Hey guys! Thanks for all your tweets/PMs/alerts/subscriptions/reviews! They all mean the world to me, honestly. Please enjoy the sixth chapter of "The Woman In Chains"...
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The Woman In Chains
ELI
I was sitting on the complex stairs, listening to the crickets because it calmed me down when I was on edge. It was the second option around anxiety build up aside of the pills.
A relationship with Jacob Martin was risky, being that he's crazily unpredictable.
But when he wraps his arms around me in that close-to-suffocating grip, I can't help but feel safe and assured. Many people might find excessive love from a person as a problem, but I see Jake as just a lost puppy, in want of a person to grip him harder than the other.
He's the love of my life, and nothing/no one can change that.
Jake always hated when I left him in the middle of the night to sit on his window ledge, or outside the apartment complex. He told me that when he reaches out his hand and can't hold onto me, he feels like I'm slipping away-physically and emotionally.
I needed the space, the time to breathe, and hopefully Jake would sleep heavily tonight.
Click!
A tiny noise drew my attention in, as I craned my neck to the apartment door behind me.
It was Clare.
She was dressed in one of Jake's flannels, and Adams boxers. Her hair looked tasseled, and quite honestly she looked out of it. The bags beneath her eyes intensified the look of sadness on her face.
"Where are you going?"
She ignored me, and started to creep by me. I shook my head, looking at her blackening bare feet from the dirty concrete. I shook my head, kicking my slippers to the bottom of the staircase, "I'm not letting you walk back to Owen bare foot. You'll get a disease or something."
"And by the way, Adam was too good for you anyways. I told him from the start, but did he listen? No. Rich girls like you, even if you are Jake's sister, I could never feel pity for-not when you act out like the way you do," when I was about to slam the door, I heard a whimper coming from the steps.
It took all the will power in my body to walk back outside, to see her gripping onto my slippers, and crying. I trotted down the steps, and awkwardly stood across from her.
"A-Adam is a good guy...I'm just-I'm not a good person," her body was shaking on the ground, making me feel a bit for her. I knew what it felt like to be in this position, shaking with nervousness, anxiety and beginning to numb up from mixed emotions.
"Listen...I'm sorry about what I said," I crouched down across from her, "I'm quick to judge sometimes, especially when it comes to my friends crush's. Adam likes you, and I know you know that. He's my best friend, and I don't want to listen to him cry every night before going to bed. You make him happy, so stay, please."
"But you h-hate me," she whimpered, tears streaming down her beat red cheeks.
"Clare, I don't hate you...I hate your fiance, and I hate what he made you. I've seen the home videos from Jake, he plays them whenever he's upset. You were an adorable kid, and even as a teenager you just screamed the word 'innocence'. This guy changed you Clare, for the worst," she nodded, "I should've stayed in Toronto with Jake and my family. I should've-but I didn't, and I regret it. I wish I could take it back."
"You know, what I've learned in family and in love is that you need trust. I trust Jake, and then, friendship comes along with it. Adam already trusts you, but you need to follow through for his sake...I mean, if you really want to be his friend or more than friends," Clare wiped her tears, "Adam is a great guy, but I don't deserve him. That's why I wanted to leave now, so no one would catch me and I'd turn myself into the police. This way Owen gets his money back, he won't be completely mad and I won't get into too much trouble. Maybe a couple of strikes-."
My eyes bulged, "Strikes? Strikes from what? Like a baseball game?"
Clare cleared her throat, "I-I wish. Strikes...you know, from a whip."
"He hits you? He actually...he actually hits you like that?" The blood in my veins froze, and my heart raced. You could tell she was speaking the truth, not one stutter or mumble left her mouth when she said it.
"You don't believe me...you think little miss rich girl has it all huh? Well, she does have it all, too much in fact," Clare spun around on her bottom, her back facing me.
She slowly gripped the hem of the flannel, before pulling it upwards.
The lump in my throat was caught, tightening by the second. I reached my hand out, tracing the red scars on her back. I sniffled, "H-How many?"
"How many what?" she dropped the shirt back down, "How many times has he done this to you?"
"...I lost count after one hundred."
"Don't go back to him Clare, it's not safe. You can stay here, live with us, and if the Adam thing doesn't work out-he's a good enough guy to let you stay. Please, just don't do anything stupid like willingly walk back there," she chuckled dryly, standing on her feet, which were covered by my slippers, "I have no choice Eli. The longer I stay away, the worse the punishment will be when I get back."
"What am I supposed to tell Jake? Adam?" I asked, and she shrugged her shoulders, "Who ever said you even saw me leave?"
"No, Clare," I quickly reached out for her wrist, grabbing it, but not applying too much pressure so it wouldn't bruise, "I can't let you leave, not after I've seen you. Please, just come back inside...we'll order take out and relax in the kitchen."
"It's three in the morning."
I smirked, "And I'm starving. Come on, please?"
Clare's smile faded, "But I need to go back there..."
"You will, except this time, you'll have three guys standing in front of you."
OWEN
"What the hell do you mean you haven't found her yet? She's fat and lazy, she couldn't have gone that far!" I shouted at the police officer, shooing him away, "Get the fuck out of my face. I'm paying you too much money to not have found her yet. I want a new search team, the FBI, I don't care-anyone but you people!"
"Sir, this is a missing persons look-out, not a nuclear bomb watch...," I glared at him, "She's my property, and she's gone, you got that? Now you either go out there, and find her, or I'll make sure your ass is fired!"
The police officer, along with the others, and the search dog darted out my door with an eager slam.
The veins in my head were almost at the verge of popping out, my anger getting the best of me. Usually I'd have Clare, or Football to take my anger out on, but now...I have nothing.
I've decided to stop playing Football until we find Clare because it'll give the media a reason to say I'm so 'emotionally damaged' by her lack of presence that I won't play.
But as I stare at the picture of Clare and I, her in my Football jersey, I grin...because when the police do find her, I just might wrap my hands around that chubby throat while she gets it from behind...
CLARE
"Sh...don't wake Adam up," I whispered to Eli, who laughed, throwing a shrimp into my white rice, "Live it up Edwards! It's nearly sunrise and you've gone through two pints of rice, dumplings and an egg roll...how does it feel?"
Eli held a pretend microphone near my mouth, and I smirked, "Like I'm going to hurl."
"Woo-hoo! YOLO!" I shot him a playful glare, "I hate Yolo... it's like-just say the whole thing, you know?"
"You only live once?" I smirked, "Yeah, I mean...me and Adam talked about the whole-."
I stopped talking, realizing Eli's wide grin, as he teased, "go on, I'm listening."
"No, because every time I say something-," he cut me off, "You end up bringing Adam into it somehow."
The heat rushed to my cheeks, while I fiddled with the spoon in my hands. Adam was really my only friend-or so I assume-that I've talked to for an extended period of time. Owen was the only person I get to "talk" to, and he doesn't understand me very well, so I normally end up keeping my mouth shut.
"Adam is-well, I hope he's my friend," Eli placed a hand on my bicep, standing up, "Honey, he's your best friend, trust me."
"Why would you say that?"
Eli shrugged his shoulders, washing off his plate in the sink, "Let's just say that Jake and I were close to buying Adam a kitten a couple of weeks ago. He doesn't get out much, nor does he talk to anyone besides us. He's got some pretty intense trust issues."
"Are you and Jake like...best friends, or something? When did you meet, how did you meet?" I always wondered that, and it seemed like a good time to ask. Eli and Jake seemed so close knit, he must've been there for him when I left.
"Jake um...Jake didn't tell you?" Eli asked awkwardly, turning to face me.
"Tell me what?"
"I don't really think it's my place to say. He's your brother, he should tell you. In the mean time, I better get back to bed, and maybe you can get in a couple more hours with Adam. I'll see you in a couple of hours," before I could even respond, Eli was upstairs, closing his bedroom door.
Well, that was odd.
12 IN THE AFTERNOON
ADAM
I slept heavily last night, a very out of character thing of me to do.
Usually, I'd sleep restlessly, waking up every now and then to get a glass of milk, or even bake. I've had this obsession with baking when I couldn't sleep. The warmth from the oven always made my eyelids heavy, and the fresh smell of dough was like an adult lullaby.
But what kept me sleeping soundlessly, was the girl in my arms.
I smiled, the mental note being taken that Clare never left me. She stayed, cradled in my arms for a full twelve hours. She didn't leave, nor did she try to.
My fingers stroked through her curls, and I smiled down at her, watching her stir slightly.
"G-Good morning...," I whispered awkwardly, the both of us harshly coming back to reality. She shot up out of my lap in alarm, holding her arms around herself, "G-Good morning...I mean, Good afternoon. I'm sorry I slept on you like that, I'm really heavy, I've been trying to lose weight though-."
I cut her off, smiling shyly, "It's okay, you weren't heavy at all. I barely felt you the whole night."
The look on her face told me she had something on her mind, but I just shook it off. I wasn't going to let my negative thoughts interrupt this day.
"So...do you want breakfast?" I asked, "I can make you some pancakes...waffles, anything you want."
She grinned, "I actually-may I use your bathroom? And cook anything that's easy for you."
"Bathroom is upstairs to the right," I said, heading into the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans.
Before she could get to the staircase, I called out to her, "Oh wait, Clare!"
She stopped in her tracks, turning to me, "Yeah?"
"I just um...You look beautiful."
I promised I'd remind her every day, and I wouldn't break that promise.
CLARE
Why my heart raced, why I was nervous, why my palms were sweating-a good kind of sweat-while looking into Adam's eyes, I didn't know. He was emotionally pleasing, and his smile drew me in.
"T-Thank you," I stuttered out.
Good one Clare.
The guy you lik-the guy who is your friend just called you beautiful, and you stutter in response? Only I can ruin a-supposed to be-heart warming moment.
When Adam didn't stop staring at my face, I jogged up the steps, making my way to the bathroom.
As I was approaching Eli's bedroom, I was slowly tip toeing by it, not wanting to wake him up since we were awake all night conversing and eating takeout food.
But what I caught glimpse of, shocked me, my feet feeling cemented to the carpet.
Jake's arms were wrapped around Eli, and Eli's head was resting on his chest. Eli was still sleeping, but my brother was stroking back his black hair, smiling lovingly down at him.
"W-What's going on here?"
END OF CHAPTER 6
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