Chapter 15

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I awoke with a start. It was dark and my head was aching, throbbing at my temples.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes to new surroundings, the last thing I remembered was hiding out in the bathroom.

I had no idea where I was, I wasn't home I knew that for certain.

I gradually got out of bed and narrowly glanced at the large mirror in the room. I had on a sweater over my dress, and before I could make any assumptions I heard noise from the other side of the room.

I made my way toward the noise. I glanced around as I wandered, I was in a nicely furnished apartment, it was antique, stylish, and beautiful. Where am I? I thought.

I looked ahead and immediately got all the answers I needed.

I looked ahead and immediately got all the answers I needed

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Mr. Hertz.

"Hungry?"

That was the first thing he said when he saw me.

I nodded and made my way toward him, he was standing by the window with his usual gaze.

"What's this place?" I followed him as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Guest house." He replied.

"And, why are we here?

"You were unconscious, this was the nearest place to the doctor, he just left." He walked over and placed a plate of sandwich and a cup of milk in front of me,

"I haven't had one of these for years." I smiled shyly.

"Eat, so we can leave." He chipped in.

I nodded and dug in.

"How did you find me?" I dared to ask.

"You called me."

"Yeah, I know but I never got to send you a location, my phone died."

He pointed at the end of the counter and I noticed my phone charging, "Wait. Did you put a tracker on my phone?"

"Turns out, I was right too. You got careless and almost got assaulted."

"You just rip out the bandage, don't you?" I scoffed.

"Who was it that hurt you?"

"What does it matter? It's over." I didn't tell him who it was, I didn't trust Mr. Hertz to be rational about it. But knowing Mr. Hertz he already knew who it was and was asking to confirm.

"Where was your boyfriend the whole time?" I had no answer to that. Where was Dylan the whole time I was being assaulted?

"I would really like to forget what happened, is that okay? It's not like he forced himself on me, I wanted it and I kissed him back. Turns out you were right, I'm a delinquent in need of affection. You win. So let's drop it." I said and got up to walk away, I didn't want to be around him or get any more ideas, not when he looks at me like that, like I was his to protect.

He stopped me and forced me to look at him, "I'm sorry. It's just I when I think of what might have happened . . ." His voice is barely a whisper.

Broken, raw.

"I'm okay," I whispered back. It's almost a sob.

"You don't look fine." He caught on and stroke my face with the back of his knuckles, and the tip of his thumb, gazing intently into my eyes.

I crumbled completely and my cheeks turned bloody red,

"I...I'm alright. A bit shook. But I'm fine. Nothing happened. It was just a mistake."

He shook his head.

"Ali, you're not without blame," he muttered.

What? I gained my senses and leaned back to glare at him.

"What do you mean?" How could he blame me for being assaulted?

"I don't want to argue about it right now, Alison. You know exactly what I mean. You broke the rules."

I guess I just snapped,

"Funny how you say that seeing this is all your fault. I only went to that stupid party because I was mad at you, and myself. .. I wanted to get drunk because I have all these new feelings and apparently alcohol helps to stop them. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to stop thinking about you, worrying about you, to stop wondering why you didn't show up for my contest after begged you to, I wanted to stop replying to that kiss—"

"Stop, don't do that.." He cut in and started walking away from me.

"Why, does it bother?" I ran after him.

He snapped his head to me.

"You are...."

"I'm what... 18. George's daughter." There was an endless list of what I was to him and not what I wanted to be.

"I was going to say crazy. You've lost your mind. You've clearly gotten better, get your things we are leaving."

Blame it on the alcohol, but I was so out of my mind.

"I like you, a lot ." I spat it out, it was no secret anymore, "I've loved you since I was a kid, which is the weirdest thing to say but it's the truth."

His eyebrows moved fractionally registering his surprise as if he hadn't expected my outburst, "You earned for a father, that's not love."

"You never acted like a father and I never saw you as one, so don't you dare use that line on me."

"I'm going to pretend we didn't have this conversation, get ready we are leaving."

I was determined to make him listen.

"Wanna know how I found out? Tonight, hiding out in that bathroom. I was scared out of my mind, but all I could think about was you, I just wanted to hear your voice, I wanted you to find me first. I could have called the police or anyone, but I called you. What does that mean?"

He sighed heavily as if he had been holding this tension for a thousand hours and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm your guardian, Ali. You always call me first." 

"I didn't want my guardian tonight, I just wanted you."

He let out a frustrated laugh as if he couldn't believe his luck tonight,

"How much did you drink tonight?"

"I'm not drunk. I have never been saner."

He looked at me with incredulity and frowned,

"You always do this, you throw a tantrum when you don't get what you to want. You can't always have it your way, Ali.  Your father left me in charge of you, so I could protect you and speaking of your father." He walked over to his briefcase on the table, and like always my feelings were ridiculed, "He wanted you to have this." He returned with a letter from my father, one I didn't even know existed, but somehow wasn't even eager about it.

"How convenient for you to bring this up right now?"

"All the answers you need are in there."

"I doubt they are the answers I want right now." He gazed at me, completely impassive, and doesn't respond.

A stark silence stretches between us,

"Are you alright?" He breathed in between, his eyes burn with great care, he looked at me with those eyes and expects me not to melt completely, what am I made of wood?

"No, I want you to want me."

He didn't answer,

"I would go grab my things." I said and left him. I felt the rush of embarrassment kick in just as the night air hit me.

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