15.Together alone
1184 Words
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
~DAPHNE~
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I can’t believe I’m stuck in a small storage room that smells like old boxes and decayed metal.
We both tried banging the door but nobody could hear us. The worst part is that we were far away from class so it would be pure luck for anyone to hear us or pass by.
“Okay, just breathe,” Laken held my shoulders, trying to calm me down. “I’m here with you, okay?”
“I’m really scared, Laken,” my eyes darted around with fear.
“You don’t need to be. Nothing is going to happen. Where’s your phone, we can make a call,”
“Y-Yeah. That sounds like a plan,” I blurted out and brought out my phone from my purse, my fingers quavering in shock. My eyes widened in horror as I saw that there was no service.
“There’s no service Laken! How would we get help? We’re so f****d!” I began to panic.
Laken held my hands. “No we’re not,”
“Yes, we are! How long are we going to be trapped here? It’s hot and dark and—“
“Daphne!” Laken yelled in my face.
I paused, my eyes twinkling with fear and anxiety.
He moved closer to me and cupped my chin in his hands as he held my gaze.
“I’m here with you,” his voice became soft. “Nothing will happen to you because I am here. Come here,”
He pulled me towards him and enveloped me in a hug. I suddenly felt safe, as he towered over me, the warmth of his body heating me up. I slowly began to calm down as my fast heartbeat began to go back to normal.
Laken held me in his arms silently, and I was grateful for that. A few minutes passed, and he finally broke free from the hug.
“How do you feel now?” He asked, holding my gaze. His hands were on my shoulder as he examined my face.
“I-I think I feel better now,” I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? We need to figure something out instead of panicking, right?
I watched as Laken went to turn two rusted buckets, hanging carelessly around upside down. He sat on one of them, and tapped on the bucket opposite him, gesturing towards it.
I swallowed hard and sat on it, my eyes darting around.
He clicked his fingers in my face. “Your eyes should be on me,”
“What?” My brows creased in a frown. “Why?”
“So you won’t get scared, cupcake,”
“Can you stop calling me that?”
“Nope!” He grinned.
I exhaled. “Why did you call me to this stuffy storage room,”
His forehead curved in surprise. “What? I didn’t call you here! If anything, I was about to ask what you’re doing here before we got locked in,”
“But one of our classmates told me your phone died and said you asked me to come here,”
“That’s odd. I came here to search for bicycle pumps to pump the bicycle in the shed,”
I blinked. “And why would you suddenly want to ride a bike?”
“I was thinking we could ride it together and use the opportunity to get to know each other.
I stared hard at him.
“For the assignment’s sake of course. But now that we’re here together, screw the bike. We might as well use this situation to get to know each other,”
“Shouldn’t we find a way out of here first? How long are we going to be stuck here?”
“Don’t worry about that. Once my friends don’t see me, they’ll comb the entire school to find us and once we hear footsteps, we’ll yell for help. Plus my friends know I came here so I’m sure they’ll be here soon,”
I nodded and wrapped my hands around my legs, my face buried between my legs. I was trying my best not to get nervous. Why would Yolanda do this to me? I wondered what I ever did to her to warrant such wickedness.
“So tell me, what made you apply for a scholarship at Majesty Academy?” Laken’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up to face him. “I want a better life and job for myself, just like everyone else. Life is tough for someone like me, and I need leverage to make it,”
“Someone like you?” He c****d his brows.
“Yeah. It’s complicated,” I sighed.
“Care to share?”
I paused for a second, my mind contemplating. “Is it because of the assignment?”
“What? No!” His forehead creased in a frown. “I’m genuinely curious about you, Daphne,”
I scoffed. “So you can call me by my name?”
“When I want to,” he chuckled. “So—tell me,”
I took in a deep breath before speaking. “I killed my parents,”
“Whoa!” His eyes widened in surprise. “I’m definitely interested in hearing that,”
“I forced them to buy a birthday cake far away and on their way, they had an accident,” My eyes suddenly began to tear up as I remembered what happened. I remember standing in front of the tombstone, crying my eyes out because I’d never see them again.
It hurts so badly. I didn’t realize when a drop of tears trickled down my face.
“I can’t stop blaming myself,” my voice came out hoarsely. “If only I hadn’t told them to get me a cake. If only I didn’t—I didn’t—-“
“Shhhh!” Laken placed his hands gently over my lips. He moved his bucket closer to me. So close that I could feel the warmth of his breath.
“You shouldn’t blame yourself because it’s not your fault. Accidents happen all the time and it’s simply destiny. It cannot be stopped,”
“They were perfectly healthy,” I sniffed as more tears poured out of my eyes. “T-They—-“
“Stop it, Daphne,” he cupped my cheeks in his hands, staring intently at me. I swallowed hard as I held his gaze. His eyes lowered, struggling to focus between my lips and my eyes.
My breath got caught in my throat. I wanted to say something but I couldn’t. Why is Laken staring at me like that? It’s making me feel—things.
Things that I don’t understand.
His fingers brushed past my lips and he slowly began to lean closer. My heart began to beat fast in my chest as he stopped just a breath away from me.
“Can I kiss you, Daphne?”
- Writer
