Trapped

Chapter 14

Anger. Hatred. Betrayal. That's what she was feeling since a couple hours, since she saw the horrific scene unfolding in front of her. She has her reasons to feel the first two but betrayed, she had no idea why that one is more amplified and why was she feeling it in the first place. Heck, she is even hating herself for behaving like a pathetic person, being all tears and heartbroken for a person she barely knows. Did I trust him so much to feel this betrayed? She nods a no to herself in response to her own question and looks up to see if he has noticed this internal fight inside her. Thankfully, he had his head in his hands. For the first time, since she has woken up, she realises that she is not home; somehow that did not bother her. The man in front of her bothered her the most and she tried to ignore his presence.

"It's really cold, you should take the bed," Zayn finally gains the courage to talk to her while moving away from the bed. "I don't need anything from you," she snaps at him accompanied with a cold glare and he is fine with that. What matters the most to him is that she is talking to him and silence is more painful than harsh words. "Whatever it is, don't blame my bed for my fault." These words make her reconsider the option of getting in the soft bed and snuggle under the warm duvets because the cold is suddenly at extreme levels and is chilling her to the bones, making her teeth chatter and limbs shiver. She decides to ignore the offer from this cruel man and she shouldn't be even here. She should be planning on how to escape this place. However, some past incidents clouds her mind, leaving flashbacks of every moment when he helped her and now it's all a mess.

He slowly sits down on the couch placed opposite the bed. She knows that he doesn't want to harm her, otherwise he could have done the same while she was unconscious instead of bringing her to his place. She mumbles a simple okay and takes the bed with small hesitant steps, as he gathers a spare blanket for himself with a small smile. When she gets under the duvet, the warmth engulfs her instantly and she sighs with a feeling of content, forgetting about her messed up mind. His gaze set on her fragile frame just to assure himself that she is fine.

Even under the lids of her closed eyes, she could see him, feel his eyes burning on her and it annoyed her but she decided to keep mum about it. The more she avoids him and his presence, the more calm she will be. And with those thoughts, she tried to keep her mind blank and numb those aches that are coursing through her muscles due to sudden exertion. Restlessness, that was what she felt accompanied with a sleepless night. It was bound to happen when your scared senses heighten to a level where every sound, every shadow and every touch makes you hallucinate about an unknown danger that never exists in the first place. Now, couple that with a stranger watching over you every other second; a perfect mix to leave someone sleep-deprived.

Alisha feels someone shaking her slightly and she groans, pulling the covers back up to her face. She had finally found some sleep, dripping in her eyes slowly and it was way too soon to wake up. "Hey.." she hears a soft velvet voice and her half-asleep mind jolts awake, remembering everything clearly from the last night. She scrambles away from his touch, replacing the small smile on his face with a look of disbelief and concern, all mixed into one. "You never told me about your name, so I.." he tried to carry on the conversation as casually as possible with the tension thick in the air between them. "You don't need to know my name." She snaps back, leaving the bed and standing in the far end of the room. "Oh c'mon! Even after being so careful with you, you still think I am going to kill you?" he says, shaking his head in disappointment and stalks towards her stunned figure and in no time, he is in front of her, their faces only few inches apart. His sudden proximity makes her jump, her back colliding with the glass windows behind her that swing open on impact, letting a gust of wind rush in the room, her long brown already dishevelled hair are now going haywire as he confronts her. She has her breath held, the icy breeze sending shivers right up her spine but then it could be his close presence, maybe. "I could have done that when I had the chance," his voice a silent intimidating whisper that makes her gulp as his eyes bore down into her brown ones, holding a mysterious stare that leaves her frightened yet curious. Though she is the scared one, it's him who is breathing heavily. The air is thick with tension around them, weighing down on their shoulders and making it difficult for either of them to stay on their feet with dizzy minds.

He steps back, returning back to reality, releasing her from his captive stare. And she exhales a long held breathe, slumping down with her hands on her knees. She is puzzled as to how she can feel her heart hammering against her ribcage when she was merely breathing moments ago. Something about him is alluring but then she has to keep her distance and eventually forget about him. He is not someone to be friends with and she is terrified wondering if that will ever happen, him forgetting her and disappearing from her life. After all she knows his secret, his dirty little secret that turns him into his monster in contrast to his fake gentleman persona that he so portrays in front of Alisha.

The time makes her realise that it is not even dawn yet when her eyes land on the clock on the adjacent wall. She wants to leave this place and feel safe at her home sweet home. She wants to forget about this night and sleep in her own bed. She wants to forget about this man that is smoking a cigarette, making her cringe in disgust.

"If you are that concerned, why don't you drop me back at my home!" She yells back at him as he is walking out of the room. "I thought you would never ask," he replies back over his shoulder, sarcastically. She goes and stands in front of him, blocking his path. "Home, now!" she snaps while folding her arms over her chest. And that only makes him roll his eyes. "Oh! Sure," is all that he says grabbing his keys before walking out. She follows him without a moment to spare, rushing down the staircase, feeling the cold on her feet because now she remembers that she never had shoes on her feet when she escaped her attacker. Aching feet making her slow down as she falls back, increasing the distance between them. Soon, they are standing in front of his bike with her shivering in the chilling cold.

"If you tell me your name, I shall take you home," he mumbles with a small grin. He doesn't know what possessed him when he said those words and he wants to hit himself, if that is possible without embarrassing himself in front of her. "What!" she exclaims wondering if he is actually out of his mind. "Your name, simple," She shakes her head in disbelief. "What if I don't?" she asks, annoyed by him. "Okay, I will make it simpler. I am Zayn," his hand outstretched as he let those words slip out of his mouth. "Alisha," a small whisper, barely audible, escapes her mouth and she looks away without shaking his hand. "Alisha," he says it quietly, rolling her name on his tongue which makes her look back at his face. "Now your turn to complete the other part of the deal" He nods and gets on his black beauty but soon his eyes land on her. She is contemplating whether to follow his actions and get on the bike, behind him or resist it. They can get a cab but it's too late or too early to call one and he can read her perfectly. He shrugs off his jacket and hands her as she shivers. "I don't need-" "Just take it so that I can take you home before you die." She huffs but finally puts the jacket on. The smell of his sweet cologne mixed with the burnt smell of cigarettes hits her nose. After thinking for whole two minutes and him staring at her, taking in her petite frame covered in his jacket, she agrees and carefully gets on the bike.

"Never been on a bike before?" he questions her, even though he can easily guess it from her expressions and she nods to say no. "Well, then you might want to hold on tight." And with those words, he puts the engine into ignition, speeding out on the streets with her hair flying behind her. Zayn smiles to himself as his eyes find her face reflecting in the rear view mirror, her skin almost golden, just like he saw her in the cab. Her hands tighten around his waist as he increases the speed and he feels a jolt of electricity in his veins. He is too happy to have both his favourites at the same time, his black beauty and Alisha. He has a Cheshire cat smile plastered on his face, experiencing this feeling for the first time and his heart has finally found contentment.

Alisha struggles to tame her hair that is dancing to a wild rhythm and she finally lets them go. A weird feeling grips her, scared and enjoyable. Just like an adventure. She can't remember the last time she had a proper adventure excluding her recent encounters with rowdy men, which was only scary and not anywhere close to being enjoyable. It suddenly makes her smile as the harsh wind caresses her skin, making her hair whip back and the adrenaline rushing through her system. A sense of freedom fills her and she relaxes her tensed shoulders, letting herself go. Her fear is slowly being replaced by happiness and she is living in the moment for the joy of it.

She should enjoy while she has the time, it can only last for few irreplaceable moments.

*****

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I just realised I have 1K+ reads on this book. I am really grateful to all the readers out there, reading this book. A massive Thank You to all of you and lots and lot and lots of love!

Regards,

A.R.