Fools Hope

Chapter fifteen: Scars to your beautiful

*~ When you walked away you took my heart with you~*

(Iris's pov)
It has been hours since my father left me out here. I can't feel my arms or my legs. Gooseflesh covers my skin, and my lips are chapped and probably blue. My teeth chatter and I try to hop in place to circulate my blood but it's hopeless. I'm frozen and I am probably going to die out here. Maybe it's for the better, maybe I deserve this ending. What have I ever done to deserve anything? Wind whips my cheeks and the sting is a sweet torture that awakens me from a nightmare that is always present.

Placing myself on the icy ground I squeak as the cold seeps into my skin and wraps around it like an unwanted caress. Shivering harder I wrap my arms around myself and curl up trying to preserve body heat. Or whatever I have left. More minutes pass and still he doesn't come get me. Why is he doing this to me? What did I do? The questions come by the dozens and there's no answers for any of them. I close my eyes and sigh. Maybe it will be ok to give up, to finally give in to the darkness that is calling me. Perhaps.... My thoughts trail off when an image of Rafael pops into my head. And the ache that is in my heart reopens. The wound bleeds a crimson red and it leaks onto the ground leaving an invisible shadow of wrenching pain.

I keep my eyes close as I see his profile come to life behind my eyelids. His tall muscular body, his thick black hair is that is softer than silk, those damning midnight blue eyes. The full bottom lip that is a dark rose. His soft smile that he saves only for me. And damn that laugh. A groan escapes my lips as I imagine his arms wrapping me in their love and warmth, his lips breathing the life back into me. The way fire ruptures my sense of reality and burns hotter than hell in my core. Oh how I wish he was here. "Iris" I hear his voice and it's a sweet awakening. This is the best dream ever, "Iris sweetheart, wake up" his voice is soft and deep. Husky and rough. I sigh happily and want to fall deeper into the dream. I sigh his name and curl up tighter. "Iris! Please wake up!" More urgently now. Why would I want to wake up. If I do it means you leave.

His hand strokes my cheek and his lips brush against my forehead, his soft murmur is urgent and full of fear. "Open your eyes, let me see those sparkling emerald eyes." I smile and laugh softly. Slowly I open them, doing as he asks, and as I open them completely I see that the sunlight has shifted into the tendrils of dusk. A shadowed figure hovers over me. For a second I think I slept longer than I did, but when the figure moves into the dimming light I see Rafael's face, stark against the drab background. And I know I died. I smile softly and reach for his face. "This is an amazing heaven, I can't believe you're here. Wait are you dead too?" He looks at me perplexedly and shakes his head curtly.

"Then why are you here!? If you're not dead then why are you visiting me?" He laughs tenderly and says, "Iris you're not dead, and this certainly isn't heaven." I blink, what is he talking about. I had to have died hadn't I? "What?" I croak. He sighs and picks me up. My body tingles but other than that I feel absolutely nothing. "Wait....if this isn't heaven, and I'm not dead then....oh my god are you actually here? You're alive?" His eyes soften for me and his lips hover over me, "Iris I am taking you home" I try to pull away when I realize that if my father comes to look for me and I'm not here, he'll have a cow. "I can't go" I whisper. "What? Why not?!" I explain it all out him and I see the unfathomable anger drench his eyes and slip into his heart like a twisted lullaby. "You need to get warm now, and no arguing with me. I am. Taking. You home. Now." And then I hear a whooshing notice and as I blink I see that we are in front of my house.

Rafael is about to enter the house when I say, "wait... Tyler is in there" he growls and says nothing. His anger radiating off of him, making his skin hot. For a few minutes we stay out there in the moonlight and cold. I shift so I can look at him, and I brush a finger over his cheek. His eyes meet mine, and I see them soften for me. I smile and place a cold kiss to his cheek, "I love you Rafael. I could never replace you" he smiles and nods. Then we enter the house and it's quiet. Zeke must be asleep with Tyler. Rafael brings me to my room and then gets the shower running to warm me up. I sit in my bed shivering, and think about how this night is surreal.
***
The next morning I wake up all cozy and warm. A solid body pressing into mine. I sigh and turn so that I can press my face into the warm chest, and wrap my arms around the broad shoulders. I hear a sudden intake of breath and slightly open my eyes. I see Rafael. And the night before flashes in front of my eyes. I shoot up and just stare at him in stunned silence. His eyes are closed, his lips lightly parred, his chest rises and falls steadily. But I know he's not asleep. I look at his messy chocolate brown hair, and have the urge to run my fingers through it. But I don't.