Forever And Never

TWENTY-TWO || SASHA

The words seem to knock the breath out of me. Just like that, my body goes completely frozen and my brain seems to go blank.

I am speechless. This boy, sitting right in front of me, is either completely crazy or actually saying the truth.

"A-Alexander wasn't the driver?" I ask slowly. My heart begins to pound in my chest. "Vincent Jones put the evidence on him?"

I rack my brain at the thought of Vincent. Something sounds so familiar with his name. 

Diego nods his head. "Yes, it was all Vincent. After my brother was knocked unconscious from crashing, Vincent didn't want to be framed. So, he switched seats with Alexander before calling all his friends."

I rub my forehead impatiently. "Then how did they not get caught? My father hired all the top detectives to—"

Diego is already shaking his head. "Vincent was mighty rich back then. He sealed everyone's mouths shut with money. That's why the case ended up closing."

With trembling fingers, I slowly take a deep breathe. The anger and fury I have always hidden begins to rise up, screaming to be released.

"Diego," I say slowly. "Where is this Vincent guy now?"

He quickly pulls something from his pocket and smooths an old photograph on the table. It's a picture of two boys with a younger Alexander. I let my eyes linger on Alexander for a moment, instantly feeling a heavy weight of remorse on my shoulders.

I accused him for nothing.

Diego points to the boy in the middle. "This is him."

Suddenly, my eyes widen in horror and I clamp my hand over my mouth. A scream gets caught in my throat. I stare down at the boy who Diego is pointing to.

"Holy shit," I whisper, my voice coming out shaky. Diego looks at me with a worried expression.

"Have you seen him before?" He asks, his voice filled with curiosity.

I tear my eyes away from the photograph, completely shaken by what I have just seen. My voice comes out shaky as I reply, "Oh, n-no, I haven't."

Except I have. Because this person, who perhaps killed my brother, is the same person I slept with just a few weeks ago. 

+

The bar is filthy. Hazy smoke fogs the air and puffs around my face when I walk inside. The putrid smell of weed and alcohol is vibrant, making me cough from how strong the aroma is. A few wasted men let out low whistles as I pass by and my hands involuntarily clench. This place is already scary.

A young girl sits on an old sofa, listening to music from her earbuds. Next to her, an older woman is asleep, her hand still clenched around a bottle. I look away from the two and try to find someone more friendlier to speak with.

"Um, excuse me," I say slowly to the bartender. He looks up with a small smile.

"Hello, miss," he says, leaning his elbows on the counter. "What can I do for you?"

I pull out the photograph that Diego had given to me earlier. "I need to speak with this man."

The bartender's expression goes slack when he sees the picture. I see him gulp as his eyes flick away from me. "Sorry, he's not he-here today. Come back next time."

This man is horrible at lying. I clench my fist and shove the photograph back into my jacket pocket. "Please, I need to talk with him. It's very serious."

The bartender sighs heavily, rubbing his chin anxiously. "What is it so serious about?"

My brain racks for an answer, something enough to persuade this man easily. "Uh, it's a-about the street fighting thing."

The bartender raises an eyebrow. "Are you here to bet as well?"

I nod my head impatiently. "Yes, just show me where he is."

Wiping his hands on his pants, the bartender points to a door with a glowing sign that is labeled "PRIVATE". "Go inside, tell the boys that you're here to bet. They'll take you to him right away."

The door itself makes my knees go weak. I thank the bartender before slowly maneuvering my way through the thick clouds of smoke and towards the room. Some people have already stared staring and pausing their games of pool, their eyes scanning down my body. I avert my gaze from everyone, suddenly feeling so exposed and small.

"Hey," a deep voice calls from beside me. "Where're you headed to?"

I begin to quicken my pace until my body slams into someone else. My breath hitches and I muster an apology, only to realize that the person is holding a knife.

Oh, God.

"You've got money, don't you?" The man says with a smirk. "Come on, rich lady."

I glare up at him, ignoring how loud my heart is beating. "Why don't you just leave me alone and get your hands on someone else's cash?"

The man's lips curls into an animalistic sneer, staring at me as if I'm fresh prey. "Are you asking to get killed? Why don't I bring some boys in with me? Still gonna act all shameless?"

As if on cue, two men step from behind the man and face me, smiling devilishly. My mouth goes dry and I can barely speak.

"What's a pretty girl like you doin' here anyway?" The man asks, taking his finger and shoving it against my shoulder. I stare down at the knife in his other hand. My breathing goes shaky.

"Aw, look at her," someone else calls. "She's scared."

The man smiles down at me. "Why don't we loosen you up a bit?"

And then, to my relief, a startling thud echoes throughout the room.

Everyone has their attention on the man, who is now lying motionless on the ground.

"What the fuck..." someone whispers. The two men spin around, trying to find the sudden attacker. A blur of black rushes by before I find myself staring right at a fight between three men.

To everyone's surprise, the two men from before drop to the ground as well, groaning and swearing at the pain.

I'm just as confused as every person in the bar. Now, standing in front of me, a taller, more muscular man breathes heavily as he drops a broken cue stick onto the ground.

My fear changes into shock when I come face to face with the person who just saved me.

Alexander Cruz rubs his knuckles against his pants before surveying the onlookers. Not a single bruise nor cut is on his skin; he simply smooths his shirt down and brushes dust off his shoulders. 

He smiles at me with that same charming, handsome smile.

"Long time no see, Miss Nam."

+

yay...the two meet again :)

christmas is coming soon! im planning on finishing all my drafts by then so that i can publish quickly :)

please leave a vote or comment if you enjoyed this chapter!! thank youu

-e