It was always you

Chapter 6.

The front door opened, Raphael was standing in the doorway, Sasha grabbed the knife for her defense. Raphael did not realize Sasha was standing in the kitchen, Sasha’s eyes went wide when she saw Raphael, she immediately held the knife and reached for her phone. She didn’t know who to call, or should she call 911, decided it might not be an emergency, she decided to call Mateo, scared out of her mind, Raphael has not noticed her yet. 

“Hello?” Mateo picked up

“Mateo” Sasha whispered, and Raphael heard, so he turned his head and saw Sasha. Sasha put her phone on the kitchen island facing down with Mateo still on the phone.

“What.. what.. What are you doing here Raphael?” she stuttered afraid.

“I missed you. I told you I LOVED YOU!” Raphael was screaming whilst charging towards Sasha, Sasha panicked and she dropped the knife, she could smell him, she could smell the alcohol stench coming off him.  

“Leave me alone Raphael! We are over! Get out! You are drunk!” Sasha screamed as she walked backward, realizing she had no place to run, she was stuck, she panicked, her memories of Drake flooding in, she could feel herself hyperventilating. 

“No! We need to talk. What don’t you understand, when I said I love you and Cassie?” he grabbed her wrist, she winced as she could feel his nail digging in her skin. He dragged her to the living room as she struggled. 

“You’re hurting me, Raphael! Let me go!” 

“No!” slap, Raphael slapped Sasha across her face. “You will sit here and I will make you understand that I love you. What don’t you get baby? What?” he screamed.

Sasha started crying clutching her cheek, she was hurt, Raphael was hurting her, he refused to let her go. 

“Stop crying! Stop being a cry baby! I don’t need this! You and I are not over! We will get married and have kids, just like we’ve planned all along. Come here” he pulled Sasha into his chest and forced her to lie down on the floor with him, as he held her he slowly drifted off to sleep. She tried her best to break free from his hold, but he was strong and holding her captive. 

She didn’t know how long she was lying on the floor being held captive by Raphael, probably not that long, but to her it felt like an eternity, then her front door opened, she saw Mateo, her eyes immediately pleaded with him for help. His eyes widened and he quickly rushed over and pried Raphael’s hands-off Sasha. 

Groaning, Raphael opened his eyes, and saw Mateo, Mateo ensured she wasn’t 3 feet near Raphael, he started attacking Raphael, punching him. 

After a few punches, Sasha pulled Mateo's shirt, he knew it was a sign of stop, he quickly got up and he embraced Sasha, the police arrived 3 minutes later. 

Mateo called the police after he heard Sasha screamed over the phone, a good thing he was nearby on a date, things might have gotten worse if he wasn’t there to save her. The police took their statements and left with Raphael, but according to the officer, they wouldn’t be able to do anything for Sasha other than a restraining order, because they used to date and Raphael used to live with Sasha and still had the keys, so it isn’t breaking an entering. Mateo demanded the restraining order, and the police nodded in agreement. 

Once the officers left, he closed the door, turned to see Sasha, she looked disheveled, and was just staring into space. “Come Sash, let's get you showered and you can rest alright?” 

“Huh” that was all she responded.

“Come on Sash” he urged. “No Mateo, I.. I.. I can’t stay here. What if he comes back? What if Drake and Raphael come back? I.. I.. I.. I.. I need to leave.” Sasha hastily got up and grabbed her phone and rushed out of the living room. 

“Where are you going?” he sighed

“I don’t know Mateo. I have no one. I can’t be here anymore. I can’t do this” she fell crying. Mateo picked her off her bedroom floor “Come, you can stay with me” he offered.

“No, it’s fine. I can stay in a hotel, or I can go to my office. Yes, I can stay in the office” she was blabbering.

“Mi amor, Clay will be staying with me tomorrow onwards, 3 of us can hang out like our good ole days, it’s not a problem” he paused “Okay a tiny problem, you might have to share a bed with either of us, if Clay comes with his girl then you can stay with me, if he doesn’t you can decide. How about that? You will be safe with either one of us.”

“Thank you, Mateo” 

***

After she packed her essentials and a few items, they left for Mateo’s place, his place wasn’t too far from hers, so it would be convenient if she needed anything from her apartment. Once they arrived at his apartment, he showed her around letting her familiarise herself.

“You can shower first, I need to send some emails” 

“You can sleep in my room, I wasn’t prepared for guests, and Clay’s room is still in a mess. I’ll take the couch for the night” he offered. “No, I won’t do that to you, Mateo. Can you sleep with me please?” 

Mateo cleared his throat, “Sure”.

Once they were both settled, Sasha spoke up “Thanks Mateo”, “No problem Sash, I’ve got your back” 

“Hey, what were you doing, before you know?” she asked, “oh, I was actually on a date with this biker chick Tanya” 

“I’m sorry I ruined your night” she sighed, “Nah I wasn’t into her anyways. No harm no foul I guess” he shrugged as he stared into his ceiling deep in thought. “Well, you could’ve gotten laid” she chuckled. 

His tone changed, “I don’t sleep around anymore, I’m ready to get married, actually I’ve been ready for some time now, but I guess I the timing is never right”, Sasha turned on her side to face Mateo, surprising herself she put her hand over his heart and said, “well when you finally get the right time, she is one lucky girl.”

He gently grabbed her wrist, and she winced in pain. He immediately shot up to see her wrist, he then noticed she had tiny cuts on both her wrist and it was black and blue. He mentally slapped himself for not noticing it earlier, he got up to get an ice pack and placed it on her wrists. 

They slowly drifted asleep. 

***

The next morning came, it was a Saturday and the sun was shining brightly. Sasha woke up and glanced at her phone, it was 9 am and she could hear the bustling sound of cars, a typical day in the big apple. She turned to see that Mateo was still asleep, so she slowly got up from the bed and took a shower. After showering, she saw that he was still asleep, so she decided to cook brunch for the both of them, knowing that he was a big eater she would need to cook for 4 people.

Mateo woke to the smell of food, wondering which angel decided to grace him with food, then he realized it must be Sasha since she stayed over. He showered and made his way to the kitchen, he saw Sasha cooking up a storm, but it smelled amazing. 

“Morning” he greeted

“Morning Mateo” she smiled, “I’ve prepared for our brunch, so just take a sit, I’ll plate up” and he nodded.

She brought the plates to the island and served it out for him, she prepared poached egg on toast, grilled chicken, and kale salad, with a chocolate avocado banana smoothie. She knew he always ate clean and maintained a healthy diet, plus his fridge was stocked with all types of food but she knew what she made would be more appealing to him. 

His eyes widened at the sight of all this food, he felt his stomach grumble, he always enjoyed eating her food, he knew she’s a chef but she always kept it modest and cooked just simple amazing food. “Bon appetit” she exclaimed. 

“So what time is Clay arriving?” Sasha asked, breaking the silence.

“Probably around 1? He texted last night saying that his girl followed him as well, and he said that he needed to speak to you” Mateo raised his brows. “Yeah, I’ve been avoiding him for a while now” she sighed. 

“I heard, 3 years you guys have been avoiding each other, you guys used to be so close. What happened?” Sasha shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “we did something stupid after the Drake incident, you can ask him about it. He avoided me like a plaque for a while, then we sorta pushed it aside, but now I’m not sure what he wants to discuss with me. We haven’t even seen a picture of each other in 3 years, occasionally he would call me and I, him, but rarely and nothing is the same. To be honest, I’m nervous, he sounds serious and my mind has been going wild with ideas, maybe he wants to cut the friendship” 

“Hey hey, don’t be like that. Everything will be alright, maybe he just wants to apologize for the past?” he said, sounding like a question more than a statement. “Yeah maybe. So what are you up to today?” Sasha asked, trying to change the topic.

“I have a date tonight, but I might skip it. Nothing much today, since I don’t need to head to the gym today. Marcus the manager is on duty, so I’ll be free. You?” 

“Cry?” she meant it as a joke but it didn’t come out that way. He reached over to rub her hands, “Let’s do something today, but since Clay is arriving at 1 pm, maybe we chill and watch some TV and grab some dinner later?” She nodded in agreement. 

Soon after, they both were watching TV, Mateo turned on The 100 and they both fell into the comfort of being in each other’s company, it was slightly chilly, so Mateo draped the blanket on Sasha, and they both snuggled watching TV. They were comfortable with each other and it was never weird or awkward, she always enjoyed Mateo’s company. 

Creek 

The front door opened, they both woke up must have drifted to sleep. Clayton was standing at the door, eyeing them suspiciously and Kate Browning stood right behind him. Sasha’s eyes widened as she stared at Kate Browning, Drake’s younger sister in front of her.