“Yeah, that is hard to believe; you should have some fun now and then. Good memories to reflect on.”
I simply stare at him, and when he leans in for a kiss, I instinctively draw back, causing him to pause near my face before whispering.
“I just wanted to give us both good memories to look back on.”
He smiles warmly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, and I take in the details of his handsome face. After a pause, I slowly close the distance between us until our lips meet. Our tongues collide, and I feel the warmth of his hand as it slides around the side of my neck, pulling me closer, and deepening the kiss.
I notice he is a good kisser, but it lacks an electric spark, unfortunately. When we eventually part, our eyes meet, and I see a glimmer of desire in his gaze. His palm remains on the side of my neck, locking me in place as he murmurs against my lips.
“Let me get you out of here and take you somewhere quieter; away from all the madness.”
I feel the hesitation creeping up my spine, but after a moment of thought, I decide to seize the opportunity. If I am ever going to get laid, it might as well be with this hot guy. I offer him a modest smile with a nod in agreement, and he stands, offering me his hand to take. As our fingers intertwine, he leads me through the crowd and I scan the area, searching for Lucy to let her know I am leaving, but when she is nowhere in sight, I make a mental note to text her as soon as we are out of here.
We head to his car across the street, slipping away from the overwhelming mansion. Once inside, he starts the engine, and I glance at him beside me, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves pulsing through me.
“Where exactly are we going, Justin?”
He gives me a friendly smile as he settles back in his seat.
“I don't live too far away from here.”
I return the smile before taking my phone out of my small bag and texting Lucy to let her know that I will see her in the morning and that I am safe.
We chat casually on the journey, which eases the tension I am feeling until we find ourselves driving through a dark, deserted woodland road covered in heavy fog. I feel him slowing the car down steadily as he attempts to get through the eerie surroundings. Suddenly, there is a loud pop, and we swerve, causing my body to tighten with panic. As the car slows down further, I hear him sigh heavily beside me before he turns to face me.
“Flat tire.”
I break into a small smile as I respond.
“Do you happen to have a spare?”
He offers a nod before pulling over to the side of the road and turning off the engine, plunging us into darkness which raises my anxiety even more.
“I'm sorry about this, Charley. I'll be no more than five minutes.”
I observe his every move as he unbuckles his seatbelt and exits the car, closing the door behind him.
For a while, I fidget nervously, twiddling my thumbs and waiting for him to change the tire, but as the minutes pass and there is no sign of movement outside, my breathing quickens, and fear begins to set in.
“What in the fuck is taking him so long?”
I glance in the mirrors and when I can't see anything, I contemplate getting out of the car, but I am petrified of the dark. After a brief internal struggle, I place a shaking palm on the door handle and push it open before peering at the back of the car, whispering loudly, my voice trembling.
“Justin? Are you done yet?”
Not getting a response, I bravely step out into the cool night air and a shiver runs down my spine, sending a scatter of goosebumps across my skin. The fog hangs thick around me, obscuring my vision and adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the deserted woodland road. I glance around nervously, the silence pressing in on me like a weight as I attempt to hear or see Justin’s presence.
The shadows seem to dance and shift in the darkness as I take hesitant steps back from the car, my heart pounding in my chest and my senses heightened. Every rustle of leaves and every creak of branches sets my nerves further on edge while I stand alone in the stillness of the night, realizing Justin is somehow missing.
As chills invade my body and bumps scatter over my skin, I freeze when I notice a shadowy figure emerging from the dense woods from the corner of my eye. The darkness seems to swallow him, making him appear huge and menacing within the fog. With each step he takes, my pulse hammers louder in my ears, now totally aware of who it is.
Once he comes to a halt some distance away in the middle of the road, I hesitantly tear my tear-filled eyes away from the car in front of me. The shadows no longer cover him, and it exposes that he is masked with a white balaclava with his black hood up and even though I cannot see him clearly, I can sense his gazepiercing through me, sending ice pumping through my veins. We remain locked in a silent standoff, staring at one another, but after summoning all the courage I can find, I finally manage to speak with a shaky, hesitant whisper.
“What...what do you want?”
He simply cocks his head to one side and as he continues to stand there, silent, my frustration boils inside of me. How dare he come here to toy with me, taunt me for five fucking years, and not utter a single word? My hands clench into fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I struggle to hold my anger.
Suddenly, he kneels before bringing a black rose from behind his back and my breath gets caught in my throat the moment he ignites the bud with a flick of his gas lighter, causing a miniature inferno and an orange glow to cast across his masked features.
