself from the travel-worn clothes. I changed into sweats, loving the comfort they brought. I was about to slip on my t-shirt when I noticed the bandages went to peel back them back slightly. I peered over my shoulder at the mirror to see the stitches.
“Damn, you look better in my clothes than – what the hell is that?” Adrian hissed. He was abruptly at my side, his fingers grazing the stitches.
“It’s nothing,” I mumbled, trying to pull the shirt down, unsuccessfully I might add.
“It’s obviously not nothing, Tanya. What did you get yourself into?” he asked, his tone hinting at anger and yet somehow still troubled.
I heaved a sigh, grimacing when the stitches pulled. “I got shot, okay? But I’m perfectly fine now. It just needed those stitches and in a couple of months all that will be left is a scar.”
“You got shot? As in by a gun?” Adrian shouted. I nodded meekly. “And you say that this is nothing? Tanya, I don’t even know what I’m going to do with you anymore. You’re like a self-destruct button waiting to be pushed.”
“I am not suicidal!”
“It sure seems like it! Every time you go somewhere without me, you come back with severe injuries. Your body is getting mutilated.”
“Well I’m sorry you find my body ugly, and my mind mentally unstable,” I snapped. Adrian ran a frustrated hand through his short hair, leaving it standing up.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” I glared at him, arms folded across my chest. Adrian eyed me warily, running his hands through his hair again.
“I’m saying that I don’t want you to go anywhere without me. I want to protect you, Tanya. If you get hurt, I get hurt. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“So now I’m just work, huh? I guess we were never friends.” I knew I was just making things up, but a small part of me was hurt by that. I knew it wasn’t what he meant, but I was angry and I couldn’t help it.
“Gah! You’re not making this easy for me.”
“Nothing is ever easy,” I pointed out. Adrian glared at me but quickly it became softer. He reached out his hands and gripped my face tightly so I couldn’t look away from him.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, ever,” he said, his voice raw with emotion. “Every time you do, a part of me feels like it died. You’re my best friend; I can’t let you destroy your life doing something we both know is wrong.”
My heart panged at his words. The throbbing was so strong; I almost imagined my heart would explode out of my chest. Adrian placed a soft kiss on my forehead and then left the room, his movements stiff. I slid under the blankets and quickly fell asleep. It was sometime in the middle of the night when I woke up. Adrian’s head was peeking through the door. I pretended I was still asleep, keeping my breathing even despite the ache it gave me in my shoulder. Adrian climbed into my bed, and studied my face. I tried my hardest not to scare him – the idea was so tempting. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking about, but through my eyelashes, I could tell it was serious.
“I’m glad you’re back,” he whispered. For a second, I thought he knew I was awake, but then he continued speaking. “I missed you so much. And I know it sounds so lame, it was only four days, but…it’s like there’s this empty hole in me when you’re not around.”
He was quiet for a moment while I mulled over his words. I could hear the strong affection in his tone, and I was aware of my heart cracking. How had I never noticed how much Adrian had cared about me before? I mean he always did, but to the extent that he felt empty without me?
You always knew he liked you, my subconscious told me.
It’s not like you were ignoring it.
Yes you were. He’s been flirting with you since you met. You make out with him and still you don’t see that he loves you?
Love is a strong word.
But it’s true. I mentally groaned. I was arguing with my subconscious. I was definitely a lunatic.
“If you were awake, you would probably have punched me,” Adrian chuckled. I held back a smile not just because it was funny but because it was true. Adrian placed a kiss on my forehead. “I love you, Tanya.”
And this time I knew I couldn’t ignore Adrian any longer. This time I felt my own heart pounding, screaming out for Adrian. And I knew he was the reason I couldn’t go any further with Ian. Adrian held a piece of my heart but how much of it I didn’t know.
I felt something for Adrian. And it was more than just friends.
Deep down I knew it was true. I snuggled closer to him, making my movements sluggish as though I was still asleep. Adrian rested his chin on my head and I could feel the smile forming on his lips. I tucked my head into the crook of his neck, and let my hand rest on his chest. He pulled me closer and left his arm secured around my waist. He lay another kiss in my hair and this time I smiled, hidden from his view.
I had to admit it, I loved being in his arms – it felt so right.
I don’t think we can be just friends anymore, Adrian, my mind whispered just as I fell asleep.