Saving damsel in distress? Ha! Kelan pa?
I couldn't help the loud and unladylike snort I emitted. He grabbed my arm. Of course, as usual, I always try to wriggle free from his touch but success was far from my reach. Beat it.
"Pare... you look familiar, have we seen before?" Good God. Mickey Salazar couldn't have uttered the right words. Another neanderthal. I rolled my eyes heavenward. If he only knew that I'd mistaken Rave for him before.
"Pare... can't you get a more original line? And I'm straight." Rave tapped his shoulder in a mocking way and dragged me to the entryway. I would have laughed at that remark if he wasn't dragging me like this and people were staring incredulously at us.
"Rave! Stop. I'm going to the ladies' room." He faced me and let go of my wrist. It had already a mark of a gripping hand on it. I rubbed the sting away. "Sorry." He said insincerely. I raised both my hands in surrender.
"You might want to go along?" He gritted his teeth as I patted his cheek and went inside the comfort room. I breathed a sigh of relief. Five minutes.
"Gosh... my dress was splashed with juice. My date was out there. Damn." I pouted as I heard the woman cursing in front of the mirror trying to brush the stain on her gown. I smiled prettily and coughed. She glared at me.
"Hi.." She shrugged. She's in a very bad snit. "I could help you.." She gaped at me as if she'd seen a miracle. "How?" I smiled again... she was about my form. It would do. And she's from the elite society I doubt not. Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.
I peeked out of the door quietly and did not see a glimpse of Rave. I puffed out a sigh. Maybe he got tired or.. whatever. I stepped out careful of the faces I was passing by. I bumped into somebody. My head was still bowed. "Sorry." I passed through the throng of people but some dancers had bumped me, I tumbled into a dark corner.
Someone had steadied me, hanging on to my waist.
"Thank yo—" I gasped. No, no... it was more of a shriek. He smiled at me but his jaw was flexed indicating his fury. I took a couple of steps backward. Deja vu. He was inching forward. He had cornered me. He was pinning me on the wall. The disco ball was illuminating shadows on his face.
"Running away? That dress... never mind." He sighed then he remembered the scene earlier, he frowned. "You just can't get enough, can you? From Riel to that... that... gay? Are you that desperate?" His voice was deceptively calm but the underlying note of animosity couldn't be mistaken. He was now breathing fire on me.
"Wow. How about you? From Tracy to Laina? That is grand Rave." My voice was dripping with sarcasm. My heart was palpitating so fast I could scarcely think anymore.
"Darling... why don't you include yourself?" I tried to kick him up but his one hand had stopped my knee on time. I shoved him hard but it was like pushing a wall. I saw a slow playful smile tugged on his lips. It was too late before I knew what he was up to, he had already strained his lower body to fit into mine. I almost gasped. This was a nefarious position. I couldn't scream, could I? For Pete's sake this is a bar.
"Let me go! Riel will kill you if he found out that you were forcing me." I screamed at his face when he angled my head to his. "Where is he? Is he out there somewhere? Dancing perhaps?" He bent his head to claim my mouth in a punishing way. I tried to turn my head from side to side but he was stronger. Persistent. Why couldn't I just feel like this with Riel? Instead of this maniac who was harassing me in public? Damn. I opened my eyes suddenly.
We. Were. In. Public.
I was breathing harshly when he was a scant away. "One more thing, who said about forcing here?" My curse was muffled by his kiss. I couldn't help feeling helpless under his seeking invasion. I didn't know when my eyes got misty. I was responding to him willingly. All the emotions I tried to suppress these past few days burst like a dam.
It was only Rave who could do that to me.
He stopped kissing me when he felt the dampness on my cheeks as he caressed it. He looked me in the eyes, questioning. He flickered his thumb on my tear-stained cheeks. There was now tenderness in his expression. I pummeled his chest hard, breaking free from the anger I've long hidden from the world.
"Laina is my sister." He said quietly. It was a good thing we were in the dark secluded corner. Nobody gave us attention. I should be shocked but I've had enough of that.
"I hate you." Tears were forever spilling on my cheeks soaking his shirt. He drew me tighter in his arms possessively.
"You want me."
"I don't like you one bit." Loving is different from liking Rave.
"But you love me." He said that quietly. I raised my head in a flash meeting those black eyes. I tried to draw away from him. To get away from this frightening feeling. But he wouldn't let me. He kissed me on my forehead.
"How sure are you of that? I kissed Riel."
"You don't have to make me jealous just to get back at me. If you just asked me about Laina and not make assumptions of your own..." He chuckled. I opened my mouth to say something in irritation but decided against it. This man is next to impossible!
"Aren't we conceited here?"
He shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious." He drew my head up again to kiss me but I quickly covered his mouth with my hand. "I thought you don't like public display of affection, darling." I was trying to goad him about our usual tirade.
"Then let's go home." There was a suggestive gleam in his eyes.
"And you're also taking advantage of my vulnerability."
"You like being taken advantage of." He clipped the fallen lock of hair back to my ear. I so wanted to hear him say the magic words . But I'm hoping too much. Do I always deserve less? Don't I deserve to be loved? Damn Marie Claire, you're an emotional freak. EMO in big letters.
"I love you Maire..." My eyes grew wide. He dragged my hand out of there and slid into his car. I couldn't quite take the words in. My brain wasn't processing.
"Hey, close your mouth..." He jokingly patted my cheek. I gulped. I turned to face him in the front seat. He started the engine. I cleared my throat. "Rave.. will you.. repeat what you... said earlier?" I wasn't stammering, was I?
"What? Oh I said 'hey, close your mouth'..." He shrugged nonchalantly and drove out of the bar's parking lot. I rolled my eyes heavenward. I poked his arm in annoyance.
He was now laughing at me. Maybe he was jesting when he said those magic words. Or better yet it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. I was silently perusing the view before me. Not really quite seeing the building, the lampposts, the city lights and the traffic jam.
"Hey, you're quiet."
I shrugged. All my enthusiasm earlier had vanished into thin air. I wasn't even looking at him.
"I love you Maire... believe that." My head swung to the side in a swift motion. I watched his expressionless face as he was driving. He really isn't showy. But I smiled to myself. I felt tingly all over. I love being in love and best of all I love being with Rave. Oh... love, love, love. I'm going mad with happiness.
We were way past the traffic jam. He was driving smoothly because there were no cars about at this hour, in this specific short cut road we were taking. I didn't know why I looked about in the car but I did, then something white caught my notice. I frowned.
It was lying on the floor of the car at the backseat. I tried to reach for it... It wasn't a mask, was it? no.. that couldn't be true. He loves me... He's the only one for me now. I tried to edge on my seat. I was getting agitated.
"Is there a problem?"
"Nothing.." I tried to see reason. It wasn't him. It wasn't him. I was on the edge of panic. Just as my stomach was churning, my head was throbbing. He turned to me and cupped my cheek.
Surely, concern couldn't be feigned. It was written all over his face.
"Rave!" I screamed as I was blinded by the headlights of a car coming our way. He tried to avoid it. I almost sagged with relief but then the brake wasn't working. He was trying to slow down but something was remiss. We were going down the side of the cliff... going down. Down. Down.
It was a fast free fall.
I saw the scenes of my life came unfolding before my very eyes. Am I going to die?
I wish this isn't true. I wish everything isn't real. That this is not happening...
Darkness was pulling me down. I saw blood trickling down on Rave's face. I groggily touched my forehead. There was blood all over me.
I passed out.