Take You Back

RESTLESS NIGHTS

~No one loses their innocence.
It is either
taken or given away willingly
-Tiffany Madison

Night after night, I lay sleepless in my bed crying to God to let me have a peaceful night of rest without nightmares. It was somewhat granted.

"Shut up!" My hands flew in the air, hitting something in the process. I felt around gradually, a nose and a mouth. My sleepy stage hadn't given me what it was yet.

I had no knowledge of what was happening. My mind was a blur. The ringing of the phone rang out in the room, the shifting of the bed and the warmth that I felt immediately left, causing my body to shiver.

"Hello!" He spoke, his voice coming out husky, the drowsiness quite evident in his voice. I was about to speak but he didn't give them time to speak by the motion of his hands drawing circles on the back of my hand, making me shiver. It was Vincent. He didn't leave last night. I squeezed my eyes knowing that he wouldn't notice that I was actually awake and that I was eavesdropping.

"I don't care about the meeting, I'm sleeping!" He snaps, followed by a prolonged sigh. The falling of the phone and his shifting on the bed gave a sense of his tiredness. The bed sank when he laid back down. I was yelling in my head at the air that stood at the back of my neck.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close, gently rubbing my arm. Despite the heaviness in my stomach, it fluttered and the feeling of my body pressed against his. His chest rose and fell against my back, our breaths in unison, and the warm blood that we could feel in each other's embrace. There wasn't any movement as for me. I went back to sleep.

Laura sank into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture. His touch made the room warmer somehow, and her future within its walls seemed a little less bleak.

My eyes flickered open. The morning sunlight did the most, as the alarm clock showed twelve. Blinking a small number of times at the sunlight piercing through the display, a grave yawn escaped my mouth. I rolled over on my stomach, stretching my arms and feet out. My nose smelled the faint of Vincent cologne.

The vibration of my phone brought me up to sit looking around groggily. My phone had a few messages from Vincent once I retrieved it from the nightstand.

"Come down". Read his text message. Curious, I exited the bedroom and walked down the flight of stairs to the dining room where the table was set for breakfast.

Once I positioned myself to sit, my eyes trained on his every movement. He hadn't spared any glances at me, which was unlikely for him. However, he would at least be on his phone for an excuse to glance my way, and I had to come to terms with whether it was because he had spent the night. He sat at the end of the table like he always does. He appears to be more powerful when he does. Positioning himself as if he's somewhat of a King. I watched as he took his last bite of bacon and got up, wiping his hands with a napkin, then buttoning his suit.

I walked up to him with every step, my mind telling me to turn back. By the looks on his face, it clearly shows he doesn't have any sense of feeling that there's some ketchup just above his lips. Once I reached him, I stood looking up at how tall he was. My height was just 5"5 compared to his 6"2 height. His expression was rarely a happy one, but blank like always. A mix of confusion formed on his face once I closed the space between us. My hands reached out to his lips, stroking them gently. Though he didn't move, I was shaking on the inside that he might have shouted at me for being this close to him. He looked straight at me, watching my every move. My fingers resited to left his lips.

His cologne smelled faintly of timber and leather. His lips were smooth and...

He took a step back and turned to leave me in my spot. I groaned and sat down in his chair, heaving out a sigh. My job was to hate him, not to take any sort of liking towards him. What's wrong with me? I looked down at my fingers and gazed at the ketchup. I wondered.....

What does he taste like? I contemplated whether or not I should just taste it and I did. Though it just tasted like regular ketchup, I wished it was him I was tasting instead of it.

*****************************

The day flew by like it was nothing. It was night again and the wind was back with its mighty roar, making the branches fall and break, leaves falling and blowing rapidly off the trees like there was a tremendous tornado heading our way.

I ascended the staircase quietly, wrapped only in a blanket to prevent me from getting cold. It was late October and soon to be the end of fall. I walked around the house losing sleep. I'd sleep only if I didn't think about it, the terror of my parents. The nightmares become so frequent that I find myself trapped or dying. I never broke free from their torture.

There was a crash. I stood deadpan in my tracks. I didn't know if Vincent had come home yet, but his voice gave it all away. It was loud enough for anyone to hear it in the house. There's been a lot of breaking in this house lately, caused mainly by me and my stubbornness.

I climbed up the stairs, but instead of going to my room, I went up to the second floor to eavesdrop again. I knew it was wrong and I would never want anyone to eavesdrop on my conversation. The conversation between him and this man was a mystery that spoke in tongues and left you wandering.

"When are you going to do it? You have no time!" The other voice said, I've come to terms that this was the guy from the another night. He's been the only guy that's been around, but not that I have ever seen his face, but the manner in which he speaks to Vincent tells me that he either has the same power as Vincent or he's just someone close to him. "I have time Mason now leave." So his name's Mason. Maybe he's the same.

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt by the door swinging open, but I couldn't make any sudden moves as my eyes met gray ones. It was Mason Patterson, the guy Tina met. I've never done any research on this guy or Vincent. It's what I've heard from the news or Tina. Something she left out was that Mason was somehow related to Vincent.

"Hello Laura," I stood dumbfounded and watched as he took my hand in his and kissed the top. He had got no sort of reaction out of me because I had no idea how to react. He frowned and dropped my hand and stared at me intently. "I'll see you at the wedding," with that last gesture, he left me wondering.

What was all the crashing for? By the looks of his appearance, he looked to be fine. They weren't fighting, as far as I know. The breaking of glass made me jump. Tiptoeing I peeked through the cracked door. The place was a mess. Shreds of glass were on the floor everywhere.

Vincent was on the bed with his head down and his hands curled into a fist. The sound of the door creaking made his head shoot up. His face was dark with anger, but also there was a form of regret that showed in his eyes that made me pout. What's going on?

He let out a heavy sigh, walked to the door and pulled me in. At the closing moment of truth, I thought I'd be embarrassed and have the door slammed in front of my face, but likewise, it didn't happen.

"You were eavesdropping again weren't you?" I opened my mouth to speak but the words failed to leave my lips. There wasn't any point in lying despite knowing he already knew by Mason speaking to me. He sighed "Sit," he motioned to the couch. He went through the door and a minute passed by. He came back with papers. My heart raced to know if it was the contract.

The contract that was supposed to bond us as man and wife. Something I had no decision on. I hated this stupid thing. Handing them over to me, I read them thoroughly and I had no sort of problem with them. Otherwise, I should have no physical contact with him and I should never speak to him. That's entirely stupid. How am I supposed to breathe in this prison if I have no one to speak with?

"The wedding is in four days." My head snapped up from the papers to him and shook my head, wanting to just slam his head into the wall. What an asshole. "Why so soon?" I was curious about why he was rushing things so suddenly. "The sooner the better Laura." I grinded my teeth but nodded anyway. Despite this, I had no say in what happened.

I signed the papers still covered in my blanket. I got up and left for my room, not wanting to start a conversation. Moreover, there won't be one. We hated each other. I couldn't sleep this entire time. I was going to get married in a couple of days. This wasn't a dream marriage, but mostly a forced one. It was just a contract for the public, a stupid piece of paper.