Can't Afford Mistakes.

Chapter Four

Sadie.

The clock strikes 12:25pm, and I'm still left in Arabella's truck.

"Arabella's never let you down before," I repeat to myself.

Out of the corner if my eye, I see tall man with blonde hair and piercing eyes. I crane my neck to see who it is, but he's gone. I blame it on my nerves and go to turn on Arabella's radio when I hear an ear splitting scream from the house next-door.

I look around and Arabella is still not out of her house, so I open my door and hop down from the truck. My heels wobble beneath me as I try to balance myself in the pea gravel driveway. When I reach the edge of the yard, I call out to see if anyone needs help.

"Hello," I yell, "is anyone there? I heard a scream, are you okay?"

Just as I'm about to turn around and head back, I feel a hot breath against the nape of my neck. A large hands encloses around my right hip, digging their fingers into my side.

"Pretty girls like yourself shouldn't be in a hick town like this one," a masculine voice says from behind me. "Turn around, so I can see your pretty face."

I turn around slowly, waiting to see who the libertine behind me is. Once his face cones into full focus, my breath hitches in my throat. The man standing before me cannot be over 20 years old, his features look as if they've been chiseled out of rock. His green eyes and long dark eyelashes are captivating. His straw-colored hair is short on both sides and long and tousled at the top. Stray strands of hair stick to his forehead just above his perfectly shaped eyebrows. His tan muscles strain against his constricting v-neck. He resembles how one would imagine a Greek God.

"Who are you," I ask once I find my voice.

"I'm good time you will learn my name," he says taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes drift from my face down my front and to my hand. He takes my small hand in both of his large hands. His fingers graze over the ring Arabella gave me.

"Where did you get this ring," the devilishly handsome stranger ask me, adjusting his grip on my hand to a slightly firmer one.

"My friends Arabella gave it to me," I stutter out whilst bringing my hand to my chest. His eyes flicker at the mention of Arabella's name.

"It is very beautiful," he says bringing my other hand to his lips, "however, our time together is coming to a close. I must be going. You mustn't tell anyone about our fun."

"But I don't even know your name," I yell after him.

"In do time, in do time," he coos from the treeline.

Once he is out of sight, I stumble aimlessly around Arabella's back yard until I reach an old, rotting shed. I walk through the doors, trying to make sense of the last few minutes. Who was that boy? This is a small town where everyone knows everyone, yet I have never seen him before in my life. Why couldn't I know his name? Why did his demeanor change when he noticed the ring? And why did he almost smirk at the mention of Arabella's name?

Thoughts are rushing through my head a mile a minute and before I know it, I've made my way to the barn where Arabella's horses are boarded. I run my hand along the metal bars of the stalls , feeling the cool metal sink into my sweating palms. I finally decide to call Arabella to see what is taking her so long. I reach her voicemail and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Ara, what is taking you so long? Hurry up before you make me late to the concert. Also you're never going to believe me when I tell you about the boy I just met. Call me back, now," I whisper, as if I'm trying not to let the horses hear my conversation.

Suddenly, the horses begin to buck and rear in their stalls. I try to soothe them, but a hand flies over my mouth, causing me to choke on a scream.

"I told you not to tell anyone of our miniscule adventure, didn't I," the same masculine voice from earlier ask from behind the shell of my ear.

"I-I-I was just going to tell my friend about how attractive and mysterious you at, that's it, honest," I cry.

"I asked for one thing, & you couldn't fulfill that wish," he sneers in a low tone.

I bite my lip and look up into Arabella's window. She's pacing back & forth, a phone I've never seen before wedged between her shoulder and ear. Her hand is at her mouth, fingernails pulled in between her teeth, and the other runs through her midnight hair before flying out in sporadic motions. I try to catch her eye, however, despite my best efforts, I fail.

The man behind me seems to have taken notice of my intense focus on Arabella because he leans in and whispers, "She can't help you now."

I inhale sharply as his lips graze against the shell of my left ear when he speaks.

Just as soon as I see Arabella slam the out-of-date phone back on its receiver, the man behind me releases me from the iron grip he had on my waist and vanishes with the wind. I wonder to the side of Arabella's house, still dazed from being held flush against the striking man and the helpless feeling that washed over me.

What really sticks out to me is Arabella. She told me she forgot something, but why was she on an antique phone that I never even knew she had? If she needed to make a phone call, why didn't she use her cellphone? And why did this phone call take almost fifteen minutes?

"What the hell, Sadie," Arabella screams, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I, uh, heard someone scream and I went to see if the person needed help," I say in an absent minded manner.

Arabella gives me a quizzical look, "Sadie there was no scream, but more importantly, I thought I was very clear when I said do not leave the truck for anything!"

I just blink at her, trying to find the right words to say, but before I could Arabella grabs my hand and drags me back to her truck.

"Come on," she sighs, "let's get you to this damn concert."

"Yeah, the concert," I say blankly, following Arabella's shadow.

Wow, four chapters in 24 hours. I'm on a roll, although I only have like 7 or 8 chapters thought out 😂 but if you're this deep into this story, you're amazing, & beautiful, & I love you so much! ❤