Hellbound with you

28. jellyfish

After some time, Abigail finally woke up and found that she was lying inside a car. Her head throbbed in pain, her mouth was dry and her vision was a bit blurry. She blinked a few more times to get a clearer picture of her situation and she began to remember the things that happened before she passed out.
She felt her hands tremble a little from the memory, but when she saw the silhouette of that perfect figure sitting on the driver's seat, her increasing panic and accelerating heartbeat slowed down.

The man was leaning his head on the headrest with his eyes closed. She would never get used to seeing the perfection of his face. He was like a jellyfish, beautifully emitting its own light under the dark ocean, but if you touched it… you'd be poisoned. And Abigail had the strongest desire to touch this beautiful, mysterious jellyfish, even knowing that it might lead to certain death.

As Abigail stared at him, she slowly recovered from her lightheadedness. It was outrageous but she momentarily forgot that horrific experience just by staring at him.

Suddenly, the man spoke but his eyes were still closed. "Miss Chen… I hope you already learned your lesson. Never attempt this again. I'm telling you one more time; someone like you doesn't belong in my world. You belong in your own peaceful paradise," he said, still not throwing her a glance.

She could hear in his voice the blatant warning and she clenched her fists tightly. She felt like there was something caught in her throat and the words he said before she passed out echoed in her head. 'I told you… you can't handle it…'

Abigail felt the urge to cry.

She didn't understand… all she wanted was to fall in love. All she wanted was to experience saying those three words - 'I love you' - to the man she loved, and to know how that would feel. Was that really too much to ask? That was all she wanted, her only wish… so why can't things just go smoothly as she wished?!
Should she really give up now? Should she really just burrow herself back into her rabbit hole like a scared little bunny and go back to living that safe, uninteresting, loveless little life that she had been? Should she just sit still and just wait for the day when she finally leaves this world?

Just the thought of it made Abi's heart break. She had been a good girl for twenty-two years. Was it really wrong for her to desire this? She had never asked for anything else. She never cursed God and got angry at him, nor did she ask why, of all people in the world, she had to be the one who got sick. She accepted everything and only wished for one thing…

But it seemed like that single wish of hers was like a balloon on a fragile string that was being forcefully pulled from her grasp no matter how much she tried to hold onto it. She could see it slowly fly away from her and it didn't feel right. It was more painful than the pain she felt when Alexander rejected her. She knew in her heart that she didn't want to give up because she just felt that she would regret it. She didn't have the luxury for another lifetime or second chances and she was well aware that her time was running out.

"Go home and stay there, Abigail. That's where you belong. You've seen the outside world and there is nothing good out there," he added and Abi looked away.

"You're right. The world is not always a nice place… it can be scary…" she trailed off. Her voice was weak, almost a whisper. Sadness and pain could be heard in her voice. "But I don't agree with you that there's nothing good out there."

Alexander furrowed upon hearing her words. He finally looked at her as he opened his mouth to speak. However, when he saw her eyes glimmering with tears that were threatening to fall, he was forced to hold back.

"Alexander…" she called out his name in a really sweet yet sad tone. "Why did you come and save me?"

What followed Abi's question was a deafening silence.

What happened tonight rocked her world. It was terrifying. She never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. She finally understood why this man believed since the beginning that she couldn't handle it. Her actions and reactions tonight proved it even if she started to deny it now.

However, this man came and saved her. No matter what she said, no matter what she thought and no matter what she saw, this man came and saved her. This single act from him was enough for her to persevere and try to catch the balloon again. She decided to try again, one last time. If she couldn't get him to agree tonight, then she would stop, once and for all. She would accept that this was probably her fate.

"I think that there is something good out there…" she lifted her hand and gently poked the man's cheek. "You."

Alexander's lips parted in disbelief. He caught her wrist and held it as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Abigail, you don't know what you're saying," he said and then, out of nowhere, he moved closer to her. His eyes blazed again with ice cold fire as his fingers traced her jaw. "Didn't you see how much more dangerous I am than that man? I have and can still do far, far worse things than that. I have done things you can't even imagine, Abigail… Believe that!"

"But you saved me."

"I did that out of impulse."

She ignored his words. Even if he was just being impulsive, he still saved her. And really? Out of impulse? Didn't he just acknowledge the fact that he had some good in him?

"I believe that I'll be fine out there, as long as I'm with you."

Alexander leaned back, now pinching the skin between his brows.

"You don't get it! I'm the one who's much more dangerous for you, Abigail." He looked at her again. His eyes were still cold and filled with urgent, dangerous, warnings. "If you become my girlfriend… I might ruin you… In fact, I know I would. You don't know what I am capable of doing to you."
Abigail swallowed.

"Why don't we try it then? How about you give me a month? If I really can't handle it, I will run away from you on my own."

Alexander let out an enchanting but chilling laugh. He was speechless. He could see that light in her eyes again, that light that was blinding for someone like him, that light that he knew he could probably never kill no matter what he said or did.

"Tell me, why me?"

"Because you're the most handsome man I have ever seen?"

He twitched, obviously not pleased. "There are tons of fish in the sea, Abigail. You're only saying that because you've never jumped into the ocean! I just happened to unknowingly jump out of the water right in front of you."
"I have seen my share of fish but you're right, you were the first one to jump out of the water and the first one I truly noticed. You're also the only one that has ever sparked something in me. I-I… can't explain it. I just have this feeling that we… that I…"

… will never find another man like you again for the rest of my life.