Bella's POV
I fled the party, heart pounding louder than the music behind me.
My heels snapped somewhere behind me. My knees scraped the pavement. I didn't care. Not when the flashbacks of Ronnie's mocking words and the way they had all laughed along kept haunting me. Not when I could still hear the echoes of their laughter even as I walked farther away from the party.
My mind wandered back to this morning, remembering how Ronnie had presented the green gown to me with a smile and I had been atop of the world, feeling all too proud and lucky. Had a year of being together nothing but a joke to him?
Who knew? Who would have thought this was just his way to make fun of me? I was finding it difficult to breathe as I staggered into the forest, ready to hide away and have a bit of peace to myself.
Somewhere I could finally let go of these tears and allow them to fall freely; A place where I wouldn't be judged by anyone.
It wasn't until I stumbled against the bark of a tree did my knees finally give out, failing to keep me up and announcing how tired they were.
Immediately, I couldn't stop the tears that wanted to be let out and I let them fall freely.
I was all too lost in trying to grasp the reason behind Ronnie's action- not like my overweight appearance wasn't already the answer to my question. Being the plus sized girl had its pecs and so did it have its disadvantages.
Disadvantages that came with being used and then thrown away like a piece of trash.
I failed to notice anything odd around me, only choosing to wallow in my sorrow since I had no one to comfort me.
"And here I thought I could have a good night's rest without being bothered by the overly loud music but who would have thought I would be having company here?"
These words felt like the sudden appearance of rain and before I had the time to let the shock kick in, a head full of brown hair flicked down from above, hanging upside down while the rest of the body hung on to a branch of the tree.
My heart hammered in my chest, a scream at the tip of my tongue while wondering what kind of trouble I'd just landed into.
"No need to freeze, I'm not a ghost."
Yeah, right! The same thing a ghost would say right before attacking its prey.
I sat where I was, too scared to move and the hairs on my body stood on end, frightened to the point of no recovery.
After what seemed like hours of silence, I slowly raised my head, to see for myself. To see whether or not I was going insane and right as soon as I acted on that decision, it felt like I had been zapped as my eyes met with two shiny ones in the dark right above me.
I felt the consciousness get knocked out of me but I didn't fail to notice the outline of the broad shoulders and scattered hair right before I gave way for darkness to consume me.
I didn't know how much time had passed but when I finally managed to open my eyes, it was morning. With the sun already peeking through the open windows, directly on my face.
Warmth.
Softness.
And then the scent of something rich; like cedarwood and rain wrapped around me.
My eyes fluttered open.
It took a second for everything to come into focus right from the wooden ceiling above me, the soft sheets beneath me, the unfamiliar room dimly lit by soft bulb lights hanging from corners of the wall. There was a fire crackling in the corner or more like it had been set that way. What do the rich really spend their money on?
Where was I?
I pushed myself up slowly, wincing as pain shot through my body, a reminder of what had taken place just yesterday. My head throbbed faintly, and my dress was still wrinkled and torn at the hem- a reason I don't remember.
My nose sought the mouth watering scent that kept filling my lungs and tempting me for more inhale. Soon, my eyes darted across the room, landing on the figure slouched in a nearby chair.
With eyes closed and a steady rising and falling of his chest, I concluded that whoever he was, he was definitely asleep.
But right then and there, it clicked.
No, not asleep. Resting, eyes closed, head tilted back, chest rising and falling in an easy rhythm. Could someone possibly sleep so peacefully? Was that even possible?
I slowly took in his appearance, his brown hair sitting tousled, broad shoulders and unmistakably, that same presence from the forest.
Him. The one who had knocked the daylights out of me with his sudden presence.
I sat up too quickly and the bed creaked. His eyes opened instantly, sharp and clear. They landed on me in a second.
"You're awake," he said calmly, sitting forward like he didn't notice the fear on my face or the way I glared at him, in hopes of wading off whatever evil thoughts he had.
Instead, I didn't answer right away. My pulse was racing again but this time not from fear. It was something else. Something deeper. How did I fail to realise this?
"Where am I?" I asked, voice hoarse from going long without talking.
"My place," he said casually like it was a normal thing to do every time. Could he possibly be a playboy? Like the ones who didn't go a night without having ladies in their beds? Did I ruin his fun by passing out and then giving him no choice but to bring me here. But then, he didn't look like the type that'd possibly care at first glance.
Besides, not like anyone would gladly risk having to cause pain to their backs by lifting a heavy weight like me. He could have as well just left me for good or-
"Stop. Stop whatever it is that's going through your head. You passed out and I figured I shouldn't leave you alone in the woods. Didn't want you to get eaten by a raccoon or something." He hurriedly said, killing down whatever thoughts I already had running through my head.
I blinked, momentarily stunned and short of words. "You live out here?" I finally managed to ask after finding my voice.
"Not far," he said, watching me closely. "This was the closest place I could get you to after you suddenly went all cold like you saw a ghost. What were you even doing there alone last night?"
I didn't know how to respond. Too sick to the stomach and not knowing how to explain myself to him.
I should thank him. Should ask questions. But instead…the moment stretched.
My eyes met his, two worlds colliding.
And that's when it happened.
Snap!
The bond surged like lightning through my chest, wild and fierce. My breath caught in my throat, momentarily taken aback by the sudden fierceness. It didn't come gently, it attacked like it was going straight for something.
His eyes narrowed slightly,not in suspicion, but recognition and I knew then and there.
He felt it too.
The silence thickened like paste as the room shrank around us, the space between the bed and his chair suddenly far too small.
Something in me pulled forward, like gravity had suddenly lost its essence and had decided to mock me.
He rose to his feet all too slowly and consciously. As if something could snap if he walked too fast.
I didn't move. No, I couldn't move.
The way he looked at me; the way his orbs stared into mine, curious, drawn in, unspoken wonder flickering in his expression but by bit sent a rush of heat through my veins.
Neither of us said the word.
We didn't have to. It wasn't needed. His footsteps were silent as he crossed the room.
And when he reached me, he stopped right in front of where I sat on the edge of the bed, as if taking me in and trying to get used to my presence.
He raised his hand, my eyes darting to take in the subtle veins lining from his forearms down to his fingers, slow, deliberate as he brushed a strand of hair from my cheek.
The contact was soft.
Dangerously soft and my breath hitched.
He hesitated, his eyes flickering down to my lips, then back up to my eyes.
The air between us crackled like the sound of fire and wood.
He leaned in, his hand hovering near my jaw, the other braced on the bed beside me to hold himself up. I didn't blink. No, I couldn't blink again. Scared that this moment would end.
My body trembled, every nerve lit up with the bond's energy, screaming for something I didn't understand.
His face was close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath.
So close…and just one slip left….
And then he paused, just inches away.The tip of his nose brushed mine.
But he didn't kiss me.
Instead, his lips curved into a crooked, almost-smirk. One that lit up nerves in my body.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "I don't kiss unconscious strangers, especially the ones that pass out after seeing me."
I blinked, breathless, cheeks burning in shame and embarrassment.
"Not a stranger anymore," I whispered before I could stop myself. This time, blood rushed more to my neck, up to my cheeks and then straight to my head, only realising what I just said.
His eyes darkened intensely, but not dangerously.
"I know," he murmured.
He stood upright again, breaking the moment.
"I'll make you some tea," he added, as if nothing had happened. "You probably need something warm."
"W…wait. What is your name, please?" I asked, halting him in his steps as he turned back to look at me. One of his eyebrows quirking up for a split second.
"Carman, sweetheart." He answered in a breathy voice while I held back the shameless sound that threatened to leave my lips.
And just like that, he walked out of the room.
Leaving me breathless. Reeling in what just happened.
And undeniably bound to someone I didn't even know.