31
Part 31
I woke up with an arm banded around me. Glancing to my right, I was surprised to see Trent sleeping next to me, and it was his arm that was holding me close. When did he come? And how he slip in bed beside me without me finding out?
You sleep like the dead. One could rape you and you would never know.
My subconscious knew how to exaggerate, but it was right; I did sleep like the dead. But still, I would’ve known if Trent slipped in bed beside me, I mean, he was Trent. It was impossible not to notice him.
After I agreed to give Trent a second chance to make things right between us, he told me to sleep. I didn’t argue with him, because I was tired and so I fell back in bed and closed my eyes to the world.
Now I woke up to find none other than my boss in bed with me. Feeling around for my clothes had me sighing in relief, thank God we didn’t have sex. He only slept beside me, that was all he did. He was not a bad man. He didn’t take advantage of me in my sleep.
Gently prying his arm off me, I stiffened when he stirred, but fell back asleep. Once I was sure Trent would not wake up, I got out from the bed and padded out of the room, wanting to see where Trent had brought me. I gasped as I took in the new place Trent had brought me to.
We were back in the States, that much was confirmed. And from the looks of it, we were at a beach house. I could see the golden sand and the glittering blue ocean from the giant French windows that were in the living room. The furniture of the house was contemporary, and yet it had a historical touch to it. A plasma screen took up one wall, and lamps of various shapes and sizes were placed in strategic places. It was a beautiful house, one that was my prison. A prison I chose to live in.
Spotting a door further down the corridor, I made my way towards it. Right now Trent was sleeping so I would explore as much as I could. I opened the door and found another bedroom. Jeez, how many rooms were in this place? I spotted a grand staircase in the living room, but was not sure how far it went.
Once I was done surveying the room I stepped out only to stop short when I saw Trent standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. Dammit, why did he always have to sneak up on me like that? He just loved scaring me, in every sense of the word.
“You scared me.” I breathed out.
“You weren’t in bed.” He spoke in an accusatory manner, as if I commited a crime by leaving the bed.
“I-I wanted to look around,” I explained.
“You should’ve told me. There are things here that you are not privy to,” he replied, irritated.
“I thought you weren’t going to control me anymore,” I pointed out.
Trent closed his eyes and sighed deeply, the frown on his forehead smoothing out before he opened them again. My heart picked up speed as he strode over to me, wondering what he was going to do now. And it only relaxed when Trent pulled me in his arms, kissing the top of my head.
“You’re right. I will try my best not to control you anymore. I just got worried when I woke up and you weren’t in bed with me,” he said.
“I’m not going to run away, Trent. I promised you.” I told him. In lieu of him trying his best not to control me, Trent made me promise that I would live in this house with him.
“I know, but I was still worried,” he whispered. He thought I was going to break my promise, he didn’t trust me. Was it just me or did he not trust anyone? If so, then why? What happened to make him so distrustful of people?
“Do you want breakfast?” I enquired. Since Trent had vowed to change himself, I promised to change myself as well. I would try to get a better control on my emotions, which meant not losing my temper if Trent did something that would result in me banging my head against the wall.
“Yes, I will make breakfast. Go and freshen up,” Trent responded, gently nudging me in the direction of the room which I vacated a while ago.
Giving him a small smile, I jogged back into the bedroom. My eyes widened when I saw the room. It looked as if a tornado had hit it. It was completely destroyed. How worried was Trent that he turned an entire bedroom upside down? Was this a serious problem? Did he need help?
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the now ruined room in the back of my mind and walked to the bathroom. After fifteen minutes, I was finished with my morning rituals and exited the room to see Trent working in the kitchen. The kitchen was beautifully designed; it was a not a separate room, it was connected to the living room. You could see the entire kitchen from the living room and vice versa.
“Hello again, I hope you like scrambled eggs.” Trent flashed me a heart pounding grin. Fuck my life, why have I never seen him smile like this before? It was the most genuine and the most beautiful smile I’d ever had the pleasure of seeing on his face. He was a beautiful man.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“Your step-mother taught you well,” I commented, taking a seat on one of the island stools. Trent’s mother was an amazing cook. When Trent was away for two years, she tried to teach me how to cook, but I barely learned anything. I really missed Mrs. Benson, she was an extraordinary woman.
“She did…I think. I can only make breakfast, and a sandwich for lunch,” Trent chuckled.
“At least you can do something. I barely learnt how to make anything from your mother, even though she tried so hard to teach me. I think I don’t have the cooking gene in me,” I remarked.
“I don’t think so. If you really focus, I’m sure you can cook like a professional,” Trent replied, sliding the eggs from the pan onto two plates.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. How is your step-mother? It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, and Jordan as well.”
“She is fine. She was asking about you, so I guess I’ll take you to see her. And as for Jordan, he is handling the family business. He was a little hesitant before but now he is smoothly continuing on with the Benson legacy. But that was expected, Jordan is a smart kid,” Trent informed me.
“That’s wonderful. Can we invite Jordan over, it’s been so long and I kind of miss him,” I said.
Trent’s eyes hardened. “You miss him?”
I rolled my eyes. “He is like a brother to me, Trent. You said you will try!”
Dropping the pan in the sink, Trent turned around, giving his back to me. He placed a hand over his face for a few seconds before removing it and turning around to face me. He looked troubled to say the least; I had the sudden urge to comfort him, to hold him and soothe his worries.
“I-It’s difficult, bumblebee. I’m finding it very difficult. I j-just cannot stop myself. But I’m trying, I really am,” he uttered.
Standing up, I walked around the granite island and pulled Trent in my arms. He held me tight, afraid to let go. I ran my fingers through his hair, enjoying the softness of his dark locks.
“I know you are trying. I know it’s difficult, but I’m sure you can do it. Do you trust me, Trent?” I questioned.
Trent eyed me with a look of confusion. “Trust? Why would I trust you? I don’t trust anyone,” he answered.
“No, but you have to give trust in order to gain some. I promised you that I won’t leave, and you have to trust me on that.” I told him.
“Do you trust me?” He queried.
“I trust your words that you will try not to control me,” I replied, smiling at him.
Trent didn’t say anything. I could see the cogs turning in his head. He was thinking hard about this; something that was common for people. But Trent wasn’t an ordinary man; he was complicated, and now I could see that he was damaged as well. Was Brynn right? Was Trent insecure? Was he controlling me because he wanted me to be the one constant in his life?
I wish you were here, Brynn. I could really use some advice.
“So if I trust you, do you promise not to break my trust?” Well that was an odd question coming from him, but since I vowed to understand him, I decided to answer it.
“Yes. I promise you I will never break your trust,” I replied, sincerely.
“What if you do? What if you do break your promise, what will you give me?”
“Whatever you want.” The only reason I was saying this was because I had no intention of ever breaking his trust.
“Okay. If you break your promise then you will give yourself to me. You will marry me. I can even force you and you will not object,” Trent stated.
“Alright. It’s a deal.” I held out my hand for him to shake it. He took it and we shook on our new deal. “You cannot go back on your word now, shady.”
“I have no intention to,” I said as Trent released my hand and went back to the scrambled eggs.
“Good. So tell me about Jose. Everything. I want to everything about him,” Trent stated, as I sat back down on my stool.
I slapped a hand on my forehead as I remembered Jose. Fuck, he would be so worried about me. Was he still in Japan or had he come back to the States?
“Oh no, I have to call him. He will be freaking out. Where is your phone, Trent?” I looked left and right but found no phone.
“I said tell me about Jose. I didn’t say call him,” he said, taking a seat next to me.
“I’ll tell you as soon as I talk to him; which I need to do now. So where is your phone?”
“You are not calling Jose. I don’t like him and I don’t want you to be friends with him anymore,” he stated, as if he owned me.
“Trent, what did I say about trusting me?”
He shrugged. “I trust you, I don’t trust him.”
“What the hell?! Give me your phone, right now!” I demanded.
“No.” He deadpanned me. Like seriously?
“Trent,” I said his name as a warning.
“I don’t trust him, Amanda. There is something not right about him. There is something strong between you two and I don’t like it,” he explained.
“There is nothing going on between me and Jose! We are just friends,” I defended.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Whenever I see the two of you together, he is always so close to you. He is always touching you, and it makes me want to kill him. So no, you are not calling him. Now sit down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold,” he ordered.
I’ve had it.
I lost it.
I blew up.
“We just had sex once! It was a one night stand! But we never liked each other that way and so we became friends, and that is all we are! Just friends! Why can’t you understand that simple fact?!” I had no idea what I just blurted out; Trent’s rigid stance regarding Jose pissed me off. And so, I gave in to the anger.
Time stood still as I took in Trent’s expression. I saw shock transforming into cold fury as his dark eyes darkened to obsidian. “Sex? You had sex with Jose?” Trent asked with a deadly calm, as if a Viper getting ready to strike.
I swallowed and stood up. Now I was in trouble, I knew that. And for the first time, it was not anyone’s fault but mine. I finally poked the lion and now I must run. I had to save myself.
“Trent, it was one night. We were drunk, it was a mistake. And I didn’t even know you then. So you can’t hold my past against me,” I babbled on, wishing for his anger to dissipate. He was so happy, he was smiling and now he was glaring at me like I’d commited the most heinous crime.
“Run,” he said.
I blinked twice. “Wh-What?”
“Run,” he repeated more forcefully.
Not wanting him to repeat it a third time, I took off for the stairs. Taking them two at a time, I climb up the marble staircase, tripping twice and nearly breaking my ankle in the process. As soon as I reached the second floor landing, I looked left and right, trying to decide which way to turn next. The left corridor had a floor to ceiling window that gave me a splendid view of the beach, while the right corridor offered pieces of abstract art. Deciding on the right, I ran in the direction of the paintings.
I passed door after door and I could faintly hear the sound of thudding footsteps behind me. Oh no, Trent was coming after me; I had to hide. Spotting a dark corridor, I ran toward it without thinking. There was a single door present in that corridor, one I pushed and it opened immediately.
Placing my hand on my knees, I paused to catch my breath. I didn’t know why Trent was so angry. It was just one night with Jose and we weren’t together or anything. What would he do when he found me? Yes, it was only a matter of when and not if Trent found me because the pounding footsteps I heard could only belong to him as there was no one else present.
However, before I could get my lungs to stop protesting for oxygen, my eyes widened and my heart stopped as I looked around the room I had entered. No, it was not a room; it looked more like a shrine. Wherever I looked I only saw one face. It was everywhere. There was no place where I did not see that one face.
Oh God, what is this place?
“Bumblebee, you are not supposed to be here.” I vaguely registered Trent’s presence behind me, my mind falling in a state of numbness.
“Wh-What is this?” I whispered, too afraid to say it out loud.
One face. It was everywhere.
I was staring at my face.