The car ride was silent. Everyone had something on their mind. Adam thought about Tori, Belle was thinking about her nightmares— which she refused to talk about although Adam knew everything— Catherine's thoughts were a mystery to me, while my mind was circling around how I was lucky to have Lena. I just hoped that I'd never lose her.
Adam turned the radio on, just as Thrift Shop's familiar chorus was on. Catherine groaned, as all the youngsters smiled.
"I'M GONNA POP SOME TAGS ONLY GOT TWENTY DOLLARS IN MY POCKET. I-I-I'M HUNTIN', LOOKING FOR A COME UP, THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME."
"Adam Damien Black, keep your bloody eyes on the road, I don't want to die!" Her son jumped at the urgent tone of her voice and kept his gaze straight ahead. Annabelle, sitting beside me, wouldn't leave me alone.
"Lena and Liam sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love; then comes marriage, then comes a-oomph," I put my hand on her mouth to shut her up.
I hoped bribing was going to work, “I'll buy you dessert." Belle went into business mode and raised her eyebrow. She ushered for me to "go on".
"Extra large double chocolate sundae with huge Oreo pieces on it." My cousin's eyes widened and she suddenly threw her arms around me to literally take all breath out of me.
"YOU ARE THE BEST COUSIN IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, LIAMPOOPOO."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Liampoopoo?" I demanded. That nickname was quite childish. Annabelle shrugged and turned back to her side, listening to music. I could hear Pierce the Veil blasting from her earphones.
After that incident, I supported my head on the window, admiring the full moon out. I had a bad feeling, though. A nagging in my chest, but I shook that away. Tonight had to be absolutely perfect, because maybe, just maybe, it would be my chance to ask Lena to be my official girlfriend.
A couple of minutes later, Adam stopped the car and said, “We're here."
I admired the restaurant, it had a homey glow to it and that makes it special, because not all restaurants can produce that. We took our places on a huge table, waiting for the Winters to arrive. I sipped on a glass of water, boredom was reigning over me. Annabelle munched on a bread roll while Adam was texting with complete concentration. Kylie, possibly.
Catherine had the phone to her ear, talking to Mrs. Winter.
"Okay, okay. Bye," concluded Catherine, nodding towards us. I took that as a sign that they were here. I kept my eyes glued on the door, tapping my foot on the floor in slight impatience. Suddenly, Lena opened the door, giggling towards Tori. All breath got caught in my throat.
Her hair was messily styled and her eyes were defined with dark purple eye shadow. A blue dress with different abnormal forms made her figure look absolutely stunning. Her long, defined legs seemed endless, kept cozy in black leggings. Our eyes met and she smiled and my heart fluttered.
Man up, Liam. You sound like a love-crazed teenager.
Adam wore the same expression as me, his eyes glued on Tori. She looked quite gorgeous, wearing a long-sleeved knee length dress, of which the top was absolutely black and the bottom was striped in black and white. They shared a look and Tori blushed.
Annabelle rolled her eyes, but smiled at us. There was a glint in her eye showing a little jealousy or envy, but she was very hard to read. Her walls were higher than the Great Wall of China. I'd learned to understand that she hated love, because it had hurt her before.
No one knew the details, except Adam, who'd wake up in the middle of the night to comfort her from haunting nightmares.
I stood up and pulled the chair beside me, winking at Lena. She shook her head and chuckled a little. By now, all of us were seated. Catherine opposing Mrs. Winter, Annabelle and Victoria on one side, opposing Adam, and finally, Lena and I seated beside Adam.
"So, how's life you love birds?" asked Catherine, smiling mischievously at Lena and me. Lena blushed, and spontaneously laid her hand on mine underneath the table. Apparently, she chose to be silent, while everyone was expecting an answer from me.
Lena squeezed my hand, encouraging me. "Fine, everything's just fine," I stammered, not quite used to talking in public. I smiled absent-mindedly.
"Adam and Annabelle, since you're continuing your University classes here, what section are you guys in?" asked Mrs. Winter kindly, taking a sip of cold, icy water.
"Well, I've been offered a soccer scholarship here, at NYU," said Adam, appearing prideful. Tori's eyes widened in shock and quickly recomposed herself. Lena stifled a laugh. I turned to her, slightly confused.
"He's the man of her dreams,” whispered Lena in my ear. I nodded in understanding.
"And I'm studying law," stated Annabelle coughing to cover her laugh and nudging Tori to snap out of her daze. Adam simply smirked.
"Who's hungry? I know I am!" exclaimed Catherine, a small smile on her face as well. Mrs. Winter winked at Tori and the ambiance in the room was suddenly very comfortable and nice.
We all felt like we belonged. We each took a menu and scanned it. After a couple of seconds and having decided what our meals would be, Mrs. Winter was just about to call a waiter over but she was a little too late.
Just as if he had overheard us, a tall waiter came to us, smiling. Although, he did flash Lena, Tori and Annabelle a secret smile that made me tense. Lena looked at me in confusion and rubbed her thumb in my palm soothingly.
"What will be your orders?"
"Two lasagnas and ham potato soups, please," said Lena.
"Three Sicilian spaghettis with meatballs," ordered Catherine, speaking for Adam, Mrs. Winter and herself.
"Okay, perfect. And what will the beautiful lady have?" asked the idiotic waiter, winking at Victoria. Her face reddened and Adam's eyes flashed with anger. He took her hand from across the table and held it tightly in his hands as he put on a forced smile.
"My lady will have Ricotta and Spinach Tortellini with Italian meatballs." We were all debating on being surprised by his attitude and calling her his "lady" or by her expression.
The waiter whose name tag reads "Julian" stiffened. But he looked at Lena and Belle and almost immediately regained a self-pompous smirk.
"Very well then, your orders will be done soon. It's my break though, so if you two lovely ladies pass me your numbers, it would be perfect," finished a soon-to-be-dead Julian with a wink at Belle and Lena. The girl beside me froze, then turned her gaze to our entwined fingers uncomfortably.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Adam beat me to it.
"If I had a dog that looked like you, I'd shave its arse and make it walk backwards. So, jerk, get the fuck out of here before I make you regret ever working here."
"Wait until Leo meets you, he'd beat the heck out of you, stupid Aussie."
Adam shot him a death glare, if looks could kill, that waiter's flesh would be slowly roasted on a barbecue. Julian's eyes darkened, then, without another word, he left. An awkward silence set upon the table. Victoria snatched her hand from Adam's and went to the bathroom, Lena was very silent and Annabelle was expressionless. The mothers had disapproving looks on their faces. Strangely enough, Catherine and Adam were eyeing Belle carefully.
Wait. Leo, Leo, why does that name seem so familiar?
Then, out of the blue, Belle's eyes watered and she got up in a flash to the bathroom. Adam was about to get up, but Lena stopped him.
"I've got it."
She rushed behind Belle, leaving Adam, Catherine, Mrs. Black and I in a weird moment. Catherine and Adam seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. Adam was raging, while his mom was sad. Finally, after about a couple of minutes, I was sick of being left out.
"What on Earth are you people talking about? It's very impolite to leave people out of a conversation, you know." Mrs. Winter nodded in agreement with me. Adam turned to me.
"Do you remember Leo? Belle's Leo?"
Oh, that Leo.
I remembered Annabelle vaguely talking to me about her new boyfriend, Leo, by Skype. I'd usually jus
t nod and smile, or chat, because at that time, the only person I talked to was Grandma. She told me about how he made her happy and during the video chat, a boy with dark brown hair hugged her from the back.
I smiled a little at how happy they looked and that was the first and last time I'd seen Leo. It was also the only time I'd ever seen Belle so happy. That was about a year ago.
I nodded feverishly.
"Well, h-he abu- I mean did terrible stuff to her when they were together. He also cheated on her and wasn't afraid to admit it. He was an exchange student, as you may know, and he was from here, so she got reminded of him. She has nightmares about him all the time." It was the first time I see Adam stutter.
Shock and anger pounded in my veins.
"I hate him and everything he's done, but there's still a part in her that loves him," he explained and then turned to Catherine. Her eyes were cloudy with tears and sadness.
I put myself in their shoes for a second and felt indescribably guilt.
Imagine knowing that someone you love is hurt, but helping them is impossible, because you don't know what to say.
Even though Adam didn't say the word completely, but I knew that Leo abused her.
Mrs. Winter pulled out a tissue and handed it to Catherine, who was hiding her face in her hands. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Belle and her mom both despised displaying their emotions.
"Here are your orders," said a voice that seemed strangely familiar. I looked up and saw the devil himself, handing out our plates in no respective order.
Apparently, he hadn't directly looked at our faces so he couldn't see Adam's surprised, bewildered expression. My cousin was boiling with anger.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" asked Adam, his face as red as a cherry. Catherine was looking at the waiter standing in front of us with surprise. The guy turned to look at Adam. His face flashed into different emotions in only a couple of seconds; shock, anger, and cocky.
He smirked at Adam. "Hey, Adam. What a nice way of treating me," drawled sarcastically the waiter, acting as if the ground owed him something. I sensed a bubble of annoyance forming in me.
"Leo." Adam's eyes were shooting fire. If only looks could kill. My cousin stood up, now face to face with the Leo himself.
"You know, that glare isn't getting you anywhere. Oh, who is this? Is that your pitiful cousin who's too much of a wittwe baby to speak? Lucas?" I didn't know if it was the way he spoke or the way he'd insulted me in a baby voice, but in a flash, I stood up as well, so I was beside Adam.
"For your information, it's Liam. You're. A. Fucking. Asshole. See? I can speak."
He raised his eyebrows, debating if he would answer or stay silent.
"Whatever, anyway, where's your pathetic excuse of a-" His words were cut off by a red-eyed Annabelle.
"Leo," she whispered, barely audible. Tears threatened to fall again as Victoria and Lena each stood by her side, eyes wider than Dobby's. Leo raked his eyes on the three girls.
"Hey, baby, come back to me," Leo opened his arms wide, getting closer to Annabelle. Adam took his collar and harshly pulled him back.
"I don't think so, pretty boy. Dirt is a hundred times cleaner and better than you and I don't like scum getting close to my sister."
Leo shook him off and smirked again. He looked at Lena with a lustful look in his eyes.
"What about this pretty girl right here, huh? I bet no one is with her." He said, advancing towards Lena. He placed his arm around her and frankly, she looked scared to death.
Before I knew what I was doing, I stormed to him, and my fist connected with his face. About five waiters were immediately on Leo's side shooting me glares, including Julian. The whole restaurant had gone completely silent, anticipating every move. Belle's ex-boyfriend looked at me for a second with absolute fury, his broken nose oozing blood.
"She's mine; keep your dirty hands off her."
Leo cracked his neck and advanced towards me. He was towering over me, he was quite tall. But I kept my eyes locked on his, feeling no fear at all. He raised his fist, and after a second, all I could feel was blood trickling down my lips.
"You know what, never mind. I don't like sluts and your wattle girlfriend, pathetic little Belle, and that skimpy little whore with them are--" Adam crashed his balled fists into Leo's face with no mercy. He wouldn't stop. He punched Leo more than a child could count.
"Don't. Insult. Them."
That was when it all began.
Julian was the only waiter who came closer to me and slammed his fists into my stomach. The pain was bearable, but the more he punched, the more the power in his scrawny arms got stronger. I kneed him in the groin and then pushed him away, making him stumble to the ground, groaning. Adrenaline was pumping in my veins. It was the first time in a long time since I've felt like this, my fighting lessons fresh in my mind.
I turned to Adam and his opponent. Leo had Adam in a tight headlock. A really tight one. Every breath of air seemed to escape from Adam's body, his face was turning purple. If he stayed like this for a couple more seconds, he could faint or possibly die.
Leo was whispering words in Adam's ear that seemed to make Adam furious. He tried to struggle, but it was nearly impossible. Every last drop of power had drained from him.
So, I elbowed Leo as hard as I could on his back. Taken by surprise, he let go of Adam and it was our opportunity to get him. Adam kicked his knees, so he crumpled back on the ground. I punched Leo repetitively. With every blow, blood spattered on the ground. My hands were surely bruised because they ached.
After about a couple of minutes of just punching him, I got up, sure he was unconscious. The first thing I saw was Lena. Tears freely streamed down her face and her face was flashing with so many emotions I simply couldn't place. Her eyes displayed hurt and fear, but it wasn't for me, it was from me, her trembling lips showed anxiety and her shaking hands showed fear for me this time. A pang hit my chest.
She'd never seen me fight before.
Victoria was in the same position, but her eyes were on Adam, who was wiping blood off his face with the tip of his sleeve. Catherine and Mrs. Winter were shocked.
But what really hit me was Belle. She was on the ground, fully shaking and sobbing. A complete breakdown tore her apart. I've never seen her so vulnerable and weak. Annabelle has always been strong and not afraid of anything.
The next seconds were a complete blur to me. It seemed like everything was in slow motion.
"NO!" screamed Lena in alert.
Lena was running to me at full speed, but it was certain that she wasn't about to hug me. The terror in her eyes alarmed my senses. Before I could ask what was wrong, she passed me and her back was literally brushing mine. What was she doing? I swiftly turned, only to see Lena standing on the tip of her heels.
Leo was holding two bottles of full champagne above my head, or Lena's in fact. Before I could realize what was going on, those two bottles came crashing on Lena's head. I fell to the ground beside Lena.
Her head was oozing a huge quantity of blood and her eyes were squeezed shut. Her features were etched with pain but she was unconscious. Tears sprung to my own eyes, as I took her in my arms. I began walking rapidly towards the door; a pool of blood was wetting my shirt. But I didn't care.
"Where are you going?" exclaimed a voice I couldn't recognize. I didn't even stop as I answered:
"To the hospital, there's no way in fucking hell that I'm losing her."
24
Don’t let Me Go
"I am awake most nights because I am afraid someone else will leave me, and I won't be awake to stop them."
Liam Christopher Black
"OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE. TELL ME IF SHE'S OKAY. PLEASE, JUST OPEN THE DOOR, I WANT TO SEE HER!"
I pounded my already bruised fists with all the power that I could muster on the ED doors, which were locked. The emergency department was the place Lena was in right now. My heart shattered with worry. The quantit
y of blood oozing from her head wasn't a good sign. As soon as the hospital had seen her in my arms, she'd been taken in a flash on an ambulance cot. The way her skin had lost any color in it, becoming completely pale and the loss of any body heat in her scared me to death. My thoughts were scattered everywhere in my head, making it impossible to concentrate on anything. A million thoughts were running a marathon in my head and kept pushing each other to get to the finish line. I couldn’t think of anything else but Lena.
I can't lose her, screamed my subconscious.