Vulnerable ✔

6

Something came up
***

I know it!

Oh my god!

I KNEW HE was Arrow Archer Remington Slate. How could he deny that he didn't know me? I couldn't be wrong because the boy with braces back in high school was the same man who took me into his apartment and provided me safety for two days.

I might have lost sight, but I was not completely blind.

He was extremely gorgeous, intimidating, tall, and strong. I felt safe and protected when I was him that I'd never felt for a long time. His dark hair and dark eyes, his growing scruff, the full and softness of his lips, and the scar just below his eyes were reminders that this world had toughened him.

The way he looked at me, and I knew it all. It was him-the boy who bumped into me many times. Arrow was shy and never talked to me other than apologizing.

The way he looked at me now, there was a blurry of desires, lust, and something else-there were restraint, desperation, and uncertainty. What I could think of was why was he trying to push himself away? Was it because I was weak or because he didn't see the girl I was before?

Then the kiss. He'd been silently begging. When he finally gave in-I was lost in his kiss-it was raw and urgent as if he was running out of time, and then he took his time expressing his indulgence as he pressed his impressive length against my lower belly. Arrow Slate instantly consumed me.

I was whimpering as the ache worsened between my thighs. It was just a damn kiss, yet it buzzed every nerve ending in my body. It was no doubt that I needed Arrow with every fiber in my being.

I mentally played the sensation of our kiss, the sliding of his tongue and how it curled against mine before my eye flutter closed, praying to have a successful surgery. I had terrifying experiences when it came to surgeries after the accident, and it was hard not to look back upon seeing the hospital and the lights focusing down on me that blinded my vision.

Murmurs, beeps, discomfort, pain, then a voice-a female voice.

"Imogen?"

"Oh, God. How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm okay." I sat straight on the bed. "Did I actually sleep?" I wandered my unaffected eye around the recovery room, and couldn't find Arrow. A surge of disappointment knifed through me.

"Something came up. He'll be here soon or we can go to the apartment and wait for him there." I felt my face heat that Imogen noticed what or who I was searching.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah. He's a tough guy." She smiled. "I'll drive you back to your apartment."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Do you feel itchy in your eye, lightheaded?"

"No." I slightly shook my head. "I think I can go home now."

My mind went back to Arrow and his promise. That 'something came up' must be important for him to leave because he didn't seem a kind of guy who liked to break promises. It was just a stupid kiss, Brooklyn.

I am such a chickenshit!

Guys seemed to break promises a lot when it came to me. My ex ended up with a broken leg and arm because he broke his promises. Not only once. Our anger turned into rages, and we ended up into an accident.

I couldn't let my hopes high. Arrow seemed to be a good guy, and he didn't deserve someone like me, or I was too ahead of myself. It was just pure lust, Brooklyn-the thing I saw in his eyes was due to your depiction.

At the apartment. Imogen was a great person. She was funny and didn't know how to filter. She said she dated this guy who rocked her world, but she ended up leaving him.

"Arrow never dated after his release." She sighed.

"Why?" I scooped my soup. "It doesn't seem hard for him to find a woman."

"You're maybe right, but he chooses not to. He's ex died with his brothers in an explosion, but he already accepted it. He visited the family once-"

I placed down the spoon and licked my lips. I lost my appetite all of a sudden. My heart plummeted. I was dying inside as I listened to Imogen. A sick twist began to curl in my stomach. No wonder he was cautious. He'd lost someone he loved in a terrible accident.

And I was a mess to even enter into a relationship. I didn't even know if I read Arrow's gesture-could be just pure sexual tension. I just came out from a messy relationship for God's sake. I was broken, a disaster, and I was insane that this thing between me and Arrow could lead to something more.

I felt desperate.

"Did I say something to upset you?"

My gaze lifted back to Imogen, and I saw the genuine concern on her face.

"I just remember something."

"You can talk to me, Brooklyn. You can trust me." She squeezed my hand.

"I know." I stood from the chair and carried my bowl.

"Hey, leave that to me. Go ahead and take a rest. Yell out if you need something, okay?"

"I will." I made my way to my room. Once I was inside, I sagged against the door and closed my eyes. I thought I can have him now.

After half an hour, and it felt like a lifetime, I made my decisions. Imogen left earlier to her apartment to get a nap.

I placed back my stuff into my suitcase. After I wore comfortable clothes, I dragged my suitcase toward the door regardless of the doctor's advised avoiding lifting heavy objects.

I couldn't stay in Arrow's apartment anymore. It would be awkward if I had feelings for him and contradict to Imogen beliefs, he was not done with his ex-that was what held him back all along. I placed a note and my rental payment on the coffee table before I left.

The three hours bus trip was exhausting, but it was worth when I got back to my grandma's house. When she passed away last year, she left this small country home in my name.

I was thankful I didn't bring my ex here-it would just bring the painful memories of my past.

"I promised to you, Brook, once I get the promotion, you will move in with me and we get engaged." Then he proposed to another woman and lied to my face when I confronted him.

***

THE ROOM was pitch black. I must have fallen asleep. My phone was constantly ringing. I patted my eyepatch to check if it was in place. Thankfully, I haven't felt any irritation in my eye since I might have forgotten to apply my eye drops. I stretched my tired muscles and groaned as I grabbed my phone.

Through blurred vision, my breathing held to see the screen of my phone.

My heart nearly stopped. Why is he calling me?