Page 4 of The Dark Obsession

He stands, smiling his dimpled smile, then walks around and pulls out my seat. I sit, and he returns to his seat. His eyes meet mine, and his beautiful smile grows.

My heartbeat rockets as I scan his handsome features. My eyes linger on his, as I fall deeper into them.

“Rosa, you look beautiful. Very smart.”

“Thank you. I had an interview at Alcazars’ Law.” My cheeks burn crimson.

“How did it go?” He doesn’t take his gaze off me as we speak.

“I’ve got a trial to work with Mr Alcazar himself in criminal law.” A great smile splits across my face; it’s nice to brag.

“Oh, so you majored in criminology? Very good. Congratulations.” He grins as he places his hands on the table.

A young waitress comes up behind me and flips her writing pad, ready to take my order.

“Latte, please.”

She nods and wanders off. Within a minute, she’s back with my latte, too hot to drink.

I lean forward to blow gently into the boiling latte. I feel his eyes watching me. I take a scolding sip and refocus on the handsome man sitting opposite me. My stomach has not stopped turning since my interview, and it feels like it’s doing constant somersaults.

He holds the conversation well. We laugh and talk about my brother. We discuss his work in writing. “It’s nice, just writing what I want and getting paid for it.” He smiles.

“It must be, but don’t you ever run out of ideas?”

“Yes, but then I meet people like you. And just like that, I’m filled with imagination again.”

I blush bright red, my hands wrapping around my coffee cup.

He orders more coffee, and shockingly, our conversation seems natural, like I’ve known him a long time. My laughter is more real now as he tells me a story about his experiences in university.

I hear a crack as glass sprays across the table, the waitress yelps, and Dale is out of his seat. A burning pain sears up my thigh as I realise what has happened, the pain of a thousand needles stabbing all at once.Holy shit! holy shit!I scream on the inside, but outside, I try to stay composed. My eyes well up with tears as my leg, if possible, burns with more force. I hear Dale shout a string of rude words at the waitress and ask for a cold, wet towel as he kneels by my side. Time seems to slow a little as he pushes the towel onto my burning leg.

“Don’t touch it!” I shout at him a bit more aggressive than I hoped.

He completely ignores me, applying more pressure.

“Come, I live just behind here. I’ll patch you up at mine.” He speaks calmly but doesn’t wait for a response, lifting me off the chair and letting me bear all my weight on him.

I can’t focus on much, the pain pulling my mind into a frenzy.

“Just let me go home. I’m fine,” I say between deep breaths.

“I can’t. Look at you. Trust me, please.”

He’s breathing heavily as we approach a sizeable white house. The front garden is large, with bright green grass. An incredible pain sears up my thigh when I try to bare my weight on it. I let out a little moan and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, letting the pain take over.

My head spins painfully as he moves me awkwardly onto a soft white sofa. As my eyes adjust, I discern a room with white shelves that cover almost every wall. Each shelf contains hundreds of sculptures of bones and books on medical science. A breeze blows across my face from the open window behind me.What the hell type of room is this?I face the window to see black and thunderous clouds. A flash sparks through the sky, and thunder replies with a loud, low grumble. Rain hammers across the vast lush green gardens outside.

“Thank you.” Red creeps up my face; I can feel my cheeks burning hot.

He smiles and sits next to me.

I struggle to regard him through pain and embarrassment.

Dale shrugs off his wet jacket to reveal a bright white button-up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, his top buttons undone. I can’t help, even when I’m in pain, to spy his chest; he’s so pale, and even with his slightly baggy shirt, I can see how muscular his figure is.

I readjust in my seat as he studies me.

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