Contemporary Romance
Suddenly her cell phone rang, disturbing the
stillness, but she smiled. The Caller ID showed it was her best friend, Monica.
Of all her friends, she was closest to her, and was the heart of the group with
her sparkling personality; always busy arranging parties or schemes, especially
where boys were concerned.
Anabella trusted
her as she was the only one who knew what was really going on at her house. Not
that she ever allowed her to come over. For that, she was too ashamed, but she
knew enough and was always close. When things got bad, she could always turn to
her. Although Monica was a cheerful person and looked like a ‘dumb blond’, she
had shown maturity in a lot of things over the years, something that was not
well known in their group.
“Hi, Moni.”
“Hi, Bell! You
in the mood for a party at my house tonight?”
She could hear
Monica was excited - almost out of breath because of it - and she could see
her, as if she was standing right in front of her. However, Anabella did need
to rest. Her muscles were still stiff after the practice.
“Not tonight,
Moni, I really need to rest. Tomorrow is a big day and I must be in top form,”
she said with a sigh, smiling because of her friend’s anxiousness.
“Please, Bell,
do come, please, even if it is only for an hour or so.” Monica sounded very
eager, almost desperate.
What was she up to again?
“Moni, I can’t come, please understand.”
Once outside, he led her to an unoccupied
chair where she sat down, bending shapely legs under her. He sat directly in
front of her, his eyes never wavering, even though it seemed she was not aware
of him.
Anabella was aware; the
butterflies in her tummy told her he was watching her every move. Even when Mr.
Richter and Tim spoke to him, she could still feel his gaze on her, sipping
away at his drink. His posture was relaxed and at ease. He knew the family well
she realized as she watched him listen to Mr. Richter with keen interest.
Sometimes, she turned to Monica
and her other friends to talk to them, only to look back at him. Each time she
found his eyes on her and a smile playing on his lips. She wasn’t uncomfortable
under his stare; she rather enjoyed his blunt way of looking at her.
Anabella wished she was a bit
more outgoing in order to speak to him, but she didn’t know what to say. She
knew he was a lawyer at a successful firm, but other than that she knew nothing
about him. This was something she wanted to change, but her shyness prevented
her from speaking freely, and then there was the age difference.
He was out of her
league; no way would he find her fascinating. She couldn’t understand why she
felt so uneasy about it. There were many couples whose age difference wasn’t a
problem. Her parents were an example. Her mother and father differed in age by
fifteen years and they had a ‘happy’ marriage. If you could call what they had
a marriage―it worked for them.
He smiled as he brushed his
fingers against her arm, the feeling sending shivers down her spine. They
chatted and she told him more about the practices and a competition she would
participate in at the end of the week; just a friendly race at the club.
The air hummed with electric
currents and her heart raced. He leaned in closer and semi-whispered, “I have
missed you.” This was followed by a kiss, which made all the others feel like
child’s play. They couldn’t get enough of each other, her body responding under
his touch, his warm hand caressing it gently.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she
finally said as his eyes moved over her black bikini appraisingly, smiling at
her blush. She felt his warm hand on her ribs, a thumb stroking her skin. She
was aware of every touch, so much so her skin was covered in goose bumps.
Breathless, she said, “Badly, I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“You have done something to me,
something I’ve never felt before. You occupy my thoughts every day. I am acting
like a lovesick teenager.”
“I know how you feel, and I am a love sick teenager.”
He chuckled at her
innocence.
After the championships the
previous year, and the three gold medals she brought home, she received a
letter from the Olympic Committee informing her she’d been invited to compete
in the next Olympics, which would take place in four years. She also swam for
the university team. Mr. Clark―her new coach―was very strict, which she didn’t
mind at all. She had a lot of support from the university, her classmates,
friends, and Aldrich. His constant encouragement with either a phone call or text
message uplifted her, and gave her the assurance to excel. She received a
beautiful bouquet of flowers from his firm after her last championship in
March, and in return thanked the partners with a handwritten note.
The last year of student life
would be a very busy one, filled with studies and the Olympics simultaneously,
the same year she would turn twenty-one. Time was of the essence, and the last
thing she needed was her personal life interfering with her future.
How she and Aldrich
would come together, she didn’t know, but she knew that she missed the teddy
bear, his warm arms and those gorgeous lips; dreamy. The void when she’d left
his arms the night of the dance was still incredibly real to her.
Once outside her room, she
noticed that the hallway was thankfully empty, although she could hear the two
couples in her parents’ room. The door was closed. At least some of them have modesty.
When she walked downstairs, a
big, hairy man who was only wearing a shirt, stood at the bottom of the
staircase in full view, rubbing himself. His eyes focused on someone in the
living room.
She had to get past him, as well
as make her away around him, but knew it would be futile since he left no room
for her to do just that. She clutched her bag tightly against her body, her
clothes draped over her arm, holding it all between them in order to obscure
her view. She really didn’t want to see.
The moment he noticed her, he
grabbed her arm with his free hand and pulled her to him with a grin. His
breath reeked of smoke and brandy, and his voice was husky with lust. “Come
here, doll,” he drawled.
Anabella wanted to shrink in
total horror. With her bag, she pushed him away to set herself free, but he
managed to grab her breast, ripping two buttons from her shirt. Desperately,
she fought hard, not letting go of the bag in her hands. But her clothes fell
around her feet, almost tripping her in her haste to get away. By now, she knew
she was in trouble. She dug her car keys into his hand, and he released
immediately. She managed to pull herself free, running to the front door; her
only hope of escape and safety, the bag still clutched in her hand.
