Daunting Reality

3 .Deceived

                                                                       3. Deceived

The concern that started to take over me right after I finished packing my bags stopped me from laying down on the bed to take a short nap. There was a throbbing pain inside my head each time I reminded myself why I had to do this, and as if it wasn't enough, I had moments when I realized that I was standing outside in the thick darkness of the night with my bare feet on the paved alley that was leading up to the main entry of the house, looking around for something. My throat was burning each time I moved my eyes back to the gate, waiting to see if a car was hiding under the blanket of shadows. That's when I remembered the first day when I arrived here.

The sun was up into the middle of the bright blue sky, shining upon my hair with an incredible power. It was spring, and the blossoming flowers were all over this small courtyard, sending waves of perfume in my direction. The house was not big at all, it barely had the essential: a dorm, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. It was enough for me, maybe even more than enough. At that moment, I thought that I should call Nate and convince him to move in with me, but he declined. Why? Because he preffered living with his friends instead of me. I turned cold after he refused. And, as if it wasn't enough, he also informed me that we should quit the courtesy visits from now on. Since then, our situation was as clear as crystal. Friends were better than family.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek as my eyes continued to stare blankly ahead.

If I had the courage, I would have slit my neck with the first kitchen knife I saw, only to end my worthless existence. But I hadn't, so it was better to lose myself in the arms of a stranger. I was selling myself, and for the first time in my life, a problem this big didn't look like something important to me.

'Speaking of which, I forgot to give my address to Reynolds.' I thought. 'He was so sure of himself that I completely turned my back to it...' I spun on my heels to go inside, but right when I was about to close the door behind me, my ears intercepted the sound of a horn. I looked behind me. A black Sedan stood in front of the gate. I couldn't see inside from this far, but having such an expensive car in the front of my courtyard surely meant something.

The sky was now a shade of grey and I knew that the dawn was near. It was probably five or six a.m .

One of the doors opened and a I felt my heart flutter inside my chest. My mouth went dry. The man that came out of the car was tall, extremely tall. I bet that he was way over 6 feet. He had broad shoulders, thick arms and long legs. He moved easily, even though he looked huge and heavy. He was wearing a pair of black sunglasses on his head, leaving his eyes uncovered. I couldn't see his face in detail, but I was absolutely sure that he was handsome. Everything about him was.

'Could this be Reynolds?'

His clothes consisted in a pair of black jeans and a blue parka. I thought for a moment that he was wearing sneakers, and I could tell that I was right when he stopped right in front of me. I stared a few minutes at him, measuring him from head to toe. I had one conclusion: Everything about him was hard muscle. Tons of it.

I brought my full attention to his face.

Man, he was beautiful. His skin was an olive color and it was absolutely flawless. His eyebrows were long and a darkened brown, but not the same shade as his hair. His hair was light brown, and shiny as diamonds in the light of the day, it was shaggy and it rested near his chin. His eyes were a light chocolate color with flecks of green. Pure amusement danced in his eyes as he scanned me in one simple movement of his head. He looked down at my bare feet, then he saw the black pants, the red jacket that was covering my sweater, and finally he looked at my face. I felt the blood draining from my cheeks as his smile turned into a smirk.

"Hello, Melanie. Nice to meet you. " He had a smooth voice, but I sensed a lot of false politeness in it. He looked me right in the eye and made no effort to hide it as he spoke again. "Please tell me where your bags are, so I can help you with them." There was something about him that scared the shit out of me, and I felt unable to move out of his way to show him where my old backpack and the other two cases were. His hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped back, almost landing on the cat. I hadn't realized it, but I let out a yelp of surprise that made the man in front of me chuckle.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. They're... uhm..." It seemed that in the last few days I was unable to talk to other people, besides my cat. The man nodded, and entered the house, searching for the bags.

"They're here. Mr Reynolds told me about the fact that you don't finish your sentences, it's okay with me. I'm not a talkative person, anyway." He spoke the last part in a whisper as he bent down and threw the backpack over his shoulder. Then he took the other two cases, one in each hand, and went out.

"Don't forget to lock the door when you're ready. I'll wait for you in the car." He shouted over his shoulder as he stepped farther toward the gate.

I didn't lose anytime, I turned around and put on my shoes, then I looked for Snow-White. I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Here, kitty. We need to hurry. Come on."

She mewed from somewhere under the table. I looked under it and I noticed her.

"Come on. Come on, baby." She looked frightened. Her fur was standing up on her back, and she was looking at me with almost human eyes. Something scared her.

I dragged her out of there and cradled her in my arms like a baby, pushing her farther under my jacket to keep her warm, then I went out of the house without looking back. I didn't bother to lock the door, it wasn't as if it was completely mine, after all. I just put the keys in the flower pot next to the door and walked over to the car.

The cat turned completely rigid in my arms as I opened one of the back doors and got in.

There were two persons, the man that carried my bags and the driver. Both of them were chatting and laughing loudly as if I wasn't really there.

I couldn't help but observe that the driver was clothed in a black, elegant suit. There was a black hat on his head, hiding his ears and half of his forehead. I looked in the rear-view mirror next to him, only to see his viridian eyes which contrasted against his pale skin. His eyebrows were not quite white, but more of a darkened grey. He had a long, Roman nose and thin lips which where paper white. In the left corner of his mouth was a small scar that seemed to be there since forever. It looked almost natural on him, and that was very creepy.

"So, Miss Houston, how do you feel about getting to know one of the owners of R&C Enterprise? I believe it is a big honor for you, isn't it?" I was a little taken aback when I heard a new voice, raspy and a little too loud for my ears. Snow-White jumped startled in my arms, too. She probably fell asleep a few minutes earlier, once she felt the warmth engulfing her, but now she was looking wide-eyed toward the driver. I looked at him, too, searching for my words.

What is this R&C Enterprise? Why is it so 'famous'?

The driver's eyes darted back to the rear view mirror, searching my face like an experienced shrink. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he discovered that I had no idea about what he was talking about and he nodded, like he already knew what to expect from me.

"I thought it may interest you, since half of R&C Enterprise was owned by your father." he spoke on a solemn tone. "Condolences."

Then, the ugliness of the truth hit me. These were the men my father was indebted to. These were the men I was supposed to run from.

Another wave of tension passed through me and a whisper moved like a shadow in my mind..

They didn't ask for an address and the only persons who know where I live are Nate and the landlord. I made sure that the landlord doesn't know about my links. The only option is...

I felt my heart stop into place and the blood in my veins turned into ice.

...Nathan. My Nate.