Page 57 of The Dark Obsession

I feel a hand on my back, guiding me to the floor, and it cushions my head on the hard tiles. Something wet replaces the cool hands on my hot cheeks.

“Rosalie,” a low, gruff voice echoes through my mind.

I focus on the unintelligible words coming from above me and watch the swirl of colours move around.

“She’s just stressed. Give her a minute,” one voice says.

“Should we take her to a hospital?” the other voice, the lower one, asks—the voice I remember, the one that makes me feel safe even when I feel like I can no longer move, or the one who makes my heart thump so heavily that it may just give up.

“She’ll be okay. Relax, Rafael.”

I feel something cool touch my head, his hand. The fog in my brain is clearing. I can hear better.

Adriel swears several times in the background and moves noisily around the kitchen.

Rafael’s hand rests on my head, his breathing audible.

I feel nauseated as I contemplate moving and letting them know I am fine.

Adriel’s voice comes closer. “You really like this girl, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Rafael mutters.

I can see his shadow shift through my closed lids.

“I’ve never seen you actually care before,” Adriel says quieter.

“My whole world has stopped since the day she walked into my office. Everything since then has revolved around her. No matter how much I try to change that, I just can’t,” Rafael whispers.

Adriel grunts in understanding, and Rafael clears his throat, his hand moving off my head.

I flutter my eyes a bit more dramatically than I would have if I hadn’t been aware already.

Adriel stares at me, and Rafael leans over me and slowly lifts my head. “You okay?” he asks as I sit upright.

“Sorry,” I say and look around groggily.

“Don’t apologise. It’s not your fault that asshole won’t leave you alone.” Adriel hands me a glass of water.

Rafael sits next to me and makes me stay still for another couple minutes before he offers me a hand and helps me stand. He looks away when I regard him and helps me out of his cardigan. We walk up the stairs, and he holds my arm, ready to catch me if I need it. We go to my room, where my bag lies on the bed. All the while I think about Dale’s words, ‘I see things’. A wave of sickness builds and crashes like a wave. Rafael looks ahead, thinking hard. His eyes are dark and his face looks tired and weary. What he said to his brother moments ago seems unreal, for surely, if he felt that way, he’d look at me for more than a few seconds at a time. Surely, he’d have softened up by now.

“I’ll wait outside.” He walks to the window and pulls the curtains shut. “Just in case.” He smiles humourlessly.

I slip into a pair of black skinny jeans and a green woollen vest. I stare at myself in the mirror and hastily apply some eyeliner. I’ll never look good enough when I feel like this, so I just grab my leather jacket and head for the bedroom door, brushing my hair back with my fingers. I don’t dare give myself time to think, to remember why he closed the curtains when I dressed. I open the door to see Rafael waiting.

He glances at my face. He bites on his own lip, and we head down the hallway.

“Raf.” I grab his arm before we reach the stairs.

He spins on the spot and looks down, fixating on my shoes. “Rosa.”

“Look at me,” I whisper.

He slowly raises his head. His green eyes hesitantly meet mine, somehow getting more vulnerable the longer he stares. His lips open, but no words come out.

“Are you … okay?” My trembling hand remains on his arm.

He puts a hand on mine. “I’m just worried about you.”

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