Scarlet scars

CHAPTER 6: Want to protect her

Jerald

she left, just like that. it seems like she still has not forgiven me for whatever I did in the past and I still don't know what it is.

Ever since she had started living with her aunt, she had completely changed. She became cold and distant. Today, she wasn't just that, but nervous as well. She behaved like I am a total stranger to her. I really don't know what to do and I realised just then how much I missed her.

I got back into the car and went back to the only thing that kept me out of my head. Work! But today was different because since I had seen her in the morning, everything I had done, I can't stop thinking about her. Her green eyes, her long red curly hair and how I wish I could run my fingers through it.

Her perfect body, which one can see clearly despite her hiding it in those baggy clothes she was wearing. she is just as beautiful as I remember, infact more beautiful because those she had grown. Just thinking about her got me hard and I had to tell myself to focus and not let my thoughts run wild. I once treated her as a sister but I could never see her like that as we grew older. Thomas teased me when he found out who she is because he finally got to see why I had always gone out with red heads. It was something even I didn’t understand.

I was close to her back then and it hurt me when she did not want to be friends with me and all I wanted that time was to protect her, like a big brother. I once asked my mother if she could move in with us after her parents death, instead of her aunt's house. My mother was very fond of Scarlet, but she told me that was not how the law works. I didn't understand then, I thought my mom didn't want us to live with Scarlet and I hated her for it for months. But I understand now.

After my Father's death I went abroad for my studies. I didn't want to come back here because of her and the memories. The fact that she pushed me away hurt me more than I could have imagined. Countless times I had thought of her, I thought of coming to see her when I was 18 but I thought of how she rejected our friendship and decided against it. Thinking she’d do it again but she was never far from my mind even in as much as I tried to concentrate on my business. She somehow pushed me to work hard and also made me lose focus.

But now that I had seen her again, old and new feelings had taken root in me. I wanted to be there for her and this time not as a brother, but something more.

I wanted to protect her, to love her and to return that smile to her face. I had not heard her melodious laughter since her parents deaths back in the day and I wondered if she was better now. for some reason I felt like she needed me and that there was something odd about her behaviour and it was my business to find out.

Ever since she had started living with that aunt of hers, she was always limping or bruised. whenever I would ask, she would say she fell, or bumped her head or something in those lines. I didn't think much of it then, could it be possible that she was, maybe accident prone? but since when? is it after she turned 7? I shook my head in denial.

"Ahem!" my mother cleared her throat, bringing me back to the present. I looked at her, scratching my ear.

"what's the problem J?" she asked.."you look disturbed ever since you came in here. here is the menu." I took the menu and ordered.

"mom, I found Scarlet today," I said tapping my hands on the table while looking at her.

"really!..Scarlet? Little red head Cally? how is she? that little sweet girl" she said excitedly.

"well..," I said while scratching my ear, s**t!when have I ever been so nervous talking to my mom.. "well..... she is.. a woman now.. " I said while smiling nervously. "a beautiful woman" I smiled as I twirled my fork into the appetizers as I thought of how amazing she looked also her attitude towards me. I could not help but frown and it did not escape my mother's eye. She was watching me intently.

"son are you okay? did something happen at the office? " she asked concerned and I shook my head no.

"you look disturbed, are you having enough sleep? I told you you need rest" I looked at her and smiled sadly. She was looking at me as if trying to read my every expression. I wanted to figure out what the problem was with Scarlet for me to tell it to my mom.

"Scarlet?" I looked up at her in surprise and quickly averted my gaze when I found her looking at me. Mothers! "so it is her" my mom figured. " is anything wrong with her, son? is she alright?" she looked worried.

"no mom it's not that, Scarlet is fine, . At least I think so.” I murmured the last part. “mom, lets not talk about this now. okay?" she looked at me in question and then nodded absentmindedly but I could tell that this conversation wasn't over.

"You saw Cally today after 11 years. huh!" my mother chirped. "it really has been long. you guys were so close. inseparable!" she said clapping her hands like a little kid, yep that's my mom, she might be serious all the time with other people she would get overly excited sometimes.

"remember that time she got ill? you did not want to come home until she was okay... you stayed at her house for a week always holding her hand" she said in between laughs..

"and also the time she entered middle school and enrolled at your school, you did not want to leave her side, you walked hand in hand to and back from school....you used to be full of life and happy that time...".. she stopped talking as I looked at her with indifference but my heart ached at the thought of those memories.

"I actually thought that when you came back, she would be the first person you would want to see. but then you returned here a changed cold, indifferent person that even I, your mother have to make an appointment to eat with you" she said sadly and I rolled my eyes.

"mother... do not start with that again. let's not ruin this dinner" I said in a warning tone as I clenched my fists. "you have to make an appointment so that I know what to prioritise and what not. Besides you can always call me” I didn't change, I just don't have time. Or so I told my myself.

"your father run this company before but he always made time for you and me"

"and did the company flourish to this extent? and mom if you remember correctly dad started to spend time with us when he found out he was sick, so don't try to make me feel bad or I will leave and this dinner won't be possible anymore" I felt bad for talking to her like that but my mom could be a bit insistent if she wanted. she knew my father and Scarlet were a very sensitive topic and we argued about such every time we met.

"okay I won't bring it up anymore. anyways one of these days, you should invite Scarlet over to my house. I would like to know how she is doing. I know you don't have time for friendships as well, but do just that for me" she said with a sad smile on her face. There she goes again. I rolled my eyes inwardly she was such a drama queen sometimes. Though her idea wasn’t so bad. I could use that to get close to Scarlet and I was probably been selfish by not letting them meet.

"son? did you hear what I said?” she snapped me out of my mind.

"uh.. yes, I will.. the day I meet her. plus she does not have a phone " I said calmly and my mother nodded in understanding.

The rest of the dinner went by with us talking about how business was going and of course she didn't forget to remind me about me getting married. she even proposed I just marry Scarlet and I just laughed it off but it kept ringing in my head.

When I got home, I called up my private investigator and told him to keep an eye on Scarlet and gather as much information as he could. I needed to know what was happening.