Fools Hope

Chapter Sixteen: Rude awakening

*~ When you let the darkness win, EVERYONE loses.~*

(Rafael's pov)
He loves her!? He is falling in love with Iris? MY Iris?!! Oh hell no!! The anger that courses through me is unchainable. It flows like an ocean and it sweeps everything away like a massive wind storm. I glare at Tyler and I hiss out, "you don't love her. You have no right to love her. You weren't there for her when she was on deaths door. You weren't there for her when her whole family got destroyed. I was!!" Tyler smirks at me and his calm voice unsettles me more, "Ah. But you weren't there for her when her family died. You weren't there for her when her father kidnapped her. You weren't the one she came to; to help her with school and write poems. You weren't the one she cried on when she needed support. You weren't her hand to hold, or her shoulder to lean on. You weren't her strength. You weren't there when she needed you most. I was."
I'm stunned into silence. He has the nerves to challenge me?! I turn and storm back into the kitchen. The food I was preparing is burnt and it looks like a giant mess of goo. I huff out a growl and mutter things under my breath. I'm so fuming mad, I can barely control myself. I hear muttered voices coming from the kitchen entrance. I close my eyes and listen in to what they are saying.

"I can't believe you went and said that!"
"Well he was going to have to find out eventually."
"Tyler! No. He didn't have to know you loved me. You did that just to get a rise out of him."
"Well it worked didn't it?"
"Ty!"
"Iris.... Please. How can you love him? Look at him, he can barely contain his anger. Do you really want to be with someone who could explode at any minute?"

There's silence on her end and when she replies it's too quiet for me to hear. I slam my fist into my mouth and bite down on my knuckles to keep from screaming. Their footsteps alert me to their presence and my anger skyrockets again. I turn around slowly. Tyler has a smug grin on his face. Iris looks unsettled. My heart feels taut and it feels like it will explode. "Breakfast is burnt" I say to break the silence. And Tyler says, "that's fine, we can go out for breakfast." I growl and Iris puts a hand on my chest, my body softens for her and she says, "it's ok Raf. We can go out. You can make me breakfast tomorrow" I sigh. I nod and shrug her off. Tyler laughs hotly and mutters something under his voice. I snap.

I lunge at him and knock him to the ground, punching his face over and over again. Iris's wails penetrate my mind but not enough to stop me. I feel her grab my arm, and I react right away. I only realize too late that I've slammed her into the cupboards and she's sitting on the floor in stunned silence. I whip around and see her eyes open wide in shock. Her mouth is hanging open and she's holding her arm and rubbing the back of her head. My heart shatters. "Iris." I whisper. "Don't" she says. And everything inside me ruptures. "Iris" I crawl towards her, reaching for her face and she cowers away from me. She flinches away. She fucking flinched. I look down, "I'm sorry. Please..... Iris....." She shakes her head and stands. She walks away from me, and towards him. "You should go" she says. I gape at her. Go where? I have nowhere to go. "Please don't push me away. Iris I'm sorry. Please. Forgive me?" She looks away and mutters, "just go" so I do. I don't argue or put up a fight. As I am closing the door I link our minds together so that she can hear my thoughts. I want her to feel my pain.

I can't believe she's pushing me way! And for all people, why does it have to be him??! God am I not good enough? Am I not the one she's supposed to love? Why did I have to go and screw things up? Maybe she's better off without me. She has Tyler after all. Sighing I walk down her street. I keep walking. I walk past the park. I walk past her neighbourhood. Still she hasn't answered me. I know she heard me. Perhaps she's punishing me. Iris I'm sorry. I love you. I keep walking until the light slips into evening. And even after that I keep walking. I walk until my brain becomes fuzzy. I'm too numb to feel any pain. Maybe this, right here, is my fate. Perhaps I'm not supposed to love her. Perhaps, after all this, we will be separate again.... Permanently. Goodbye Iris, the girl who changed my life.

(Iris's pov)
Silence slips into the room. Rafael just walked out. I heard everything he thought and it broke my heart again and again. He hit you!! A voice in my head says. And I know I should push him away but I can't. I love him. Shaking my head I decide to clean up the mess of what we can call breakfast. My heart aching as I think of him walking away, as I picture him numb and silenced. Oh Rafael, please come back. Let's talk about this. But he doesn't answer me. An arm slips around my waist and I jerk away from Tyler spitting, "YOU DID THIS!! YOU ARE CRUEL AND MALICIOUS!!! Why did you have to put a wedge between Rafael and I?"
Tyler sighs and steps closer to me, "because I'd do anything for the girl I love"

(Trinity's pov)
Trinity paces back and forth in the mansion, her restlessness is beginning to grow to a whole new
level. Her nerves are tight and her anger is like lava; scorching hot. Rafael disappeared and hasn't returned yet.

Tick. Tock.

She paces back and forth. Back and forth. Trinity is restless. She needs to know that he didn't go after Iris. BUT OF COURSE HE DID!! Trinity roars in frustration and a growl rips from her lips. She walks out of her room and storms down the hallway. If he isn't back by tonight she'll go and get him, putting things in her own hands. Her smile turns cynically sweet, and an evil laugh bubbles from her lips. Victory will be hers!

Tick. Tock.

(Rafael's Pov)
When I return home my body feels numb. Everything is quiet and hollow, and I know that half of my heart is still back with Iris. As soon as I enter the door, Rocco starts to bark and a trill laughter echoes off the walls. Trinity enters the room and hisses, "Where have you been?! I was just about to go get you!" I don't deign to answer her. "What do you want?" I growl, "you ruined my life and now another male is in love with Iris and I feel she may be falling for him too!" Trinity creeps closer, and places a delicate hand with nails dipped in silver; on my shoulder and purrs, "Well you could always stay here with me, and I'll take care of you. I won't leave you for another." Her leathery filled voice scratches invisible claws down my back and leaves me slightly breathless. I stay where I am standing and slowly turn towards Trinity. Only I don't see Trinity, I see the love of my life. "Stop it." I growl, "Stop wearing her face! Get out, get out of my head, get out of my life!" Hissing like a rattlesnake I strike. Trinity and I go tumbling to the floor and then in the blink of an eye, we're in a bedroom. I shoot upward so fast, I almost knock my head on the headboard. Trinity sits up slowly, her usually blue/grey eyes are now a bright emerald. Her smile is wicked and wild as she says, "What you don't like me like this?"

I bend forward and look straight into her eyes, and growl "Leave me alone." Her breath comes out all ragged and strained as she leans forward and whispers, "stop pushing me away. Let me love you" I jerk away, but she cups my face and brushes her lips against mine. Time stops. Trinity pulls away then brushes my cheek tenderly and smiles, before kissing me again. And this time my senses slip away and I don't resist. All I see is Iris, even though my body knows that it's not. I kiss Trinity back. And something in me snaps, and I lose myself completely.

(Trinity's pov)
"Yes" She whispers, as Rafael's lips cover hers and his breath brushes her skin. She grips his hair and lets him trail kisses along her skin and stomach. Her smile becomes serpentine as she feels triumph boil in her stomach, she glamoured herself to look like his lover, and even though he saw through it, she still managed to use persuasion to let him kiss her. Her laugh is husky and she drags his face back to hers, their lips creating their own dance and then she rolls over. She looks down at him and can't help but feel the attraction growing.

Now as she sits there looking down at him she smiles, and places hot kisses along his broad chest and down to his belly button. His groan sends shivers of pleasure through her. Trinity feels victorious as they continue to kiss and love each other. Rafael stops and his eyes widen, "what am I doing? This is wrong" He starts to pull away, but Trinity doesn't let him, she pushes her persuasion deeper into his mind and then his eyes glaze once again into that infernal fire of heat. A few minutes later and he is done, laying atop her breathing hard and sweating. She holds him close and kisses his temple. "There, there. I got you now. You're mine now. Forever." and together they fall, into a delirious sleep.