Sempiterno VI (AlanxJeff)

Trap

Jeff

The darkness of the room enveloped me like a cold blanket, but despite how strange everything was, I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep. I was convinced that being kidnapped and in a completely unfamiliar place would make it impossible for me to rest. Yet, after gathering up my makeshift rope and fixing my bed as best as I could, the moment I touched the sheets, I was out. Sleep took over, pulling away the confusion and fear, if only for a few hours.

The next day, the golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window, casting soft patterns on the floor while the gentle chirping of birds woke me almost peacefully. I slowly opened my eyes, still groggy, my mind wrapped in a fog of confusion. But then, I saw it: the ceiling above me was painted with a starry sky, so detailed and so vivid it felt like the entire universe stretched out above me. My heart skipped a beat. Something inside me recognized that image, as if that painting were part of an old memory buried deep within me. I sat up slowly, my heart pounding as my eyes traced the stars until they finally settled on the sky-blue sheets beneath me.

"Sky blue..." I murmured, and the sound of my own voice sent a shiver through me. That color... it had always been my favorite, but did they know that? Everything felt so blurry, so distant. And yet, when I looked back up at the stars, I didn't see paint; I saw Alan's eyes, so dark, with that gleam that had always made me feel trapped but somehow safe, as if that color held secrets only he and I shared. My heart began to race just thinking about those eyes, those eyes that haunted me even in my dreams. I placed a hand on my chest, trying to calm the storm of emotions that was starting to stir inside me.

There was something I couldn't explain, something between what Charlie had told me and what my uncle kept insisting on that was beginning to form a picture I didn't want to see. Did Alan and I... have something before the accident? My uncle had been clear, he had told me that Alan only wanted to use me, that he sought to manipulate me to gain my powers. And yet, Charlie had suggested something different, something far more personal, something that terrified me to admit: that I was beginning to... feel something for him.

What was the truth? Why had Charlie left me? Why had he faked his death to join the Hemmawich family? And most importantly, why, despite everything I had been told, was there a part of me that screamed that Alan would never hurt me? That he, more than anyone, would protect me? With Alan, there was something that felt different, something I couldn't ignore, no matter how much I tried.

I shook my head forcefully, as if that could chase away those thoughts. I couldn't fall into that trap, not now. I couldn't allow myself to be weak. I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, letting the hot water from the shower wash away the confusion and the whirlwind of emotions fighting to surface. When I stepped out, I chose comfortable clothes, a soft gray, the kind I used to wear at home, but as I looked into the wardrobe, something stopped me. It was true. Everything was my size. Everything was my style. My favorite colors. How did Alan know all of this? I remembered the last time he had spoken to me, when he said he had missed me, and my heart filled with a warmth I couldn't understand. A longing that I couldn't control.

Soft knocks on the door interrupted my thoughts, pulling me sharply from my reflections. One knock, then another. It wasn't Charlie. The scent floated through the air, that familiar, sweet aroma that made my heart race. It was Alan.

When I opened the door, my attempt to stay cold and distant crumbled the moment I saw his smile. A warm smile, so disarming that I instantly felt vulnerable. "Calm down, Jeff... he's your enemy," I repeated those words in my mind, but my eyes couldn't stop scanning his face, his smile... His scent filled the air, surrounding me, and without meaning to, I felt my defenses slowly falling. "He's handsome, his scent..." I scolded myself for those thoughts, quickly looking away before he could notice.