Handcuffed

Chapter 14

Alex POV

While Jordan and I were walking in the garden, I couldn't stop smiling. She let me hold her hand as she pointed out flowers that she liked or thought were interesting, I occasionally would point out a flower that I knew. She would listen carefully and didn't shy away which made me ecstatic that she was starting to get used me being around her. 

We sat down on a nearby bench after about an hour of walking and talking around the garden when we sat down Jordan's hand was still intertwined with mine. My smile was so big that my cheeks started to hurt. 

I broke the silence, "Jordan, can I ask you something?"

Jordan looked at me, her eyes brighter than ever, "Sure."

I inhaled deeply, trying to contain myself, "So, I was, um wondering if you, uh if you were feeling a-any better? I know that you weren't, uh feeling v-very comfortable earlier, so, um, yeah..."

I look away, knowing I just made a fool of myself. I could feel my face getting hotter as she didn't respond. God! Why did I stutter? I sound like a freaking idiot! She's gonna think I'm a stuttering loser! Ugh! 

I looked back at Jordan, but I was surprised to see her looking the other way slightly. Eve with her looking her facing the other way, I could still see that her cheeks were a light pink color. What? The Jordan I know never blushes, or at least she didn't before. Does that mean...? No! I shouldn't assume things! Don't give yourself false hope!

Jordan looked back at me, but when she smiled at me, I think my heart stopped for a second. She squeezed my hand, "I'm feeling better now, thank you, Alex."

I couldn't help but stare as she smiled up at me. One day she gonna kill me because every time I look at her, my heart stops.

"God, Jordan. What are you doing to me?" I asked rhetorically while looking away with my free hand hiding my face which was getting even warmer mean I was blushing harder. I peaked through my fingers to see Jordan looking at me with wide eyes and a redder face, in other words, she looked gorgeous.

"I should be asking you that," she muttered. My head snapped towards her, not expecting that sort of response from her. 

"What was that?" I don't she was expecting me to hear her. That doesn't sound like something she would purposefully say, especially to me. And when her head turned towards me so fast I was worried she would get whip lash, she confirmed my suspicions.

"What was what? I didn't say anything," I knew she was lying but I don't want to ruin this moment I'm having with her. 

"Huh, guess it was my imagination," I chuckled and I squeezed her hand. Her eyes drifted towards our conjoined hands, I got worried that she would pull away but what she did was the complete opposite. She smiled and squeezed back.

AHHHHH!

She didn't push me away! She's allowing me to get closer to her! I don't want to jump to conclusions, but my hopes about her liking me are getting higher. 

"So, what are we gonna do? I mean, we still have school and all," her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Not gonna lie, I kinda forgot all about school, but we've only missed like 2 or 3 days. Besides, if we went back Jordan and I wouldn't be able to spend time together like we are right now. I don't want to go back to how things were before, I don't want to go back to when Jordan didn't look or notice me. I want to stay here, in this moment, in this garden, on this bench, our hands clasping each other. 

"Why don't we just stay here? Or we can go somewhere else, but we go together. We can go to my place? But I don't which way that is," I said, rubbing the back of my head with my free hand. I don't have a clue where we are, we were pretty much kidnapped by a gang. I mean, it'll be a cool story to talk about when we get back. 

Yes, I said when. I plan on getting Jordan and I out of here, I don't care if we have to go to my place or somewhere else. All I know is that we're not going back to her place and we're not staying here.

"Alex," she started, "I just want to go home. Yes, I know what's waiting for me there. Yes, I know that you don't want me to go back, and no, I'm not going to change my mind. Even after all he's done, he's still my father. I love him unconditionally, but I love him whenever he's sober, whenever he acts like a good father, heck, even when he genuinely smiles at something that he smiled at before he turned into who he is now. I just want to go back, maybe talk to him, make amends. I want to go home."

I stared at her flabbergasted, "Jordan, I know that you love your father, but you need to know that you love the man that he was before he turned into what he is now. You need to see and understand that you're father isn't who he used to be."

"You don't know that, you don't know him like I do. He still loves me, even if he hits me, insults me, he still loves me. I'm still his daughter, he...he still loves me," Jordan's voice was starting to shake a bit, but I had to get her to see the truth.

"Jordan! Open your eyes! Your father is a monster! Your father hits you and insults you because he doesn't love you!" I scream.

Crap.

I saw tears fall from Jordan's eyes. She rips her hand away from mine, stands up and slaps me. Hard.

"You don't know him. And even if he did hate me, it's not your place to tell me that," she starts to walk away, but she suddenly stops, "I really thought that you were different. I thought that maybe, just maybe I could open up to you. But of course, even light has a shadow."

With that she walks away. I sit and stare where I she stood moments before. 

Why did I have to open my damn mouth?! Why did I have to ruin everything?! Things were going great, she was smiling, holding my hand. Then I go and run my god damn mouth! I look up into the sky, it was turning dark, stars were starting to show up. I wonder if I didn't say anything, would Jordan be enjoying the night sky with me?

After beating myself up mentally, I walk back inside only to be met with Joe, Kelly, Jake and Travis trying to calm down a panicking Blake.

"What's going on?" I voice my thoughts. All eyes turn to me, they flicker as if to see if I'm with someone. When they see that I'm alone, everyone starts to panic. "Guys, what's happening?!"

They all turn towards me, Blake is the first to talk. Unfortunately, the words he says make me wish I never asked.

"Jordan's missing."