Scarlet Resurrection

As she watched the casket being lowered into the ground, a new wave of grief threatened to overwhelm her. Scarlet could not believe that the man she had vowed to spend her life with was no longer with her. The pain in her chest was a familiar one, but it was unwelcome after the long absence during her marriage. The happiness she had been giddy with had been taken away from her in an instant. She sat there as the crowd slowly dispersed, each mourner coming to offer their condolences in person. People who she had never seen or spoken to patted her on the arm and spoke to her softly, and she could barely nod in return. With a low rumble of thunder, rain started pouring down. Scarlet turned her face towards the sky and let the rain wash over her, as if the rain could wash away the pain. She did not know how long she sat there, lost in her grief. ‘Ma’m I think we should head back home’, a deep voice interrupted her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked over at the man standing a few feet away from her. His face was barely visible through the downpour, but she could see that he was intently staring away from her. It was normal for the bodyguards to avoid eye contact; her husband had always made it a point to hire men who radiated coldness. He believed that they were the type of men who were capable of protecting him. She got up from her chair and slowly walked towards him. The grass had turned into a muddy mess because of the rain. Without any warning, her right foot sank ankle deep into the mud, causing her to lose her balance. A pair of strong arms grab her by the shoulders before she falls face first into the mud. Scarlet looked up at the face of her new bodyguard, caught off guard by the gentle look on his face. ‘Let me help you’. With one swift motion, he swept her up in his arms and walked steadily towards the cars waiting for her. With her hands locked around his neck, she couldn't help but look at the stubble on his face, wondering how it would feel against her skin. As if he could read her thoughts, he turned his face towards her, meeting her eyes. The warm brown eyes stared intently into hers, and she felt herself turning red under his gaze. As quickly as he had looked, he turned his face away. Martin, her driver, opened the car door as they approached the car, and the bodyguard sits her down inside. Reluctantly, Scarlet lets go of him, wishing he would come hold her close to him. She knew it was wrong to think of another man this way, but she had never felt so alone in her life. Before he could shut the door, she managed to croak out a thank you, hoarsely. ‘Thank you,?’ her voice trailed off as she realised that she did not know his name. ‘My name is Michael, Ma’m’. ‘Thank you, Michael’ Nodding in acknowledgement, he shut the door. Unlocking the door to her empty house, Scarlet walked inside, hating the feeling of dread that rose up in her chest. She had asked her housekeeper, Minny, to take the night off as she had wanted to be alone, but was now regretting that choice. Michael had walked her inside while the rest of the security team stayed back near the cars. She wondered if he was going to be in charge of her security; the authority he seemed to command served to confirm her thoughts. Scarlet slowly walked up the stairs to her room on the first floor, trailing after Michael. After doing a quick sweep of her room, Michael nodded for her to go inside. ‘Are you going to stay here tonight?’ she asked, walking inside the room. ‘I don’t think so, Ma’am’ ‘I will be alone in the house. I asked the housekeeper to take the day off’. This made a slight frown appear on his face. He seemed to be running the idea over in his head, which made his frown deepen. ‘I will stay here tonight, will be downstairs in the living room if you need anything’ he said, walking out of the room. The idea of having someone in the house comforted her. Slipping out of the black dress she was wearing, she headed inside into the adjoining bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror which covered the entire length of the wall on top of the sink. Adrian’s toothbrush was right next to hers on top of the sink, and she had to choke back a sob. Picking it up, she started brushing her teeth. Her husband had always pretended to dislike it when she used his toothbrush, but she had seen him secretly smiling when he had seen her with it. Rinsing her mouth, she put the brush back next to hers and walked towards the shower. Water dripped down from her hair onto the hardwood floors as she walked into the closet. Though it was a short shower, she had scrubbed every inch of her skin clean and washed her hair. She did not like the smell that rain water left behind. Scarlet picked out a sweater from her husband’s side of the closet, closing her eyes and holding it up to her nose to inhale his scent. Tears immediately welled up inside her eyes, which she blinked away. Slipping on the sweater she walked towards the bed, switching on all the lights on her way. She could not bear the thought of sleeping in the dark, even the soft light the night light offered was not enough. Adrian had always made it a point to come home early in the evening to go to bed with her. He had understood how his presence kept her nightmares at bay. With him there, she had slept peacefully in the dark, knowing he would protect her. Climbing on to the bed, she settled down under the covers, bringing it up to her neck. Scarlet had met Adrian in high school. She had moved to Chapel Hill to live with her grandmother, and had started her freshman year at Jefferson High School. Adrian was the quiet kid who sat alone in a corner of the classroom, and Scarlet made a beeline towards the empty desk next to his on the first day of school. He ignored her throughout the class, staring stoically ahead. But Scarlet was quick to notice him staring at her during lunch, nodding towards the seat in front of him at the empty table, when he caught her eye. He avoided looking at her when he spoke, but quietly rambled on about the students she would have to deal with in school. Adrian had kept brushing his scruffy black hair away from his eyes, and by the end of lunch Scarlet was convinced that she was in love. They had gone steady throughout high school and Adrian had wasted no time in proposing to her right after they had graduated. Scarlet had stayed back with her Grandmother in Chapel Hill, while Adrian had gone off to university. She had missed him every day until he got back, even though they were constantly in touch with each other. They had gotten married within a week after he had come home, in a quiet ceremony at the local church with his parents and her grandmother in attendance. Soon after, Adrian asked her to move with him to New York, to which she had agreed in a heartbeat. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth if he had asked. They had lived in a small cramped flat, until Adrian had made a name for himself as a trader. He quickly started his own brokerage company, and the business took off. Scarlet did not understand anything about what he did, but she was happy to move out of the cramped flat. Within a few years, Adrian’s company had become one of the most successful brokerage companies in New York, and they had moved into a mansion in the Hamptons. Scarlet had holed herself up in the mansion, turning it into her own sanctuary. She rarely went outside and spent the days reading or writing. Most people who knew Adrian were rarely aware that he was married and Scarlet had preferred to keep it that way. A magazine had listed Adrian as one of the most eligible bachelors in New York. Scarlet had not minded, she had wanted the world to forget about her. Reminiscing about the time they had spent together, Scarlet drifted off into sleep. She was running towards a bright light, away from the burly man who was chasing her. His heavy panting seemed to echo all around her. She could hear him getting closer. Suddenly, a pair of arms grabs her around her waist and turns her around. She struggled against the sweaty body which was pressed against her, barely able to breathe. “Hi princess.” there was no mistaking the voice. Scarlet wakes up from the nightmare screaming. Ripping the covers off her body, she bolted towards the door, her vision blurred with tears. She threw open the door and ran straight into someone. Strong arms grabbed her shoulders, and Scarlet screamed again, struggling against the grip. “Ma’am, it’s me, Michael”. It took a moment for her to register the words in her head. Realising that she was not in any danger, Scarlet started sobbing, gasping for breath. She grabbed Michael’s shirt and buried her face in it, her tears soaking through the white fabric. Michael stood there stiffly, as if not knowing how to react. Slowly, he put his arms around her body, loosely embracing her. They stood there until Scarlet had stopped sobbing. Pulling away from him, she looked up at his face to find his eyes imploringly staring back at her. She looked away, staring at the wall behind him. Scarlet could not explain her hysteria to him without revealing her darkest secret. Nodding vaguely in his direction to thank him, she turned around to go back to bed. She lurched forwards, her legs buckling under her; the crying had worn her out. Michael grabbed her around the waist and picked her up in his arms. He carried her back to her bed and sat her down on the tangled sheets. Scarlet felt her cheeks warming as she remembered that he had carried her back to the car just a few hours before. She was acting like a damsel in distress, but she was too tired to think too deeply about it. As Michael turned to leave, she reached out to take his hand. “Please stay in the room. I usually sleep well if I’m not alone.” she said pleadingly. He did not respond, but pulled his hand away, heading towards the sofa near the closet. He sat down on it, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall. Scarlet felt his discomfort, but she did not want to see another nightmare. Pulling the covers up again, she lay down on the pillow, staring at Michael. His jaw was locked, accentuating his sharp jawline. With the perfectly tousled dirty brown hair and the pierced ear, he looked like something out of a movie. Scarlet lay down on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She did not want to think about someone like that. But the thoughts distracted her from the grief that threatened to overwhelm her unoccupied mind. Exhausted from the crying, she drifted off into sleep.