Mind Control

Nets

Okay, so I'm not a huge fan of author's notes, but at this point I feel one is necessary. When I first started writing this story, I didn't expect anyone to read it. I just wrote it for fun. So thank you to everyone who's reading this, and voting. I'd love to hear some feedback too! I know I'm not perfect, and I'm totally open to criticism. So comment, comment! On that note, happy reading! :)

There is a knock on the door and I pull away from Drew to get it.

"Hey, I'm Arabella, but you can call me Ary. I already know who you are," she adds as she sees me open my mouth to reply. "I came to give you two these,"

She holds out two phones. I take one and give the other to Drew, who is still staring at me in shock.

"Thank you. Are there numbers on here?" I ask.

"Ah, you're getting used to us. Of course there are, a phone would be kind of pointless without numbers, wouldn't it?" she smirks.

"Well yeah, I was just asking," I laugh.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone," she winks. I shuffle around, embarrassed. "Good night Lydia. My number is on there, so if you need anything, or just want to talk, ring me,"

"Will do," I say, as she hugs me. She gives Drew a quick hug as well, and leaves.

I put the phone on the desk and turn around to face Drew. He's still staring at me.

"Drew, you were practically screaming. Punching you might have been suspicious, and you would've blocked me anyway," I sigh.

"So you kiss me?" he asks incredulously.

"What did you want me to do? I panicked, and did the first thing I could think of. I'm sorry," I say angrily.

"Have you ever thought that maybe kissing is something important to me? I take kisses very seriously, Lydia. And it obviously makes me angry that you would disrespect that and kiss me just to shut me up," he shoots back.

"I said I'm sorry! How is kissing such a big deal to you?! What are you, twelve?" I hiss, trying to keep my voice low.

Immediately I know I've said something wrong. His eyes darken and he turns away from me. He goes in the bathroom and slams the door shut.

Sighing, I get into the king size bed, making sure to stay safely on my side. This is obviously a sensitive topic for him, I shouldn't have been so harsh. My father was never insensitive towards people. He could always sense a touchy subject, and knew how to handle it. I've seen it many times before. But somehow, I never got that talent. I'm instinctive, and rarely think about what I'm going to say before I say it. It has landed me in trouble on more than a few occasions.

Drew walks out of the bathroom and turns the lights off. He quietly gets into bed, and lies down, his back to me.

"Drew?" I say softly. No answer. "Drew, I'm sorry. It may not be important to me, but I understand that this is something important to you. I'm very...impulsive. I get angry easily, and I end up blurting the first thing that comes out of my mouth. There is no filter,"

"Then buy one. You have all the money in the world," he says curtly.

I take a while to think of my response. "Are you ever going to forgive me? You know, that's the one thing my father always insisted. Forgiveness. He used to say that every time we are angry, or hold a grudge, we wound ourselves. The wound may never be fully normal again, but the first step towards healing it is forgiveness. Time will take care of the rest,"

He turns around to face me, but I can't make out his features in the dark.

"It's okay. I forgive you. Your father was a wise man. Mine was like you, very impulsive and quick to anger. You miss him a lot, don't you?" he says.

"Yeah, I do. I miss him so much. He was such a strong person. I try to be strong for him, but it's hard. I mean, not only because we were kidnapped and stuff, but because I feel lost without him. He was my safety net, the one I could count on to catch me when I fall. Now, I have no net, and I'm walking on a thin wire,"

"You are one of the strongest people I've met. I don't know you well, but not many people can keep themselves together after a death of a loved one, let alone handle being kidnapped," he says, his hand reaching out to cup my face.

"You can," I laugh softly.

"Love is a strong word. I tolerated my father, but he wasn't someone I adored. The loss affects me, but not nearly as much as you," he replied dryly. "The one person I do miss is Aya,"

"Who is that?"

"She was my girlfriend. We dated for three years, until I found out she cheated on me. She claimed it was just a little kiss, in the heat of the moment," he says so quietly I can barely hear.

I put my hand on his. "That's why you value kisses,"

"Yes. Kissing is an act of passion, love, and caring. It shouldn't be done otherwise," he replies.

"We should go to sleep. It's getting late. Good night, Drew," I yawn.

"Good night, Lydia," he says as I fade into unconsciousness. "I'll be your safety net,"