Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

ALEX

I ran into the kitchen and pulled out e ingredients I needed. I cracked the egg, put it in the mixing bowl and add some spices. I poured it in the pan and grabbed the bacon.The bacon was now coated with egg and all I need to do is grate some cheese and cook the pancake. I finished the omelet by adding the grated cheese unto it.

Tada, I've got a beach omelet. It's called like that for it's a combination of bacon and cheese with the egg as it's coat.

I put it in a plate and grabbed the pancakes. I poured some maple syrup and scoop a butter to put on top. I was about to bring it in the table when I notice his presence.

"Alex," He said in a hushed tone "I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. I hope you have already forgiven me." I looked at him as he bit his lip.

"No, I should be the one to say that" I look at the pancake in my hand and smiled "C'mon we'll have this whole day, I mean the whole week for ourselves so let's get going" I smiled at him and sat on the table.

He pulled a chair beside me and pulled my plate of pancakes. "I guess I'm going to have this one all for myself" He smirk and took a bite at it.

•••

"Alex! What did you do to my wallpaper?" He shoves his phone at my face after ending the call from his mother.

I looked up from the cake I've been doing and gave him an innocent face which made him melt. "I didn't do that" I tried to defend. He leaned down and gave me an evil smirk. "Oh really? Well, I didn't mean this too" He wipe an icing on my face.

And that made the whole cake work its way on our face.

"Cade" I groaned "Why did you started it?"

He look at me and wipe his finger on my face. He put it in his mouth and answered, "No reason, I've got no reason and by the way, did you know that the food on your face was much more delicious than that on the plate?" He brought his face closer and licked my face.

"Eeeeeww! You're such a perv,Cade!" He rolled on the floor and laugh. I look at my reflection in the kitchen stool and laugh but he was much worse than what I look like. He has too much icing on his face that it's like he was a wild Santa Claus!

I was making my way to pour room when a hand slipped on my waist "Cade, what d'ya need?" I turned to look at him but then he was already waiting for me to do that so he could kiss me.

"Cade!" I shouted as he lock himself in, laughing. "Cade, please. Open it!" A hand suddenly snatch me in to our room. He smiled as he lick my face once again, leaning in.

"Ugh, you're so gross" I headed in the bathroom and entered the shower. After an hour of having a bubble bath I opened the door to check out on him."Cade?" Okay I think he's gone now. I change into a tank top and jeans. I pulled my paint brush and started to paint at the balcony.

The weather was warm and it seems that soon, I'll be celebrating my eighteenth birthday. I wonder if he knew that my birthday is the day after tomorrow. Maybe he don't, but he can ask my mother and I'm pretty sure that in a blink of an eye my mom won't hesitate to spill the beans.

I sigh. It's been three days now since we have fixed all the differences between us. We decided to have a vacation here in Italy so he could fix the business with the Carson’s’. I'm pretty sure that Caiden was now busy talking about business in his office. It's true that he spend time with me and he have done a pretty good job but he also need to manage the business. He can't just leave it unattended especially now that he got a new business deal from Mr. Carson.

I dipped my brush in blue and mixed it with white. I dubbed it on my canvass and look at it. It's a painting of me and him eating ice cream by the pool, I was almost finish at it when a hand snaked its way on my waist.

"Cade, You scare the sh*t out of me! " I exclaimed while watching him laugh.

"You're f-face, it's p-priceless, hahaha!" And that made the two of us laugh hysterically.

I was the first to recover. I tried to yank him off the floor but to no avail he won’t barge resulting to me falling at him. "You know that you can't do that right, so why'd you try? You just made me want to laugh again" He chuckled while I tried to make a straight face.

After a while, I looked at him and ask, "Why did you scare me like that Cade?" He look down while rubbing his thumb on my fingers.

"I'm sorry Alex, it's just," he sighed "I just want to laugh with you. Did you know how hard it is for me to sit on that chair for eight hours just reading those reports, answering the calls and trying to fixed all those things so everything will go smoothly?" I tightened my finger on his. He looked up at me with those confuse eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't know. Do you want to go have a tour, we can go biking." I asked trying to make it up to him. He looked at me and pinch my cheeks." Hmm, that would be great." He pulled me up and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Come on, I've been wanting to tour you around and now would be a perfect time."

The two of us made our way down the stairs and I stared at him. Now,he looks like a normal teenage boy who wanted to escape school just so he could spend some time with his girlfriend. He looks so happy that I can't help myself with those butterflies fluttering furiously in my stomach.

He pulled me through the door and to his garage. He pulled out two bicycles a black and a blue. "I'm sorry, it's dusty for I never had the chance to visit this house. I've been pretty busy lately. I'm glad that you are there to give me the chance to be a normal person. I don't know what am I going to do without you" He handed me a helmet and together we pulled our bike out of the garage.

We rode our bikes and took off. Both of us are lost in our own world. Every now and then, I can see him looking at my way in the corner of my eyes. I was trying to catch him but he is quick to cover up.

I stop pedaling and he look back at me. "Cade, why are you looking at me like tjat?" He didn't answer but I insisted. "Caiden Archer Coleford. Why?" I demanded.

I watch him as he took a deep breath. "I just want to make sure that you are here. That you exist." he pushed a lock of my hair and touched my cheeks. "That all of this is real. That somehow, you are here caring for me even if I am a monster" He winced at his own words but I encourage him by putting my hand on top of his.

"You're not a monster Cade. I'm sorry if I called you that but it's our past." I pulled his hand and kissed his palm "I like you and you like me. We want each other and I know that sometimes we do fight but it's bearable because you won't leave me right?" I searched his eyes but all I saw is pain and was that guilt.

"Cade?" He turned his back and I watch as his shoulders sagged. "Alex, what if," He turned around again and looked at me with his eyes "What if I'm going to leave you because, because I needed to?"

I looked at him confuse "Needed to? Wh-What?"

He pulled me closer and wrapped a possessive arm around my waist. "There's something that I wanted to tell you for a long time Alex" He sighed "Someone threathened me that if I didn't distance myself to you, they'll kill you but then when I tried to do that, when I tried to ignore you, they are the one who took advantage at it. They kidnapped you! They tried to kill you and it's my entire fault that you are hurt!" He was shaking furiously.

He was very angry and I was too scared. Too scared to talk because if I did a river-no not just a river but a dam- will broke. I was scared because he might harm me especially now that his eyes were almost black, the color of a dark night.

I made a distance between us as he continue to shake like he was turning into a werewolf. My hand darted to my head as a piercing sound broke on my throat. I was screaming because of the pain in my head.

I can feel myself slipping off, my eyes closing and as it did, I slumped in the cold floor. I tried to open my eyes but all I see is the black curtain in the back of my head opening slowly. A memory after the another came rushing inside my skull.

•••

Pancakes.

I can smell it and as I follow down, it led me out with the twins, in the school with Mrs. Artley hugging me.

My day out with the twins. That day at the park, eating ice cream but I saw the little girl and boy. They are laughing like me and...

Dwayne,

The tree house. I kept the box on my bag, the twins and the album.Me crying, waking up. Mom was talking to me, her words. Her words.

'He's dead, Alex.'

He's not.

'He's dead'

No!

'He's not coming back'

He would but in a form of Cade, mom. Right Cade?

My attention darted from that to the locket. The graduation, my speech. Speech? I'm the class valedictorian.

Whoa. Get a grip, gurl.

I was yanked off from that to a new memory. I was running from the park screaming his name 'Dwayne!' A man bumped into me and I fall on top of him. I looked at his familiar blue eyes, 'Dwayne?'

I was thrown again but this time I realized that the man was the one who did that and not this stupid brain. A warm liquid trickled down my eyes and as I tried to wipe it I darted into a new scene.

I was laughing with a kid. 'Tommy' it's his name. He was putting green coloring in a pail with flour in it. We were laughing when I was pulled again into another scene. I was crying on the floor, my breathing was labored.

'Help'

I woke up into a new scene. I was lying on a hospital bed laughing with Dwayne, I mean Caiden. He have two circles on his eyes and he looked really funny. I look at my right to see Dr. Moore. He was laughing too. I was about to reach up and touch Caiden when a familiar pull brought me into a new place.

The island, this is the island. A hand pulled me. I was so excited but when I turned around it's not him. The man was about to rape me when Caiden threw a punch. I was about to stop them when I was drawn into another scene.

We were lying side by side, under the stars. The vast ocean was calm, surrounding us with it's summer warmth. He had his arm around me and I was snuggling close to his chest. A falling star pass and as I closed my eyes, I found myself opening it into a new place again.

I was alone in the beach holding a paper boat, 'Goodbye Dwayne' I pushed the boat and as I made my way to the shore, I was making my way into another place also.

I reached my hand up and read the last star. I don't know but my mind told me that it was the last one.

Seventeen - 'I'm watching you laughing like crazy. Turn right I'm at your sight.

And hey, don't forget to smile'

I turned around and smiled. He held me in his arms and put a locket around my neck. I was about to ask him when I was hauled into a room.

He's back to that, a stupid heartless monster. I was sulking on a table when a familiar voice said, 'Hey you seem to be thinking hard. Here drink this.' I pulled the twins in a hug but before I can ask them why I was pulled again.

I look at the familiar gray eyes of my father. He look like someone that I can't remember. 'I'm Cody' He smiled at me. I don't know what to do but before I reply I felt the familiar tug and found myself painting.

I was about to look at my painting when the doorbell rang. I stood up and open it. I found myself staring at those blood shot eyes. I asked for help and when that familiar pull was churning in my stomach I was glad to let go and follow it.

A whimper escape my mouth. I felt the cold metal slicing my side, the blood gushing out. The man yanked my hair and there under the blazing sun he mocked me. He kicked my ribs and after that he pushed me in a room. And as I tried to escape it, I darted off again into a new scene.

"Look at it. Tell me what you see." I looked down and found Tiffany kissing Caiden in the picture as she stradled him. The man laughed and there they started to hurt me. A kick on my stomach, a few bruised ribs and yet another wound on my heart.

The pain was too much and I wanted so badly to run away and leave. I was trying to move but my body was sore and my eyes were closed. I can feel them carrying me and as they threw me into the cold water, which is a drainage, I crawled.

The blood was running freely and as I reached the road, the first snowflake fall on my nose.

•••

"Alex, wake up!" Someone is shaking me, "Alex!" I bolted in and bump my head at him.

"Oww," The two of us groaned. I opened my eyes to see his blue eyes back to its color. "Cade, I remember it. Everything" I smiled.

"What?"

"I said, I remember it all!" I whisper shout at his ears and grinned. "Oh," he looked down and gave me a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes "Well, uh. I, uh… I guess you now remember how bad I have been to you," I held his hand and made him look at me.

"Cade, the past doesn't matter to me anymore. What matters is now" I hugged him. At first he was so still but later on he caught me into a tight grip. I laughed as he whispered that he was so happy because my memory was back.

"Cade, it doesn't matter. Okay?" He nodded and together we stood up. We pedaled our bikes and headed back home.

We pulled in the garage and I headed back into my room. I was about to open it when Caiden pulled my wrist and rested his head at me. "Don't go."

"But I wanted to paint!"

"Can you just bring it?"

"Bring what?"

"Bring your canvas in"

"In where?"

"In my office. I would rather have you there than making myself worry about you. I can't concentrate without your presence Alex" He pressed his lips in my forehead and focused his eyes at mine.

"But I'm just like, like in the other room or maybe after that room. No, I mean after that room and down?" I looked at him and down on the floor "Uggh, I really don't know where your office is. I didn't even know what the other room for this house is gigantic!"

"No, it's not. Your house is bigger"

"No. Yours is bigger!" He smirked and I asked, "What?"

"Well, mine is really, bigger" His smirked got wider and I followed his gaze which pointed down into-

W-wait, wait, wait. I know where this going into!

"Cade not that,-" I looked down and regretted it, "That-" I focused myself to go back into his eyes "That friend of yours. There, I say it. Happy?" I looked at him as he chuckled.

"C'mon let's just go in my office. I would rather have you there than in here." He pulled me in the other way but I pulled him back.

He looked at me questioningly "What? I thought I am going to paint? I needed my art utensils and canvas you know." He sighed and followed me in my, I mean our room. I gathered my things and ordered him to carry my canvas set. He carried it out and I followed him into his room, or office.

After twisting and turning. Up then down, we entered a library. I gawked at its design. It has a glass wall that covered almost the whole room. At the back of his table is where it overlook the lake which is on the back of the house. On the other side you can see the whole side covered with books including the other wall. It’s like half nature and half books.

"Nice office."

"See, that's why I wanted you here. I want you to paint me." He put down my things and headed in his table. He folded his arms in front of him and looked at me, waiting for my answer.

"Me, paint you?" I asked him. Is this one of his jokes? Oh, how I wanted it to be real. You know me just painting him. (sigh)

"Yeah. Just feel free to do it sweet cheeks, I really need to call Jake right now"

"Jake?"

"Yeah, he's my right hand together with Nate" My mouth form an O as I arrange my things in the coffee table. I pulled the chair beside his office table and sat.

"Okay" I dipped my paint brush in green and lifted it on my canvas.

I was looking at him talking on the phone while doing my painting. I got brown and mixed it with red. I applied it in the canvas and dipped the brush on the water. I've got peach and a little bit of ocher to match his slightly tan skin.

I look up to see him still talking on the phone; Blue for his shirt and his eyes. Gray, white, green the colors go on for the background. I was so absorbed in my painting that I didn't notice his presence.

"Oh, Cade!" I jump out on my sit and almost knocked all my things if he didn't catch me."Why do you always pop out?! Did you know how much it scares me?"

"Sorry" He kissed my cheek and looked at my eyes. "I didn't mean to but you did a great job there" He pointed his fingers on my canvas and in the first time since I paint, I was amazed of its outcome.

"Cade did I, did I-" I stuttered but he just put his fingers on my lips. "Shh, I know you did great. It looks like I'm not the one in the painting, did any man in the world caught your heart again and you choose to paint him?" He answered in a jealous tone but I just giggled.

"Cade, there's no other man besides you. Don't be silly" I grinned and stood up on my tippy toes. I was about to kiss him on his cheeks when he turned and my lips landed right on his.

We pulled away after a few seconds. He looked at me and I look back, I thought it would be awkward to do so but it's not. Our trance was broken when a ring startled the both of us.

"I'll just prepare our dinner" I scampered off his office and made my way to the kitchen.

'Stupid Alex, stupid Alex! Why do I always need to end every beautiful moment with him?' I asked myself why descending down the stairs.

I put the frozen bake mac in the microwave and turned it on. I sat on the table and looked at the microwave.

I hate how messed up my life is. I hate it because no matter what I do, I love him and I'm not even sure if he really did love me.

The things happened from our stay here are great memories that I would treasure forever, that's why I'm looking forward to what future had prepared for us. No matter how hard our start is, as long as it gets better, I would gladly repeat it no matter what happen.

I remove the bake mac in the oven and put cheese on top. I put it on a plate and sat. I was about to bite on my own bake mac when a hand caught it and was shove away from mine and to his mouth.

"Cade! That's mine" He gave me a toothy grin and that made me laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked after shoving another spoonful of bake mac on his mouth.

"You just look so funny!"

As I tried to clutch my stomach from laughing so hard, he shove a spoonful of it on my mouth. Well, that's enough to shut me off. I manage to swallow it down on my stomach while not laughing at his face.

We finish our meal. I tried to force him to clean the dishes or just sweep the floor but he wouldn't. He even ran up the stairs without me noticing him.

In the end, I was left in the kitchen doing the dishes.

Damn you cold foot!

•••

© A.G_2018