Chapter Fifty-two

Chapter Fifty-two

I stood awkwardly before him, fondling my hands nervously. I couldn’t understand the expression he had on his face. It seemed to be that of anger, or worry - maybe, I couldn’t tell. I peeked at him from the corners of my thick lashes and he was looking intently at me, stripping me, judging me under his intense stares. I wanted to run away from this man, but my feet were too heavy to take me. I felt animated and glued to one spot as I fumbled on what to do. Scream for help or run? - but why?

Now, that was the question. Why should I scream or run? If I were asked, what would be my possible explanation to that?

Suddenly, he took a step towards me and I subconsciously jittered backwards, totally avoiding him. What did he want? Where was my mom? She should come save me!

He studied my reaction for a bit. He seemed to be confused. He took another step towards me again and I responded by stepping away from him, backwards, but this time, he did not stop at a step, he kept walking towards me until I think my back hit on something, the shelf for designer clothes I think, and I was stuck between him and the shelf with nowhere else to run to.

His ever intimidating figure loomed over me, suffocating me, defeating me. I flickered my eyes around quickly, seeking a possible means of escape, but this was more like an enclosed corner, blocked by three huge shelves with only one way to go in or out of the closet, and with the way my knees were weak and jellyfied, I knew there was no means of escape for me. I just stood there trembling internally, hoping this was all in my imaginations.

“Galena!” I hear him call almost in a whisper through clenched teeth, and I can tell he’s angry, really angry. He has that special intonation for the first syllable of my name whenever he’s mad at me. I still at his voice, totally shrink and rear backwards with my back hard on the wood of the shelf. I fired my eyelids up to meet his face that had grown darker and lethal as he exuded a very dangerous aura, and he was staring intently at me, never tearing his moist grey stormy eyes from mine.

“I see you don’t miss me contaminating the air around you at all.” He said in a hushed voice as he reminded me of the hurtful words I hurled at him.

Gosh! What was he doing here? Did he come here to remind me that I couldn’t get away from him no matter how hard I tried? Cos I could clearly get the message!

“Breath.” He ordered in his deep, tantalising voice. I had no idea I had been holding my breath for so long, and even though I had begun to feel light-headed, I thought it was just the usual Brandon-effect that shadows me whenever I felt intimidated by him. I opened my mouth slightly, letting the air escape my lungs, relieving the building tension in my chest a bit.

When I glanced at him, there was a look of worry or pain in his eyes, I can’t say. He’s really hard to read. His grey eyes look moist like a pool of clear crystals are brimming beneath his eyeballs. He opens his mouth slightly to say something, but shut it back into an impassive, grim line. Suddenly, he looked angry. Really angry that he trembled with his breath getting heavy, and for a moment, I thought he would combust.

“Why did you never take my calls?” He asked in a hoarse voice, his words barely leaving his throat because of the weight of his anger.

Was this what it was all about? Me not taking his calls?

I swallowed the lump that had stubbornly grown in my throat, slowly, hardly as I rolled my eyes fearfully, totally avoiding his eyes. He cocked his head to one side, expecting an answer from me, but none came as I was too dumbstruck to speak.

He hesitantly but gently moved his hand towards my face to pick the stray strand of hair that was almost getting into my eyes but I flinched, subconsciously scared that he was going to hit me, but my reaction made the cloud of the emotions on his face to suddenly change to that of pain. He had a look on his face that was obviously saying “so you don’t trust me?”

Of course, I didn’t. I mean, why should I? After everything I had found and the roller coaster of pathetic scenes I had to star in for just this past week, it was more than enough to make me trust no one, including myself.

He withdrew his hand from me, taking a step backwards, he turned away from me and slid his beautiful, manly hands into his pants pocket. He drew in a sharp breath, exhaling and tossing his head backwards in frustration. He was wearing a beautiful tuxedo, a finely fitting suit that hugged the embossment of his sculpted chest and back, outlining his features beautifully.

He ran a hand over his hair frustratedly, eventually roughening it, giving him a dishevelled but hot, sexy look. I couldn’t help but purr within me as my belly muscles clenched with desire.

Oh, how dare me! This was my enemy!

But who could resist such a sexy enemy? Tell me. And that is what confuses me even more, because at this point, I do not know if he’s hurting me or not. I am just blinded by the fact that he has a cute face, and though I want to run, I am spellbound by his charms.

He shot a glance at me once more and was about to leave when a voice stilled our world together. It was unmistakenly the voice of Mrs. Carla Fields, and I knew she was gonna fuck things up. Trust my mom to always have things her own way.

“Oh, there you are!” my mom mused with a big smile, walking towards us. I think Brandon was both confused and fascinated by her warmth as he thought she was referring to him.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Come here honey.” she said again and I tentatively held my breath, hoping Brandon would just disappear, but no! He stood there, waiting for my mom.

She strides past him and gently tugs at my hand, “come,” she says but she notices my hesitance.

“I see you’ve got company,” she says again with a big smile as she glances up at Brandon who offers her a reverent nod without saying a word. My mom seemed to already like him. Wait! Did she know he was the very Brandon I told her about…? Did they both plan to bring me here so I could meet him? Surely, this was no coincidence! Jeez!

“Won’t you introduce me?” she asked with her eyes still glued to Brandon. I think she was having the Brandon-effect take over her.

I see you’ve started looking at grey eyes, Mrs. Carla Fields. Poor hazel eyes, he thinks he’s the only one.

“Umm…” I tried to drag the words furtively from my throat, but I ended up with a strangled voice, “he, he’s here to shop.” I swallow the lump in my throat and nervously glance at Brandon who raises an eyebrow at me with a questioning look on his face, and soon, a ghost of a smile appears and disappears on his face and I know I have toyed with the tiger’s most precious tail this time, and there was no escaping this.

“Ooh.” my mom breathes with a disgruntled look on her face as she looks from him to me then back to him.

She offers him a broad smile and extends her hand for a handshake; “Carla Fields, pleased to meet you…” she said, extending the gap for him to introduce himself, but I had to think of a way to change the whole drama in my favour; so I…

“Mom, that's Ethan.” I say quickly with a furtive look on my face and they both raise questioning eyebrows at me.

“Ethan!?” my mom repeated with disbelief in her voice, for once, doubting her own sense of judgement.

“Ethan.” Brandon repeated in a hoarse voice as he extended his hand for a handshake.

Good. That worked. For a bit.