Arranged Revenge

Chapter4

Her breath was caught in her throat as she swooped in one last, longing sniff of cold air that had escaped into the outside world for the first time in months. 'Too stuffy,' she had thought about the walls of the hospital until this moment when she was at the edge of the leafy green property. The sun was setting low on the grounds and throwing long shadows across the streets, somehow warm enough to bring a hint of life outside that sterilized, controlled environment in which she had long been imprisoned.

"Are you really okay with this?" Conner, her personal concierge, asked and the question itself sounded slightly concerned. Where he normally looked the very picture of professional detachment-in an irreproachable black suit and a completely styled hair-there was something about the way he beheld her now.

"I have to go, " said Elena, her words heavy with anxiety and longing. 'It's been ages since she went outside;' outside was fresh, yet tantalizing again. The hospital was like a prison. It was nothing but hours stretched open from therapy and sessions where she relived every lost moment of her past, all combined into a seemingly endless repeat of frustration and pain. But today was not the same.

He simply let the door of the sleek black sedan, which had become her constant companion since re-energizing from a coma, swing open. Needed something to wrap around her other than these sterile white sheets and soft, artificial voices telling her to "do better."

She wasn't on the road to the cafe for long. The city swirled around her, and the world appeared so bright and alive. Her pulse quickened at the sight through the windows at the high rises, blinking neon signs, and people who seemed to each have their own role in this grand, living metropolitan show. Her amnesia hung down on her like a shackle, hurting her wherever she had to try and remember who she was. But this moment, she allowed herself to simply let it all settle away mentally.

The cafe was small and dimly lit, nestled in a very old building, and very easy to lose track of time in. It was cozy with mismatched furniture and rustic wood paneling. It reeked of fresh coffee, fresh cinnamon, and warm pastries. Just perfect. Elena inhaled, breathing the aromas deep within her bones as she entered, Conner right behind her like a shadow.

""Have a seat, would you?" or "Can I get you something?" were all casual from Connor, but Elena could see him intently watching, studying every little movement of surroundings.

"I'll just sit for a bit," lay whispered, taking little spurts of walking toward a tiny table in the corner; she certainly doesn't want to spoil whatever anonymity she has, but with Conner, that is going to be impossible.

Seated back into her chair, she directed her attention to the barista behind the counter, who gave her a warm smile in greetings. Elena shyly smiled back and picked up the menu, but from the corner of her eye, she could see a very tall, muscular figure entering the café, one that was capable of commanding every soul in that room.

The man is dressed casually, rolled up sleeves with tattoos which seem to hang from well-muscled forearms their devoid stitching almost like skin against flesh, and the whole ensemble speaks of a man who is quite comfortable in his own skin.

Intricate, dark, and symbolic, the tattoos spoke tales; yet Elena had hardly even noted the details before their awe inspiring owner stepped into her field of view.

The icy blue eyes bored through the entire room, almost ahead of her in a heartbeat. The angular definition of the cut stands a face and hair; they all would go together, easygoing and tousled in a way that says 'I´ve just got out of bed the natural way' but seems so purposefully put together.

There was something about him, power thrumming in the very air around him, and when he held his gaze on her for just a moment too long, Elena began to feel. Curiosity, Apprehension, Attraction.

Before she could even think of a name to give it, he turned away and headed toward the countertop, where his natural ease melted into low, commanding tones that Elena couldn't quite catch.

Staring now, she was wondering who this guy might possibly be. He probably did not fit the picture of the regular kind of clientele in this place. He was far too sleek, far too intense.

Conner just sat across from her, an invisible constant weight somewhere in the air. But before Elena could figure out herself why this uncanny meeting, a loud crash from the back of the café brought the very disturbed noise to her hearing.

An angry dark-suited man barged through the back doors of the café and began shouting something in a foreign language, his clipped words cutting harshly through the air.

The relaxed atmosphere of the café was instantly brought to life with such heavy tension. Several people within the café began shifting nervously near the door; a few others were up quickly and moving away.

But, the young man with blue eyes didn't budge. In fact, it seemed to him that this was routine business.

Narrowly adjusting his body position, he took a commanding posture. He moved with very smooth gait; his hands never came out of the pockets. He headed toward the man who had fussed.

Elena could feel the pulse inside the room. The café holds its breath.

"Stay calm," was the statement made by the blue-eyed male. The soft but firm tone of his voice infused a kind of palpable presence in the words spent such that all individuals in the room became silent. He walked even closer to the agitated man, belittling him by stature.

The atmosphere was unbearably taut, so tense it threatened to choke. In wide eyed amazement, Elena gasped as the two men shoved their faces into each other over some words uttered harshly and in a clipped tone. The roar of one man into another seemed to cool, deflate, sag, and then nod while backing off.

He turned back toward Elena. he was looking directly at her, and his stare was intense, with something dark and incredible behind it. No zeal. No distinction. Just vigor that made Elena feel he was looking right through her. She caught her breath.

He gave her a slightly noticeable nod before he turned away to the other man. It was as if an imperceptible hand had deliberately caressed away the scene and snuffed the bizarre excitement before it faded away in a whiff.

Conner had been watching the whole while. Now, he turned back to Elena, barely tightening his eyes but keeping an empty utterance.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Conner gaped at her for long moments,indistinct, then said, "Nothing."

But there was something about the boy with those blue eyes that bothered Elena.

Elena felt her anxiety swell in her chest some more. Who was he? How could he look at her like that?. Wondering whether he belonged to a world in which she would never belong, a world that would consume her if she so much as let it.