The smell of salt and rusted metal wafts through my senses, my nose scrunching up immediately in disgust, while my hand flies up to cover my mouth and nose. Turning my head around the corner I gulp softly as I see the shadowed figure at the end of the hallway in my house. Snatching the nearby baseball bat within my white knuckled grip I pressed my back further against the wall, my survival instincts kicking in- or at least what little instincts I still clung to and knew- and I raised the bat, ready and poised to attack I hear the creak of the floorboards, the sound of footsteps closing in on me and with reckless abandon I swing the bat within my grip as hard as I could, the bat managing to hit something.
Looking up I meet the cool and calculated gaze and the amused smile of the woman who has haunted my dreams and my life since two months ago when I first stumbled across her in her cafe. Love Quinn. As my eyes widen, a thick gulp passing through my throat I feel my grip loosen slightly as she sends me a disarmingly sweet and innocent smile, as if she hadn't just broke into my home and deflected the blow of a perfectly aimed bat rushing towards her face with nothing but a firm hand.
Quirking an eyebrow at me I only narrow my eyes at her, my jaw setting into a harsh line as I bite the inside of my cheek to hold back from allowing a string of curse words to fling from my lips as I watch Love move with a sense of ease and grace that only serves to piss me off further as she lowers the bat gracefully, her black heels clicking against the wooden floorboards of my apartment as she brushes past me, the feeling of her long, silky smooth hair brushing past me almost causing me to groan out loud, but I hold it back, thankfully.
Moving after her, the bat still clutched within my grip I watch with narrowed eyes as she brushes smoothly into my living room, her hand reaching over to simply click on a lamp set out beside an armchair, her painted long nails unnerving me slightly and with a poise as graceful and lethal as a panther she moves to sink down into the plush cushions of the arm chair. Turning around to face me, her lips curling up into a small smirk as Love gazes at my taut and defensive posture, my hands clenched into fists on either side of me I watch as she moves her legs, her knee length black leather boot highlighting the contours of her long legs as she crosses them over each other with confidence, the movement causing my gaze to momentarily flicker to the small slit curving up the length of her thigh beneath her pristine charcoal black skirt.
Feeling the sudden dryness in my throat I continue to stare at Love, my tongue momentarily flicking out to trace my bottom lip, my gaze somewhat sparking with an intense hunger and heat, before I hear the click of Love's tongue as she says with a stupid grin on her face,
"My eyes are up here, sweet girl."
Letting out a huff of annoyance I over towards a couch nearby, the bat still gripped within my hand in between my legs, my gaze trained on Love as I hiss,
"What are you doing here, Love? I thought I made it clear that I never wanted to see you again when I placed that restraining order on your ass."
At the mention of the restraining order I watch as Love grits her teeth, a dramatic sigh leaving her parted lips as she pouts and whines,
"You're no fun, sweetheart. But for your information, that little piece of paperwork you filed against me no longer applies to me. I can be as close to you as I want to be, after all, those papers have expired."
As she says those words I feel sick to my stomach only to hear Love stand up, her heels clicking against the wooden floorboards and before I know it I feel her thumb and forefinger touch my chin, lifting my head up so that my gaze meets her hypnotic one, my eyebrows furrowing as I gulp. Brushing her thumb across my lower lip I watch as a flicker of hunger flashes through Love's eyes as she husks out,
"You have no idea how much I missed you, sweetheart. I counted down the days until I could be near you again, did you know that? But don't worry, I'm not going to make the same mistake as before, we'll be together, whether you want that now or not, you'll learn to love it. Just like I love you. Now then, stay still, don't struggle, it'll only hurt even more if you do."
As I'm just about to ask what she means I feel something prick my neck, my eyes widening as my hand moves to wrap around Love's wrist, but I'm too late as I feel her push the needle further into my neck, a wince following suit from me. Fuck, no.
Letting go of me I watch as Love pulls the needle slowly from my neck, her hand moving up to press a band-aid to the spot as I feel my frame become heavier by the second, my vision turning blurry as my frame slumps forward, my gaze becoming half-lidded but before I can fall face first onto the floor I feel Love catch me, resting my head against her shoulder as my breathing continues to turn shallow.
Running her fingers through my hair, her touch gentle and contradicting her current actions as of right now I feel Love press a kiss to the crown of my head, her arms moving to wrap around my frame and pull me further into her embrace.
Sighing wearily I feel Love press a kiss just behind my earlobe and yet another one against my pulse point as she whispers, her voice laced with guilt and a slight hint of sorrow,
"I'm sorry, but I can't live without you. Not now. Not ever. I love you, sweetheart and I'll see you when you wake up."
