One and Only

chapter 15

Liam

Anger , Shame is what I feel right now. I don't know why I'm angry , this is what I wanted to do , this is why I brought her in my car . This wasn't the actual plan though. I wasn't going to make her sit in my car , I wasn't even planning on seeing her . I just saw her wheezing and coughing on the side of the road , her eyes wide, blurry with tears . The red marks on her throat , scarf on the side made me somewhat sympathetic .

She flinched, she fucking flinched when I touched her and I lost it. I wanted to hurt her , I wanted to hurt her so bad and I did. I couldn't think about anything else as soon as my lips touched her skin , it was as if I was punishing myself by kissing her skin , grazing the soft spot on her neck with my teeth. It was euphoric. Her skin was soft . In that moment, I didn't see her crying , I didn't see her freeze with fear.

I clench my teeth and start walking faster. When I finally calm down , I notice that it's eerily quiet . I can only hear my footsteps. I turn back expecting to see Charlotte behind me but there's no one. Fuck I mutter and start screaming her name. I thought she must have followed me. I was sure she would. I start running back as fast as I can. She doesn't have anything with her , not her phone , not her bag , not even her coat. She left it in the car .

As soon as I reach the spot , I see no one. I scream her name .

" Fuck"

I keep searching though. It starts raining and the fear comes back. She will freeze if I don't find her . I don't know how long I search for her . I keep looking. It feels as if I'm going in circles.

I almost give up , I think about calling the cops but then I see a tiny figure lying in the middle. I can see her whitish pale skin . I quickly run towards her and freeze when I see her lying naked . Her lips are purple , her face white . Her fingers are clenched around her clothes. I pat her face to wake her up but she doesn't even stir. Her skin is cold , extremely cold. I remove my jacket and cover her. I quickly pick her up and start walking towards my car as fast as I can.

...

I take her to my room and lay her down, covering her with layers and layers of blankets. My mom comes running into my room and as soon as her eyes land on Charlotte, she gasps.

"Liam? What.. what's wrong with her?" She asks.

" I found her in the forest unconscious! " I say

She puts her palm to her forehead and her eyes widen when she feels how cold her skin is.

"She is so cold , we need to make sure she is warm. Turn on the Heater "

I quickly do it and I watch as she rubs her palms and leg to spread some warmth into it .

" Liam ! Why is she naked? "

I freeze

" Go bring her your clothes and fill the bath with warm water "

I quickly bring my sweatshirt and sweatpants , when I return , my mom has already put her in the bathtub. I Keep the clothes on the bed and go outside , closing the door on my way. I clasp my hands together to stop them from shaking but I can't help but feel guilty.

If anything happens to her , I won't be able to forgive myself.

I flinch when I feel a hand on my shoulder , I turn around to find my mom .

" I am going to do a few things , meanwhile you take care of her . Don't let her out of your sight. I will make sure her grand mother is fine . " I nod and sigh in relief.I give her the apartment keys from Charlotte's bag .

When I enter my room , I find her sleeping form in my bed. She is covered in blankets and her feet are covered in my socks. Mom must have put them on her. I go towards her and touch her forehead. She feels much warmer than before. Her cheeks are red and when I touch them they're warm.

I sigh and sit on the sofa . I'm so tried that as soon as my head touches the pillow I fall asleep.

...

I wake up when I hear soft whimpers. It's dark and I cannot see a single thing.

" Daddy! Mommy!" I hear . That's when it dawns on me .

" Charlotte?" I say and she whimpers again.

" Pl..please! Mommy " she says .

I go towards the bed and shake her " Charlotte wake up! You're dreaming ! Charlotte!"

Her eyes snap open and she hastily starts looking around . When her eyes finally gets adjusted to the dark , she spots me beside her bed. Her eyes widen and she quickly starts getting off the bed. She stumbles and when I try to catch her , she starts crying " No...no please! I'm sorry !"

" Charlotte , it's fine ! I'm not going to hurt you , it's alright "

I slowly go towards her and she starts shaking her head . She keeps stumbling and her eyes gets hazier.

I catch her before she can fall and she goes limp in my arms. Her body is so warm that I quickly lay her on the bed and put more blankets on her . Even then she keeps shivering. I sigh and get with her under the blankets and pull her closer to me. It feels wierd to be so close to her .

I wonder what she was having a nightmare about. I saw it in the news that her parents were murdered brutally . There were so many other rumours about their deaths that whenever I used to think about it, I would feel a shiver run through my body.

I pull my arm tighter around her when she shivers .