That Summer (Part Two) (12 page)

“You
don’t know what I have in store for you. I think you might change your mind if
you knew what I have planned for you in here.” He taps the side of his head,
referring to the monstrous thoughts inside his head.

“I’m
not afraid of you.” I defy him boldly. “And I never have been… so do your
worst.”

He
grins at me in a salacious manner, lowering his mouth towards my own.

“I
intend to.”

He
licks the side of my face and breathes deeply, savouring the taste of my skin
before he continues. His hands grab the bottom of my dress, roughly yanking it
over my head before tossing it aside.

My
matching bra and panties soon follow, leaving me completely exposed and naked
before him. Feeling self-conscious, I long to cover myself from him but force
my hands to stay by my sides. His lustful eyes wander up and down the entire
length of my body, absorbing every contour of my new curves.

My
body has somewhat changed shape from the one he was once used to, resembling more
of an hourglass than it did before. My hips are wider but my breasts are just
the same, pert and small like they were when I was seventeen.

His
eyes ignite as his breathing increases, fighting against the overwhelming urge
he is battling against to touch me.

“Have
you been with someone else?” He asks gruffly, sounding detached and cold.

 “Never.”
I say, being completely honest. “I couldn’t.”

“Are
you telling me the truth? Because I’ll know if you’re lying. I’ll know the
second I put my dick in you if you’re being honest with me.”

“There’s
only ever been you.” I say quietly, feeling despondent and hopeless.

I
always wondered what it would be like to see Cole again. I’ve spent hundreds of
sleepless nights, tossing and turning as I tried to imagine how it would be. I
often considered the possibility that his time in prison might have changed him
but it never really occurred to me that he would despise me like this. The
venom in his heart is potent and I can feel it trying to claw its way inside
me, determined to destroy everything which is pure and good.

“That’s
the way it’s going to stay.” He groans, wrenching my legs apart.

 He
uses his thumb to massage my clitoris, using it to bring me pleasure by making
a circular motion with the pad of his thumb. He refuses to tear his eyes away
from my face, exploring the depths of my eyes as though he’s in search of
something.

My
eyelids start to feel heavy and I close them, allowing my body to experience
the exquisite sensation for just a moment. I hear the sound of Cole unbuckling
his belt and inhale sharply, fearing the next part of what he’s going to do to
me. It’s been so long since I last had sex, I know it’s bound to hurt me again
and I never dreamt that Cole would come back like this or that he was capable
of truly hurting me for revenge.

I
never thought my heart could break twice.

A
single tear falls from my right eye and rolls down my cheek, disappearing
before another one follows. I try to gain control over my silent tears but it’s
no use and they continue to cascade out of the corners of my eyelids.

I
hear a sharp intake of breath before the weight above me is removed. I peek out
through my eyelashes to see Cole’s silhouette standing before me. He’s
shirtless and I can see his muscular chest as it rises and falls with each
laboured breath. His fists are still clenched as he stares down at me in
horror, taking in my dishevelled appearance and tear stained face for the first
time.

“Jesus
Christ, what am I doing?” He asks, cradling his head in his hands. “What the
hell am I thinking?”

I
grab my dress and put it back on, covering myself from him so I can feel less
exposed and vulnerable.

“I’ll
go and get you a glass of water.” I mumble, stumbling out of the bedroom so I
can catch my breath.

 Once
in the kitchen, I grab hold of the counter in front of me. I’m shaking and
trembling so badly, I’m close to losing it completely. I realise I must keep it
together for both of our sakes and focus on pouring him a drink to take my mind
of the anxiety attack which is threatening to take hold of me.

 I
find Cole sitting on the edge of my bed when I step back into my bedroom. He’s
put his shirt back on but still looks terrible. His face is drained and he
looks exhausted, resembling the haunted and broken man I said goodbye to three
years ago.

“Here
you go.” I say, handing him the glass of water.

“Thanks
but I don’t need it.” He says, taking it from me before he pours it on the
cream coloured carpet beneath his feet.

His
act was deliberate and it hurts me to know that he still wants to wound me like
this.

“What
happened?” I ask him. “I thought nothing was going to stop you from taking back
what you consider to be yours.”

“You
are
mine!” He roars, jumping up from the bed.

He
grabs hold of my shoulders and slams me against the wall behind me, lifting my
dress so he can place his hand between my legs.

“W-what
are you doing?” I whimper, struggling to free myself from his grasp.

“Feeling
how wet you are for me and guess what? Your pussy is soaked.”

His
voice is triumphant and so is his smirk, beaming at me with a victorious gleam
in his eye.

  “Just
because my body might still respond to you, it doesn’t mean I want this.” I
tell him, sounding disconnected and devoid of all emotion. “You can tell
yourself that if it makes you feel better but it doesn’t mean it’s true.”

“Oh,
you will want it.” He whispers, lifting me up so he can wrap my legs around his
waist. “You’ll be begging me to take you in just a few seconds.”

I
know he’s probably right but hearing him say it only strengthens my resolve to
resist him and deny what is true in my heart. Running out of ideas, I decide on
the one and only thing which might get through to him and know I have to at
least try in the hopes that I can salvage what Cole is about to destroy.

“Do
you remember that day you stopped Jonathan from hurting me?”

He
freezes, meeting my gaze for the first time since I came back into the bedroom.
It’s clear that we both remember that day so well, the day Cole followed me
when I left school early and found me with Jonathan. He had followed me as well
and was trying to drag me inside his car. God knows what might have happened if
Cole hadn’t turned up to stop him.

“What
are you doing? What made you say that to me?”

“Do
you remember how scared I was? Do you remember how much you hated him for what
he was about to do to me?”

“Yes.”
He growls, simmering with anger right in front of me.

“Look
at me, Cole.” I demand firmly, turning his face back towards mine. “Look into
my eyes and tell me you don’t see the exact same fear that you saw that day.
I’m still
in
love with you but if you do this… you will become a monster
to me. You will transform into someone I need to be afraid of and I don’t want
that to happen, do you?”

He
says nothing, staring at me blankly. He waits a few more seconds before he
gently places me back down onto my feet and turns away, walking towards the
window.

“I…
I don’t know what I’m doing” He murmurs, taking in his surroundings. “I don’t
know what I’m doing here or how I could come so close to hurting you.”

“Have
you taken something?” I ask, closing the distance between us as I approach him
with caution.

“Like
what?”

“I
don’t know… have you been dreaming or something?”

“I
drink all the time now. It’s the only way I can sleep.” He answers, slumping
against the wall behind him.

“Cole…”

“I
might have taken something before I came here.”

“What
was it?”

“I
don’t even know.” He shrugs his shoulders, as though it’s no big deal. “I take
anything I can get my hands on.”

“Why?”
I enquire gently, desperate to reach out and touch him again.

“What
do you mean why? I’s because of
you
. It’s always been about you.”

“You
can’t blame me for this.”

“Can’t
I?” He yells, grabbing my arms firmly. “Serena, these past few years I’ve been
forced to exist in my own perpetual state of hell. I still can’t eat, I can’t
sleep. I can’t even
function
without you and you’re actually going to
stand there and tell me this isn’t your fault?!”

“You
don’t think it was the exact same way for me?” I shout back at him in
frustration. “You think I’ve been happy these last three years? You really
think I don’t cry myself to sleep every damn night because I’m still aching for
you? You think I simply got over it and moved on?”

“Well,
didn’t you?” He demands contemptuously.

“No!”

We’re
inches apart but it might as well be thousands of miles. I always wondered if
Cole would be able to find it in his heart to forgive me… at least now I have
my answer.

“I
shouldn’t have come here. I should have stayed away.” He whispers, lowering his
head.

“Maybe
you’re right.” I reply, holding back more tears.

“Perhaps
I should go…”

“I
think that would be a good idea.”

He
crosses the bedroom towards the doorway but pauses before he leaves.

“I
guess… I guess this will be the last time we see each other.” He says, sounding
hoarse.

“Probably.”

“And
that’s alright with you? It doesn’t matter to you if I walk out of here and we
don’t see each other again?”

“Of
course it matters.” I snap harshly, glaring at him indignantly.

“Prove
it.”

His
provocation is the final straw and I throw my arms in the air in disbelief and
vexation.

“How?
How can I prove it? You’ve made it obvious that you despise me now, the only
reason you came back here was to make me suffer!”

“You
think I hate you?” He asks me, sounding incredulous.

“I
know you do.”

There’s
a momentary silence before he speaks again, leaving me stunned.

“Green,
come here.”

My
mouth falls open with shock before I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion.

He
just called me Green.

 Cole
hasn’t called me that in years and it could be a sign that some of the
resentment he’s has been harbouring for years is starting to melt away.

Or
it could be a trick…

“What
did you call me?”

“You
heard. Now come here.”

His
command is stern and I can’t bring myself to disobey him. I gravitate towards
him and his authoritative tone without question, standing directly in front of
him.

“Now
what?”

“Green,
I’m sorry. I’m sorry for allowing the love I once had for you turn into hate.
I’m sorry for being jealous of you living your life while I was locked up in
prison and I’m so sorry for terrifying you tonight and threatening you. What I
can’t apologise for is the fact that I still want you. I want you just as much
as I did back then and that’s why I have to do this.”

“Do
what?”

“It
will only hurt for a split second.” He assures me, placing both of his hands on
my shoulders.

“Cole,
what are you talking about?” I waver, trembling uncontrollably.

 “I’m
talking about this…”

His
fist launches towards me, almost in slow motion. I scream and try to run away
from him but his knuckles managed to scrape the corner of my cheek and I’m
knocked out cold…

Chapter Eight

The
excruciating pain and the throbbing inside my temples must be what wakes in the
end. I groan, cradling my head in my hands as I try to prise my eyes open. It
takes me four attempts before I can make out anything and scream when I notice
a broad silhouette of a man watching me.

He’s
sitting on a chair which is right next to the bed where he must have placed me.
I can’t see anything but the outline of his body and that’s when it all comes
flooding back to me.

Cole.

He
broke into my apartment last night and then he hit me. He punched me in the
face which rendered me unconscious and then he must have brought me here.

I
have no idea where I am but the silence is formidable. I long for him to say
something because I honestly don’t think I’m capable when it comes to
conversing. My throat feels like sandpaper and my tongue is stuck to the roof
of my mouth. It must have been several hours since he brought me here because I
desperately need a drink and my limbs are sore from being still for so long.

“You’re
awake.” He says, stating the obvious.

“What
did you do to me?” I ask, sounding croaky as I place my hand against my cheek
which is still pounding.

“I
hit you.” He replies simply, in a matter of fact manner.

“Why?
How could you do that to me?”

“Because
I had to. I had to do it so I could take you with me.”

“And
where are we?”

“That’s
not important.” He answers brusquely, folding his arms across his chest.

“It
is to me.”

“All
that matters is that we’re together now and no one is going to come between
that again. Not even you.”

“Cole,
this is crazy.” I mumble, closing my eyes again. “You can’t do this… You just
kidnapped me.”

“Call
it what you want.” He shrugs, making out like it’s no big deal.

“I
really need a drink.”

“There’s
a bottle of cold water right next to you.”

I
wince as I try to turn my head, tormented by a shooting pain which prevents me
from moving my neck.

“Cole,
there’s something wrong. My neck really hurts and I can’t move it.”

He
jumps up from his seat in concern and gazes down at me with a look of
consternation and fear in his eyes.

“Where
is the pain? Is it here?”

He
lightly strokes his fingertips down the side of face and then caresses my
collarbone, avoiding the spot where I complained about my pain.

“What
have you done to me?!” I cry, scrambling to get away from him.

“Stay
still.” He demands, holding me in place. “I want to check that you’re ok.”

“You’re
crazy.” I retort sharply, scowling up at him.

“I’ve
told you that many times, Serena. You should have listened to me back then.”

“Maybe
I should have.” I agree, reluctant when it comes to allowing him to touch me.

He
continues to examine me with care, gently turning my neck from side to side.
He’s been so tender and affectionate, it’s actually difficult for me to repel
him. I can feel myself falling, falling right back into that dark and dangerous
web which he will use to entice me. The seconds tick by and I do nothing,
permitting him to explore the damage he might have caused before I finally snap
out of it and slap his hand away.

“Serena…”
He warns me, speaking firmly.

“Don’t
call me that. I don’t want you to say my name and you certainly don’t get to
touch me.”

“Fair
enough.” He replies dismissively. “I know you’ll change your mind.”

“I
won’t.” I argue stubbornly.

“You
will, Green. We both know that.”

He
picks up the bottle of water on top of the chest of drawers besides me and
brings it to my lips, carefully moistening my lips before he tells me to take a
sip.

“I
want more.”

“You
shouldn’t drink so fast, just small sips for now, ok?” He advise me sternly.

“Is
my neck ok?”

“It’s
just bruised. I think you landed on it when you fell.”

“You
mean when you knocked me out?” I challenge him bitterly.

“Yes.”

He
lowers his head with shame as he takes a seat in his chair once more. I can
tell he’s unhappy with what he did but that doesn’t mean that he despises
himself enough to regret it completely.

“Cole,
why are you doing this? Where are we and how long do you plan on keeping me
here?”

“You
mean you don’t know?”

“Don’t
know what?” I persist angrily.

“You’ll
always be here.” He informs me. “I’m keeping you forever.”

The
next few days are so blurry, they all merge into one and I start to lose sight
of what day it is and even what time. The room where Cole keeps me is so dark.
I can barely make out the outline of the door, let alone anything else.

Cole
continues to come and sit with me on a regular basis but normally leaves when I
refuse to speak with him. I can tell his little plan is not coming together and
his expectations have been shattered. I suppose he thought I would calm down
after a couple of days and forget all about the fact he has kidnapped me and
tied me to a bed in some sort of dungeon.

At
least that’s what it feels like.

I
wasn’t tied up at first because I guess he must have figured that I was in no
fit state to try and escape. However, my neck is much better now and the
agonizing pain which I woke up to inside my head has subsided. I refused to
take the painkillers which he offered me because I was scared he might have
drugged them and that’s why it probably took me a little more time to recover
from my injuries.

I
sometimes wake up and find him watching over me, other times I wake up and I
can tell he isn’t even in the house. I have no idea where he goes and no longer
care to ask him.

The
life I created for myself over the past three years is now over. I realise it’s
probably been over from the moment Cole was released from prison, I was naive
to think it wasn’t.

He
promised me he would find me. He swore he would make sure I wouldn’t be able to
run from him again and now he’s gone and done it.

I’m
his prisoner.

The
door opens and Cole walks in, startling me because he normally doesn’t come to
see me until later on. I can only guess that it’s around lunchtime and that’s
why I’m confused. Cole is always here first thing on a morning and then last
thing at night, leaving me to spend most of the daytime on my own.

“Why
are you here? How come you’re here so early?” I ask him warily, awaiting his
response.

“Because
I can’t take this anymore, it’s stupid the two of us being apart like this. I’m
wandering about upstairs and you’re miserable down here, it’s just not right.”

“You’re
the one who has me tied to a bed, Cole. No one has forced you to do this.”

“Of
course they have. The police forced me, they left me with no choice.” He
argues, clenching both of his fists with indignation.

“What
are you talking about?”

“I’m
not allowed anywhere near you.” He reminds me. “They told me I had to stay away
from you for the rest of my fucking life and I’m not prepared to do that! I
can’t
do it and most importantly… I won’t.”

“And
this was the only thing you could think of?” I scoff maliciously.

“It’s
not like I planned it! I just knew I had to see you. It took me three months to
find you and I’ve been watching you in secret for the past four weeks.”

“You’ve
been stalking me?” I exclaim indignantly, struggling to believe I’ve really
been observed for such a long time without being made aware.

“If
that’s what you want to call it.” He retorts, sounding arrogant and cavalier
about the whole thing. “Anyway, I thought that would be enough for a little
while until I saw you leaving your apartment out all dressed up that night.”

“It
was for my birthday, surely you don’t begrudge me that?”

“You
think I don’t know you just turned twenty-one? You think I actually forgot the
day you betrayed me and tore my fucking heart out?” He questions me, raising
his voice as he stalks across the room towards me.

“Just
carry on with what you were saying.” I placate him, holding one hand up to stop
him coming any closer.

My
right arm is tied to the headboard behind me and I long for him to untie me so
I can start to feel my circulation again.

“I
saw you leaving your apartment wearing that dress and that’s when I knew
something was different. I watched you for an entire month and you barely left
your apartment besides going to work. I put two and two together and figured you
must be going out for your birthday and that’s when my rage started to consume
me. I couldn’t believe you were actually willing to go out and celebrate after
everything that happened three years ago on that date. I also wanted to keep an
eye on you because you were asking for trouble with that outfit you were
wearing and I wanted to make sure no one else came near you.”

“So
you followed us to the restaurant?” I prompt him, needing to hear him say the
rest.

“Yes
and then onto the bar you decided to go to afterwards.”

I
knew
someone was watching me that night, I could feel it when I left the
restaurant with Kevin. What I can’t understand is why I was unaware that Cole
was watching me any of the other times besides that one occasion. I guess I
instinctively picked up on his fury when he saw me with someone else, somehow
managing to sense how close Cole was and how potent his rage was towards me in
that moment.

“So
it
was
you. You’re the guy who kissed Corrine?”

“Who?”

“One
of the girls I went out with from work. She has red hair and she’s not exactly the
type of girl who goes unnoticed.”

“Oh,
her
.” He groans, rolling his eyes. “The one with the huge mouth and
annoying laugh.”

“That’s
right.” I chuckle lightly, remembering the amount of times I’ve rolled my own
eyes at Corrine.

“You’re
right, I did kiss her.” He says bluntly. “But it meant nothing.”

It’s
as though he just plunged a knife straight into my chest. It’s as though I’m
seventeen again and consumed by envy, defeated by its lethal poison and
powerless to stop it.

“Why
did you do it?” I murmur softly. “Was it just to hurt me?”

“I
didn’t know that she would tell you about it, how was I supposed to know that?”

“So
you must have kissed her because you wanted to.” I whisper, fighting back my
unshed tears.

“Serena,
it wasn’t like that. I had just watched that guy dribbling all over you at the
restaurant and then he did the exact same thing at the bar. It took every ounce
of self-control I that I have to keep myself from tearing him apart right in
front of everyone. I could keep myself from smashing up the whole bar so I left
to get some air in the hallway. That’s when I saw that stupid bitch you work
with who couldn’t even walk straight. I planned on trying to get as much
information as I could out of her about you but it was clear she wasn’t going
to give anything useful away. In the end I just decided to give her what she really
wanted. It was pathetic the way she was drooling all over me and I wanted to
see the hurt and confused expression on her face when I shoved her aside like
the piece of trash she really is.”

“How
can you say that? How can you be so cruel?” I yell, struggling to sit up in
bed.

My
wrist is still tied and I cry out in pain, realising how useless it is to try
and break free from my situation and this room.

“How
could you let that guy touch you?” He roars, firing back at me.

“You
mean Kevin?”

“Don’t
even speak his fucking name, Serena! I swear to God…”

“There
is
nothing
going on with me and him or anyone else for that matter. He’s
a colleague of mine from work and I didn’t even know he was going to be there.”
I explain. “Corrine has been trying to set me up with him for months but I’m
not interested.”

“That’s
not how it looked to me.”

“I
don’t care how it looked, that’s the truth!”

“So
why the hell did you go out with him the following day? Why did you meet him in
that coffee shop if there’s nothing going on between you both?”

“You
followed me again.” I sigh wearily, closing my eyes with exhaustion and
fatigue.

“Of
course I did. I had to find out who this guy was and what he meant to you.”

“Cole,
if you’ve laid one finger on him…”

“You’ll
what? What will you do, Serena?”

He
narrows his eyes at me and waits for my response, appearing superior and smug.