Take me Somewhere

Chapter 6

Harper eventually reigned in her emotions and managed to get ready for bed that night without another crying spell. She realized she still hadn't heard from Daren that evening while she was drifting off and decided she just didn't have it in her to talk to him. She felt terrible enough.

A soft sound pulled her from her sleep and she slowly opened her eyes trying to figure out what had woken her. Her blurry gaze shot to the dark figure sitting on the bed next to her and Harper let out a scream and immediately began trying to get away.

"Harper! Stop!"

The loud voice from her would be intruder penetrated her haze of fear and she stopped moving when her back slammed against her headboard, "Daren?" She rubbed her eyes trying to make her body as awake as her mind now was.

"Yes it's me. Calm down." He scooted closer to her as her eyes were already adjusting to the dark.

She leaned over and turned on her lamp and sat back against her headboard with her hand on her chest, "What in the world are you doing here?! You gave me a heart attack. Why didn't you wake me up?"

Daren was still staring at her not saying anything and giving her a look she couldn't quite place, "Daren? What is it?"

He continued staring at her and then finally held up her phone. Instant dread filled her and she prayed she had remembered to delete all the text messages from Liam. She had done it in her state of misery and though it had made her feel even guiltier she was very glad she had done it now, "My phone?"

Daren kept holding her phone up as if that would make her understand. When she didn't say anything else he finally spoke, "Why did the restaurant call you once you were already home last night?"

Harper's mind tried to make sense of what was going on but she was so confused, "What time is it?" She glanced at the clock on her wall and saw that it said 3 AM, "Why are we having this conversation so early? Couldn't this wait until morning?"

"Answer me." He was gripping her phone so tight now Harper was afraid he might break it.

"Okay, just calm down." Harper internally panicked and grabbed onto the first thought that crossed her mind, "The restaurant called me because my card was declined and they needed a different number…How did you know I was home when they called?" She watched his face go from angry to furious at her question and screamed when her phone slammed into the wall above her head.

She slowly brought her arms down from around her head where she had thrown them up to protect herself and didn't have time to blink before Daren had her pressed up against the headboard by her shoulders, "Who were you with last night?" His dark eyes looked black in the shadows cast by the light and Harper stared into them unable to look away.

"I…I…told you – "

He lifted her and pushed her back into the headboard harder making air leave her chest, "Do not lie to me and say Sarah. I saw her on my way to the bar last night and she was with some guy. Not you."

Harper felt dread fill her at being caught in her lie. She knew she should have called Sarah and told her to cover for her if something came up but she hadn't wanted to get the third degree. Now that small inconvenience would have saved her from this moment.

"Who were you with?!" Daren yelled into her face and Harper flinched and shut her eyes. Praying he would calm down and let her go. She was trying to come up with another reason for being at the restaurant last night and would have opted for the truth if she knew Daren wouldn't completely lose it.

"I had a job interview." She quickly spat out and kept her eyes squeezed shut terrified of what he would do next.

When she felt his grip loosen slightly she slowly opened her eyes and saw the confusion on his face. She grasped onto the ray of hope that her lie might actually work and vowed to never lie again if it did; well within reason, "I had a job interview with a marketing agency." She blurted, thinking of what Liam had told her about his job.

Daren's grip began to lighten but he didn't let her go, "Why?" He asked, still confused.

"I want something more challenging. Something that is more important. Didn't you say that at my job they don't need me? Well I was looking for a job that did. I didn't want to tell you unless the interview went well." Since his brow was still furrowed in confusion and not in anger Harper quickly continued, "I didn't want to get your hopes, or mine, in case I bombed it. And I did." She gently placed her hands on his arms and started to pull his hands away from her shoulders, "Bomb it that is. It was a disaster."

Daren allowed her to guide his hands back to his lap and she leaned back to her position, doing her best to try and not dive out of the bed; her heart was still pumping in fear.

"You should have just told me." Daren said quietly.

"I know…I'm sorry…I won't do it again."

She let out a yelp as he lunged towards her and pulled her into his arms, "Christ, Harper, I was so furious with you. I thought you had been seeing someone else. You can't do things like that."

She slowly put her arms around his waist and let him bury his face into her hair, "You scared me Daren."

He pulled back and found her gaze, "I wouldn't have had to be like that if you had just been honest with me." The anger was back in his voice and she immediately shrank back. He immediately pulled her to him again and held her tight, "No baby, don't do that, you know I would never really hurt you. I just love you so much."

Harper swallowed the fear mixed with the usual 'I love you too' that always left her mouth after one of his episodes and buried her face in his neck to fight her reaction, "I know Daren."

When he began to remove her night clothes she let him. This was the only way he knew to show her that he cared and it was the only way she knew to make him not scare her again tonight.

()()()()()

The next week passed quickly for Harper as she threw herself into work at the store. She didn't tell Sarah or Julie about Liam but knew they were curious from the not so obvious signs they had been giving her. Sarah had obviously told Julie what she had done but when she continued to ignore them they had finally let it lay. Harper thought she would be mad at Sarah for instigating all of this but she only had herself to blame.

Daren could tell Harper was a bit out of it and was hanging on to her like a lost child. She couldn't tell him that she was still having flash backs to the night he had terrified her and she also couldn't tell him that she was constantly trying to figure out a way to not think about Liam. She didn't understand how she could miss someone she had known so briefly.

She had a suspicion that Daren was always sticking so close to her because he still had it in his head that she was seeing someone else or going to leave him. She had thought he had believed her story about the job interview but as the days went on and he became more overbearing it was obvious that he hadn't fully bought it. He would take her to work, walk her to lunch, and pick her up. How he was able to get this much time off from work she wasn't sure but she was too focused on not upsetting him and forcing Liam from her mind that she went about her week like a robot.

She was currently walking with Daren to a small café close to her work trying to figure out what she would order. She hadn't been hungry all week and was constantly trying to find the smallest thing so Daren wouldn't question her. As they rounded the corner to take the final block Harper slammed right into someone coming the other way and completely lost her footing and fell backwards form the force.

"Harper! I'm so sorry I wasn't even paying attention." Her mind scrambled as the sound of Liam's voice made it to her ears and then the touch of him grabbing her hand and arm to help her stand up sent butterflies straight to her stomach.

"Oh, It's…" She lost all train of thought as her eyes locked onto his and had to force herself to look away. Daren was standing next to her in complete silence.

She quickly pulled her hand from Liam's and turned to Daren, "Daren, this is Liam. He's a friend of mine I met through Sarah." When Daren said nothing and continued to stare at Liam, Harper quickly turned to finish the introduction, "Liam, this is Daren, my boyfriend." She made sure to throw in the last part and glanced at Daren hoping the angry look starting to take over his face would ease; it didn't work.

Liam was kind enough to ignore Daren's rudeness and held out his hand. Liam was the same height as Daren but it was obvious who would draw someone's eye. Liam looked the epitome of dashing in his suit with his fit physique while Daren looked rather ordinary, "Daren, nice to meet you. You're a lucky man to have someone as sweet as Harper." When Daren still didn't return Liam's handshake after an embarrassing amount of time Harper spoke up.

"Daren and I were just walking to get some lunch. How have you been?" She had asked the last part a bit too earnestly and couldn't stop the flinch when Daren grabbed her forearm.

Liam's brows furrowed as he watched the exchange. He pushed his blonde hair out of his face and kept his attention on where Daren was gripping her arm, "I've been alright. Throwing myself into work lately, but who can complain."

"Oh, me too, it's like my mind can't focus unless I drown it in something else." Harper was talking a hundred miles a minute and could feel Daren's grip tightening. She always stumbled over her words with people she barely knew and the fact that she was able to string a full sentence together with Liam was making her stomach fill with dread; Daren would notice.

"But…umm…we need to get going. My lunch break isn't very long and I'm starving." Harper wanted to slap herself for staring at Liam but she just couldn't drag her eyes away. It was like she had been given a shot of adrenaline form just seeing him and after a week of constant dragging her body was craving it.

"Of course. I didn't mean to keep you two from lunch." Liam glanced back down to where Daren's hand was and then met Daren's gaze. Harper almost jumped out of her skin from the look that crossed Liam's face and quickly looked at Daren when he took his hand from her and placed it gently on her hip. Before she could register what was going on her head whipped back to Liam as he kept talking, "It was nice to see you Harper and nice to meet you Daren." He brought his hand up and pulled a card from his pocket. He kept his gaze firmly on hers while she took what he offered, "If you ever need anything just let me know." He nodded his head in goodbye at Daren and quickly walked away from them.

Daren immediately grabbed the card from Harper and started pulling her down the block. She knew things were not going to go easy the rest of today.

()()()()()

Daren had eaten their lunch in complete silence, refusing to keep any kind of conversation. Harper had given up after the tenth try and finished what little food she could manage to keep down. She had felt invigorated talking with Liam but all she felt now was dread.

After dropping her back off at work Daren left without a word and now Harper was sitting back at home without so much as a word from him the rest of the day. She had grabbed a cab to get home since he hadn't been there when she'd gotten off and she was actually starting to get concerned.

After the meeting on the street with Liam she was sure that Daren was going to be furious with her the moment they got home; asking her when and how they met and any other form of question to fuel his jealous rage. After this week and today Harper was beginning to see how much her love for Daren had blinded her from all his terrible issues over the past years.

Harper was washing up from the dinner she had made herself and dropped the glass she'd been drying onto the floor when her front door burst open and Daren came stomping through. She barely had time to react to everything before he was in front of her staring down into her face, "You w***e!" He screamed at her and knocked the other drying dishes onto the ground. She jumped back and almost fell trying to get away from him; he had never spoken to her like that before.

He started to match her step for step as she backed away and Harper froze knowing that if she continued or tried to run it would just make it worse, "Daren, please, stop this."

The sound of her voice must of set him off because he slammed his fist into the counter making what was on it rattle, "I looked into this Liam guy we ran into today. I know you've been seeing him."

"What would make you think that? I wouldn't – "

He jerked his hand in front of him, motioning her to be quiet and stepped up to her, "He's newly single, he barely even knows Sarah, and you met him at that restaurant that night." His voice had turned into a menacing whisper and Harper couldn't keep her body from trying to get away from him.

He grabbed her by the hair before she could back away and pulled her into him and got into her face, "The hostess was more than willing to tell me what I needed to know. Now tell me the truth or I swear -"

Harper whimpered as his grip tightened and tried to pull his arm from her, "Daren, you're hurting me, please stop. I've never cheated on you. I swear!"

"You god damn liar!" Daren back handed Her so hard across her face that she fell to the side and hit the floor. She yelled out in pain and held her hand to her face and the pain radiated all over. Her ear was ringing, she was sure her lip was bleeding, and the throbbing in her cheek was unbearable.

"Admit it!" He roared above her and she held up her hand trying to shuffle away from him.

"Leave me alone." She begged as she tried to find something to protect herself. Daren had lost it and she had no idea what was going to happen next, "Leave…just leave! Go or I'll call the police."

"You wouldn't do something like that. You're too weak, too goddamn shy to even carry on a straight conversation. You embarrass me every time we go out. But today, with Liam" His voice filled with hatred at his name, "you were more talkative then I've ever seen you out in public. You must have gotten really close to him while you were out lying to me." He took a step toward her and Harper grabbed a knife that hand fallen onto the ground earlier and held it at him.

"Leave!"

"You wouldn't dare."

Harper dragged herself to a standing position and held the knife in front of her with both hands. She already couldn't see out of her right eye, "Yes I would. Leave, now Daren, or I'll call the police or make you leave myself." The tears were streaming down her face while she threatened him but she didn't care. She was afraid for her life and this was the only option she had.

He glanced at the knife she was holding, "I said leave!" she screamed at him and stepped towards him. He must have saw something in her face because he finally held his hands up and started to back away.

"Fine. I'll go. But this isn't over Harper. You need to admit to the kind of woman you are. A lying w***e who can't keep her legs together."

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" She yelled advancing on him and he finally turned and made his way across the room and out the front door. She immediately ran to it as it was latching into place and threw her deadbolt and lock. She slid down the door with the knife still in her hand and cried out as the terror that had consumed her lessened and the pain in her face intensified. She had no idea what to do or where to start but she dragged herself off the floor and pushed the wooden entry table in front of the door and stumbled back staring at her attempt at barricading the entrance to her house. Daren had a set of keys and she had no idea how she was going to sleep tonight.