34

                                    

                                          
Ari
"Where is he." I regret opening my mouth as soon as the words grit past my lips.
"What do you think!" He stomps his foot, probably expecting me to flinch.
I didn't. Even with his hot, stale smokey breath hitting me in the face every time he opened his mouth.
I can't answer that question.
One, because I don't care.
As long as that man is no where near me, and won't be, that's all I'm worried about.
"On a fucking bender, Sunshine," he continues. "Gave me a stack of fake hundreds and I haven't seen him since."
"That's on you," I speak under my breath with no control, and he jerks me in his grip. His hand seeming to crawl further down from my jaw every time I anger him.
"What's that?"
I clench my teeth tight and the longer I hold it, I finally feel him start to ease up.
"Don't worry. When I find him, he's dead."
"Good."
"But I need my payment right now. One way or another, princess."
I gulp, my head hanging low in shame as I feel his breath travel to my shoulder.
"Come on, don't act like that."
I hold my breath, my eyes slamming shut.
"Like you're a stranger to me. To this." His lips feather over my collar bone, and although I know it's light and gentle, it feels more like a razor gliding across the skin. Like acid, like a deep burn.
"It's a lot cheaper than the cash, and we both know with those two in your life, you need all the money you can get, hm?"
I feel a tear fall and catch on my cheek, running down to my neck. It can't move past his hand, gripping strongly, pinning me to the wall. And when another tear drops, he drags his tongue up my skin and licks it clean off of me.
I'm too stunned to move, to breathe.
To blink.
"He was always right about you," he speaks against my temple. "You taste just as good as you look."
And in one split second decision, my knee connects with his crotch and when he bends over, gasping for air, I stomp his foot with my heavy skate, making sure to dig into his shin with the stopper before I get away.
I dash off as fast as I can, knowing my skates will carry me the rest of the way as long as I've picked up enough speed.
All I can hear is the blood rushing past my ears, my heart thumping in my throat, and the sound of the wind as my body cuts through the air like a speeding bullet. Drying the salty tears from my cheeks as they came quickly.
Hyperventilating, sweating, shaking. My legs moving faster than I ever knew they could.
And in this moment of nothingness. Of existing, the thought came to me and it hit me hard.
I have no one.
No one and nothing.
What am I even running for? Who's going to care if anything happens to me?
Who ever asks where I am if I'm missing for a few days?
Who's going to notice if one day I never turn up again?
I sobbed harder, my wheels carrying me because I can't anymore.
I don't have the energy for this anymore.
I didn't look back or even to the sides of me, only forward.
Only ever forward.
Only ever—
A silver car skids on its breaks in front of me and my hands slam on the hood before the rest of me makes impact.
I wince over the sharp stinging sensation that violently creeps up from my bad wrist to my elbow, and when I look up at the window I make eye contact with the man behind the wheel.
We stare at each other in shock, and for a second the pain disappears until he rushes out of the car.
"Ari what the fuck!" Abel runs to me. "I could have killed you!"
"Help me, please."
Maybe it was my tone, the look in my eye. The fact that he almost ran me over, or the words I'd spoken to him a second time, but he didn't question me and instead helped me into his passengers seat.
We rode quietly for a few blocks while I held my throbbing arm. Still struggling to catch my breath, which was only made harder as I bit back the urge to cry.
I don't want to cry in front of this man anymore. I'm pathetic enough as it is.
He probably thinks I'm a mental case at this point.
I gulp nervously as he pulls into a dark parking lot, putting the car in park and shutting off the engine.
He breathes into his hands for a moment before blowing out a breath. "Ari, what the hell is going on."
"Do you really want to know, or is the question just a formality?" My small voice bites out.
He adjusts in his seat, turning his body toward me as much as he can manage. "What? Ari, obviously I want to know. I need to know at this point. What is wrong?"
"Everything." I look at him, my vision blurred with tears. "Anything you could imagine. That's what's wrong."
Our eyes stay stuck on each others for what feels like the longest possible minute to exist. And in that minute, I swear I heard words he didn't say.
Words he couldn't say.
I saw them deep in the darkest parts of his eyes.
There was no doubting this.
Us.
The connection is still there, and the validation of it made me feel that much better.
It dried my eyes.
It held my arm.
It made me feel safe.
It made Abel turn the car back on and drive.
Home.