A Tormented Heart

Ch 8: Embarrassing Recollections

Recap:

"Then we have nothing further to say to each other!" He sneered.

"No!"

"Good! Goodbye!" He turned back down the hallway, in the direction they had come from.

"GOODBYE!" She screamed after him, voice carrying down the corridor, before she turned and strode off in the opposite direction.

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Cecilia fumed as she marched down the corridor, muttering obscenities under her breath, impatiently tossing her hair back with each stride.

"Asshole... who does he think he is!... just you wait, Mr Nicolas Freire... when I'm done with you, you'll wish you never met me... no, you'll wish you'd never even heard my name... no, you'll wish you had never been born to live in the same lifetime as me!" She panted, enraged. She was so engrossed in her evil plans of revenge, she didn't even see him, until she crashed right into his chest.

"Ouch! Hey, look where you're—"

"Cecilia!"

"Tom!" Cecilia looked up, a little dizzy from banging her head against his, finally noticing who she'd crashed into. "Tom?" She said again, questioning this time. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" He repeated, incredulously. "What are you doing here? I've been calling your name for ages! I couldn't find you anywhere! I was so worried! Do you even understand how worried I was?!" He shook her, gently holding her shoulders, as she gazed at him in bewildered silence. "My God, I thought someone had kidnapped you from right under my nose, while I just stood there, helplessly. I couldn't even imagine... what if something happened to you, and I wasn't even able to prevent it—"

"Tom."Cecilia said gently, uncertain whether she wanted to laugh, or feel touched.

"And, my God, what would I say to your father?!" Tom raked his hands through his hair, lost in his own world of horror. "What would I say? That your daughter was kidnapped from right under my nose, and I—"

"TOM!"

He stopped suddenly, as if noticing for the first time, that she was alive and well, and standing before him. He strode forward, and clasped her to him urgently.

"Don't ever do that to me again." He whispered into her hair. "Do you hear me? I was so scared. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..."

"Tom, ssshhh." Cecilia stroked his hair, feeling extraordinarily guilty for not realizing how Tom must have felt when Nicolas dragged her away without any warning. "I'm fine, I'm here, see? Nothing happened to me. I'm ok."

They stood like this for a few seconds in silence, as she just held him, and calmed him like a child. Before she could say anything further, Tom cleared his throat and pulled away.

"Ummm," he cleared his throat, cheeks turning pink. "So, ummm, so are you ok? Of course she's ok, what am I saying? I mean, she looks ok," He mumbled to himself, then addressed Cecilia once more. "So... great, you're ok then?"

"Yes, Tom," Cecilia bit her lip to hide her amusement. "I'm ok."

"Good, good... ummm..." he cleared his throat again, pulling at his collar lightly. "It's good that you're ok. Very important to m- ummm... I mean, to your father, and your family, and such. Ahem," his throat seemed to need yet another clearing. "So, where did you go, by the way?"

Cecilia's mood abruptly soured at the reminder. She forced a smile. "Oh, nothing, just a brief chat about some business. All boring stuff, I assure you."