Scars of Time

Chapter 42: "It hurts"

Hope's POV

When Josephine trailed after Time into the bathroom, Alex seemed to lose his appetite.

Why does he love her that much? Why can't he even see me standing in front of him?

"Should we clean the table?" I suggested as no one was eating anymore and he seemed lost in his own thoughts, playing with his food.

"We should wait for them. Jo hasn't eaten anything yet" he remarked.

"Neither has Time," I reminded him, yet he showed no reaction at all.

They took longer than expected to come out of her room, so it made me feel like we should give them some privacy. But as much as I got to know Josephine, I'm sure she wouldn't do anything to hurt Alex. They must be talking about something.

Yet, as they finaly stepped out of the room, I couldn't help but notice that Time was donning her shirt while she was clad in something entirely different.

Whatever they were up to in there, it had clearly made them forget about their previous attire.

As I glanced at Alex's face, I couldn't help but notice the familiar expression he wore that night. Without a word, he rose from the table and retrieved his coat from the hanger.

"Where to?" Josephine asked, but he didn't answer. He didn't even pause so he could put on the coat, before stepping out.

Time had the audacity to ask me, "Did something happen?" I shot him a withering glare, as if it wasn't painfully obvious.

"Alex, wait. I'm coming with you." I sprinted after him, completely disregarding Time's incessant calls for my name.

What were they thinking, doing it when we were right there? Couldn't they wait a little?!

Just as he hopped into his car, I sprinted after him, and luckily managed to jump in before he revved up the engine.

"Hope what are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you."

"I want to be alone. Please get off."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Aren't you going to get off?"

"No."

"Fine then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"What do you mean????" I barely managed to say before he sped away, leaving my sentence hanging in the air. The breakneck speed at which he was driving compelled me to grab onto whatever I could, anxious about the potential of crashing into someone at any given moment.

"Alex, can you please slow down?!"

"Alex, please slow down. Let's talk."

"We are going to die, Alex."

"Weren't you the one who climbed onto that rooftop that night? Didn't you also wish for death? Then this is your chance. Let's meet our end together." His words sent shivers down my spine. He was heading towards a cliff, and perhaps this would truly be my final day on this earth.

"Alex....Alex. Come to your senses. Please." I cried but he wasn't going to listen. This was really his last chance. After this second, we were both going to be condemned to an abyss of nothingness.

"Alex. I'm scared." I screamed, my voice trembling with fear. I shut my eyes tightly, unable to bear witness to the car hurtling towards the cliff's edge. To my astonishment, the car came to a halt just in time, leaving us on the precipice of danger but not tumbling into oblivion.

In a state of disbelief, I yelled, "Are you out of your mind?" and hastily stepped out of the car to catch my breath. As I gradually regained composure, I directed my gaze towards him, my anger still burning. However, my concern grew as I noticed his emotionless stance behind the steering wheel. I opened the door from his side, eager to check if he was alright.

The weight of his emotions became too much to bear, leaving him unable to hide them any further.

"It hurts, Hope," his hand trembled as it found its way to his chest, feeling the ache deep within his soul. Clutching his clothes tightly, it was as if he yearned to rip his heart away from its torment. Streams of tears started running down his face. "It hurts so much."

I tenderly pressed my hands against his cheeks, striving to erase the trails of tears that marred his face. With great care, I led him away from the car, yearning to offer him some respite from his pain.

I wanted to snatch away his burdened heart and replace it with my own. If only my heart didn't ache with equal intensity whenever I witnessed him in such a state.

.....................

Alex's POV

"What can I do for you? Huh? Tell me and I'll do anything" she asked, as my tears continued to flow relentlessly. But strangely, she was crying too, mirroring my sadness.

"I'm tired, Hope."

"I know. But you were the one who told me that it takes great strength to be able to move on. This is not something that could happen overnight. It's going to be okay. You're just going through a tough time."

"Now I understand what you meant when you said you were tired of being strong."

"But you were the one who gave me strength that night, don't you remember? Now I'll be strong in your place. I will stand tall like an unyielding mountain that no one can get past to get to you. I will protect you. "

"Shouldn't I be the one to say that?!" I questioned as a smile graced my lips, contrasting the sadness in my eyes.

"You can come up with another line for yourself. Now, dry those tears and let's head home. I'll be the one driving this time."

I nodded and wiped my face once we got into the car.

"You know what bothers me the most?" I glanced at her while we were already on our way back home.

She shook her head, waiting for my answer.

"The fact that I had to beg for everything she gives him so easily. Deep down, I knew she didn't truly love me. She only cared about me because she pitied me. I felt more like a younger brother than a boyfriend to her. I suppose I have a way of making people feel the need to protect me."

"Tell me about it" she sighed, prompting me to give her a serious look. "Everyone I meet tells me they want to protect me. Yet no one was ever able to do so."

A silence surrounded us as we were getting closer to my house. Does she mean Ian?! I wonder if she will be able to trust me with everything as I'm trusting her. Like I said, maybe I don't give the feeling that I'm reliable to anyone.

I wish she would tell me why she was on the rooftop that night? Why is Time so desperate to protect her? I feel like there is more to her story that I don't know, besides Ian. She even told me she didn't want Time to kill someone again. I wonder who he has killed and why?

There must be a significant reason behind it. I should gather more information about this quickly, because if there isn't a valid reason, I need to warn Jo about him as soon as possible.

"We've arrived," she mentioned, while skillfully parking the car.

"Good night then"

"Good night."

"Wait....but....this is my car."

"Oh yeah. I forgot. I'll call a taxi."

"You are in a taxi right now."

We couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sheer absurdity of the situation we found ourselves in at this very moment.

"Then we have two choices. One, I could drive you home and we would have done all this road for nothing or...."

"Or?"

"You could sleep over."