Take My Breath Away

Chapter 1

Seth POV:

Everything is over! Everything... A simple report took my breath away and changed my life into nothing. A few minutes ago, I had family, friends, and fiancée but now... There's nothing left that I have to mention. A sharp pain attacks my heart as I think about it. Why on earth has my life turned into hell?

Tears start to leak out of my eyes as I make my way through the winter night, not having a mind to go anywhere else. I can go to my rented house where I've stayed alone, but I don't want to go there now. I don't want my neighbors laughing and teasing me.

I want to run away. Want to distance me from everyone who knows me. I don't want to trample on my feelings in front of anyone. I wipe my tear away and look around the surroundings to find where I am.

When I find I'm standing in front of a bar, I swallow hard and stare at it longingly. I'm a bit of a nerd, but that won't stop me now. I need to forget my sorrows. I sigh and walk inside, keeping my eyes open for a friendly establishment to kill a few hours.

I stop midway and find it almost empty but for a few people who look like definite regulars. The bar is pretty, clearly decorated. The walls are black, with a few mirrors placed sporadically along the walls. There are a few booths that sit on either side of the relatively small bar and a few smaller, taller tables with black stools surrounding them. There is a pool table in one corner, and I can see the toilets nearby.

I feel almost instantly out of place here in my suit. Everyone else has dressed relatively in plain, dark-colored t-shirts and a pair of jeans. I think costumes are not significant to this type of place because everyone will come here for different reasons. Most would come here to drown their sorrows, so here I was.

I sigh inwardly and make my way to the bar, where a row of stools has lined with a mahogany top. I take a seat and glance around the place, trying to feel a little self-conscious. I try to turn down the first round of shots, but my protests are ignored. I take down the tequila, flipping the empty shot glass upside down on the bar in front of me as I see the others do.

My throat burns, and my eyes water as I take a big gulp of tequila. Fresh tears leak out of my eyes as I clench the glass tightly and cry out loudly. When I feel everyone's eyes on me, I wipe my tear quickly and call out for another round of shots.

I jump slightly when a man with red hair approaches me and picks up a seat next to me. I don't know who he is, so I turn around and play with my glass. A shiver runs up my spine when his fingers run along my arm and tug at the fabric.

"Excuse me." I swat his hand away and look over at the bartender, urging him to bring the shots. More quickly than I realize, I'm pretty buzzed.

When the stranger continues to hit on me, I decide to leave before I pass out somewhere or lose my mind here. I get up from the stool and stumble to walk away, but I unwittingly fall on another man.

"S-Sorry," I stutter and try to walk away, but he grabs me tightly and holds me against his chest.

I move away and stumble a bit, getting an unobstructed view of him. Even in my blurry vision, I may tell how blue his eyes are. He is a pretty, bleached-blond man who is giving me the filthiest look as much as he can.

He has an attractive face, but the way he is smirking scares me a bit. His piercing blue eyes haven't left my brown orbs and watch my every move. "You are beautiful!" He whispers and brushes my hair out of my face. 

I whine and fall back into another pair of arms that belong to that red-haired man. I wiggle in his arms and try to push him away, but his grip is very hard. "L-Leave me." I struggle with him until a fist throws into the air and connects with his jaw.

I can't see what is happening around me because I fall on the floor helplessly and try to drift into sleep. My body needs rest now. Yeah... But when I feel someone pulling me up, my eyes lock on the blue-eyed man again. It mesmerizes me.

He laughs at me and pulls me against his side. "It's not a bed that you can lie on it. If you want, my hotel is down the street.."

"Nah, I'm good. Go get your drink and have fun with yourself!" I pat his chest and try to move away, but he doesn't let me. I try to lock eyes with him, but my eyes close eventually and show me as stupid in front of him. I need to sleep, and I can't face anyone right now.

"I drank pretty well already. If you want, I will drink for you again." He says and drags me to the nearby table, making me sit on it.

I can't understand what trouble I lead myself into because the alcohol is completely consuming my system. Soon I find myself sitting with a beer and trying to captive with the blue-eyed man. I take a sip of beer and look around the bar, feeling depressed again.

"What's a smartly dressed man doing in a dump like this?" He asks in a rough and gravelly voice, but the sound makes my heart skip a little.

I don't dare to talk about what has happened to many people around me. "Too long of a story. You don't want to hear it." I mumble and feel lonelier than I've ever felt at this moment.

"Maybe I do." He says and downs the beer in one go. "By the costume that you're wearing, I guess you should escape from the marriage." He tries to lighten the mood and strokes my hand gently.

A fresh tear forms in my eyes while I stare at him, but I blink it away. "I-I'm not escaping from the marriage. I've just thrown out from the marriage." I laugh slightly and feel painful to have a conversation about it.

He lifts his hand to my face and brushes my tear away. "Why?! I'm sure they're stupid to throw out someone like you.." His hand still rubs my cheek and tries to calm me.

I lick my dry lips and take a deep breath before spilling everything to him. "I didn't know who my original parents were, so I tried to be good as much as I could for my adopted parents. I didn't oppose any of the words they had put through me. I accepted everything, even the marriage they forced me into, but.." I palm my face and cry heavily, thinking about that worst moment again.

He shifts over to my side and pulls me against him, rubbing soft circles on my back. He presses small kisses on my head and breathes against my hair, "I'm here for you!" It's too much and not enough.

I look into his eyes, almost as if he is trying to hypnotize me. Seeing the other man smile so beautifully causes me to feel like I want to smile too, but I can't do this at the moment. "I-I feel sleepy," I mumble and hold his jacket tightly, trying to give my body a rest.

A moan escapes from my lips when I feel gentle fingers wrap around my throat. My breathing grows heavier as I have felt a hand wander to my face, stroking my cheek. The tiny part of my brain tries to talk sense and logically thinks about what is happening, but my body doesn't unite with it. The hand on my face slips down to my chest, tugging my jacket.

He pulls me with him and buries his head in the crook of my neck, running his fingers through my hair. "Hmm.. but?!" He nuzzles against my neck and presses a soft kiss there. It is a ridiculous place to be shared the secret, but I don't care.

I hold him tighter and let my mind wander to the nightmare again. "S-Suddenly, I fainted in between the marriage, and they took me to the hospital. The doctor told me that I had ambiguous genitalia... My world crashed down when I heard it. Everyone teased me, and the marriage had broken. My parents kicked me out of the hall.."

A slow stream of tears meanders down my face as I bite my lip, holding back the emotions in me. It shouldn't have happened to me. I'd suffered from so many difficulties already, and there was another one added to the list. What will I do now? I snap out of my thoughts and let out a moan as he does something that brings pleasure to my body. When I feel a sharp pain in my neck, I shove him away and slap hard across his face before stumbling to my feet and disappearing through the door.