His Broken Obsession

Chapter 1

ALORA

Someone is watching me.

His dark eyes and the smile on his lips make me want to turn and run, but my legs refuse to cooperate.

He lifts a hand and beckons to me with a sickening smile that makes my body twist with unease.

“My doll,” his raspy voice calls, “I’m coming for you, Alora. You belong to me.”

My eyes prickle with frustrated tears. I hate how helpless I feel around this man. Every alarm bell in my head is ringing, but I can’t move.

“Who are you?” I choke out, my voice betraying the terror I feel with the obvious tremors.

I have no idea who this man is or why I am so terrified of him.

Suddenly, he starts running towards me.

Panic grips me. “Stop!” I scream, struggling to make my legs move. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Alora!” Someone yells from a distance.

I’m too frightened to look away. What if he catches me when I do?

The distance between us closes, and he reaches out his hand. A horrified scream tears from my lips. “No! Don’t touch me.”

“Ali!”

The voice sounds closer now, desperate, almost beside me.

Arms grab me and pull me upright. A blood-curdling scream tears past my lips. “Don’t touch me!”

The hands wrap around me tightly. I thrashed blindly, scratching and pushing at them.

“I’ve got you.” A familiar voice whispers close to my ear, strained with something that sounds like pain. “I’ve got you, princess.”

“Tris?” I whisper brokenly.

My movements freeze as I recognize my cousin’s voice. The nightmare begins to loosen its grip.

“Yes, baby. It’s me. You’re safe now.”

I cling to him, his heart racing against mine, and try to take a deep breath. Another hand gently pats my hair.

I look up to find Ronan, my best friend since childhood, watching me with worry.

My body won’t stop trembling. I try to calm down, but it’s never easy after these dreams. I hate how they leave me feeling.

“Here,” Ronan whispers after a while, offering me a glass of water and some pills.

“Thank you,” I mumble.

I pull away from Tristan to take them. My hands shake, but I manage to swallow the pills and pass the empty glass to Tris, who sets it on the bedside table.

Ronan sits on my other side and presses a gentle kiss to the side of my head. I lean into him instinctively, letting out a shaky breath. There’s a warmth to Ronan that always comforts me in times like this.

"Are you sure you can start classes tomorrow?” Tristain asks with a frown. “You’re a mess, Ali.”

"I will be fine. It was just a nightmare." I sit up and wipe the dried tears from my cheeks.

“Maybe you should take the week off," Ronan suggests. “It’s college. No one is going to give you a hard time for starting a week late.”

I shake my head. “No. I have to start with everyone else. What is the use of starting over if I’m just going to cower before the starting line?”

It’s been seven months since I graduated high school. Seven months since the bullying incident that drove me to lose over fifty kilograms over a ridiculous amount of time. Three years since the mistake that ruined my life. And an eternity since the whispers and nightmares have tormented me.

Tristan sighs. We’ve had this conversation more times than I can count in the past month. I know he’s worried, but I can’t back down now. If I do, starting again will only be harder.

Tris is more than my cousin on Mama’s side. My parents adopted him after his parents died in a plane crash when he was barely ten. He’s the only sibling I have.

“Ali, I know this is very important for you, so why don’t you consider coming to school from the house? That way Mama can keep her eyes on you,” he suggests, like I knew he would.

I shake my head in refusal. “I’m not going to uni from home, Tris. I’m fine," I insist. “They are just nightmares. I didn’t push myself to the point of death trying to lose that much weight only to back down because of a stupid nightmare.” I say angrily.

"Maybe we should leave tomorrow? We can still make it to practice," Ronan says, ignoring everything I had just said.

I get to my feet.

Tris plays for a basketball team in Manchester. Ronan wants to go pro too, and Tris managed to convince his team to sign him as well. They are supposed to report to training camp today, but they insisted on helping me move into my apartment before classes start tomorrow.

I would have stayed in the dorms, but Mama worried about my nightmares disturbing my roommates, along with the ‘other issues’ I had, so Dad gifted me an apartment close to school.

“No,” I glare at the both of them. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”

“But this is going to be the first time you would be living alone. What if something happens and there is no one to help?”

Tris isn’t one to back down, and neither am I. His golden-brown eyes, similar to mine, study me intently, but I hold his gaze.

Growing up, I always envied Tristan. He was the popular jock, the one people gravitated towards. At six foot five, with an athletic build, thick curly hair, and sleeve tattoos, he still draws people to him like a magnet.

The only advantage I have over him is my dimples. A pair on my cheeks and another on my lower back.

Tristan finally sighs in defeat. He stands, grabs his backpack from beside the bed, and turns to Ronan. “We need to hit the road if we want to make our flight.”

Ronan looks like he wants to argue but gives up. He stands as well and grabs his bag. “Are you coming with us?” he asked.

I arch a brow. “To the airport?”

If it was any other day, I wouldn’t mind going with them, especially since the airport isn’t too far from my apartment, but I still have so much to unpack.

Tris shakes his head and points to the pill bottles in Ro’s hands. “You’re almost out, and Mama said to make sure you got them refilled.”

“Mama said that?” My eyes widen. She’s strongly against me using pills to manage my anxiety and panic attacks because she’s scared that I’ll become addicted, which is ironical considering that she is a doctor.

“I thought she didn’t want me to take them anymore?” I ask, trying to fight back a smile, but Tris catches it and rolls his eyes.

“Pops managed to convince her to let you get refills since you wouldn’t be at home where they can keep an eye on you.”

He hands me a prescription signed by my personal doctor, Miss Dianne.

I reach out for it immediately, but he pulls it back before I can reach it and gives me a warning look. “She doesn’t want you taking them unless it’s absolutely necessary,”

I snatch the prescription from him and tuck it into the pocket of my shorts before he changes his mind. “I know,”

“Do you want us to drop you off at the pharmacy?” Ronan asks, and I shake my head.

“No. I’ll drive myself.”

After the nightmare, I’m not in the mood to deal with public transport on the way back.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Tris asks again.

I roll my eyes and begin to steer them both towards the front door. “I’ll be fine. Don’t be such a mom.” I groan.

“Stay safe, Al.” Ro says, turning towards me when we get to the door. He pulls me into a hug. “I’ll miss you like crazy, so text me all the time, even if I get too busy to reply. I want pictures of your college life too.”

We had planned to attend college together, but sports have a different plan for him. And I was okay with it. I think this journey is something I need to go through alone.

I hug Tris next, then push them out. “Call me before you take off and after you land,” I call after them before shutting the door in their faces.

“Can you imagine?” Tristan gasps from the other side. “She is such a spoiled brat with no manners."

I can picture his dramatic expression and his hands going up as he complained.

“As if that’s not on you,” Ronan scoffs.

Their footsteps move away from the door and the smile disappears from my face.

I sink to the floor with my back against the door and thread my fingers into my newly installed butterfly locs.

I pull hard, hoping the pain will make me feel better.

“I’ll be fine,” I whisper to the empty room.

I have to be.