"Now you understand why I said that I killed them." His words were met with a deafening silence. A long stretch of time passed by, without anyone saying anything. His deep voice poked through her ears in a small whisper. "Look at my face. The shrads of glass from the accident tore through almost every part of my face, as if to remind me that I wasn't worthy of being look at, after everything. It was the worst day of my life and my aunt blamed me for it. Too bad she wasn't wrong."
The Larkin in front of her was an old version of him that she didn't expect to see. An unhappy Larkin. The sadness that he hung around his shoulders seemed to weigh him down even more than usual. All that was left was the defeat lurking in his eyes. Watching him pour out the hardest time in his life brought out the rawest side of him. He was still a teenager who dragged around the memories that tore him apart. Just like how she used to do.
Uncertainty clawed on her face, when she said. "But she is wrong. You couldn't have predicted all the bad things that would happen. This was beyond you, Larkin. You did everything you could. For all we know, the criminals wanted to kill all of you. If you didn't run then you would have died too. You are alive because you ran. You can't alter the fact that you drove the car through that road, but you can attest to the fact that your stubbornness kept you alive."
"But was it worth it?" Beneath his stiffened posture, Larkin's eyes turned dark again, with unexplainable emotions sailing in. "Was it worth losing them in the process?"
"I don't know. I can't tell you how to feel your pain but you need understand that you can't hold on it forever." Callie drew a long breath and held his gaze. She spotted a twinge of vulnerability filling those green eyes. Her voice came out softly. "It will destroy you, Larkin. Don't let it destroy you."
"I'm gonna need another cup of coffee." A muscle in his jaw twitched. His icy tone made Callie upset. She whirled towards him with determination blazing around her. It looked like she was going to say something again, but he beat her to it. "I think I need a moment alone."
"You can't push me away, Larkin." Her chest rose and fell when she forced out an angry sigh. Callista's ragged breathing slowed down when his eyes lingered a little longer on his face. She wanted to yell at him. He was pulling away again. Other times, she put up with him and respected his feelings but he needed to talk to someone. Even if that meant her.
Larkin gritted his teeth. His voice, low and steady. "Why does everyone think that I'm pushing them away? I just want some alone time to think. To clear my head. Is that so much to ask for?"
With a resigned groan, she huffed out. "Fine. But don't say that I didn't try. I just don't want you to punish yourself. You're a good person and you deserve to be happy."
He pressed the grip on his walking stick and approached her. Larkin stood right in front of Callie, taking her breath away with his beautiful face. His fingers brushed off the waves of her hair from her face. Her sweet scent once again filled his nose. Magnolia. A rare floral choice. His mom used to have a garden full of those flowers, so he knew that intoxicating scent by heart. "What makes you think I'm not happy right now?"
Her eyes lifted. Her heartbeat thundered at his proximity. Larkin's fingers caressed her cheeks lightly, raising her chin slightly. She shivered by his touch. His head lowered and Callista's eyelids closed, anticipating his mindblowing kiss. She could feel his soft lips grazing above her eyebrows. A motion that made Callista flutter her eyes open.
She scowled. That was what she was getting? A kiss on the forehead? What was she? 5 years old?
Callista scowled again when she noticed his right hand had stretched out expectantly. "My cup."
Callista blinked. Was that all he was going to say? The hell did that mean? "Your cup?"
Larkin's smirk looked so unnatural. It wasn't something she usually saw and it made him look different. Beautiful, if she could dare call him that to his face. "You're still holding my cup. I'm feeling tire—"
"Why don't you want to kiss me?" Callista blurted out. Her eyes widened at her outburst. Larkin wore a similar look of shock but it darkened almost immediately. She shook her head. What was wrong with her? This was completely inappropriate. He was her freaking boss. Her dad would kill him if he touched her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said a—"
"What makes you think I don't want to kiss or touch you? You have no idea what you do to me." His words made it feel like the temperature had become hotter. Blazing heat burned through her as she watched him. "If anything, why don't you do the honors yourself?" Larkin raked his fingers aggressively through his thick blond curls, before meeting her eyes. A vulnerable look had overwhelmed his frustration. "It's because you know that we're not a good fit. The truth is that anyone who gets close to me, always gets hurt."
Her eyebrows furrowed. Something in her knew that he wasn't talking about his parents this time. "You're talking about Becca, aren't you? What happened with her?"
"You should get going, Callista. It's already getting dark." A neutral tone kicked onto his voice. It matched the melancholic look on his eyes. His walls were back up and there was no use tearing it down.
Callista's eyes blazed a ring of scorching fire. Her tone clipped. "Don't bother reminding me. I'll leave before you say something else to make it worse." With that, she swung her handbag over her shoulder and left without giving him the chance to respond.
Larkin swallowed hard. He dragged his feet to refill his coffee mug. When Maxime surprisingly made a whole jar of coffee for him this morning, Larkin didn't think he'd need it this much. He was more concerned about Maxime's excitement to please him lately. It had started since the day he invited Maxime to watch a football game and he'd been unusually helpful even though Larkin had been postponing the get-together for a while, until they finally picked a date today. It didn't seem like what regular Maxime would do but Larkin was open to any form of assistance that he could get.
Callista filled his thoughts once again. He guessed she was done with him. Just like Becca. He reached the mug to his lips. Once again, the delicious taste soothed him. It was perfect for his aching soul. He was broken and he was afraid that he'd break her too. She was perfect. Larkin's small frown pressed on his lips. He just had to fuck it up once again.
Larkin breezed into the large living room. The Victorian styled furniture were intact and comfy despite looking so ancient. Though according to his mom, it cost a huge fortune and he couldn't conjure how much his parents would have bought it. But a brown tote bag on one of the settees caught his eye.
His mother's dress.
Larkin's jaw ticked. Callista must have forgotten it when she left. He didn't know if she was ever going to come back, but he knew one thing. He had to give the dress back to her now.
★★★
The moonlight illuminated the impending darkness, glittering under the night sky while Callie walked to the nearest train station. She grumbled under her breath. That idiot riled her up so easily. It didn't help how much she liked him either.
The pungent stench of the alley was almost suffocating. Her feet trudged over the ground as she tightened her grip on her handbag. She hadn't gone home this late and Callie wasn't sure if she was used to how frightening the whole place was. The creepy hooting of an owl from a distance didn't help her anxiety riddling her mind.
"Callista. Callista." The familiar deep voice called out through the swishing sounds of leaves sweeping through the spiking wind. She jolted in startle. That was Larkin. She'd recognize that voice anywhere, even with her eyes closed. What the hell was he doing outside his house? He never leaves the damn place.
It sounded far off from where she stood, and Callie tried to retrace his voice. But then she heard painful groan. And then another. A gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach escalated. Something was definitely wrong.
Panic slowly anchored around her. It held onto her longer than Callie thought when she caught the alarming sight before her. Larkin was sprawled on the floor with two criminals circling him and throwing punches at him.
Her scream pierced through the darkness. "Larkin."
The criminals sprung apart. Larkin looked at her like he'd seen a ghost. Her breathing quickened with her heartbeat. The two criminals looked pretty identical. Almost like brothers. Dark brown hair. Darker eyes. Slim build. But one stood taller than the other, wearing a cruel look in his dark brown eyes and holding a penknife in his large hands.
The two criminals looked at one another in newfound silence. And then a wicked smile sprung on their lips almost simultaneously. The scary looks in their eyes pulled Callie through a state of staggering fear, tearing her insides apart and sinking its teeth through her shivering spine.
Her heart froze on the spot when the taller of the two said. "It seems like the cripple has a beautiful girlfriend."
The other nudged him. An evil look settled on his pale face. "I'd love to have a taste of her. And I'll make sure her boyfriend watches while I fuck her brains out."
"Don't you dare fucking touch her." Larkin's voice came off gruff. The taller criminal kicked him on the stomach. Blood splattered from Larkin's mouth at the sudden contact. He wriggled on the floor, gripping his stomach tighter.
Tears sprung into her eyes at the sight. Larkin's bust-up lips. Swollen face. Blood-coated shirt. Callie couldn't take it anymore. "Let him go, please. What do you want?"
The taller one had an aura of a leader. With his slickback hair and gaunt posture, he instantly barked up a laugh. The cruel laughter fueling his dark lips, chilled her bones and his deep brown eyes twinkled in the moon's lucent light. "Let him go? I can remember his fucking face any day. It's his fault that our brother's gonna stay in prison for the rest of his life."
"What are you—" Larkin tried to say, but the shorter criminal tightened the grip on his hand, twisting it to the back. Larkin hissed out in pain. He laid helplessly on the ground, far from his walking stick and much farther from Callie.
The short one grunted. "Shut up when the boss talks or I'll break your fucking arms into two."
Larkin coughed out tiny sputters of blood again. Callie tried to reach towards him and the taller leader barred her way. "Not so fast, princess. I'm not done with him."
"He didn't do anything to you. Let him go. Is it money that you need? He has loads of that. He'll give you all the money you need. Just don't kill him." She pleaded. Fear crawled through every part of her mind. It fed on her sanity and had her shaking like a leaf.
"Ah, young love. Such a beautiful sight." The vicious glint in his eyes didn't seem to waver. He swung his knife back and forth in a morbid manner, toying with it slowly. Chills crept through the terror that his words mounted on her. "It's a shame that you'd have to watch him die. I'll cut him open until his organs fall out. It'll teach him a lesson not to drag my brother to prison over his parents' death. Rich boy here, testified against them when he should have been dead in the first place."
Larkin strained out his words. His deep voice broke. "But he and his friends caused my parents deaths. They attacked us. Shot at our tyres. I had to testify or they'd die in vain."
The short one hurled his fists towards his stomach again. Anguish burned through Larkin's eyes. The burning pain in those green orbs showed how quickly he gave in to his torment. He let it subdue him and dominate his form. His loud painful growl ought to have caught someone's attention, at least. But there was no use. They were all alone in the dark alley.
Callie's legs collapsed on the floor. Nausea churned her insides and threatened to burst out. It was too gut wrenching for her to look at. "Please. Stop."
Shorty's lips curled up. It twisted into a devilish smile. "I told him to shut up. He should have listened."
The taller one took a slow step closer. Beady brown eyes raked over her face, lingering longer than she wanted it to. Fear clutched her at its sadistic intensity. "You want us to stop? Take off your fucking clothes in front of us and your sweet little boyfriend will live to see another day."
Larkin hissed out. "Don't listen to them. I'll be—"
The short one pressed his large hands around Larkin's neck. The green eyed boy's pupils dilated. A flush of red filled his panicked face. "What part of 'shut up' don't you understand? I can fucking kill you right now, you know that."
"Stop." Her voice screeched out. It felt like her brain was on fire but Callie knew she had only one option left. "I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want."
★★★
Trust me, this chapter was harder to write than most of the previous ones I wrote. It was too heartbreaking to pen down and I had the postponing how I'd write the intense chapter.
But I'm glad that I was able to put everything in order.
Anywaaaay, one more extra chapter is left. Check it out after this one.
Xoxo
Jasmine