close to my dialling heart

64🌹a monster's resolve

🎶I'm only a man with a chamber who's got me. I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me. A monster, a monster. I've turned into a monster. A monster, a monster, and it keeps getting stronger🎶
~imagine dragons~
XAVIER 🥀

I slammed the car door shut, my heart racing as the engine roared to life. Frustration clawed at me, a beast in my chest ready to tear free. I couldn't even bring myself to be angry at Xander; he'd just laid bare the truth. I was desperate to keep hidden. But Dove's face-her wide eyes filled with disbelief and hurt-was all I could see. The way she had looked at me tonight, like I was some monster, twisted my insides into knots.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white against the leather. The streets blurred by, but my focus remained on her-the way her tears had threatened to spill over, how her voice had trembled when she tried to understand me. I couldn't let her see me as that version of myself, the killer they all feared. She was the light, and I was the dark that would swallow her whole if I didn't keep it at bay.

"Fuck," I muttered, frustration bubbling inside me like a boiling pot. I wanted to scream, to rip the world apart for putting her in that position. Why did Xander have to bring that shit up? He didn't know what he was messing with. Dove was mine, and I'd do anything to protect her, even if that meant keeping her in the dark about who I really was.

Every mile I drove was a reminder of the distance growing between us. It was suffocating. She needed to understand that I was not someone to be feared; I was the one who would fight for her, who would lay waste to anyone who dared to threaten her. The thought of anyone else touching her, getting close to her, made my blood boil. I was the one who should be standing by her side, not watching her walk away like I was some ghost.

The anger surged, a tempest that threatened to spill over. I could feel it bubbling up inside me, and I hated that I hadn't been able to control it tonight. I could have told her that everything Xander said was a lie, that I'd do anything to keep her safe. Instead, I'd let the darkness take over, and now I was left with the wreckage of what we had built.

As I drove, I stole one last glance in the rearview mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But the road was empty, and all that was left was the echo of her voice, filled with confusion and hurt. I pressed the accelerator, my chest tightening as I fought the urge to turn back, to find her, to claim her like she was always meant to be mine.

This was my life now-driving through the night, haunted by the knowledge that I was a monster in the shadows, desperately trying to hold onto the one person who saw something worth saving. I'd never let her go. I couldn't. Not now. Not ever.

The anger was a living force inside me, burning hotter with every mile. I couldn't shake the image of Dove's face-her eyes filled with pain, the way her voice broke when she asked me for answers I couldn't give. I hated that this night had turned into a mess, and worse, I hated myself for letting it happen.

I couldn't even blame Xander for exposing all of that. It was on me. But none of that mattered right now. Not with the fury that was clawing at me, begging for release.

Just as I turned onto the empty road leading away from her place, my phone buzzed in the passenger seat. Westin. I didn't have the patience for any more distractions, but something told me to pick up.

"What?" I snapped, not bothering to hide the edge in my voice.

"Xavier," Westin's voice was unusually calm, but there was an undertone of tension. "Something went down tonight at the party... and it's about Dove."

That got my attention. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, the pulse in my neck throbbing. "What happened?" I growled, my voice dangerously low.

"There was a guy-a real piece of shit-who tried to corner her upstairs when no one was around. Thought he could get his hands on her." Westin's voice remained steady, but I could hear the disgust laced in his words. "I caught him before anything could happen. He's tied up in the basement now."