Defy Desire

Chapter 29 - Tom

The sand was warm and calming, the sea was crashing elegantly, the birds sung above in harmony, the sun beamed down a golden stream and then there was the utmost beauty of them all right beside me, smiling brightly with a sparkle in her eyes as the sunlight reflected on them. She was laughing; it was a most perfect sound. To see her happy was my happiness; it was all I needed to see me through. I smiled back at her flawless face and took in the radiance of the way she looked at me. She saw me...she saw it all. I was an open book to her. That smile was still captured on her face, those eyes were still shining through the creases from her laughter, her dimples commanded my attention; they were so simple but meaningful to me. I loved seeing her this way...I stared at this face and all its perfect features, watching them smile back at me...until they weren't. I felt confusion...where did they go? Why was that perfect smile fading? Why did those bright, emerald eyes now look scared? Where had those dimples gone? She didn't see me anymore. She saw straight past me. I followed her gaze, turning to see...her. Why was she here? She was never meant to be here ever again. Her smile was wicked, her stance was sinister, her eyes were...enraged. She stared at us beneath her and my body filled with fear. Why was she here? She wasn't meant to be here. This was our place...

I jumped and sat up suddenly, the sound of the alarm blaring through my head. Turning quickly trying to locate the sound, I hit the button on my phone sharply to bring me silence. I rubbed my eyes and breathed, pushing the strange dream from my mind and turned around to see if Maia had woken. She was still sound asleep.

I moved from the bed gently and quietly moved to the bathroom and took a quick shower. I should have woken her for work but I knew she had no plans to go in. She had just returned home last night to a complete nightmare and I knew she wouldn't concentrate on her work properly. She hadn't even bothered calling the police.

I stepped from the shower and dried off before heading to the lounge to grab my clothing from my holdall. The apartment was still upside down and I felt my anger starting to surface again as I thought about this person being in here and doing all of this to her. She didn't deserve it; she was the most kind-hearted person I knew. I knew I needed to start thinking of a plan of action to get to the bottom of this so she could return to living comfortably in her own home. I didn't even want to leave her today; I knew she'd be on edge being here alone but I couldn't call in sick when I was waiting to find out the fate of my career from the board.

Once dressed, I began to gather my things when I heard her footsteps moving from the bedroom. I glanced up. Even first thing on a morning she never ceased to amaze me. Her messy hair fell down past her face scattered across her body, her eyes were puffy and her lips were slightly swollen from having just woken up. She approached me and her facial expression told me exactly how she was feeling about seeing me about to leave her alone again.

'I'll get off early if I can,' I told her, as she sat down on the sofa and stared at the mess around her.

'No, don't worry,' she said. 'I'll be fine. Maybe I'll visit Lola and see her family while they're in town.'

'After you've spoken to the police?' I asked.

'No,' she replied, and shook her head. 'It's a waste of time. I'm just going to clean this place up.'

'Maia, it still needs reported,' I told her.

'I'm not reporting it,' she said, frustratedly. 'I just want to get it all back to normal and move on. The police will do nothing just like last time someone was here.'

I eyed her and she glared down at the floor and fiddled with her shorts. I realised right away what her real reasons were for ignoring this.

'What are you afraid of?' I asked. 'That going to the police will anger this person further?'