Chapter 31: Chapter 31

ANNA

At the end of the day, I rush to my locker and grab all my belongings.

~I forgot to ask Roland where he’s taking me. Hope I’m dressed for the occasion.~

I go to the exit and find him sitting on the bench.

“Annabeth! Ready to go?” He smiles and leads me to his car and opens the door for me.

~Holy hell. Okay, so the whole family must be filthy rich. He’s driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom.~

“Nice ride,” I say as I slide in. “Where are you taking me?”

“Well, I thought we should have some fun on this ‘not date,’ so I’m taking you to the carnival. Sound good?”

I nod and sit back to enjoy the ride as he pulls the big car smoothly out of the parking lot.

“So what do you do?” I ask.

“I have my own business. We manufacture big electronic equipment.” He steals a quick look at me.

“In Tokyo, right?” I remember Damitry told me about his brother in Tokyo.

He frowns. “Right.”

We make more small talk. Conversation comes easily with him; he’s so relaxed.

“Here we are.” He stops in front of a hot air balloon.

“This is not the carnival.”

He smirks. “We will take this to the carnival.” He opens the door for me and leads me to the balloon.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He helps me on board and we lift off.

“The view is beautiful. I’ve never seen New York from up here.”

Roland hands me a glass of champagne, and I can’t help but smile.

“I’m glad you like it. To be honest, I’ve never done this before.”

A frown forms on my forehead. “Well, it’s nice, thank you.”

~I’m not sure if he meant a hot air balloon ride or a date.~

“You’re welcome.” He flashes me a sweet smile.

He tells me a few stories about his life in Tokyo. He makes me laugh, and he’s so easy to talk to. He’s a great listener, and he’s interested in everything I say. I feel safe and warm around him.

We make it to the carnival. There are a lot of people. The Ferris wheel is one of the main attractions. He buys me some cotton candy.

I’m having the most fun I’ve had in a long while. But somehow, what I enjoy the most is the way he looks at me like I’m the only girl in the world, and there is always kindness behind his eyes.

He plays Pop the Balloon and wins a small, white, fluffy teddy bear.

“For you,” he says, handing it to me with a flourish.

“Thanks.”

We stroll to the Ferris wheel.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks and turns to face me.

“I am. I haven’t been to a carnival in years. My father always brought me and my brother when we were kids.”

He reaches out for me. “You have some cotton candy on your chin. May I?”

I nod, and he gently rubs it off with his thumb. We stare into each other's eyes for a while as the world passes us by.

I can feel the tension between us growing. My skin is tingling under his touch, and a fire lights in my core.

He clears his throat.

“We should go.” He turns and strolls to the line of people waiting for their turn.

I’m still frozen to the spot.

He looks over his shoulder. “Annabeth, will you be joining me?” he asks teasingly.

“Uh, yeah.” I go to his side, and we get on.

“This is nice,” I say when we reach the top and the wheel stops.

“Yes, it’s beautiful.” He looks straight at me, and I feel a blush creep onto my face.

“Would you like to grab some dinner after this?” He moves his gaze away from me.

“Okay, we can do that.”

A smile forms on his face. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed myself this much,” he says.

“Likewise.”

He looks at me, “So, you and my brother?” His voice sounds irritated.

“We broke up.”

His eyebrow shoots up. “Is that so?”

“Yup,” I reply, popping the “p.” “Something was missing. We changed, and so did our feelings.”

~I’d rather not tell him about my kidnapping. He might ask questions that I don’t have the answers to.~

“Oh, I see. He’s a dumbass for letting you go.” He gives me a sweet smile.

I can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“Roland, why does your brother dislike you so much?”

~Maybe that was a bit too forward. Not one of the best questions to ask, Anna.~

“I wouldn’t say he dislikes me. We just see things from a different perspective, that’s all.”

Our ride comes to an end, and we disembark.

“Well, where would you like to eat? I’m not familiar with this part of town.”

~He’s honest. I like that.~

“Well, maybe we should just grab something here.” I smile at him.

He looks relieved. “Okay, we can do that.”

We walk through the carnival in search of food and find a hotdog stand.

“Two, please.”

Every young woman strolling past us is ogling him. He just ignores them, but it makes my blood boil for some reason.

“Tell me something, Annabeth. How much do you know about my family?” He hands me my food.

“Thanks. Well, let me see. I know Damitry and Dominique are twins, I know about your brother’s fame and fortune, and that’s about it. I’ve never met your parents. Damitry only told me about them.”

He narrows his eyes and nods. “I see.”

A silence passes between us as we enjoy our hotdogs.

The night sky is filled with stars.

“What an amazing night,” I say as I gaze at them.

“It is phenomenal,” he whispers.

We walk some more around the carnival, playing some of the games, when we spot a dance floor where couples are dancing.

“Would you like to dance?” He holds out his hand to me, and without any hesitation, I take it. He leads me to the floor, and we start dancing to a cover of “Despacito.”

He’s a great dancer, and I’m really enjoying his company and being close to him.

He pulls me close to his chest. I take in a deep breath, but he just smirks and keeps on moving to the beat. He keeps my gaze as we fly across the floor.

~How on earth will I be able to resist this man any longer?~

“I need something to drink.” I step out of his embrace.

“I’ll get us some.” We stroll to a soda stand.

A red-haired woman with a very short dress walks up to Roland and pushes between us.

“Hey, handsome, would you like the next dance?”

I stare at her, stunned.

~What the hell, bitch? Can’t you see we’re here together?~

She takes a step closer, ignoring me completely, and takes his hand. I feel my blood boiling.

He narrows his eyes at her. “No, thank you,” he says politely and pulls his hand out of her grip.

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

~She’s trying to seduce him!~

He smirks and shakes his head. “Thanks, but no.” He gently pushes her aside.

“Come on, Annabeth. I would love to dance with you.” He takes my hand, ignoring the red-haired woman, flashing me a gorgeous smile.

I can’t help but smile at him. That woman literally just offered him a good time and he turned her down for me.

“Shall we grab ice cream before we head home?” he asks.

“Okay.” We stroll to the ice cream stand, where he orders chocolate and caramel cones.

“Which would you like?”

“Tough choice to make.” I tap my finger as if I’m thinking hard. “I think I’ll go with the chocolate.”

He smiles and hands it to me.

“Thanks.”

We find a bench and sit down to eat.

“You can always ask for a bit of mine.” He winks at me.

“Okay, swap?” I smile and hand him my cone.

“Well, thank you for leaving me some,” he says as he eyes how much I’ve eaten.

“You suggested it.”

He tilts his head in defeat. “Yours is much better anyway,” he says.

A blush warms my cheeks. I smile and lean in to wipe ice cream from the corner of his mouth. Moments pass as we are lost in each other’s eyes.

He clears his throat. “Let’s go home.” He stands and helps me to my feet.

We return to where we landed to find the balloon gone and the Rolls-Royce in its place.

“I hope you enjoyed our ‘not date,’” Roland says.

“I enjoyed it a lot, thanks.”

He takes my hand and places a gentle kiss on it, sending sparks to my core.

“I should take you home. Come.” He opens the car door for me, then slides in on the driver’s side, and we speed off into the night.

When we pull up to my building, I unbuckle my seatbelt a little reluctantly.

“Well, this is me. Thanks for tonight. I had a great time.”

“My pleasure. Hope we can do it again sometime.” He smiles.

“Me too.”

I open the door and get out. He jumps out as well and comes around to my side, stopping inches away from me.

We just stare into each other’s eyes, longing for a touch.

“Annabeth, I…”

He takes a step closer. I inhale a deep breath.

“Fuck this.” He pulls me to him, one hand placed on the small of my back, staring into my eyes. He presses his forehead to mine and wraps his hand in my hair.

“You smell so sweet,” he whispers.

I feel my lips itching for his. My breath is unsteady, my heart is racing.

He brushes his lips against mine.

“Annabeth…” His breathing is heavy.

The tension is unbearable. I wrap my arms around his neck. He runs his hand up my back and cups my jaw.

“Oh, flower,” he whispers, and he closes the distance between us. We lock into a passionate kiss. His lips are warm against mine, and the kiss is filled with longing.

He pulls away slightly, leaving me wanting more.

“Good night, Annabeth,” he says softly.

“Not yet,” I whisper, out of breath. Sparks ignite in my core as our lips meet yet again. The world stops turning. His scent is dizzying, and butterflies are dancing in my stomach.

I lean into our passionate kiss. Warmth consumes me. I have never wanted someone as much as I want him.

When images of us together flash in my head, I pull away and grab my head in agony.

~Are these…memories?~

I scream in pain. My head is pounding as more impressions flood my brain. I can’t focus. Roland is speaking to me, but I can’t hear him. He looks at me, worried.

I feel heartache and anger all at once. My vision is blurry, the earth is spinning.

~This is too much~.

“I—” Darkness consumes me, and I feel my body fall to the ground.

***

~I’m standing in a dark room.~

~“Hello?”~

~I see Roland, or someone who looks like him, but this guy’s eyes are black. I see Damitry on the opposite side.~

~“What the hell is going on?”~

~Both men are covered in blood. They are talking, but I can’t hear a sound.~

~“Hey, guys!”~

~Another image appears. Roland and I are dancing at what seems to be a ball. In moments, the dark room is filled with flashing images. I’m starting to remember.~

~I know why Roland seems familiar.~

~I know why my feelings for Damitry changed.~

~I start to cry as I experience again the loss of my friends, my rejection of Roland. My heart shatters into thousands of pieces.~

~“No! Roland!” I reach out to him, but the image starts to fade. I fall down on my knees as tears stream down my cheeks.~

~It is dark again, and I’m alone with all the pain and anger.~

~“No—please—stop—it’s too much!” I sob as the memories flood my mind.~

~He loved me and I just left him lying on the ground after everything he did for me, everything we’d been through.~

~I need to go back to him. I need to see him again, to feel his warm embrace, the touch of his lips.~

~I stand, but my legs collapse under me, and I fall to the ground.~

~“Roland,” I murmur under my breath, “please.” It hurts so much, like pieces of my heart have been ripped out of my chest.~

~“Make it stop, please!” Blood starts to drip from my nose as a bright light appears.~

Beep beep beep beep beep…