Meant to Be Yours

Chapter 9

Joana's P.O.V.

I woke up that morning feeling groggy, yet refreshed. I tried to open my eyes, but they didn't want to open. They were heavy, but I did my to forcefully open them. I sit up on the beautifully made bed. I didn't unmake the bed. It was too nice and it didn't feel right to unmake it when it wasn't my bed and I was there for one night.

I somehow get myself off of the bed and let my feet touch the cold wooden floor. The room is absolutely gorgeous. It was cozy and it fit the style of the house. I looked out the window that led to a giant balcony. There were trees that looked like they went on for miles. I couldn't see any other houses in the area. To be honest, it was peaceful. No one here to bother you. The stars must look beautiful here without all the city lights. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this when I get older, but then again, I'm a city girl. I like the feel of rush hour. I can't wait to get back to the city tonight.

I looked outside the window and look down to where the car would be parked. It wasn't there. I could see where the tire tracks are, but there was no car to go with it. I get a little worried. What if Neal forgot about me and left? What if Neal left me on purpose? The thoughts of him leaving me in a house in the middle of Virginia kind of scared me.

Luckily, I hear a car pulling up and it's Neal's. He probably just came back from getting gas. I still find it weird that all of a sudden we ran out of gas and he just happened to have a house in the area. But I didn't question it. I would rather be here than a motel. 

Neal steps out of the car and walks to the passenger side. When I can see him once again, he has... grocery bags? And they were really big and full. Why would he have a lot of food if we were leaving today? Were they for when his family stayed here? No. Then the food would go bad.

I decide it's probably best to go ask him. I grab my shoes and try to find the staircase. It's such a big house I don't even remember from last night where we came up from.

After what felt like hours of looking, I finally found the staircase and make my way down stairs. I make my way downstairs and notice something about the windows downstairs that I didn't before. They had bars on them. Why would they have bars on the windows if there is no one for miles? Now that I'm thinking about, some of the windows upstairs had bars on them too. Now I was getting a little concerned.

I walk around aimlessly for a minute or so until I found the kitchen. In the kitchen, I find Neal putting away the food that was in the bags. 

"Um, Neal?" I ask quietly.

He quickly turns around and gives me a big smile. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty." He joked as he continued to put food away.

"What are you doing?"

"We needed food. After I got gas I went to the grocery store."

"Why do we need all this food if we are leaving to go home in a little while?"

He gave me a confused look. Why was he confused? "What do you mean?"

"You said that when you got gas, we would go home."

"Yeah."

"So, when are we going home?"

"We are home."

Now, it's my turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Joana, we're already home. We can't go to a place we're already at."

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked slightly raising my voice.

He stops what he's doing and starts walking to me. "Joana, you don't have to raise your voice at me." Neal gets really close to me and I start to back away. "I know you might be a little scared and confused right now, but let me explain." He kept trying to get closer and I kept trying to get away from him.

"This isn't funny."

"Luckily, it's not meant to be funny. It's meant to be romantic."

"Neal, take me home."

"We are home, baby."

"This is not home! And don't call me 'baby' every again!"

"But that's what you are. You're my baby, my princess, my love." That's it. He's too crazy. He needs help. He clearly won't take me home, so I take matters into my own hands.

I turn around and sprint to the front door. I jiggle the door knob, but to my luck, it's locked. I bang on the door not really knowing what it will do, but clearly it will do nothing. 

I forgot Neal was following me because I was shocked when I felt arms snake around my waist. I start to scream as he pulls me away from the door and picks me up. I try clawing at his arms and try kicking him, but to no avail. We are moving backwards and I see we are going up the stairs.

We go through a pair of doors which I recognized as his parents bedroom doors. He throws me on the bed. I try to get up. But he gets on top of me. He straddles my hips and pins both my arms above my head with one hand. The other hand is gently place on my face as he wipes away my tears. I didn't even know I was crying. "Shh... calm down."

"Please get off me, Neal." I asked meekly.

"Everything will be okay, honey. I know this is a lot to take in at once, but you'll get use to it. I know you will." He tells me in a calm and loving way.

"Neal, I want to go home."

The sweet, calming Neal is replaced with a Neal I don't know. A Neal that I'm scared of. He clutches my jaw and squeezes a little too tightly. "You are home. We are home.We will be a family and be happy. I just hope you don't take too long realize that." With that, he let go of me and climbs off of me. I don't move off the bed. I'm scared. He walks over to the doors. "I didn't want to lock you in here on our first day together, but I think you just need to cool down for a bit." I don't say anything. I glare at him. "I'll be back in about a half-an-hour with some food." He starts to smile again. What is going on in his head? "Our first meal together in our new home." And he left.

I heard the 'click' of the lock. I begin to cry again. The bars on the window made sense now. It was so I couldn't get away. The pieces fell together. He has been planning this for a long time. That's why he kept asking me out.

Neal Bryan kidnapped me.