Chapter 12: Chapter 12

The mysterious prince 'not so charming' and I headed to the back of the house where the main event of burring Kyle would take place and just being there gave me goosebumps. Luckily though we headed a bit further from the scene and into the forest opposite the house, benches and bins lined the pathway leading to a little pond with fish of different colours swimming around the clear pond.

It was a beautiful place, a place I envy to be at every single second I'm free. I could just imagine sitting by the bench not far from the pond reading a book with my headphones in and listening to Bon Iver-Roslyn on repeat, the absolute bliss I would be in.

"It's beautiful right," prince charming smiled staring at the pond with a faraway look.

"You can say that again," I said sitting by the bench, he didn't follow me but stood over the pond with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. I wondered what was his problem. I left him to ponder while I put some music on and breathed in the fresh air with my head tilted up to the clear sky with my eyes closed. I listened to the birds chirping and the wind gently ruffling the leaves, it was such a peaceful place it made me understand why Lauren wanted to bury Kyle here.

I slowly opened my eyes to get a shock of prince charming staring at me intently.

"What?" I asked with my heart racing

"Nothing, you just looked at peace and I didn't want to disturb you," he shrugged his shoulders before sitting next to me. Looking at him closely it was clear he wasn't at his best with bugs under his eyes and slumped shoulders Kyle was very important to him. He was more on the trapezium muscular body shape that any girl or guy would easily fall for, he looked like he exercised regularly.

"How close were you with the deceased if you don't mind me asking?" I asked trying to make small talk to stop my agitated body from shaking like a leaf from how close he was to me.

"He was my uncle," he said angrily lacing his fingers and digging his nails into his skin as he sat hunched over staring at the ground. I wasn't sure what to do considering I was the worst at comforting people.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said feeling like shit for being alive.

"It's fucked up is what it is," he said through gritted teeth

"I know," I said shame evident in my voice

"How do you know him?" He asked turning his eyes to me, how could I possibly answer that without getting beat up. By the look of the guy, he would snap me in half if he found out that I'm the reason his uncle died.

"Well, to be honest, I'm the reason he's dead," I said trying not to show any emotions, the moment those words left my mouth, prince charming stood up abruptly making me flinch and close my eyes in fear of being hit but nothing came my way.

"What?" He asked instantly with narrowed eyes.

"He was trying to save my life but the thieves had knives and stabbed him to death," I said opening my eyes slowly to look up at his now confused face.

"Then how the hell is that your fault?" He asked with a raised brow.

"If I wasn't in that ally you would still have an uncle," I sadly said looking down at my feet in shame. He sighed and sat back down not sure what to say to me.

"None of this is your fault, I'm sure he's glad that one of you made it," he gently said grabbing my small hand in his large one and smiled in reassurance and for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like unwanted hands were crawling all over my body instead I felt a compassionate helping hand from a stranger, and thanks to his kindness the waterworks were released and I was a crying bubbling mess.

"Hey, it's ok," he said pulling me into a side hug, he wrapped his arms around my back and rubbed it slowly. I felt terrible for what happened that night and at the cost of my life being saved, life worked in mysterious ways but I never expected such a thing to happen to me and now everything was finally coming out.

"I'm so sorry," I cried

"Don't apologise it's not your fault," he gently said resting his chin on my head.

"But it is," I sobbed

"No, it's not," he argued, I gave up arguing with him and just rested my head on his chest trying to calm down. He held me until I felt much better and stopped fighting, I took a deep breath and composed myself. I sat back and wiped my eyes and sniffed before apologising for losing it.

"No worries we all have our odd days," he smiled, he gently moved a few strands of my hair behind my ear and caught my eye. I held my breath as I maintained eye contact yet again mesmerised by his alluring eyes, if I wasn't gay my sexual desire for him would be off the roof and I would be sitting in a puddle of goo.

"You have beautiful eyes," he commented while he caressed my cheek leaning a little bit closer towards me.

"Same goes to you," I shyly said looking away with a small smile, he chuckled and sat back giving me some space to breathe again.

"Malcolm," He said outstretching his hand

"Huh?" I asked dumbly still spellbound by his charm

"My name is Malcolm Strous," he smiled, oh what a fitting name for such a hunk.

"Oh right my name is Bellenthu but everyone just calls me Belle," I quickly said and shook his hand a little too enthusiastically before letting it go and placing my hands on my lap.

"Cool name," he smiled

"Thanks," I shyly said playing with my iPad in my hand. We sat on that bench just taking in the beautiful scene before us and listened to some music before it was time for the actual funeral. I stuck by Malcolm the entire time we were waiting for everyone to find their seat or stop crying for just one second so we could begin the funeral and be out of here. Just standing so close to the closed casket was giving me flashbacks of the day we buried my mom which was the most painful day of my life, a day I did not want to relieve, ever.

I was busy playing candy crush on my iPad when someone came up to me and slapped me on the face, when I looked up it was a short old plump woman with constant tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Gladis," the woman next to her gasped at what Gladis did.

"You got my son killed you devil spawn," she cried pointing at me with her bony figure, "What gave you the right to set foot on these secret grounds huh?" She spoke with pure venom in her voice, all eyes turned to us, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Grandma calm down it wasn't her fault," Malcolm tried to defend me but to no avail and at the corner of my eye I could see my dad heading my way like a man on a mission.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I softly said not looking her in the eyes.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me why you deserve to live and not him," she begged her frail hands shaking, slowly I raised my head and locked eyes with her.

"I don't," I said through gritted teeth

"That's right you should've died not my son not him," she choked on her words as she cried and sniffed giving me one last cruel look before going to find her place to sit down. Everyone locked their eyes on me expecting me to lose it or just leave and that's what I did. I walked out of the building to my dad's car and I couldn't control the tears that streamed down my cheeks as I leaned against the car.

"Belle," my dad came running to me with a concerned look.

"I fucking told you I shouldn't be here but you didn't listen, no one ever listens to me," I shouted at him with a tear-stained face. He looked ashamed of himself and I was glad he finally felt how I did 24 seven.

"I'm sorry ok," he said like that was going to fix anything.

"Why don't you be sorry inside, I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss the funeral after all you wanted to be here not me," I said through gritted teeth angrily wiping away my tears. He didn't say anything just did as told and headed inside, I sighed and did a breathing exercise to compose myself.

"You ok?" Malcolm came out of nowhere making me jump.

"Ya I'm fine," I lied smoothly

"Don't take what Gladis said to heart she's not a big fan of anyone," he said with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Well her and my grandma would make one fine couple," I tried to joke hoping to cheer myself up.

"How about we go for a ride it sure as hell helps me calm down when I'm mad or in this case sad," he offered with a small smile,

"And the funeral? You of all people should be here," I asked with a raised brow.

"It's chill I can always come to visit him anytime plus it's a closed casket so no use for me to be there but aunty Mable will for sure be filming everything," he explained," So shall we ?"

"Ya sure why not," I said with a sniff. He led the way to his black Bently Continental GT, the car was so beautiful to look at, it felt like I was tainting it just by looking at it.

"You like?" He asked with a knowing smirk.

"Ah duh," I stated obviously.

"Thanks, bought it myself," he said

"Are you serious what the hell do you do?" I asked in shock.

"I'm a trader," he said getting in the car, that's when the spell he put on me disappeared.

"A trader, don't you lose more than you gain?" I asked

"Not in my case," he smirked starting his car up and driving out the driveway, "So where are we going?" He asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure I got a thing later so we could always pop up earlier if you wanna join that is," I answered.

"Ya I got nothing better to do, so what's your plan for later?" He asked.

"Haunted house party," I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Nice, that sounds fun," he smiled before I gave him the address to Anji's house.

"So Princess Belle, tell me about yourself," he said glancing my way, the request caught me a bit off guard.

"What do you want to know?" I asked him.

"Anything just the type of person you are," he said.

"Well I'm not your cup of tea, I'm quiet, I love reading and sports, uh let's see I'm also gay-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence as he hit the brakes hard when I mentioned I was gay.

"God I'm so sorry it's just I wasn't expecting that," he said baffled.

"It's ok I know it's a big shocker but it's who I am and if you judge me I will throw you out of this car and hijack it" I playfully warned him.

"Duly noted but no judgment on my part," he chuckled before continuing on our quest to Anji's house.

"What about you, you're not a serial killer by any chance are you?" I asked with a raised brow hand ready on the car door jokingly.

"Nah nothing like that, I'm just a fellow guy who had to hustle his way through life and had to fight tooth and nail to get where I am. I won't say I'm proud of the things I did to get here but I'm glad to be alive you know," he nonchalantly.

"What, you in a gang or something?" I asked

"Was," he corrected

"How did you get out? If you don't mind me asking," I asked him, curious now about the handsome man driving me possibly to my death or to Anji who will kill me one day so either way I was heading to my death but Anji's was a little sweater way to go.

"Kill or be killed," was all he said with a locked jaw, his hands tightened on the steering wheel clearly remembering his past life.

"Shouldn't you be in jail then?" I asked

"Snitches get stitches darling, no one outside the gang speaks about what happens inside the inner circle," he answered.

"Well you just told me and I could snitch on you cause I'm not in your little circle," I said with a raised brow.

"With what evidence?" He asked with a smirk, "But you don't look like that kind of girl," he added with a raised brow.

"True I don't snitch," I smirked rolling my eyes as his smile widened.

"So you were saying before I interrupted you," he said suggestively.

"Nothing much just that I hate funerals and my mom died when I was younger," I said

"Oh sorry to hear that," he sadly said

"Nothing to worry about its in the past where it belongs but I'm more interested in your past, tell me more about your gangster life and don't you dare leave a single detail out, I especially love death and gorry," I excitedly said eyes wide in anticipation.

"Alright, this has gotta stay between us though ok?" He asked.

"Ya for sure," I quickly said like a kid on a sugar high.

"Ok, then how about I spill the beans on my gangster life and you tell me your biggest secret?" He offered, my blood went cold at that thought but he didn't know I had many secrets so all I had to do was tell a little white lie after all I was pretty good at that.

"Ya for sure," I said but I could tell he didn't believe a word I said but he told me about his past and the mistakes he made which were a lot and when I mean a lot I mean the man should be in jail for life. It shows what growing up in the hood can do to a child but he's lucky he got out of there and is trying to rebuild his life abiding by the law and not doing anything illegal.

He was a prime example of that people can change if given the benefit of the doubt. If Lauren and Kyle hadn't taken him in, after his mother died when he was younger he would be living on the streets doing whatever he could to survive. His story was quite a tragic one but he made sure he never got back to that life by investing in his future and save for it with the thought of starting a family soon. The man was a true inspiration and I was fortunate enough to have met him, he was like the inspiration I needed to face my past.