:Kidnapped: And all he say's is 'Sorry'?

Kidnapped Part 8

Hayley’s POV

I looked at Ryan, glancing quickly to see whether he’d found somewhere to hide.  He stood stock still in the middle of the kitchen, in plain view.

“You’re not a lamp! I said hide!” I mock whispered so he could hear me.

His eyes snapped to meet mine and I could see the adrenaline slowly kicking in. He ran in the direction of the bathroom, before spinning around and fleeing up the hallway. I lifted my hand towards the doorknob, praying he’d found somewhere to hide. This problem wasn’t about to go away any time soon.

Ryan’s footsteps came thumping back down the hallway before I could do anything about the door. “It’s just an endless maze of rooms down there! Where am I supposed to hide?” He breathed, exasperated.

“For god’s sake....” I mumbled and ran down the hallway, yanking Ryan’s arm, as I swung past. He jolted forward before forcibly following me to the third door on the right. I opened the small cupboard, and motioned for Ryan to get inside.

“A laundry chute? Really?” He gave me a hard look, before cramming himself in. I rushed back out past the kitchen and hurried to the door. Shoot, how do I explain this? He’s seen me through the frosted glass next to the door. I swung around the corner, only to hear the rattle and jingle of keys as they unlocked the door.

Scott struts in, trouncing his suitcase along behind him. His suit is crisp, his blonde hair is carefully disheveled and his tie is tied in a neat Windsor knot. He sees me and frowns slightly.

“Hey babe. Where’d you go? I thought you’d run away for a second. I waited so long, I pulled out my own keys.” His frown deepened and I sheepishly looked down.

“Sorry, I was, uhm...” I looked up, only to meet his eyes. And it stopped me in my tracks, leaving my mind a blurred mess. His always hypnotic eyes, that had captivated so many wishful girls, including myself.

“Babe, it’s fine. I’m sure you were just busy preparing yourself for me.” He smiled so wide, I thought his jaw would unhinge. “Mmm, I smell cooking. Pancakes? Can you just make me some? I’m going to go quickly get changed. Dump this stuff in the laundry, then you can wash it so it’s clean for a lunch meeting tomorrow.” He rattled on, undoing his tie as he stepped out of the foyer into the kitchen. Do this, do that. Scott kept talking but I drowned him out, as I snapped out of my reverie to focus back on the issue the hand.

Ryan. What was I going to do? I needed to distract Scott so that he wouldn’t go into the laundry. But what exactly was I going to do then? Just leave Ryan in plain sight for the rest of the week, hoping Scott won’t say anything? I mean, what was I expecting? What had I gotten myself into? Was I just going to send Ryan on his way, with a wave. Have a nice day, see you some other time. What else could I do? What was I expecting was going to happen after this, I would run off into the sunset forever with him, go on grand adventures? But Ryan...he was just so magnetic, he’s just lost. His eyes that could be oh-so-captivating, that are now two soulless holes in his head. Bored out by the demons that are his owns thoughts.

I mean, what was he going to do now? Go and live a normal life? Impossible. Run? For the rest of his life? Heartbreaking. Lonely. Lost. Shit. I can’t just give up my life to run with him, and Scott.... I can’t just leave Scott. I mean, I’m his fiancé for god’s sake! But why am I even thinking this? I mean, what was the point in escaping to live life in exile, hiding away, looking over a shoulder to see who’s lurking in the shadows?

I stood, stunned by these thoughts. Yes, they made all this sense, and yes, they were all true. But I couldn’t let Ryan live like this, but what else was I going to do? And Scott, wasn’t going to just let some man stay in our house. I could feel my legs buckling slightly as my eyes focused and unfocused. The weight of the guilt, the loss, the mixed emotions.