Chasing Us (Dark Love 2)

Resting on the street post for support, I glanced across the street and saw Adriana. She’d tell me it was all one big fat lie!

I ran across the street to my best friend. Stopping dead in my tracks, she stood there without a hello or a greeting of any kind. Her face bursting with rage, nostrils flaring as her lips pulled back baring her teeth. What the fuck was going on?

“How dare you, Charlie? He’s my brother,” she screamed.

“Adriana, please, just listen to me,” I begged, no longer caring that she knew.

“Tell me it’s not true. Please, Adriana, I’m begging you, tell me it’s not true.”

Mrs. Edwards was sitting in the car, her head down refusing to meet my eyes. I ran over and banged on the window, but she remained still. I pleaded with her to look at me, to give me the answer that would either allow me to continue breathing or would end my life right here, right now. But she sat silently still, immune to my pleas.

“Charlie, you have ruined our friendship, broken my brother, and embarrassed yourself in front of the whole town. Leave us alone. Leave my brother alone. Whore,” she yelled before opening the door to her mother’s car. “Oh, and another thing, if Alex really loved you, how come it’s Samantha carrying his baby? Think about that for the rest of your life.”

The engine roared on the car, and within seconds, they had sped off down the street leaving me standing there by myself.

She answered my question, and so my life slowly started to disappear, the light was fading, the air was too heavy to breathe. I felt my body weaken. This was too much. I needed him. Where was he?

He promised never to leave.

He promised that his heart belonged to me.

He promised that he’d never touch her again.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably, and so I dialed his number again.

Disconnected.

My body shuddered, the walls spun again. Tell me this isn’t happening. Not my Alex, he was mine. My heart and soul belonged to him. My life was nothing without him. I can’t go on, I sobbed to myself. I can’t live in this world without him.

“Miss, are you okay?” asked a lady walking by me.

I looked into her eyes, my vision blurring as I tried to focus.

That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out on the pavement and was embraced by darkness.

ALEX

Nine Years Ago

The voices filtered through the apartment.

It was now or never.

Avoiding my family since the day it happened would only get me so far. How did they expect me to react? All ‘no worries, Mom and Dad, you did me a favor by dragging my butt here to San Francisco to stay with my wife and raise a baby I didn’t even want.’

At first, I heard my mother. She sounded happy, and the words I could make out were those of anticipation, waiting for this baby to arrive. I dragged myself out of bed making my way to the mirror. The beard that had grown on my face annoyed Samantha, and that’s exactly why I kept it there. The dark circles around my eyes had formed as a reminder of the nightmare I was living. I washed my face briefly before heading out to the living room.

“Alex, sweetie.” My mother held out her arms as her face changed from delighted to worried. She knew not to mention anything about my appearance in front of everyone, something my father had no problem with.

“Well, Alex, it’s nice to see you’re taking care of yourself. I hope you plan to clean yourself up before returning to work on Monday?”

My father had arranged for me to be transferred to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. What he didn’t know was that I was just about to pull the plug on my medical career. How could I help people when I couldn’t even help myself? His overbearing ways would stop if I could just muster up the courage. I needed to stand up to him. I needed to be a man.

“Emily, Andrew, please come out to the balcony. I have prepared some lunch. I know it was a long drive for you.” Samantha ushered my parents to the balcony, leaving me alone with my sister.

Adriana stood by the window, avoiding me at all costs. She didn’t look any better than I did, except no beard, of course.

“Adriana, please… talk to me,” I begged.