Trapped

Chapter 12-Jake

I was watching her, and she was watching me. She was like a gentle rose, surrounded by a sea of thorns. Abruptly then, she closed the curtain and hurried away, without warning. Every so often, every time I saw her, her expression changed from calm and relaxed, to tense and frightened. Why was she like that, I thought. She always seemed to be in a hurry, like someone was always threatening her.

My mind flashed to about 1 year ago, when I had first saw her. I was visiting Grandma here, at her house. As I was driving closer, I noticed someone walking idly in the garden next to Grandma's house. From a distance, she looked like a white dandelion or daisy, flickering about. Her long wavy locks of hair, her olive, youthful skin, her delicate steps and prance, she almost seemed like someone out of a dream. 

I drove in front of Grandma's house and got out of the car. Unknown to myself, I caught myself staring at her. She was still unaware I was behind her. She bent down and picked up a flower from her flowerbed, twirling it in her fingers. She brought the flower to her nose and smelled it, smiling subtly. I would never forget that smile, like a light in a room of darkness. When she smiled, I smiled. I felt like I watched her for hours, falling more greedy to look at her for more.

Then, someone had come behind her, a man, with a furious expression on his face. He stormed up to her and grabbed her by the arm, jerking her towards him. She dropped the little flower she held. He whispered something to her through angry teeth and held his grip on her arm. He looked at me momentarily, his eyes fixed with rage, and then looked away. He started to walk back towards the house, with her following behind him. But then, something unexpected happened. She turned around, her eyes looking at me through her face hidden behind her hair. She was confused, sad, her eyes starting to tear up. Her eyes had a thousand questions, filled with anguish. I opened my mouth, not sure of what I would even say, but she turned back, quicker than she had turned my way, and ran off behind the man, never turning back.

I hadn't forgotten those eyes ever since, although, after meeting her after Grandma's death, it seemed like she had forgotten me. I knew that I had fallen in love with her that very first day I saw her, but my mind had always subdued the feeling. I knew she was with someone else, and whatever it was keeping her with that man, was strong, strong enough to keep her at the same place, even two years later.

As much as I wanted to tell myself she was happy, my heart never believed it. Her teary eyes and worried expressions every time I saw her pierced through my heart, and I could do nothing about it. I had to ask her, I thought. I had to make sure she was happy, so that I could forget thinking about her, and finally convince myself that she wasn't mine.