"You know I can't let you go, right?" The man asked, voice gentler than I was expecting it to be. I looked up and he was staring right at me, eyes uncharacteristically kind.
I nod slowly, whispering, "Go ahead."
~~~
Ava Williams is just trying to l...
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Rain pounded against the window without any sign of letting up. It has been almost a week since my nightmare and I have been trying to avoid Jaime as much as possible since then. He's been busy with work which made it easier. I could feel myself starting to settle in here, and being with Jaime was... well, I wasn't sure. I was nervous around him, but it was a different feeling from when I first got here. That scared me.
I showered and got dressed for the day and headed to the kitchen to start breakfast, wondering what new recipe Alma was going to throw at me. But when I rounded the corner, instead of Alma, there were two men in the kitchen, one sitting at the island and the other leaning against the counter. I didn't recognize either of them, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Their conversation stopped when I entered the kitchen and both pairs of eyes landed on me. They scanned the length of my body and I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I was looking for Alma. Have either of you-"
"Who do we have here?" The man sitting interrupted me, swiveling in his seat. He raked a hand through his thinning, gray hair, combing it out of his face.
I grew uneasy under his stare, a frown forming on my face. The man smirked at my obvious discomfort. "No one. Just looking for someone."
"Aren't we all?"
As soon as I lifted my foot off the ground, he stood, towering at least half a foot above me. The other man just watched with feigned disinterest. Before he could move an inch, I felt a presence behind me.
The man's expression changed, and his smirk quickly fell away, replaced by what might be a little bit of fear. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. I could feel the anger rolling off of him.
"Ava, could I talk to you for a minute?"
I turned around, but Jaime was already halfway down the hallway. As soon as we were out of earshot, Jaime asked through tight lips, "What were you doing with them?"
I scoffed. "Are you seriously mad at me? I didn't even know they were there until I walked in. Who are they?"
"Business partners."
"You sure know how to pick them." I rolled my eyes, about to stalk off when Jaime swiftly caught my hand.
"Listen, some of these men-most of these men- can be dangerous. Just be careful, okay?" His shoulders sagged in exhaustion and he ran a hand down his face. I glanced down at our hands and a tingle ran up my arm.
"Fine." I nodded, snatching my hand back. He stared into my eyes for a couple more seconds before walking past me into the kitchen. I decided not to stick around for the awkward conversation that was about to ensue, wandering the hallways. I think it's safe to say that I was growing bored of being stuck in this house.
Finally, Alma found me drifting through the hallways, and I joined her back into the kitchen. The men were gone and so was Jaime. Alma sensed my anxiety, probably after I almost dropped my third plate, and I told her about the encounter this morning.
