IN LOVE'S EMBRACE

CHAPTER 35: OLD ENEMIES

"Catch up with your past, before it catches up to you"— Robert Palmer

•••

ALAINE DAVIES

I rose up in alarm. My heart raced and beads of sweat gathered at the base of my head. I rubbed my groggy eyes with a sigh and tried to recall the nightmare that had me trembling.

A wave of panic shot through me as vivid, yet brief, images flashed through my mind. One thing stood out — the entire nightmare revolved around John.

He got into some sort of trouble and ended up losing his life. My eyes watered as an image of his lifeless body danced around my head. I had seen him in such a state before, and I wasn't planning on going through the emotional heartache again. Plus, he wasn't ready for the journey.

I got on my feet, knelt next to my bed, and began praying. It couldn't happen, it just couldn't happen.

Dying wasn't something he was allowed to do yet.

Where would he go if he left the world?

My heart sank to my stomach at the thought of John in hell, and the fervency of my prayers increased.

John might have hurt me, but that didn't mean I stopped caring about him. God had revealed to me the plot of the enemy over his life, and I would not stand still and do nothing.

Time passed, and I found myself in various positions, tears rolling down my cheeks as I gathered momentum in the spirit.

Gentle rays of sunshine pierced through my window. Only then did I realize I had been praying for hours.

Suddenly, a strange sense of peace filled my heart, an indication that my prayers had been heard. With a soft sigh, I ended my prayers and wiped my tears.

I laid on the cold hard tiles and palmed my face, still a bit shaken from the nightmare. It was getting harder, getting harder to stay away. I terribly missed him, and lately, he had been all I could think about.

I kept my distance because I needed to heal, and I couldn't do that with him around. Multiple times I had wanted to cave in, but my pride was always quick to reel me in. I couldn't pine for someone who never cared for me.

It was difficult to believe everything that happened between us wasn't real. The moments felt too pure to be fake. Either John was a really good actor with zero sympathy, or he truly did feel something for me. I was hopeful for the latter, but didn't want my heart broken again.

He let me in, told me about his mother, his parents' awful relationship – all that couldn't have been lies, right?

My mind transported back to when he texted me a few days ago. I barely read the messages before blocking him. I didn't trust him anymore. How sure was I that he wasn't lying again? He could have stopped me and changed my mind, but he watched me leave his house without even trying. That spoke volumes.

I still couldn't grasp why and how everything turned out the way it did. I constantly asked God for closure, but each time he responded by telling me to have patience and trust in him.

A knock on my door jolted me from my thoughts. I rose to my feet and dusted myself off.

"Alaine, are you awake?" Aunt Esther whispered, leaving a trail of soft knocks on the door.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I walked to the door and pulled it open.

I was greeted by the beautiful smile of my aunt. She leaned against my door frame with an apron tied around her waist and a spoon firmly in hand.