Fear.

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Adriana, Anna for short, and I had always been close. We did everything together. I was always hiding in her shadow. We weren't exactly the best of friends, but we both had a special place for each other in our hearts. We grew up together. I was there for her when she was six, when her drunken What father molested her. I was there when she was ten, when she saw her mother being killed. I was there when she was 13, when she was bullied to no end. I was there when she was 17, when her heart first broke and I'm here now, at 21 but I know that now she's smart enough not to trust everyone she meets. I've taught her well. I've seen her tears, her pain, her hurt and her cries, and through it all, I've stood by her. I would never leave her. She was special to me.

No one really spoke to us in town or in the university we attended and good thing too since we didn't want to talk to anyone either. Well at least I didn't. Anna on the other hand would occasionally try making small talk with some of our peers. But she gave up eventually noticing how most people steered clear of our path, while the few who did acknowledge us were the ones who were quite enticed by Anna's good looks. She wasn't a very charming kid. She was rather scrawny and looked malnourished. But she grew up to be a beautiful woman. Her brown eyes no longer looked dull and boring, they now had an amber shade to them mainly due to the fire in her eyes. Her black hair came down to the mid of her back and curled perfectly on her shoulders. Her wheat colored skin tone contrasted beautifully with her dark lips. Her nose was rather too large for her face but she still looked perfect.

One particularly chilly evening we made our way down the street to the new coffee shop that had opened. I personally hated coffee, in all forms, Anna however loved the beverage. In fact she loved it so much that it was probably the only thing she'd do without me or my consent. As we sat there in silence, Anna sipping on her latte and me gazing at the people around us, a young boy who looked about our age walked up to us and introduced himself. He said his name was Kevin and he was new to town. He had begun working at this coffee shop to help manage his college funds. I was pretty taken aback as to why a random stranger would walk up to us and introduce himself. As though he read my mind he informed Anna that she had forgotten her keys at the cash counter and he had brought them back. Anna, being the nice person that she is, offered him a seat in the form of gratitude. He readily accepted saying that his shift had just ended. Kevin spoke endlessly and although I was bored out of my wits Anna seemed to be enjoying herself. This bothered me. A lot.

After a while I reminded Anna that we had an English assignment to complete. Her face visibly fell at my words. Nevertheless, we bid adieu to Kevin. A smiling me and a slightly disappointed Anna walked up to our dorm room. I didn't understand why she was so taken with this guy. He seemed rather normal to me. It was clear to me that she was still thinking about him. She hadn't said a word all through dinner. Seeing as there was no point in this, I decided to address the elephant in the room. I reminded her that he was just a stranger. She didn't know anything about him and it was highly unlikely that they would see each other again. She pondered on my words and agreed silently. Little did I know that I was wrong. Oh, so very wrong.