a lovers journey

Babycakes

‘No! No! No!’ Anjali tried to run but he was strong and had a hold of both her tiny wrists behind her
back, dragging her into his car, the blue Mazda she’d seen following her a few streets down.
‘Help! Fire! Help!’ She tried to call out, yet, though her mouth was moving no audible sound was
emanating from it.

The masked man threw her into the car face down and jumped in after her,
straddling her legs so she couldn’t move, all in one swift movement. The mark of a professional. Then,
slamming the door shut with one hand and signaling to the driver to move off with the other, he
violently began unbuckling his belt.

'Please, get off me,’ Anjali was now crying into the sack he’d managed to wrench over her head.
‘Not so loud, you’ll be begging for more soon babycakes’ the man growled as his fist connected loudly
with the side of her head. Anjali blacked out.

‘Ahhh' she screamed sitting up in her bed, ‘God, it was just a dream, it was just a dream.’
The same damn dream she’d been having every night since that day. But today was going to be
different, today she was going to have a good day she told herself. She got out of bed and headed to the
bathroom for some daily affirmations.

‘Fuck Evil And Rise’
‘Fuck Evil And Rise’
‘Fuck Evil And Rise’
‘Fuck... It it's not working. It's like the fear is embedded into my damn bones. Nano said affirmations
always work for her, but then again, I'm no Nano.' Anjali sighed defeatedly as she plonked herself onto
her bed. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to calm herself, trying her utmost to reason with
her soul, but mostly trying to hide her shaking fingers in the nest that was her hair.

‘NOBODYY HASS TO KNOWW’ Anjali jumps at the sound of her phone calling out to her. Kranium’s voice
told her immediately it was her bestie, Sheela. She ran to the dresser and flipped open her Nokia flip – a
temp since they took her blackberry/iPhone combo too that day. Her mind wondered. That day, that
fateful day that shaped the abysmal creature she was turning into.
‘Hello! Hello!’ Sheela’s perky voice rang through the phone and pushed her out of her trance and back
to the here and now.
‘Hey I was just going to call you,’ she lied into her mic.
‘No you weren't, you never call me!’
Anjali’s face lightened a little with the smile that crossed her lips as she responded, ‘ok ok maybe I
wasn’t. But I do need you.’
‘Now that, I believe. Sitting here on the dock of the bay I heard your nerves calling out to me.’ Sheela
was obsessed with Otis Reading and never failed to remind you, never too shy to burst into song in the
middle of quiet, respectable establishments. But then again, Sheela was never too shy for anything, She
at least would have put up a fight if she had been in her place, thrown him off and kicked him in the
balls. That’s what she keeps telling her. But not everyone can be like Sheela.
‘Anj! Anjj are you even listening to me?!’ Sheela's voice screeched frustratedly through the phone. ‘
What are you wearing for your date today?’
‘Yeah, about that...’ Anjali began but was cut off instantly.
‘No no no, I don’t care if you have cold feet, Nathan'll be there to warm them for you if anything. Come
on, he’s a great guy, you two have really hit it off and you haven't liked anyone for, for too long. ‘
‘I know but I'm just so nervous, I mean I've never met the guy, what if, what if things dont ….go to plan.’
‘Ok, but I've seen him. He’s hot, and fuck the plan babes. I'm sorry but you’ve got to start socialisng
again before you turn into my crabby hermit of an Aunt Shanaya, and we can't have that now, can we?’
‘Ahh, no, I suppose not,’ Anjali dutifully responded, though she knew she didn’t have to be crabby to be
a hermit, she daren’t say that to Sheela.
‘Ok so wear the purple off shoulder skater dress and your black and white converses.’
‘Isn't, isn't that a bit revealing?’
‘Babes come-on, you agreed to my way or the highway. Now get ready its 13:30 you’ve got to leave in
an hour and I've got to get back to my beauty sleep, byeeee! Her voice trailed off and Anjali was left
alone again, but with raised spirits. She quickly showered and got changed. Sheela was right, she did
look good in this dress...maybe too good? No, it’ll do, she winked into the mirror before donning her
sunglasses and stepping out of her door into the sun drowned streets of Richmond. She had agreed to
meet Nathan at Richmond Park, which was just a 15-minute walk away from hers.
Taking her first few steps away from home she felt she was forgetting something. Usually she’d have a
bag with her, but Nate said he’d bring everything they needed so she didn’t bother today, wanting to
feel as light and unburdened as possible. They had only started talking about a week ago, through
Sheela of course, but they just got on so well. He was the perfect gentleman, funny and smart but not
overbearing, at least from what she knew so far. As she turned the corner to their allotted rendezvous
she saw him under a large tree, blanket out with the most scrumptious looking picnic laid out with all
her favourite things, scones, jam, cream, chocolate strawberries and a bottle of chardonnay in the
cutest little ice bucket. If only Sheela could see this, she thought to herself. It’s perfect.
She looked up from the spread before her into cheery smile of this 5;9 hunk that was Nathan Dawes.
She smiled back awkwardly trying not to seem so misplaced.
‘Anj! Its so good to see you finally, you look amazing. Love the dress’ looking her up and down and
nodding his appreciation. It was the first time she had heard his deep voice and she felt there was an
uneasy familiarity in its huskiness. A strange feeling of dread washed over her all of a sudden liekly
betrayed by her facial expressions since Nate pulled her down onto the blanket beside him and
embraced her in a warm hug. She wrapped her arms loosely round his shoulders, not wanting to commit
to the intimate tightness/intimacy of a proper hug so soon. About 20 minutes in, however, Anjali and
Nate were lying on their backs manifesting crazy creatures in the clouds and Nate was effortlessly
bringing out her ‘ugly’ laugh. It's always the funny boys, she thought to herself.
‘Oh damn! I almost forgot! I have something for you!’ Nate’s voice rang beside her ear as she was
pointing out the large dagger that had just formed in the clouds above them.
‘Oh gosh Nate! You really shouldn’t have, you've done so much already!’ Anjali protested in genuine
humility, feeling immediately unworthy of all this love.
‘Don’t be silly, its just something small’ Nate responded, stroking a stray hair back behind her ear. ‘Let
me give it to you before I forget gorgeous,’ he said, turning to rummage in his bag. As he searched,
Anjali sat entranced full of an abundance of gratitude for this guy sat before her.
‘Shit, I must have left it in my car, I'm so sorry,’ Nate started.
‘Oh no worries, we were packing up anyway. Maybe I can help you take all this to your car and see you
off too?’ Anjalli heard the words leave her mouth before she had time to realise.
‘Oh how gentlemanly of you’ he responded. They laughed as they packed away the last remaining bits of
the picnic and began their walk back to Nate’s car, with Anjali just a few steps ahead dropping Sheela a
quick “Thanks he great, hasn’t even tried to kiss me!’ .
‘Hey can you hold this for a sec,’ Nate called from behind.
‘Sure,’ she put her left hand out behind her and pressed send with her right. Just then a tingle went up
her spine and she felt her face blush feeling his fingers intertwine with hers, clasping her hand ever so
gently. She looked up at him, bliss emanating from her eyes.
‘That was smooth’ she said, trying to laugh off the feelings he was stirring inside her.
‘I know,’ he smiled at her and stopped walking, looking straight into her eyes for the first time all day.
‘We're here,’ he motioned to the car and Anjali followed his gaze. She froze.
‘The, the silver jeep, right?’ she managed to squeak.
‘Ha, no babe. The blue Mazda.’ Anjali's heart sank as the realisations swum over her and fear paralysed
her body. Nates grip on her hand tightened and he pulled her into him from behind, no longer loving
and gentle.
‘I told you you’d be back for more, babycakes’ his words slithered into her ear and hung there limply.
She saw all this happening to her in the car window, watching as her reflection winced whilst he licked
the tear rolling down her cheek. She finally placed that sense of uneasy familiarity.
Her phone buzzed. NOBODY HAS TO KN0OWW