Masked Hearts

Chapter 21 - Rachel's P.O.V.

I woke up at five minutes to midnight.

That was the bad part of living in a house where half of its inhabitants work almost 20 hours a day. The house is silence and you wake up with every little creak when they arrive. I figured that my father or mother had arrived from a very late party or meeting, so I laid back again to go sleep. Or that I tried.

At the stroke of midnight, the clock my mother had bought in a auction (which means its old, made of wood and really, really noisy) started to sound louder than normal. Groaning, I got up and headed to the kitchen to drink some water or something to go back to sleep.

Never in my life I was so wrong.

I didn't make two steps out of my room, that I was pulled back inside by my elbow. Ready to scream, as the British would say, 'bloody murder', a hand covered my mouth and, even in the darkness of my room, I saw two blue eyes staring back at me.

No way! He... They told me he was dead...!!

The shock was enough to keep me silence, which my companion took as a good sign. But, since my reason was disconnected from my brain, I started to do some things that were either driven by anger of fear.

Step one, slapping him straight on the face, making all the noise that I could possible do.

"I guess I deserved that one..." he mumbled, rubbing his cheek and jaw. I, on the other hand, was still speechless and moving my mouth like a fish without water. Apparently, he caught was I was trying to express (or what he assumed I was thinking), because he stroked my cheek with his free hand wiping the tears I didn't know I was releasing "Shhh..."

"You- you left me..." I managed to mumble out. His eyes were always on me, never wavering away "I- I thought I was crazy..."

"I didn't want to..." he argued with me "But, after the dragged you away, I thought you'd be better without me... So, I gave myself to death and made everyone forget me"

Step two, smacking him with all my forces until the point I can't because of tiredness or emotional state.

"You. Just. Can't. Pretend. I. Was. Gonna. Be. Better. Without. You" For emphasis on my speech, I smacked him with every words. But he stopped me after that first sentence.

"Love, you can hate me all you want in eternity, I promise..." he grabbed my wrists and made me stare at him "But I only have 24 hours with you and I don't want them to be fighting, alright?" 24 hours...?

"We- we have a lot to do in that case..." I set my wrists free and did a thing step three.

I grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

~oOo~

Five years later...

I looked up to the wall clock from my cup of coffee and I saw it was late. I quickly left my cup and rushed around the house.

"Ian?" I started calling around the flat, grabbing stuff from the floor "Ian, you better be ready, because we're gonna be late!" I announced, before walking into the bedroom. I almost scared myself when I heard voices inside.

"Is this on? How does it work?" I heard a male voice, more older than Ian's. Sighing, I shook my head thinking why I allowed Ian to keep the tape.

"Of course it's on!" Ian's voice came, followed by his giggle before he noticed I was there "Mommy!" he raised his arms for me to pick him up. I smiled and did so, cradling him in my arms.

"Ian, what are you doing?" I asked him, pausing the tape "You're gonna be late for kinder..." Ian shook his head and hid it in my neck.

"I wanna stay here with you and Daddy..." I sighed, knowing fully why Ian was acting the way he was. Today was Father's Day at the kinder and all the kids were gonna be doing activities with their dads. I offered to go with him, even Will offered to go as 'Uncle' Will, but Ian had his doubts. Now, I know why.