the fall | abel tesfaye

chapter nine - hidden treasures

"How did you know to come and save me last night?" I ask him quietly. "Everyone was too distracted to see me go upstairs."

Abel takes a moment to think about my question before responding. My breathing picked up. Was he in on it?

"I saw Hayden disappear, and you still weren't back. It was odd to me, how he showed so much sudden interest in your friend, only to leave her side when you were gone," He tells me. "I knew something was up. I was just lucky enough to find where you were before- "

"Don't finish that, please," I cower away from him. I don't want to think about what would have happened if Abel wasn't there to save me. The thought terrifies me. My stomach drops as I remembered the small detail from last night that made me sick to my stomach. The video.

"Abel, the video. Did you know about the video?" I stammer, not making sense.

"What video?"

"Hayden told me that you guys set up cameras in the rooms to... Watch the next morning. Is that true? Why wouldn't you warn me about something like that?"

He lowers his head and stares at his hands, guilt clear on his face. Oh God. He knew.

"It's not like that," He starts, as if to read my mind. "I knew the camera was there, yes, but I was going to delete it as soon as-"

"As soon as what, you had a bit of fun with your friends the next morning? You make me sick!" I yell, turning heads in the cafè at my sudden distress.

"Arabella, calm down, it's not like that," Abel reaches for my hands, but I yank them from his grip.

"How can you be so horrible?" I whimper, feeling tears well in my eyes. I really know nothing about this boy. "You barely even know me. How could you do something like that to me? Manipulate me like that?"

He shakes his head vigorously at me but says nothing.

"Every time I think there's good in you, I get blindsided by something like this," I tell him, my temper rising. "I can't believe for a second I was letting myself trust you, like you, even. I was kidding myself."

I jump out of the booth and head straight for the counter. Ben tries to speak but I silence him by placing a ten-dollar bill in his hand and hurrying out of the crowded cafè. I needed to get as far away from Abel as possible.

"Arabella, wait!" I can hear him calling after me, but I don't care.

This is a mistake. Looking for him was a mistake. My feelings for him are a mistake. He finally catches up to me and reaches for my arm. I yank away from his touch yet again.

"Fuck, I'm sorry okay?" He tells me, running his hand through his thick hair. "I just... I've never felt like this before. I'm so confused."

He breaks down and drops in front of me. My mouth opens in shock. He squats down in front of me with his face in his hands, and my guard is instantly down.

"Abel..." I say, not knowing what to do with myself. I bend down and reach for his hand. "It's okay."

He slowly removes his head from his hands and gazes into my eyes. My heart instantly flutters, and my anger dissolves.

"Just please," He starts, taking my hand in his now. "Give me another chance. I promise I'll make it up to you."

I sigh, trying to come to terms with everything happening. He did stay with me last night while I fell asleep, and he did save me. Maybe I'm misreading everything. Maybe he's not the bad guy. Maybe it's all just in my head. Right?