His Christmas Mate

Chapter 11

_Aria's POV_

My phone buzzed and when I saw Lucien’s name on the screen, I froze. For a few seconds I could only stare at it because my nerves were still all over the place from what had just happened. My mother had almost noticed the suitcase hidden behind my bed and even though I managed to push it out of sight in time, the fear of being discovered was still crawling under my skin. My heart hadn’t settled and it felt like the whole room was too small for me to breathe properly.

When I finally unlocked the phone, Lucien’s message appeared.

Lucien: Are you all right?

I let out a slow breath. I could feel something loosen inside me. His words felt like a hand pulling me out of my panic, steadying me when everything else felt shaky and uncertain. I sank onto my bed and curled my fingers around the phone as if holding onto it could calm me. Then, I typed back.

Me: Yes. I’m okay. My mom came in suddenly, that’s all.

I sent it and waited. A few seconds later, the phone buzzed again.

Lucien: I’m coming now. Don’t worry. I’ll be close. As soon as I arrive, I will signal you. You won’t have to stay there another night.

A strange calm washed over me. His words filled the empty spaces inside me like warm smoke. I told myself it was normal to feel this way. He was helping me. He was protecting me. He was the only one trying to keep me safe. That was what I had to believe.

I typed back quickly.

Me: Okay. I’ll be ready.

When I put my phone down, I stared at my suitcase under the bed. The blanket hiding it looked too still, too neat and almost suspicious. I made sure every corner was covered. Then I walked to the mirror and looked at myself.

My face looked pale. My eyes looked tired. My mouth trembled a little. But behind all that, I saw something else....something wild, something scared but determined. Tonight, I would disappear. I would not leave a note. I would not explain anything. They did not deserve that much. They had never listened to me anyway.

I sat on my bed for a minute and held my hands together. My room suddenly felt too quiet. Every sound in the house felt louder; the ticking clock, the wind brushing the window, a pipe creaking and footsteps from the hallway. I kept listening, afraid someone might come again.

Minutes passed. Then my phone buzzed again.

Lucien: I’m outside.

A jolt ran through my body. My chest tightened with fear and relief all at once. I got up quickly. My hands shook a little when I pulled the suitcase out from under the bed. The strap scraped the wooden floor and I winced at the sound. I held my breath and listened. The house stayed silent.

I looked around my room one last time.

The posters on my wall that used to make me smile, the sketchbooks I didn’t take, the tiny lights above my desk, the blanket I had since childhood and the soft blue curtains my mother had sewn for me years ago.

All these things held pieces of me....pieces I was leaving behind.

A knot formed in my throat. I felt sad, though I did not expect to. I thought I would only feel anger and fear. But instead, there was this ache.... this small pain deep inside my stomach because this room had once been a safe place. It had been the place where I dreamed, where I drew quietly, where I cried alone, where I slept after long school days. It had seen all my secrets, all my disappointments, all my small joys.

And now I was leaving it forever.

I whispered, “Goodbye.”

Then I grabbed the suitcase handle and turned off the light.

The hallway was dim. A single lamp glowed downstairs, making the shadows on the walls look even longer. I walked slowly, trying not to breathe too loudly. Every step felt like a risk. Every small creak of the wood made my heart jump.

The suitcase was heavy. I had packed too much but I couldn’t remove anything now. I lifted it off the floor so it would not make a dragging sound but the weight pulled at my arm and shoulder until it shook.

Halfway down the hallway, I thought I heard something. A faint sound. A floorboard shifting. Someone moving?

I froze.

The house went quiet again.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was only the house settling. But my heart kept beating fast as I continued walking. When I reached the top of the stairs, I paused again and listened.

Complete silence.

I held the suitcase close and started to go downstairs. I stepped on the edges of the stairs where the wood was less likely to creak. I had learned this trick long ago when I used to sneak down to get water on nights I couldn’t sleep.

I was almost at the bottom when I heard it; soft footsteps upstairs.

Someone was awake.

My breath caught in my throat. I crouched low and clutched the suitcase to my chest. I pressed myself against the shadows near the couch. I waited.

The footsteps came closer.

Then I saw her.

My mother.

She walked down slowly with an empty glass bottle in her hand. She didn’t even turn on the lights.

I pressed my hand over my mouth. If she came into the living room, she would see me. She would see the suitcase. She would find out everything.

She walked past the couch and went into the kitchen. I heard the tap running. I heard the glass filling. My heart thudded painfully in my ears.

Then she returned. She didn’t look around. She just climbed the stairs again, still holding the glass bottle. When I heard her bedroom door close, I waited ten more seconds. Then ten more. Then ten more.

Only then did I dare to move.

I stood up slowly. My knees were unsteady. My arm hurt from holding the suitcase. But I didn’t waste another second. I made my way to the back door, breathing as quietly as I could. I turned the lock.

Then I pushed the door open and stepped outside.

Cold air rushed against my face. It was cold, sharp and full of freedom. I nearly cried from relief. The night sky stretched above me and for the first time in hours, I could breathe.

I hurried across the yard. My fingers were stiff from holding the suitcase. When I turned right, I saw Lucien standing beside his car.

He wasn’t alone. Jack stood next to him. They both looked up as soon as they saw me.

Lucien walked toward me with quick steps. His eyes softened when they found mine. “You did it,” he said gently. “You’re safe now.”

I almost collapsed from the sound of his voice. He took the suitcase from my hand and handed it to Jack, who put it in the trunk without saying anything.

Lucien opened the car door for me like a gentleman. “Get in,” he said softly. “You don’t have to stay here another second.”

I hesitated for a moment and looked back at my house, letting my eyes rest on the soft yellow light glowing in the hallway window. It was the same light I had stared at on so many nights, the same roof I had listened to during storms, the same walls where I had laughed, cried and grown up. This place had shaped me but it had also hurt me in ways I was only now beginning to understand and standing there made my chest feel tight with memories I wasn’t ready to face.

Leaving it felt like losing a part of myself, yet I knew that staying would slowly break me.

I whispered, “I guess this is it.”

Lucien nodded slowly. “This is the beginning. Not the end.”

I took one last breath of the cold night air and stepped into the car.

Lucien closed the door gently behind me.