Eleanor Finley Park, secret daughter of the practically famous business man located in Melbourne, who's life resides on the gorgeous beach island just off the coast. When Eleanor starts receiving horrifying gifts from a stalker, she returns to her f...
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The drive wasn't long, only about 20 minutes from my shop. The clear dark sky filled with stars, that I often observed from my home, slowly turned less clear as we drove deeper into the city. It was warm, and thus both front windows were down, my hair flying everywhere while Reece looked as calm and still as always.
We didn't speak, but it was clear we were both enjoying the late drive. Roads that I knew were once packed in the day, were empty.
If the city was this quiet all the time, maybe I wouldn't mind living here.
We passed by 24-hour grocery shops, clubs with queues lining the street, and areas of homeless people seeking warmth together on street edges.
"When you pass by things like this-" I motion to trash tossed everywhere, graffiti on shops, and flickering street lights "-doesn't it make you upset? Don't you want to leave?"
"Unfortunately, Fin , these things are what provides me business. No one would need security if the city was safe."
When I don't answer he carries on speaking.
"If I could choose for everyone to be safe though, I would. I wouldn't choose my job and money over that."
Once again, I don't speak. Enjoying the night breeze, but he speaks once more.
"Would you ever live here? In the city."
"I just-" I try figure out the right words to say.
"-you have a great job, where you work for yourself and are in charge off each aspect, but for me I just cant help to question the system, it makes no sense to work your whole life, just to line someone else's pocket."
"I get that." He replies as we pull into a large car park, which I guess is for a large apartment building.
We fall into the usual silence again, before he begins to slow down the car, parking in a spot with a 'reserved' sign plated on the wall in front. To my right, there is elevator which I assume leads up to each apartment floor.
"Here." He says simply. Jumping quickly out the car, and as I do the same he grabs my black duffle from the boot of the car.
He walks towards the elevator, duffle swung over his shoulder.
"Coming?" He asks rather gently.
.....
The apartment I was expecting never arrived. Instead when he pressed the highest floor button on the elevator, we were met with another door. Where he inputted a long code and scanned his thumb, before we stepped into a massive penthouse.
My only thought was Holy Shit.
"I'll show you around in the morning, it's all ready early in the morning." He walks to a bedroom, and I follow till he places my bag down onto the bed.
"Thank you." I mutter rather quietly.
"There's also a bathroom just through here." He walks over and turns on a light, the door was open to the bathroom and now the light was on I could see my reflection from across the room.
"Oh god-" the reflection I saw, I had partially forgotten, the left side of my face still partially stained red.
Rushing inside the bathroom, I turn the tap on scrubbing my face hard to get it all off.
"Was it real?" I ask him, almost desperately begging him to say it wasn't really my poor cat. He never answered me, just stared at me. Stood at his sink, hoodie and shorts on, hair knotted and a slightly less blood-stained face.
"Was it really her? My-"
"At least let me clean it." He spoke solemnly, his answer more than enough confirmation. He grabs a washcloth wetting it, and reaches to wipe my face. Yet I feel my body subconsciously flinch away.
"Don't you trust me?" He asks.
"I don't know." My lip trembles as I spoke. My poor cat.
As he worked on cleaning my face, I just watched as the remaining red got washed down the sink's drain. Tears flowing down my face, which I could feel him catch and wipe away each time one dropped.
"Please don't cry." He whispered.
He finished cleaning my face, rinsing out the cloth more.
"You didn't listen."
He didn't say anything.
"When I told you that she-"
"You need to sleep Finley."
"Won't you acknowledge it? She could've been okay if-"
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise-"
"How could you not realise? Oh Reece is the professional in security!" I begin to mock the people I had once heard praise him.
"Reece solves cases so easily! Reece really pays attention to details!"
"Finley please- I can explain, it doesn't excuse anything but I was trying to help-"
"Help how? This is all your fault!"
He just looks down at me. I couldn't tell if a pain of regret fled through me or perhaps another wave of grief, but either way I ended up retching over the toilet once again.
Instantaneously he was at my side, holding back the hair that weren't knotted up. His hand was warm on my back, a light enough amount of pressure that felt like it kept me grounded.
Soon after his hand remained there as he guided me to sleep, rolling me to lay on my side, placing a bin by the bed, and eventually leaving me there.
