THE MISTRESS

Nine

▪︎ The Lion ▪︎

RUBY REY

I crawl out of bed and drag myself to the livingroom.

Erik is sleeping soundly on the couch. Sailing past him, I head straight to the kitchen. The fridge is open and I find that a little strange. I dip some ice cubes into a glass and pour myself some water. I take a sip from the glass, the ice knocking against my teeth.

It's refreshing and relieving.

I swear I was almost dying from the thirst.

As I close the fridge, a whiff of smoke sneaks into my nostrils. I quickly bolt to the livingroom and my heart sinks.

THERE IS A FIRE!

The windows are on fire. The curtains are on fire. The door is on fire. We are locked up inside a house that's on fire!

Someone just set my house on fire!

An ear-splitting scream escapes my throat. Erik is instantly pulled from his slumber. He stares at me in disbelief as he leaps from the couch.

He immediately runs to my rescue, circling his warm arms around me. I lie my head on his chest, feeling safe and secure. That feeling is immediately ripped away when he falls to the ground, screaming in horror and pain.

A log of burning wood just fell on him, setting him ablaze.

I watch in shock as Erik rolls on the floor, flames of fire torturing every inch of his skin. He screams for help. He screams for me to help him. But I can't. I can't help him. I can't even move a muscle. I am frozen to the bone. I can't even say any comforting words. My tongue is tied by some sort of glue.

All I can do is watch.

Tears roll down my eyes as he yelps in pain and anguish. When his skin finally bursts into ashes, I finally find my voice.

I let out a scream.

"Errrrrriiiiiiiiikkkkkkkk!!!!!!!"

|| || || || ||

"I'm here."

Erik's fingers rake through my hair as he speaks softly to me. He sits beside me on the bed, his brow creased with concern.

"I'm here." He calms me down. "Take a deep breathe."

He tries to pull me into his arms but I'm stiff.

"Do you need anything?" He asks gently. "Anything I can bring you?"

I dart a quick glance at him, trying to speak but I can't. I can't utter a word. I'm sitting still, completely frozen.

He shoots up from the bed and comes back a few seconds later with a glass of cool water. He holds the glass for me, pressing it on my lips. His eyes don't leave mine as he forces me to drink the water.

"Please say something..." Erik begs.

"I'm fine," I manage to mumble.

It feels like some sort of victory when those two words leave my mouth. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to utter any words whatsoever.

"You don't look fine..."

It takes a mass of strength to pull myself together and shake off the last shreds of the nightmare. I take in a deep breathe and force a smile.

"Can I ask a favour?"

"Anything for you..."

"Sleep next to me," I mutter. "Please?"

His gleaming eyes hold mine for a second before he flicks the bedside lamp off. Darkness engulfs the room, leaving the dimming light of the moon. He tucks himself under the bedsheets, his hand rocking my hair gently. He drifts off to sleep immediately I pretend that I have dozed off.

I find myself staring at the sinking moon far in the horizon, my mind drowning in a sea of thoughts.

I know I should warm up to Erik. I know I should feel good about this. About him being this close to me. But I'm not. Infact, I am scared.

Scared that I'm letting him too close...

Scared that he might end up hurting me. Or worst case scenario, I might end up hurting him...

I have to let him go.

Before I ruin him...

|| || || || ||

It's snowing outside when I wake up the following morning. It's too dull outside to call it a Sunday.

I reach for my phone under the pillow when my jaw drops. It's ten minutes to 1.00pm. How could I sleep till noon?

I get a couple of missed calls from Alex and Prof. Smith. Why the hell would my lecturer be calling me on a Sunday? Is this about his dirty little secret?

What's that sizzling sound? Where's that aroma coming from? Someone is in my kitchen.

It must be Erik.

I thought he would be gone first thing in the morning. I thought the tantrums I threw last night were enough to chase anyone.

I stand at the doorway, watching him making brunch. He's still in the hoodie and sweatpants I gave him last night. He looks so damn sexy as he flips the pancakes in the pan, crooning to a sweet slow song.

A smile stretches across his face when he sees me.

"Good morning..."

"I think it's good afternoon," I say pouring myself some hot coffee.

"Try these pancakes," he serves me as I sit on the kitchen island.

The pancakes are so scrumptipus I can't stop myself from devouring them bite after bite. Erik stares at me in awe as I eat greedily.

"I was afraid I put too much sugar," he says. "Thought you wouldn't love the pancakes..."

"Are you kidding me? They are perfect!"

He takes a seat beside me, concern washing over his face. He studies my eyes as he sips his coffee.

"You are kinda creeping me out with that long stare," I say with a brief laugh.

"Last night..."

I fake a smile.

"Can we please not talk about it?"

"I was scared, Ruby," he says. "Scared for you. You kept screaming my name as I tried waking you up. And when you finally woke up, you completely went still. Frozen. You weren't moving. You weren't speaking and-"

I shrug, brushing him off.

"Erik, people have nightmares all the time. Some people scream. Some people cry. Others pee on their beds. Others freeze. I'm among the few who freezes unfortunately. But it's nothing serious. Really."

He doesn't look like he bought a word I just said. My phone suddenly rings giving me the chance to escape this awkward conversation.

Alex.

"I'll be back in a few..."

I lock the door and sneak to the balcony. I press the phone against my ear when I receive the call.

"My stupid nightmares are back like a toxic ex!" I scoff. "Ugh! I have to start taking my meds again."

"But they had stopped." His tone is laced with worry. "You haven't had them for almost a year now..."

"Seeing that evil bastard last night must have triggered me. Everything he did, all the things he put us through... "

A fit of anger grips me when the memories come flooding back in my mind like waves crashing in an ocean.

"I think you should get back on your meds." He advices. "Especially now that you will be working for the devil himself..."

"I hate him, Alex. I hate him so much I'm afraid that I'll end up killing him when I start working for him."

"Killing him would be the easy way out for him. You might even end up in jail. All these years of planning and waiting for the perfect revenge will all go to waste, bro. He will win if you kill him. Don't let him win. We can't let him win... Not this time..."

Silence stretches between us for a moment before I break it with a sigh.

"You are right. We can't let him win. I'll have to get back on my meds whether I like it or not. I can't afford to mess up. That would be too expensive."

"Now that's my girl."

"But I know this won't be easy," I huff. "It scares me, Alex."

"Dude, stop snatching my role! I'm the one that gets scared! I'm the one that gets terrified and freaks out! I'm the paranoid one! I'm the chicken! Not you!"

I manage to chuckle.

He continues.

"You are the strong one! The lion! We wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't for you. So get back on those f*****g meds and pull yourself together!"

Alex doesn't know just how brave I think he is. It's one of the qualities I admire so much about him. So much so that I feel jealous and envious some times. As kids, he fought every boy who broke my heart even though he lost all the time. He even dared to confront my grandmother every time she insulted or bullied me. He would do that knowing very well that he would get a nice beating from the old owl but that never held him back. We wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't for him. I don't think I'm the lion.

He is the lion.

He clears his throat.

"I didn't call you to remind you that you belong to the jungle. You clearly know that by now," he pauses. "I have some bad news."

The smile is replaced with a frown.

"Spit it."

"My laptop got hacked," he says. "I lost all the files including all the documents I stole from The Ford Firm."

I take a moment to digest the news, burying my face in my hands.

"That means we are back to square one?"

"I thought so too," he pauses. "But we have a big advantage on our side. You are now a worker at Ford Firm. That devil already likes you. It will be easier for you to recover all those documents now that you work for the company..."

"That's a great idea!"

"That's my lion."

"But it's risky..."

"Risky got us here..."

"I'm really not sure about this but I'll tell you how that goes."

I resume to the house after hanging up on Alex.

I'm surprised to find Erik dressing up in the tux he was in last night. He grits his teeth the minute he sees me. He looks mad and angry for some reason.

"Are you leaving?"

"My denim jacket." He asks coldly. "Give it back to me now."

"I thought we are having brunch together."

"I thought so too until I got a call from Sabrina's mom telling me her only daughter was involved in an accident."

"Sabrina got into an accident?"

"Cut the crap!" He snaps. "You know what you did, Ruby!"

"What I did???"

"I know that you tampered with the brakes of her car last night!"

His jaw clenches, rage consuming him.

"She's now in hospital. Thanks to you."

|| || || || ||