CH 1

I let out a shaky breath. The air outside was unusually cold this evening, I rubbed my hands against my arm. I was enjoying the orange view of the sky, Atlanta is very beautiful this time of year especially from the view of my front porch. My mind starts to wonder, I looked back on these past few years of my life. My parents died, they were abusive but no body knew, all those nights I spent quivering in fear. I shuddered, there were faint scars along my back and stomach.

But my parents were smart, they knew what to do so the scars wont be too noticeable. You can barely see it unless the lighting was great! My parents were murdered, I have no idea by who, they still haven't caught the killer yet. I lived with my uncle before I moved out, he was 33.

A light jingle of bells brought me back to earth, my eyes trailed to a cute chubby cat. It was skipping merrily towards me, I smiled slightly. I love animals. The cat nuzzled my leg and I reached out to scratch its ear, it purred in approval and I giggled. "Hey, kitty," I whispered.

Our little interaction was cut short by a masculine voice, "Moke?" he called out. He looked around slightly and his eyes landed on us, he smiled cutely. He was handsome, he had ice blue eyes, dark hair, persistent jaw line and crooked nose. He was tall and I could notice his muscles working against his shirt as he jogged towards us, I looked up at him an smiled. "There you are Moke," he breathed and crouched down.

He scratched Moke's chin and I smiled, an animal lover huh. I studied his face, "Ian Somerhalder?" I asked in realization. He beamed at me and nodded, "A fan?" he asked lightly, shifting from foot to foot. Oh, he must be uncomfortable, "I just like to watch The Vampire Diaries. Would you like to sit?" I offered politely. He nodded and took a seat next to me, "I'm Hayleigh Trevelyan by the way," I offered my hand and he took it graciously, "Ian," he smiled.

"So Hayleigh, tell me about yourself," he said casually, picking Moke up and setting him on his lap. I chuckled nervously, "Well, I'm 25. I just graduated from performing arts, I work in a bar near here, I like the color red and black, my favorite food is anything Italian, I have a dog named Palm and my uncle is the only close relative I have," I told him briefly.

His brows furrowed, "Parents?" he asked rather cautiously. My heart twisted and pulled "Um, they were murdered," I mumbled, I miss having a parental figure. His eyebrows shot up, "Oh, I'm sorry," he put his hand on top of mine, squeezing it gently. I cocked my head slightly, feeling a light spark travel through my body and by the looks of it, he felt it too.

He checked his watch and cursed, "Look, Hayleigh, I got to go. But here's my number if you ever need anyone to talk to," he handed me his card and I smiled, "Thanks, I'll see you around," I nodded at him and he jogged away, smiling slightly while carrying Moke. I felt my heart quiver as an unknown emotion settles in, could it be?

I shook my head at the thought, I only had 3 ex boyfriends and all of them ripped my heart out and threw it in the fire just to watch it melt. You think I'd learn from the already-existing cycle of disappointment and deception, but I didn't.

After a few more minutes, I went inside and shuffled to the bathroom. I studied myself in the mirror, my wavy blond hair was dip-dyed a gradient purple, baby blue eyes seemed a little too tired from the routines I did at the bar, my pale rosy skin matched my pink lips and petite nose. I was curvy and had a modest sized breast, my stomach was flat and legs were long.

I shook my head, I don't see why people find me attractive. I hopped into the shower and just freshen up, my house is huge. The bar paid a lot and my uncle, Jason, paid for every other expenses I can't afford, he was rich and a CEO of Trevelyan Enterprises Holdings. He earns, like, 300 thousand dollars per hour so money isn't that much of a problem for us.

I finished my shower quickly and put on my pajamas. I sighed quietly as I laid in my bed, it was quiet lonely. I felt my eyes drooping as my mind travels to a certain blue-eyed man, and for once in my life, I didn't get nightmares.