My Heartrob

Sarah Blake woke up with a start, shutting off her alarm clock that threatened to rip her ears off. She blinked once then twice as she tried to adjust her eyes to the rays of the sunlight that streamed through the curtains.

Sarah was a 23 year old photographer from the city of New York and most of her works went to a blog; ''Humans of New York'' . It was a style photoblog that captured the different stories of people in the city. It was Sarah's job as a photographer to sort out for clients. She usually found this hectic but she had a duty and dedication to her job.

She sighed, thinking about the Client she was to meet later that day. She knew she had to get up soon if she wanted to meet up with the client as at the time she had stipulated over the phone.

Her blonde hair was tousled as a result of the constant tossing and turning she did in the night, Sarah hated to admit it but she had nightmares. On some days, she didn't but on most days, it was terrible. On those bad days, she could barely sleep and found herself wide awake until dawn and for the rest of that day, she was usually in a foul mood.

The previous night was a good one for her and she was glad about this because she couldn't quite imagine herself being grumpy towards a client. It would speak bad of her and this was something that wouldn't look nice on her.

Deciding to begin her day on a bright note, Sarah climbed out of her bed, tying her hair in a loose knot. She had to meet up with Mark Evans, her new client in Central Park within the next hour and boy, she didn't want to keep him waiting.

She didn't know the person she was going to meet and she sure as hell didn't want to get on a bad start.

Sarah made her way towards the bathroom, turning on the shower until it was warm enough for her. The weather was a bit chilly that day and she knew it would likely rain or snow. Sarah took a quick shower and within minutes, she was done.

Settling for a jean trouser and a black chiffon top, Sarah looked every bit of the top shot photographer she was. She tied her long blonde hair into a loose ponytail, tucking it in place with a hair clip.

Sometimes, her hair had a mind of its own and she usually found herself struggling with it especially when it was windy.

Sarah grabbed her back pack, snatching her camera bag that sat on the floor. She had never gone anywhere without it and she knew she might be needing it more today.

She glanced at herself in the mirror, smiling with satisfaction. She didn't really care how she looked as far as she wasn't a scary sight, she was good to go.

Sarah tiptoed to her mother's room a few doors down. She peeped in and discovered she was still sleeping. Her mother was a late riser and she didn't want to disturb her sleep. Sarah scribbled a note, sticking it on her mother's bedside table where she knew she could easily see it.

She smiled, giving her mother a light kiss on her head before walking away. With everything her mother had gone through, she deserved all the rest she could get and if Sarah could help it, she could have preferred her mother traveling out of the country for a much needed vacation.

Her father had died in a tragic plane crash when she was only ten and even up until now, her and her mother were still relieving the pain and horror associated with that incident.

Sarah knew that wasn't possible and she felt sad about it. She shut the door quietly, making her way downstairs. Her trusty old car bus was parked at the garage. Sarah had been using the car since she could remember and it hardly gave her any problem.

She climbed in, pulling into the main road. Traffic was a bit light and she was quite glad about this. It would only get her faster to Central Park. She weaved through the light traffic that was slowly building.

A quick glance at her watch told her that she still had some moments to spare. She got to the Central park soon, bringing her car to a stop at the parking lot. She climbed out, making her way towards the rows of chairs that sat under rows of trees planted to give shade to its visitors.

Sarah looked around and she knew her client hadn't arrived yet. She had no idea what he looked like but she had a feeling that he wasn't there yet.

She took her seat in one of the chairs, setting her camera bag on the ground beside her. She decided to give it a few minutes. She reasoned that he was probably held up in traffic or something. All she was glad for was that she was finally here.

A few minutes later, Sarah had the urge to look up and what she saw left her speechless. Standing before her was the most handsome no scratch, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He was huge, tall and muscular and extremely attractive.

Sarah had a feeling like she had seen his face before but for the life of her, she couldn't quite remember when and where. His jet black hair was trimmed to perfection, it suited his face which just made him all the more attractive. He had a tanned skin that seemed to glow under the sun and looking up, Sarah discovered that his eyes were a green, a deep shade of green that just left you enthroned.

''Hi."Sarah said.

She was quite glad that her voice didn't come out wobbly like she expected it to. If it haf, she couldn't blame herself because the man standing in front of her had to be a demi god of some kind. The shirt he wore clung to his biceps and Sarah had a hard time keeping her eyes off it.

''Sarah Blake i presume."

He had a strong but firm voice that Sarah just found amazing. Yet again, she found herself wondering where she had seen him before.

''Yes, that's me. Thank you for meeting me Mr Evans." Sarah said.

''Mark. Mark is fine please and you're welcome." he said, taking a seat.

Sarah grabbed her camera bag from the ground. She had to take some pictures of him first and she was quite glad he agreed to it.

''So tell me about you Mark." Sarah began.

Her notepad and pencil were in her hands already, ready to write down any detail he said. From the look in his eyes, Sarah discovered that he felt quite uncomfortable when she asked him that.

''I'm sorry, this isn't a good time?" she asked.

Mark stared at her, fighting within himself. He was an ex soldier and recounting what happened to him during his years of service was something he wasn't used to saying especially to people he barely knew.

The traumas he faced was something he couldn't see himself sharing but sitting opposite the bright eyed photographer had him thinking all over again.

''I'm sorry. I tend to think a lot." he chuckled.

''It's fine, I actually do that too." Sarah smiled.

Mark found her smile so charming he was tempted to come closer. He maintained his position, chiding himself in the process.

''Well, I'm an ex soldier for starters and let's just say I haven't really had it so rosy." he said.

''Okay. How long have you been out of service." Sarah asked.

''As long as i can remember." Mark said vaguely.

Sarah scribbled something down on her notepad and she was just about to ask another question when Mark beat her to it.

''How about I tell you what you need to know over coffee? How's that?" Mark smiled.

Sarah found herself agreeing to this and she knew that was the boldest thing she had ever done.

Back home, Sarah didn't waste anymore time before logging on to her computer to find what she could about Mark. At least, she had learnt that he was an ex soldier and that would just make her search much more easier. What she wasn't expecting was for several topics about his promiscuity and womanizing traits to appear.

Apparently, Mark Evans was a billionaire. He wasn't really known but yet, there was still something. Asides being a womanizer, a blog post reported on his arrant temper and how he seemed to always flare up at the slightest provocation. There weren't many details about the type of business he did which left Sarah a bit confused.

Asides that, Sarah couldn't place the Mark she saw today with the character the internet painted him as. To her, they were two completely different entities that just seemed so different there weren't even any similarity.

''Hey honey."

Sarah looked up and discovered it was her mother. She looked so tired from the last time she saw her yesterday.

''Hey Mom." Sarah smiled.

Erica Blake was 47 and Sarah just looked like her. She was an older and chubbier version of Sarah and even when they walked along the street just before everything came crashing down, people knew that they were related.

Her blond locks which now had some gray undertones were packed to the side to give way for her smooth but slightly wrinkled skin.

Erica Blake had no husband and she had single handedly trained Sarah since he died. Most people didn't know about it but Erica had killed her husband and gone to jail for it ten years ago. Carl was an abusive husband and father to them and one day, Erica just snapped, having enough of everything.

She had gone to jail for it ten years ago and those ten years were the hardest for the both of them. Due to this, their relationship was somewhat strained but yet, they still tried to make out time for each other.

''Good morning Mom. Did you sleep well?" Sarah asked.

Just like her, Erica had recurring nightmares which were mostly centered on her time in jail and the horrors she had faced with Carl. Sarah could barely remember some of it since she was little then but one still stood out in her mind.

It was a memory of her father, hitting her mother's head on the wall repeatedly while Sarh watched in abject horror. She remembered the amount of blood that flowed from her mother's head and at that moment, she wondered if her beloved mother would die.

The only thing that saved her was when their next door neighbor came bounding in with a gun. He threatened to shoot Carl's head off and that was the only reason he released her mother. She was rushed to the hospital and the doctor had said that she only survived by a hair's breadth.

It was a memory Sarah would never forget. Her past was haunted, filled with all the pain she couldn't voice out and she knew it would take a really long time before she could snap out of it.

''Stop thinking darling." her mother said.

''Sorry, I tend to do that a lot." Sarah smiled.

She had a sense of deja vu at that moment because she had said something along that line to Mark a few hours ago.

''So where did you run off to this morning?'' he asked.

''So you knew i went out?" Sarah chuckled.

''Of course I knew. What kind of a mother would i be if i'm not conscious of what goes around in our house'' Erica chuckled.

Her thin frame shook slightly and Sarah knew she was under a lot of stress. What she faced wasn't going to leave her anytime soon and it would only take the best of a therapist before she could find any semblance of peace.

''I went to see a client'' Sarah said.

She told her mother all about Mark and from the look on her mother's face, she didn't like what she was hearing.

''To me, he doesn't look like a good person. That's the way all these billionaires behave. They behave like they own the whole world and no one has any right to talk to them'' Erica hissed.

''To my mom, he seems like a nice guy. I guess the internet just doesn't like him'' Sarah said.

''Whatever. I want you to stay away from him okay?'' she said.

Sarah was tempted to tell her about the coffee date she had with him but she remained quiet. It was no use.

''Okay Mom'' Sarah said, finally.

The next day, Sarah was quite nervous. She didn't know what resulted. Maybe due to the way he was. He was the brooding and secretive type and Sarah couldn't just figure him out no matter how hard she tried the previous day. There was something about him he was hiding. She could feel it and she knew it would only take some time before she discovered what it was.

''You're going out?'' Erica said.

She had woken up even earlier than Sarah. On days like these, it just meant that she had nightmares she couldn't sleep with. She would be awake for the rest of the night, staring into space. Sarah had seen her in this condition not once or twice and each time was worse than the last time.

''Yes Mom, I have somewhere to be'' Sarah said, vaguely.

Telling her where she was going would be the last thing she'll do. Her mother was really protective of her. She just didn't want Sarah to fall into the wrong hands and suffer like she did in the hands of Carl.

''Okay, just be careful'' she said.

''I will Mom'' Sarah smiled.

She picked a yellow sun dress from her wardrobe. It had a combination of classy and official which was just the right choice for an event like this.

Sarah left soon, climbing into her car. She had agreed to nine at a cafe close to the Central Park which served one of the best coffees in town. She had been there before with her friend a few years ago and she never forgot its rich unique taste.

She got to the cafe pretty soon because there was little to no traffic on the road which was quite odd for a working day. Sarah parked her car at the parking lot as she made her way inside the quaint little building.

She chose a seat at a corner of the cafe wanting to have a full view of everyone that was coming in and going out. Sarah hated too much attention hence her decision to take that seat.

''Sarah'' a voice said.

Sarah looked up, immediately taken aback by the man who was walking towards her. It was Mark quite alright but this was a huge surprise to her. He was totally different from the Mark she saw and spoke with yesterday.

Sarah didn't know he had this boyish charm and care free attitude. He surprised her by hugging her, grinning as he pulled out her seat before she sat down.

''Mark'' Sarah smiled.

He took the chair opposite her, smiling like had just won a million dollars worth of gold. Sarah didn't know what to say and simply settled for staring at him.

''Sarah. Hi'' another voice said.

Sarah looked up and it seemed like she had been struck by a thunderbolt. Mark or whoever he was were two. They looked so much alike and she had a hard time trying to differentiate who was who.

''You have a twin'' Sarah said to no one in particular.

''Jake, this is so not cool. I see you've met my twin Jake'' Mark said.

He took the other seat beside his brother, giving her a full view of the handsome men. She was beyond stunned at what she was seeing. They were twins alright but they looked so much alike it seemed one was created from the other.

Mark didn't seem too happy with his brother's presence and Sarah could sense a little bit of hostility between them. Jake on the other hand was feeling pleased with himself. He had an infectious charm and Sarah found herself relaxing in his presence. She didn't understand why Mark was so uptight when his brother was the direct opposite.

Within her, she wondered who was the womanizer among them. Mark remained silent and even when the waiter brought their coffees there was still not much conversation.

''It's nice to see and meet you Sarah." Jake said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

If Sarah was relaxed in his presence before, she was now free. He was like a breath of fresh air, making her feel happy and joyful.

''Thank you. I must say, I got quite a shock when I saw you both." Sarah chuckled.

''I know right. We get that a lot. Don't you think bro." Jake laughed.

Mark retained his poker face, staring directly at Sarah who was feeling quite uncomfortable under his gaze.

''I'm sure they get that when they see you." Mark said quietly.

An awkward silence followed by Jake's silent chuckles. Sarah found herself smiling along with him. Mark just seemed like he would flip the table and walk out on them. Sarah half expected him to leave and was quite surprised when he remained seated.

''Don't mind my brother. He gets so uptight at times." Jake laughed.

Sarah nodded, taking a slow sip from the burning liquid. Mark was starting to piss her off. She didn't quite understand why he was so angry when there was really nothing to be angry about. She stared at him and she knew he could see a little anger in her eyes.

''Sorry, I'm not in a good mood. I need to leave now, see you some other time Sarah." Mark said, rising to his feet.

She watched him walk away which just cemented her belief that she would never like him. He was just so impossible to read.

''Whew!. The old grump has gone." Jack said.

Sarah laughed, taking another sip of her coffee. Jack, unlike his brother, knew just how to charm a lady and Sarh was loving every moment of it.

''You're really beautiful." Jake smiled.

''Thank you, you're quite dashing as well." Sarah said.

''Tell you what. Why don't we have dinner soon? Anytime you want, I'm ready." he smiled.

Sarah could hardly hear her ears. Having dinner with a man like Jake was every woman's dream and she wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

''How does tomorrow night sound at the central restaurant." Sarah asked.

''We have a date." Jake grinned.

Sarah scribbled her number on a small napkin, sliding it over to where he sat. This journey she was about taking was one she knew she would enjoy and she couldn't wait to be a part of it.