In which I fall in love with my brother's best friend.
*****
"Don't pretend like you don't feel anything." His voice is low, sending shivers down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean."
"I don't know what you're talking about...
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Morning has come. The clock on the wall indicates 7 AM. And I still haven't got any sleep at all. How could I? With Derek curling behind me, caging me.
He's now outside the room, probably taking a shower after locking the door so that I can't go anywhere. I look around, hugging my knees on the bed. There's no other way out besides the door. There's no window where I can see sunlight coming through. This is like a prison, making me feel like I have a claustrophobic even though it's never in my record.
Derek opens the door, making me startled. He's only wearing shorts, a towel around his neck, his hair still wet. He glances at me, making me look down in fear before he reaches for his clothes inside the closet. The moment I look back up at him, he's already dressed in a pair of jeans and a green polo shirt.
My heart leaps as I'm hoping that he'll be leaving soon. There must be something that I can do while he's away.
He grabs his backpack and slings it across his shoulder before leaning down to me, making me retreat and push my back against the wall.
"I hate leaving you, since I want to be with you all day." He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, and I shudder. "But I guess I have no choice. I have to make sure I can afford a living for our future. You're mine, Melanie. You're going to be here every day. Together with me. Today, tomorrow, and the day after until forever."
Again, his words make me sick. I look away as he keeps staring at me.
"Now, isn't this a proper time for a kiss before I leave?" he whispers, and my heart skips a beat.
Fear begins to fill my insides again. I don't want to kiss him, but if I don't, I'm afraid that he'll do something even worse. He grips my chin, and my lips tremble as his face draws closer. When his lips almost graze mine, I look away so that his lips touch my cheek instead. To my horror, he grabs my hair and pushes my head onto the wall. I wince in pain from the sudden smack. There's a ringing in my ear, and my head starts to spin.
"You bitch," he hisses. "I ask for one fucking kiss." He jumps onto the bed and corners me against the wall.
"No!" I cry, pushing and kicking him in every direction, panic engulfing me. "Let me go!" I scream, tears now streaming down my face.
"Why are you crying!?" he shouts, his voice filled with a mixture of rage and frustration.
I'm shaking. And for a while, the only sounds that fill the room are my sobbing and his ragged breathing.
"I guess we have to do it my way, huh?" he asks, the coldness in his voice sending chills through my body.
Slowly, I turn my head to look at him. A horrible feeling stirs inside me as I watch him take out his phone.
He looks at me and smirks. "You should have noted what I said to you before. Do you think you can have a life without me?"
