Chapter 2 Ella

My heart froze as Damien drew closer. My palms went clammy, and my pulse quickened. What was I even going to say to him?

“Oh my gosh! He’s definitely coming here!” Sophia squealed beside me, excitement bubbling in her tone. Before I could react, she nudged me a little too hard  and my balance slipped away.

The world tilted. The air rushed past my ears. My mind blanked as I braced for the ground but strong hands caught my waist, stopping my fall.

The impact hit me like colliding with a wall of muscle ,hard, unyielding, warm. My breath hitched. My gaze traveled upward, slow and unsure, until it met a glint of blue flickering in his eyes. For a brief second, they didn’t look human.

Then came his voice, low and cold, slicing through the air.

“Watch where you’re going.”

The iciness in his tone crawled down my spine.

“Women and their desperation,” he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

“Excuse me?” The words tore out of me, sharp and furious. My cheeks burned. Who does he think he is? But before I could give him a piece of my mind, he was already walking away  arms wide, smug, like he owned the world.

A girl about my age ran into his arms, squealing like she’d just met a celebrity. Her skirt was a white-and-black checkered pattern, swinging above her knees. Watching them together made my stomach twist. I rolled my eyes, annoyance dripping from every breath.

“Whose idea was it to come here again?” I demanded, my voice louder than I intended.

Sophia flinched and pointed at Alex, her eyes cast downward.

“It wasn’t intentional,” she whispered. “I was just… overexcited.”

Her voice was small, apologetic. The guilt in her eyes made my anger fade a little. Before I could respond, Alex slid an arm around her waist.

“Let’s go,” he said quietly.

I only nodded, not trusting my voice. He led us out of the alley, Sophia clinging to his side.

The car ride home was silent. My mind replayed every second of that encounter, his cold tone, that cruel smirk.

“What an arrogant prick,” I muttered, staring out the window. “His audacity. If he thought I was desperate, why bother saving me at all?”

I’d have rather hit the ground than owe that man anything.

When we reached home, Sophia unlocked the apartment door and sighed.

“Well, that was a shit show,” she mumbled.

I didn’t reply. I tossed my purse and phone onto the bed and headed straight to the bathroom. The cold water from the tap splashed my face, stinging my skin. My reflection in the mirror startled me,flushed cheeks, red-rimmed eyes. I looked… furious.

I filled the tub and slipped into the water. The coolness wrapped around me like a blanket of silence. I submerged my face, holding my breath, and for a few precious seconds, everything disappeared .Damien, Sophia, the noise in my head.

When my lungs began to ache, I resurfaced with a gasp. The peace lingered only a moment before fading again. After soaking for a while, I got out, toweled off, and stepped into the bedroom.

Sophia sat quietly on her bed, guilt hanging between us like smoke. She was only twenty one  a year younger than me and I’d always treated her like the little sister I never had.

“Ella…” she began.

“Not tonight, Soph.” My tone was soft but final. I couldn’t handle another apology.

I lay down, staring at the ceiling, but sleep didn’t come easily. My thoughts wandered  back to Damien’s eyes, then further, to the brother I’d lost.

A sad smile tugged at my lips as I remembered him . Protective, fearless. Once, he’d beaten up a guy twice his size for trying to touch me at a club. That was before the accident. Before everything shattered.

“He fulfilled his part,” I whispered into the dark. He died protecting me. The guilt was still a weight I couldn’t lift.

I walked to the mirror, pulling my shirt slightly to reveal the tattoo etched along my waist: Memento Vivere — “Remember to live.” Below it, the date of my brother’s death. The words reminded me that life is fragile, precious ,something he would have wanted me to keep fighting for.

I turned off the lamp and slid under the sheets.

A few minutes later, Sophia emerged from the bathroom. When I heard her bed creak, I spoke softly,

“I’m sorry for raising my voice at you earlier. I wasn’t really mad at you.”

“I’m sorry for making you fall,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, after a pause, she added, “I’ll get back at him for you.”

I laughed quietly. “Just sleep, Soph.”

She giggled, and the tension melted away.

“Goodnight,” she murmured.

“Goodnight,” I whispered back, finally smiling as sleep took me.

The weekend blurred by in a haze of chores and thoughts I didn’t want to think.

By Monday morning, Sophia’s alarm blared, though she was still snoring. I got up first to give her time later. Too lazy for effort, I pulled my hair into a messy bun and swiped on some light makeup.

The café uniform was simple  a crisp white shirt and a black skirt that stopped just above my knees. Sophia dressed the same, her bun equally messy, and together we rushed out.

The moment we stepped inside the café, the smell of cappuccino and roasted beans wrapped around me. It calmed me  at least a little.

“Table four needs an order,” Alice called out from behind the counter.

I grabbed my notepad, forcing a smile. “On it.”

Walking up to the table, I put on my best polite tone.

“Good morning. May I take your order?”

A giggle came first, then a mocking voice.

“Isn’t she the one?”

The sound of laughter pierced the air. I looked up and froze.

The girl’s face was familiar, but it wasn’t her that made my blood run cold. It was the man sitting across from her.

Damien.

Our eyes met, and suddenly the world tilted again. His gaze held mine, dark and unreadable, and every nerve in my body went still.

For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.

Cold shivers slid down my spine as I drowned in his eyes.