HEART'S COMPLEXITIES.

CHAPTER 3:ACCEPTANCE.

A week had passed and Brittany still hadn't gotten a message from Leah. She had hoped that by making the first move,Leah would be at least a bit willing to let her get close but alas,she was wrong. Leah wasn't interested in her,she was getting her hopes high because of some rare caring acts from Leah but for some reason,she was not going to back out,she would persist till she got an answer, a rejection,just anything.

And with that in mind,she braised herself and headed to Leah's apartment,again but this time,she was sure that leah wouldn't be home so she was more confident about her mission.

........

Brian was lying in bed,on a call with a classmate,laughing from time to time,imagining things as he smiled to himself when he heard the doorbell and his smile immediately faded. He knew it wasn't leah because she never used the doorbell,she would usually just enter as it was literally her house so he was especially annoyed when he heard the doorbell because he wasn't willing to end his call for just anyone but he had to,just incase it was an important thing.

"Could you hold on a bit" he said into his phone,talking to the girl who was on the other end of the phone

"Okay" she said softly.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Brittany,again but this time,well dressed,an additional strong fragrance emitting from her,her face glowing under the little sunlight.

Generally,she looked sexy so he said jokingly "Leah isn't home"

She smiled politely and pretended not to know "oh really? I was really hoping she'd be home"

"You could come in though" Brian offered,moving aside for her to come in

"Oh" she replied and slowly walked into the apartment,looking around,she loved what she was seeing and hearing as the playlist Leah had left on was still plaging,she was amazed by the dark toned style,the masculine scent she easily associated with Leah,the spaciousness of the living room,the freezing atmosphere made the place all the more better,the way everything in there screamed luxury but In a low profile way. She knew that Leah was financially inclined,the outfits and fragrance she wore were enough to show that she was rich but she was starting to think that she might have underestimated the level of wealth she possessed because she was very much aware that this was not the only house leah had. Not rented but personally bought! at eighteen too!

Brian noticed her staring and smiled,he too was unsure of just how much wealth his dear friend had but he knew for a fact that she wasn't just ordinarily rich,she was more than that.

"Do you want the music turned off?" Brian asked,breaking the silence

"not at all,it's calming" Brittany replied honestly

"Yeah,Leah always has music on in the house,car,literally everywhere. She says it calms her down and she wants it to always be the first thing that welcomes her when she gets home after a long day" he explains with a soft smile

"She looks too cold to like this kind of music" Brittany remarked

Brian laughed,"she's way more sentimental than she looks,trust me"

Brittany smiles in response.

"Care for anything?" Brian politely asked

*a tour around this perfection with the girl my heart desires will do!* she thought to herself but smiled lightly,"not really,i'm not staying for long" she said

"So tell me,what brings you here,In the den of Leah?" He joked,though knowing her answer. He knew that Leah didn't text and she was here for that reason.

Brittany could tell that he knew and was just trying to save her face and not make the situation any more awkward than it already was so she smiled and thought for a while before saying,"i'm here to ask you for a very huge favor" she begins

Brian raises a brow,curious,"what favor?"

She takes a deep breath," her number,please" she said quickly as if trying to reduce the shame she felt by letting it out as fast as she could

He frowned slightly but smiled soon after and said in a not so certain tone,"i will give you but you would give me a place to live in if she throws me out,deal?" He joked,she laughed and asked excitedly,"really??"

He smiled,though crying inside cause he knew how pissed leah would be at him for giving out her number without her permission and worst of all,to the same person she had repeatedly avoided but he couldn't help it,he saw how hard they were both trying to suppress their feelings for each other and he had repeatedly told Leah that Brittany was clearly interested too but she just didn't want to risk it so she kept hurting herself by suppressing those feelings in order not to hurt Brittany but she didn't realize what she was doing was hurting Brittany more. He wanted to see her happy again and he wanted to be able to get rid of his own feelings for her so he gave Brittany her number.

"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed and as if she could see through him,she added,"i will tell her I got it from the school group,I won't mention you"

He smiled,"it's leah,she's not stupid but thanks for the thought"she smiled in response

"So,how's it like,living with the mysterious school beauty?" Brittany asks,curious

he laughs,"It's h*ll,trust me"

"what? howw?"She asks,clearly very interested

"you can see how organized and neat this place is yeah?"

"it's like she's got OCD!" he exclaims

"They're about five floors in this building and she pays no one but neat freaks to organize them according to how she wants it to be,you are just looking at the living room,you should come upstairs and you'll think she's a freak! she stays on the last floor at all times,it's literally her personal 'apartment' no one goes there,not cleaners and I only go there when it's necessary too and it's like a whole new world up there,a library,study,gaming room,writing room,bedroom,computer room and even a guest room even though she never accepts guests not to mention them coming up to her personal space!" he narrates

Brittany laughs,almost running out of breath

"wow! I mean,I guessed she was neat but this..!" she exclaims,still laughing

"Aside that,she's really fun and kind of a talkative behind closed doors" Brian says in a low voice,as if sharing a secret,this amuses Brittany

"that is one shocking thing" she says

"yeah" he agrees

"she's not so cold actually,she just doesn't want people around her because of her appearance or money" he added

"I see"

"but hold on,I thought you were this cold person also,you seem pretty friendly though" she admits

"that's because you are a guest of Leah's,and they're usually all important people so yeah" he smiles

"but you know me,I'm not important and certainly not a guest of Leah's" she looks at him,

he smiles,"believe me,you are way important to her than any guest she's ever received,you don't know it but you are."

"you did not hear this from me" he added

she smiles and doesn't ask anything.

They talked for several more minutes and once again,

She thanked him and got up to leave before leah would get back.

When she got outside,she could smell Leah's perfume on her and she didn't even use it neither did she get close to Leah! Whatever it was,she loved it and didn't plan on washing the outfit she wore anytime soon and with a smile,she left the area and headed to her own apartment.

Immediately she opens the door,her phone starts ringing,she looks at the number on her screen,it's an unknown number,so she declines it but it rang again,she declines it again,it rang again,that went on for a while so she decided to answer the call and in an unfriendly tone,she says,"who is it?"

The man on the other end of the phone laughs and says,"is that any way to speak to your father?"

The word 'father' echoed in her head,that voice,that deep voice of a beast,the one that kept hunting her in her dreams and thoughts,the voice she hadn't heard in over a decade,the voice she could never forget. Her face fell,her eyes got dark,her expression,darkened as well,her hand started to shake and her heart started to beat eratically against her chest,she felt suffocated as memories that never even left in the first place became more vivid upon hearing that voice again.

"I'm at your school" the man at the other end of the phone says upon getting no response after a long time.

Brittany's legs give way and she stumbles backwards,falling on the ground with a loud thud

The man laughs upon hearing the sound and says in a low,threatening voice,"I'll be waiting" he hangs up,Brittany is still slumped on the ground with her thoughts all over the place,tears streaming down her face,anger rising within her,fury evident in her eyes and cold sweat dripping down her back.

*******

Luke returns home and is greeted by the strong smell of alcohol with a hint of blood and smoke that filled the air. He immediately starts to panic,hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Without thinking,he barges into Brittany's room and he is immediately welcomed by the scene of several bottles of strong liquor being scattered around the room,several used cigarettes being dumped on the ground and an unconscious Brittany lying in the middle of the mess with blood dripping from the corners of her mouth and her phone in hand and several missed calls from one particularly unknown number.

He had a really bad feeling but he didn't have the time to think about what might have led to this scene,he just needed to take her to the hospital so he quickly carried her and bolted out of the house with the unconscious Brittany in his arms,he entered the car and drove off to the hospital.

******

"Heyy!" Brian exclaims the moment Leah walks into the house.

She looks around,wondering if perhaps,someone else had followed her into the house and he was greeting the person but after looking back and seeing no one there,she laughed and asked,"what's the big news?"

Brian looks at her face for any sign of anger or something but sees no none so he's wondering,

*did she really buy Brittany's story? Is love making her become a fool??*

"Why are you staring at me....?" Leah asked when he kept looking at her face, saying nothing

He smiled and decides to tell her himself before she finds out,"umm I..um gave Brittany your number..?" He said,studying her expressions intently. Her face immediately darkened and her countenance changed instantly

"What?" She asked,a dark aura emitting from her

Brian was starting to feel like he may have underestimated his friend's anger level and he was getting really scared

"I umm.."

"Shut it" she calmly interrupted,in a deep voice

He swallowed his words and kept quiet for a really long time.

After several minutes of her staring at him with those dangerous eyes, she smirked coldly,got up and headed upstairs like nothing had happened.

He didn't dare chase after her,not until after she was calm.

.....

Back at the hospital,Luke had Brittany's phone in hand,trying to guess who might have called her to get her to reduce herself to such a state.

He had just 3 people in mind,her father,her mother and Leah.

He couldn't think of any reason why her parents would call so after summoning courage,he picked up his phone,called Brian and asked him to come to the hospital with Leah immediately.

Brian agreed,thinking something had happened to him but he knew there was no way Leah would come so he went alone.

On getting to the hospital,Brian sees Luke and is confused,he had thought that Luke was hurt and that was why he rushed over but Luke looked okay just restless.

"Where is Leah??" Luke questioned the moment Brian got to where he was,he looked livid

"I don't understand' Brian frowned

"I said where is Leah? She thinks she can hurt my friend and just go on about her day??" Luke yelled

Brian looked confused and was starting to think Luke had lost his senses.

"Can you explain what the h*ll is going on here?" Brian asks calmly

"Your good for nothing friend somehow got Bri's number and I have no idea what she said to her but she's unconscious right now,she's had more drinks and cigarettes than what eight people could handle in one afternoon! How do you explain that??" Luke continued to yell

Brian's frown deepened and he looked at Luke seriously before saying coldly,"Leah did not speak to your friend"

Luke was a bit stunned,he had thought that it would surely be Leah but now that he thought about it,it really didn't make any sense and just as he was thinking,Brittany's phone rang again,he picked up the call immediately and the voice he heard sent cold shivers down his spine.

He knew that voice,it was him...Lothaire.