Emily kept walking down the long driveway. She kept her head down so as not to raise suspicion. She certainly didn't want Eric to find her and get her in his obsessive grasp. The very thought of his name haunted her and made chills run down her spine. How was she supposed to be strong when she was scared? It was easy to be brave, but hard to be strong in her opinion.
The air that was hot just a minute ago, suddenly turned cold. Emily could have sworn that she felt Eric's presence but she just decided that it was best to ignore it. She was most likely just paranoid. Her fear was winning her over. He was winning. Emily could hear his cold laughter, almost feel his breath in her ear. She was terrified. She wasn't about to let him win this war.
Emily didn't know why but she started running. She ran and ran and ran. She didn't even get tired. What took her twenty minutes to walk, only took her ten to run. She ran into someone. She didn't know who but they caught her. For a moment the world around her was churning. There was an intense vertigo that made Emily want to throw up.
"Wow. Someone's distracted. What's wrong Emily?" Emily looked up and saw Ian. He was smiling a sweet smile. He didn't think, he just kept holding her with his arms. Emily smiled at his nice, warm grasp. It was relaxing and comforting to see him.
"I don't wanna talk about it right now Ian. I'm in a dangerous situation and I don't want you to be involved."
"Uh uh uh. Wouldn't wanna tell him anymore unless you want him dead." She clinched her fists and basically told him to fuck off.
"Whoa! How did you get yourself in such a position? Are you alright? If something's wrong, it's okay for you to tell me. I can help you." Emily bit her lip. She tried not to cry. She shook her head.
"I can't talk about it Ian. If I did, the danger wouldn't hesitate to kill you." Ian leaned in closely to Emily. His embrace was nice and warm.
"Emily, is it your uncle? Has he been hurting you? People say that's why your mom left." Emily shook her head.
"No. He's the one that's keeping me safe. That's why I moved here. Back in New York, I got in some trouble with a guy." Emily tried to keep the details from coming out. Ian looked at her passionately. It was so hard to keep everything a secret.
"I understand Emily. Don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what." He begun to kiss Emily. She shoved him away and cried. She shook her head. She couldn't do this. Eric was threatening his life if the romance continued and she didn't want Ian to die. Ian frowned. "
"Do you not love me Emily? Or is this because of that stalker dude?" Emily just bit her lip and looked nervously into nothingness.
"Hey Ian! Who's the girlfriend? Wanna come with us to the movies? There's an awesome new thriller out." Ian smiled at Emily.
"I think that would be a good thing. Come on Em. This is Kate, George, Link, and Emma." Everyone introduced themselves and welcomed her into the group. It almost felt as if she were back in New York. Key word being almost. Her life would probably never be normal again. This was as close as she got. She should savor it.
"I'll have to ask my uncle if I can go. Do you have a cellphone that I could borrow?" Ian smiled and nodded. He handed her his cellphone. She called her uncle and asked if she could go to the movies. He told her to enjoy herself. She was amazed at how lenient her uncle was compared to her mother. Ian smiled.
"So, did your uncle say that you could go? If not, I could just walk you home. I doubt your uncle would kill me and fry me up." Emily rolled her eyes. She didn't find that very funny at all.
"He said that I could go. He warned me about funny business though. He will kill you and fry you up if he catches you kissing me. Aren't all uncles and fathers protective like that though?" Ian smiled and nodded. He got into his SUV and started driving. Emily was seated next to him and all of his friends were seated in the back. Emily smiled. She was actually going to have fun and be normal again.
