Hell's Love

Chapter 1

   A jolt of excitement rippled through my chest as I slipped into a dazzling purple dress. When I finished zipping the back, I began to fix my hair. As I curled each brown lock, I became more and more overjoyed about the following evening. Tonight was my boyfriend, Declan's, and my one year anniversary. I smiled, thinking back to when we first started dating. He had just broken up with his ex-girlfriend and at the time I didn't know why. We've been best friends for years, but he wouldn't share his reasoning. Although I felt bad that his relationship ended, I was also a little happy about it. I'd recently grew a crush on my longtime best friend but was too afraid to admit it. One day when I was driving back from school, I saw him in my driveway. As I stepped out of the car and walked over to him, I noticed his body was tense. He was nervous about something.
      "What's wrong?" I asked, taking his hand. His blue eyes studied my face as if he was trying to decide if he should tell me something. "What is it?"

      "The reason I ended my relationship wasn't that I didn't want to be in a relationship anymore." He admitted, pushing a lock of my brown hair out of my face.
     "What was the reason then?" I shivered from the cold wind of November. The cold nipped at my pale cheeks. Declan took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I could smell the scent of his Crew shampoo on the fabric.

     "I sort of like this other girl." He let out a cold breath, appearing as if he was still trying to find the right words. I suddenly felt very concerned for him. He didn't look like he slept much the night before and his face was tight with worry.
      "Declan, what's wrong? You can tell me anything. Do you like a girl that your parents hate? Is she already in a relationship?"
     "It's you, Ava. I like you." My heart dropped into my stomach and my mouth fell open. I couldn't believe it. He never gave any indication before that he liked me.
     "I-" I stopped, staring at the boy I didn't think I had a chance with.
     "I know this is out of nowhere and I don't expect you to feel the same way. We're friends. I get that." I breathed in deeply and took a risk, leaning forward. I pressed my mouth against his. His soft lips were unfamiliar to me but also felt very natural. He kissed me back, pulling me close to him. A year later, we were happier than ever. After I finished getting ready, I pulled on my coat and went downstairs. Declan was waiting for me in the living room.  He was wearing a blue dress shirt and a pair of black pants. His golden blonde hair was combed out of his face. I felt my heart speed up, as I moved towards him. His face lit up when he saw me and he pulled me into his arms.

    "You look so beautiful." He whispered in my ear.

    I grinned. "You look pretty great yourself."

   "When you're dating a girl as amazing as you, the least you can do it dress up every now and then." I kissed him, running my fingers along his cheek. His arms tightened around me and he lifted me off the floor. I giggled against his mouth.

   "You're the amazing one," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

  "This has been the best year of my life."

   I pressed my forehead to his. "I love you."
   "I love you too. You're my heart, beautiful girl." He laid my hand against his chest. When we were ready, we went outside. We walked to his car and pulled out of my driveway.
  "Where are we going?" I glanced over at him, noticing a smile appeared on his face.
  "It's a surprise." He guided his car into the parking lot of a brightly lit restaurant. It was where we had our first date. As we walked inside, Declan took my hand. The warmth of his hand sent a wave of joy through me. This was one of those moments you wanted to hold onto. One of loving a person with all of your heart and never wanting to love anyone else in the same way. Nothing is more incredible as when you know that they feel the same way. The restaurant was dimly lit on the inside with light music playing in the background. Little flowers decorated each table. We were seated at a table set apart from the other ones. The smell of freshly cooked food filled the room. The waiter took our order and bustled off to the kitchen, carrying an empty tray with him. I smiled over at Declan.

   "This is so great," I said, softly.
   "It's a special day." He replied, reaching across the table to take my hand.
   "How's the shop?" Declan's father owned a repair shop in town. It was one of the most successful businesses in the area. His father had a dream of Declan taking over the store one day and making it even bigger.
   "Good. My dad is thinking about expanding it to bring in more business." Declan took a sip of his water, not meeting my eyes. He didn't like the repair shop nearly as much as his dad did. He preferred to not be there at all, actually.

   "It's already doing very well." I pointed out.
  "The bigger the better, I guess." He sighed. I leaned over the table, sensing how much he didn't want to talk about the store. Maybe he and his dad had another fight about Declan's future.
   "How's the band?" Declan played saxophone in the jazz band at our school.
   "Great, actually." The adorable smile reemerged on his face. He had the kind of smile that could make everyone in the room grin with the same enthusiasm, even when they weren't nearly as happy as he was. "We started a new piece that's just fantastic."

   "That's awesome! I absolutely can't wait to see it." I beamed.
   "If only they allowed clarinet players to be in it." He raised his eyebrows. I played the clarinet in a school band as well. We both started playing when we were in elementary school.
  "That would be nice." I picked up my lemonade and took a long sip. I silently enjoyed the sweet lemon taste in my mouth.
   "Would you like more?" Declan asked as I emptied the glass. I nodded. "Maybe we should ask for a pitcher?"
   "I don't think I need that much."
   He chuckled. "I don't know about that. We'll be here for a while."
   "I'll just have to contain myself." The waiter returned with our food. Declan started cutting his steak, while I scooped up my alfredo.
   "So did you talk to the hospital?" Declan asked.
  "Yes, I can go back the day after tomorrow," I announced. I volunteered at the hospital a few months ago but left due to the amount of schoolwork I had. About a week ago, I decided to return.

   "It's cool how you like spending time there, even though you really don't have to." He ate a bite of his steak, waiting for me to respond.
  "I like helping the people there. Being able to watch people go back to their family is heartwarming." He kissed my hand and held it in his own. We finished our supper and the waiter brought us the bill. I reached out to grab it, but Declan snatched it away from me.
  "I can take care of it."
  "You know I don't mind paying," I told him.
  "This is a special occasion." He kissed my head and sauntered off to the counter. I finished my third glass of lemonade and picked up my jacket. As I was about to leave, I noticed a boy a few tables away. He had dark brown hair and shimmering green eyes. His tan skin was lit up from the light in the room. He caught me looking at him and beckoned me over. I glanced around the room, unsure. His was expression appeared warm and friendly, but he could be dangerous. Seeing my bewildered look, he stood and came to me instead.
  "Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked.
  "No, I don't think so," I replied, taking note of how underdressed he was for a restaurant like this.

  "My name is Dominic Bowman. I just moved to town." He stuck out his hand. I shook it and smiled.
  "Ava Frost. I've been here forever."
  "So would you mind showing me around sometime?" He gave me a suggestive look. Was he asking me on a date?
  "I actually have a boyfriend." His expression stayed upbeat and he shrugged.

  "Can't blame a guy for trying."
  "But if you need any help figuring out the city, we'd be more than willing to help." I offered. Declan came up from behind me, giving Dominic a small smile.
  "That would be nice of you guys.
  "Declan, this is Dominic Bowman. He just moved here. Dominic, this is my boyfriend Declan." I introduced them. The two boys stared each other up and down.  
  "Nice to meet you, man." Declan shook his hand.
  "You too," Dominic replied. Silence fell between us.
  "I was just telling Dominic if he needed help figuring out the town, we could help him." I glanced up at Declan. He stared at Dominic as if he was solving a puzzle. Dominic seemed to be taking in Declan's appearance. His golden blonde hair, his pale skin, how tall he was. The way they looked at each other made it clear. The boys clearly didn't trust each other. "We should get going. My parents will be wondering where I am."
  "It was nice meeting you." Dominic pulled his attention from Declan and smiled at both of us.
  "You too." Dominic turned back to his table. As he sat down, a flash of gold caught my eye. He wore a cross necklace around his neck.
"I didn't take him as a religious kind of guy," I said, looking at Declan.
"It's hard to know anything about a person just by their appearance." Declan took me home and I got ready for bed. The boy with the cross necklace stuck in my mind. It felt like meeting him wasn't a coincidence Why was he here and why does it feel like this will not be our only time meeting?