Stolen Hearts (2012 Wattys Finalist)

Chapter 22 - The Looming Fear

Robert was at the club and the music was pounding through his body. The DJ had the crowd right where he wanted them – and Robert was right there too, dancing on the fringes. It’d been such a long time since he’d been able to immerse himself in the music and feed off the energy of everyone around him. He felt good. After so long, he finally felt like he was going to be alright.

He was about to move into the middle of the dance floor so he could turn off his mind and lose himself in the mass of bodies, when he saw Georgie out of the corner of his eye and froze. She was by the bar with her back against the wall and her hands were over her ears, as if the music was too loud for her. She looked heartbreakingly beautiful dressed in her ugly clothes with her hair in the braid.

My God, I’ve gone mad, he thought, as he was overwhelmed with anguish. His heart started beating faster and he blinked hard, but she was still there. He could feel the tears coming because he knew she couldn’t be there. It was impossible.

Some blokes passed her, looking at her curiously as they went by. One of them even turned for a second look as they walked away.

Wait, he thought desperately. They saw her too – she has to be real. He started to go to her.

Georgie was wearing her new club clothes, black wide leg trousers and a silky blue top, with her wavy hair down framing her face. She didn’t feel comfortable wearing tight or revealing clothes in public yet but Robert still thought she was the most beautiful girl in the club. When he got to her, she still had her hands over her ears, but she was smiling happily.

He kissed her cheek so he wouldn’t muss up her lip gloss and she yelled to him, “It’s so loud!” over the music. He thought maybe he’d buy her ear plugs before they went clubbing again so she’d be more comfortable.

She leaned against him, putting her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist as they moved together to the music. He looked into her blue eyes, thinking he didn’t know if he’d ever felt happier in his life. She slipped her fingers in his hair to pull him down for a kiss.

Robert woke with a start and looked at the clock out of habit. It was just after four in the morning and still dark outside. Georgie stirred next to him, saying faintly, “What? What?” He carefully rolled over on his side, pulling her to his chest and she snuggled against him.

“Nothing, Georgie. Just a dream. Go back to sleep,” he whispered, and kissed her forehead.

He rested his cheek on the top of her head, putting his nose near her hair while she drifted back to sleep. While he held her, he relived the dream. The club, the music, the mass of bodies moving as if they were one being – and Georgie, home with him. The last part was so real, the details were so true, and it hurt like hell. It hurt like hell because he was almost certain now it would never happen.

Over the last few days, a terrible fear had been building up in him. For so long he’d felt secure in the knowledge the bastard would never know he was going to return for Georgie. But then he’d realized he’d been incredibly stupid – and it was because of the food. The bastard had never tried to keep their location a secret, which meant he had no intention of staying put after Robert was let go. And that meant Georgie would be gone long before he would be able to return for her. He feared he was going to lose her forever, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

When he’d first been kidnapped, the bastard had said he’d be released soon. During the early days, he’d thought he’d be home within a month, but now it’d been over a month and a half. He couldn’t believe they’d keep him longer than two months. That meant his time left with Georgie was probably down to weeks. He had weeks to spend with the sweetest, most beautiful girl he’d ever known or loved, and then he’d never see her again. He couldn’t bear the thought of it.