Wrong Kind Of

Four

Gia opened the door and remembers her promise she made this morning and smiled.

"Grans! I'm home!" she quickly shut the door as the cold air tried to squeeze it's way in. She heard the shuffle of small feet as the figure sprang towards her.

"Gia dear! Oh thank goodness you're alright, I got the call from the school saying that you had passed out. I was in the middle of going straight there when I remembered our driver's on vacation. I was so worried, but they assured me someone was taking care of you."

Yes, an unwanted someone. "No worries grans, they said it's because I was just a little stressed out. I'll be fine when I unwind a bit. So what's for dinner tonight?"

Gran smiled knowingly, "well I see that you are alright then, enough to be worrying about food. But you'll have to ask Clarence since she'll be cooking tonight."

"Even better." Gia giggled.

"Watch it missy!" Gia rushed away before Grans could smack her. She continued to her room as she heard Grans muttering something about fixing the flower garden she messed up.

~ ~ ~

Gia started her bath and dropped in the bath salts, it's rosy scent filling up her giant bathroom. One that had a separate shower and tub, or to more appropriately put it, jacuzzi. Everything covered in sand colored marble, a counter that housed two sinks stretch across the room, the space above lined with mirrors. The tub filled up and and a layer of bubbles newly formed.

Gia sank herself in and let the warmth of the water melt away her stress. So much so that her mind ended up being melted away as well.

They sat there in silence as the jets pushed against their backs and legs. Gia looked up at the stars and sighed. If only she could freeze this moment forever. Chris lifted his hands that held hers, the bracelet he gave her sliding down her wrist.

"Do you like it?" he murmured.

The bracelet consisted of a single small charm, the silhouette of two stick figures embracing each other while red diamonds occupied the space where their hearts would be. The charm was suspended by a delicate silver chain with a heart finish at the end of the chain. Each side engraved with their initials.

"I love it." she answered softly looking up at his eyes. Black as night in the dim lighting, so black that she felt like she could drown in them if she wasn't careful. She leaned in for a kiss. A small peck and then pulled back, both of his hands cradled her face, she closed her eyes and let the warmth of his hands engulf her. She opened her eyes and pulled him in for a kiss. Stronger this time, their kiss quickly turned feverish and all her thoughts consisted of every part of him, only him, drowning out the world around them. His hand gripping the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. His other hand still cradling the crook where her face meet her neck. Her legs tightening around his waist while she thought that she had to get closer. Closer. Not close enough.

Her lungs burning as her heart was having trouble keeping up.

Chris.

She couldn't get enough of him. No it was not enough. More.

More.

More.

Her lungs were way past burning now.

They were on fire.

They were filling with lava.

No they were being crushed.

She couldn't breath.

She sprang from the tub, taking in a desperate gasp of air. Gia calmed her heavy breathing before realizing she had been in the bath for way too long. She struggled to pull herself out and drained the tub. She slowly made her way to the shower to wash off before drying off and got dressed. Her pruny toes were extra sensitive as she made her way across the cold marble floor. She looked at the hair dryer, contemplating if she should use it. She always hated the sound of it going off right next to her ear.

No, not today she thought tiredly. Gia stepped into her room with the towel wrapped around the bottom of her hair. She sat in front of the dresser and glared at herself. How could she dare dream about that time. That day. That day she gave herself to him. A monster.

She flung open one of her drawers and grabbed the bracelet from the box, the same one from that memory, that nightmare. She stomped to her balcony facing the backyard and lifted her arm ready to throw it. She tried and tried but she something seemed to be holding her back. An invisible force that lingered inside her, a force she was scared to confront. The fact that her love was still there, for him.

She let out the air she was holding in and slowly brought down her arm and un-cupped her hand and stared at the bracelet, the diamond twinkling in the moonlight. It looked to be the same moonlight as the day she got this bracelet. Tears involuntarily fell from her eyes. Her body shaking trying desperately not to let any sound come out. He didn't deserve her tears, much less her cries. But she couldn't help it, she was ashamed of herself, of her love. Ashamed that she still felt love for a monster, a killer. 

"Afraid that you'll throw it weird again?"

That voice, Christopher. She looked out into the yard, scanning the small line of forest which hid the cliff behind it, which appeared to look like the ocean started right where the trees ended. Her eyes finally rested on a tree to her left, more specifically a tree house, with Christopher resting against a window sill.

"What are you doing there?"

"Just hanging in my treehouse of course. You know I thought about what you said and I decline." he said confidently.

Her eyebrows furrowed, she had a bad feeling about this. She saw that the tree was closer to her house than the grandiose house next to her, which she assumed was where he lived, and tried to change the subject. Something she was doing a lot of today.

"Are you sure that that treehouse is yours? You could be trespassing right now, you should leave before I call the cops."

He moved it index finger back and forth while simultaneously shaking his head. "Unfortunately you are mistaken angel. Me and Emma built this freshman year we moved in, on a tree that's still in our property line. Hence, I'm not trespassing. But anyhow, while I was boxing it out after your little speech. I thought of something. You keep trying to push everyone away. And you probably only said that because you wanted to push me away. I mean no one in their right mind would actually think I'm a creep. So you're forgiven. And from now on I'm will graciously be your right hand man. Can't having you passing out again. Stress? Was it? Then I'll be your stress reliever. I'll make it my life goal to have you think about nothing else than having fun. And I swear to God that I can just go die if I don't succeed."

She was tearing up. She was going to cry again. It seemed to perfect to be real. How did he know? How did he know that was all she needed? Someone to depend on, to lean on.

Was it okay to say yes?

Was it okay to be selfish? She looked at the bracelet again, then let out a deep sigh.

"No thanks." Gia turned around and went back into her bedroom, drawing her curtains to the balcony door. She stared at the bracelet one more time, before putting it back in its box and into the drawer.

She went down for dinner to pleasantly find that they were having tacos. Well it was Tuesday after all. She went back up to her room and got ready for bed.

She laid on her back and blankly stared at the ceiling, the thought that she slept a lot today coming into mind. And every time she saw him. She thought maybe she won't have to sleep tonight, and she won't have to deal with seeing him again. Her eyes started getting heavy as she secretly wish she would be able to, before slipping into unconsciousness to see him once more.