Chapter 5 Lost

Chapter Five

Aria

"I'm hungry," Gemma said, breaking me out of my frenzy.

"Let's go eat. I'll take you" Grey answered her.

"What about me? I don't want to eat yet. I want to see the environment" I said, thinking about how my boyfriend would rather be with my cousin than me.

"I saw a place. It looked perfect. Let's go" Gemma chirped, pointing to an outdoor restaurant by the beach.

As we approached, I realized I'd seen it too-the restaurant was classy: more real than practical with palm fronds, woven chairs, and tables, but I was certain there was plastic beneath the leaves. Fire was burning everywhere from pots giving a brownish-yellow light to the gloomy environment. It was evening. The restaurant was divided into cozy nooks with trimmed and woven palm fronds. There was no flooring. No carpet or rug or any sort of cremated flooring. It was all sand! Pure, natural, moist, seashore sand. There was no roof too, safe for the heavily star-dotted cloud. A live band was playing something out of a rural rugged playlist. The effect was magical-solemn, bright and breezy, and simply perfect. The food, drinks, and everything were free but the place was scanty. But mostly littered with men and women clad in exotic dark clothing

My red dress did nothing to make me blend in with my surroundings. I felt everyone's eyes on me. With all the black, my red outfit made me stand out like a blaring Firelord.

"I'm feeling watched" I whispered to Grey. He took a razzing look around, leaned into my ear, and whispered, "You're just paranoid. Everybody's carrying on their business, enjoying the evening."

I scanned the place again. At first glance, nobody was looking my way, but I had this strange feeling of being watched nonetheless. I pushed away the nagging thought and focused on my food.

"It's almost Sara's bedtime. I haven't spoken to her all day," I said to Grey with a stupid, apologetic smile, my eyes darting around in search of the nearest exit.

"Yeah. Go do your thing"

I ended up waking haphazardly, even though the place was filled with few people. I seemed lost! I turned back, only to hit the stone-hard chest of a tall man. Frowning and rubbing my forehead, I raised my eyes. The man in front of me was handsome. I couldn't tell if he was Italian or Mexican or British or all of those. The man was beautiful and had features belonging to every nation.

He looked familiar. Annoyingly familiar. I knew I had seen him before but where? He was looking at me as though I was a treasure he's been searching for. His icy stare transfixed me. I couldn't move as he gazed at me with his grey-green eyes. There was something in him that daunted me. I froze.

"You seem to be lost," he said in perfect, fluid English with an immaculate British accent. "I can help you if you tell me what you're looking for." He smiled, presenting a set of perfectly straight, white teeth, and placed a hand on my back, between my shoulder blades, touching my naked skin. He pushed me gently in the right direction and led me to the Exit. Feeling his touch made shivers run down my spine. It made walking no easier. I was light-headed and stunned. I couldn't speak. The feel of his hand on my back was familiar. I certainly felt that way before- I want to know where, how, and why? The only thing I could do was smile, or rather grimace. "Where are you off to with so much eagerness?"

"I need to get some air"

"Need me to come with?" He asked.

I looked back at the hulk of a man and his expression was odd. He was looking at me with confusing eyes. His eyes locked on my face, then on my finger then right back to my face. He looked like he was having a hard time breathing. His gaze was too intense; it was causing a burning sensation on my face. I was about to say something or get away from his presence when I felt a cold hand worming its way through the hollow of my back. I didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Hey babes?" Grey's cold breath fanned my cheeks. "Do we have a problem?" My eyes flicked to the stranger and then to Grey.

I didn't know what it was but it seemed like bad blood between them. I could have sworn the stranger was ready to kill Grey. Grey on his part, clenched his fist tightly, the veins on his neck popping out ferociously.

"No, we don't " I gritted

"Good, then let you back then," Grey said and without as much as acknowledging the other person, he pulled me back to the party. "You slut? You want to go off with a stranger 'cause of his money?" Grey said, pressing clutching my shoulder tightly. He was hurting me.

"You are hurting me, Grey," I whimpered.

"You want to go fuck some stranger because of his money and come back popping out more bastards than the one you already have" he flared and I saw red! Like literally. I was angry.

"Did you just call my daughter a bastard?"

"A child who doesn't have a father is a bastard and a woman who doesn't know the person responsible for her pregnancy is a whore... a fucking bitch!" He spat in my face. I slapped him. I didn't care if he was under the influence. He had no right.

"We are done!" I said firmly. I went to our seat and grabbed my purse and I was fucking happy I didn't see Gemma. My eyes were moistening. I felt so desolate. I realized I was shrieking. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, racked with sobs.

Was I running away from something? Was I running to something?

When the first wave of anger abated, I became aware of just how much my feet hurt. My knees would give up soon, too.

I decided to find a hotel to spend the night at before planning my trip back home. Calmly and slowly, I headed back to the resort. That was the only place I know, I could retract my steps from there. Plus, I would get the rest of my belongings.

The windy streets were nearly deserted-they were too far from the main highway running along the coast. Two black SUVs passed me by. I had seen cars like those before, back at the resort...the one that slowed but zoomed off again.

The night was hectic and expiring, I was drunk and heartbroken, and everything felt improper. I turned when the walkway ended and realized I had no idea where I was.

I looked around, but the only thing I could see were the headlights of fast-approaching cars.