Fall

Chapter 17

I shrugged myself off the wall and turned around, my eyes meeting the lounge room. Fragments of last nights nightmare flooded the room. It seemed so real. I could almost see myself asleep on the lounge while Jye stood over me, watching me sleep until he couldn't take it any longer and he needed to get me out of this strangers house and back to his apartment.

His hands had seemed so light on my cheeks, his controlling nature eventually coming out when I refused to accept his request to wake up. I remember the way his eyes darkened when he pulled me close to his face, only to be pushed away from me forcefully. He had never been treated like that before and if it hadn't been a dream, I wouldn't have found the strength to do so. His eyes were a shade off being black and had matched the atmosphere of the room.

I still remember how cold my feet felt against the floorboards while I ran from him. I'd always been slower than him and running had always been a losing battle for me.

I rubbed my arm where I remembered the feeling of his fingers digging into my skin.

I backed out of the room and when I turned, my eyes had met with the staircase. I could almost feel my skin hurting the way it had when it collided with the edge of the wooden stairs. I shivered when I remembered the way his fingers curled around my ankle and pulled me backwards, my skin burning as it pinched against the grip of the floorboards.

I pushed away any other memories before I remembered the way I cried. Before I remembered the way Jye had slowly transformed into Harry. The way his voice hadn't matched his face, but the way his features had changed and it was no longer Jye peering down at me with furrowed eyebrows.

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I wanted to leave. I needed to get out of here for a while. Harry had been gone for half an hour now and I couldn't take it anymore, just sitting here. Everywhere I turned, I thought of Jye. What he's done to me and what he might be planning on doing to me when he gets me.

I pulled Harry's shirt over my head and stepped out of Anna's boxer shorts, walking over to my pile of folded clothes sitting on the arm of the lounge chair. The same clothes that I'd worn the night I was brought to Harry's house. In the space of time that I'd been here, he'd washed them for me so that they were clean and didn't smell or look like they'd been slept in.

I dragged the jeans up my legs and sucked in my stomach slightly as I zipped them up. They were dark blue, skinny and high waisted, only just covering up my belly button. I lifted my arms and pulled on the cropped grey shirt, before tugging my green cargo jacket onto my shoulders. I easily slipped my boots and tucked my phone into my jacket pocket. Quickly I tied my hair back in a high pony before I found myself tugging on the door handle.

It felt less like winter now that it was moving into spring. The only thing forcing me to keep my jacket on was the crisp wind blowing my hair around my neck.

His neighborhood was actually quite beautiful. I'd fallen asleep in his car the night he'd driven me here and so I hadn't really had the chance to take it in. All the house looked similar in some way, whether it be the colors or the structure, they all looked inviting. The lawns were all freshly trimmed without a bush or tree out of place.

Across the road, a small old lady was watering her flowers that lined the driveway. I smiled at her as she looked up and her eyes met mine. I gave a friendly wave and was a bit disappointed when in return, she turned her head away and turned off her hose. Quickly, wrapping it around the reel she made her way up the steps and through the fly screen door.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and just as I started down the lawn, a black Range Rover rolled down the street. I spotted Harry's face in the window as he pulled up the driveway. I smiled at him but his face remained slightly confused as his eyebrows pulled together and his lips thinned out.

I noticed the couple living in the house next door to Harry were sitting out on their front porch. Their mouths moved, whispering small things to each other but their eyes stayed on me. I was again confused and looked down to see Harry quickly pulling a black suitcase from the car. He closed the door and walked up to me.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I- I thought-" my words stumbled and the couple watching us distracted me.

"Are you leaving?"

His words brought my attention back to him and his eyes looked like they were begging. He frowned, his lips parted slightly.

"No. No Harry-" I assured, looking back at the couple. The lady was now narrowing her eyes at us.

Harry's gaze followed mine and his eyes met the couple on the porch. The man whispered something and tapped his wife's arm. We watched as they got up and he slowly guided her inside. Harry turned back to me and put his arm between my shoulder blades.

"C'mon, it's cold out here," he lowered his voice, ushering me back inside.

"What's wrong?" I asked, peering up at him when he closed the door behind me.

I wanted to reach up and run my fingers over the crease between his eyebrows. He looked so frustrated and I wanted to know what it was that was having this effect on him.

"It's nothing," he sighed, brushing off the subject. "Where do you want your things?"

I wish he would tell me. I knew it was anything but nothing.

The way his neighbors had reacted almost reminded me of the kind of reactions I got from the people living in Jye's apartment block. The way their eyes widened, the way they abandoned whatever they were doing, the way they rushed to be as far away from me as they could.

So what was it that Harry was hiding that made me wonder how much Jye and him had in common?