Read Between The Lines

Always Been Him

It's been 30 minutes right now, and I'm still in the basement watching TV. 

Harry hasn't given me food yet, but I should prepare myself just incase he never feeds me again. On cue, the basement door opens and I hear his footsteps coming down the stairs. "Good morning Arabella, sleep well?" he questions. "Yes" I give him short answers because one, I don't want to get hurt and two, he's not my friend. "Good, I will be leaving shortly. One of my friends will be upstairs instead of me. If I don't make it home by lunch, I will text him to give you lunch." he says while watching me eat breakfast. I nod my head, mouth full of food. 

He kneels down beside me and says, "what did I tell you about using your words, Arabella?". My eyes go wide and I automatically start getting prepared for the sla-

*Smack* 

My whole head shifts to the left side, due to the harsh impact. "It's rude to stare Arabella, and it's rude not to answer someone either. When I leave, I want you on your best behaviour for Niall, do not bother him, and most importantly, do NOT *he emphasizes not* disrespect him. Do I make myself clear sweetheart?" he says in a mocking tone. If I wasn't so angry, I would have blushed at the nickname, but no. 

"Yes" I say with completely no emotion. "Good" he says. He continues to walk then stops in his tracks and says, "you could have it worse Arabella, I could be torturing you right now or even worse raping you but I'm not. You should be grateful." My eyes go wide at his comment, "GRATEFUL? WHO KIDNAPPED WHO?" I scream, taking him back a little bit. 

"You naive little girl. I knew you, way before you knew me. You just never noticed me." he says, but stops. I know he has more to say because he is walking closer. My body starts to shake at his next comment, "sweet little Arabella. Afraid of the dark sweetheart? Always walking home in the dark. You like the library baby girl? You like Dennys also?" at this point, tears are streaming down my face while I stare at this stalker in front of me. 

"Run" he says, while smirking right after.

I gasp and scream at the same time. It was him. The shadow. The footsteps. The voice, the voice that haunted my dreams at night. A shiver runs down my spine, 

it was always him. 

I didn't realize that he left the basement, but he did. I'm completely terrified of this man. Also terrified of his capabilities. 

Why is my life like this?

I finish up my breakfast and continue to watch TV. One good trait that Harry has is his ability to cook. The eggs and bacon were perfect, making me want more but I'm afraid to ask for more. Should I go ask for more? Is he still here? What if he hits me again? I decided to ask for more, since I'm starving.

I walk up the stairs, slowly so I don't make any noise. I knock on the basement door, lightly carefully. I hear his footsteps coming closer and I immediately shrink. 

"Yes?" he questions with a raised eyebrow, looking down at me. "Can I um, have some more food please?" I ask him stuttering which I hate. I don't want to be like this around him but he's so intimidating, everyone would react like this. His eyes go wide for a moment and his lips part. I realized that he isn't in his pyjamas anymore, he's wearing black skinny jeans with a white shirt. 

"Yes" he says, returning back to his cold expression. He leaves the basement door slightly open, allowing some of the kitchen light to be exposed. He returns with another plate full of food. I lick my lips at the sight and my stomach grumbles. "Thank you" I say, while picking the plate up and walking down the few flights of stairs. 

I sit on the couch and continues to eat. I can hear Harry coming down the stairs and I feel him sit next to me. I put a piece of bacon in my mouth, following with some eggs. This time he decided to give me some toast with a jar of marmalade.