Be With Me

Chapter 25

James opened his eyes really soon in the morning. The events of the previous night were relived in his head. He saw beyond what Rafaela did, she was haunted by guilt. What she felt was nothing but compassion for her friend's situation, but he saw anger, hate in her eyes. Rafaela didn't see beyond her hallucination, James felt there was danger, menace even.

He turned around on his left side to look at his girlfriend who was sound asleep. Gently, he brushed away a strand of her wavy hair that was covering her face. Her lips slightly parted as she puffed breathing softly. He was worried despite all that Rafaela had told him. She was no saint, far from that, but she failed to see evil in other people, while him...he saw evil in almost every corner. Maybe he was just overreacting but he wasn't going to take the chance for Kelly to do something that would hurt her, and he knew she would, he saw in her eyes that she would.

Determined to protect her, he slid out of bed gently to let her rest and to not wake her up. James went straight to the bathroom for a shower and then tiptoed back into the room to choose something to wear, being careful with the drawers and the doors of the wardrobe not to make much noise. Successfully, he grabbed all he needed and took it all to the living room where he got dressed. With the same thoughts of danger in his mind he swallowed a bowl of cereals with a lump in his throat, even feeling his heart beating at a faster pace than usual. Finally, he left the house, not even leaving a note to Rafaela.

He didn't know if he would find Kelly at home but that's where he drove to. Feeling his blood fevering in his veins, he didn't even turned the radio on, instead, he just thought about what to tell her. James didn't want to show Kelly fear but wanted to put fear in her head. When he parked the car, he looked up at the balcony where he had spent so much time, the window was opened and he assumed she was at home. He simply took the keys off the ignition and locked the car, then he walked up to the building he knew so well.

The door was closed so he rang the bell downstairs. Impatiently and after thirty seconds he rang again.

"Open up Kelly." He shot immediately when he felt the interphone being touched. The door opened with no words being pronounced from the other side. Kelly was at the door waiting for him to appear at the stairs. A smile formed on her lips when she saw him.

"James..." She said with her voice full of hope and he noticed how much like a dead body she looked and felt sorry for her. She was a wreck.

"I need to talk to you." He told her.

"Sure..." Kelly said giving him space to go inside her apartment. As the door closed she clutched herself against his body, holding him from behind. "You came for me didn't you?" She asked him.

James took her hands away and tuned around. Her smile vanished and he looked in her blue eyes serious. "I didn't come for us at all. I came here for Rafi." He announced.

"You love me..." Kelly pleaded looking deep in his eyes.

"I don't love you. I don't know how many times I have to repeat this. I don't love you Kelly."

"Then why are you here?" She raised her voice.

"For Rafi. I already told you that. What you did yesterday was insane. First you tried to make me believe the baby wasn't mine, which I am really positive it is and then you tried to tell Rafi to take our baby away. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"She can't have that baby." Kelly exclaimed with tears in her eyes and shaking her head franticly. Then she sniffed and scratched her nose.

"You're doing cocaine aren't you?" James asked her. "You don't even have to answer me. I know all the effects of it. Rafi wants to help you..." James told her.