Chapter Thirteen.

"I moved here when I was six from Valencia. It's my home town back in Spain." Alex begins, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"What is it like?" I ask him softly, clutching my legs tightly. I'm trying to keep warm, the more sober I get, the more I feel the harsh wind.

"It's beautiful, the buildings are grand and built with such precision. The weather is great and the beaches are filled with golden sand. The ocean is always warm and clear, I spent my entire summer doing water sports as a child."

As he talks about his childhood, his brown eyes light up, despite the darkness of the night. I smile as I listen to him, hearing the excitement and love in his voice for his hometown.

"All of my family are in Valencia. Here I only have my father and Juan." Alex says sadly, shaking his head. I feel my heart hurt for him despite not knowing exactly where his pain is coming from.

It causes me to frown, why do I care so much? Feel so much empathy for someone I barely know?

"Why don't you go back?" I ask him, the thought of that making my heart jolt slightly. Huh, weird.

"I have something I need to do here in England," he smiles at me, mystery filling his eyes. There's a darkness behind them that makes me shiver and I want to ask him what it is, what his plans are.

"What about your Mum?" I ask him, a bad feeling settling inside of my stomach. I feel my own stomach flip upside down at the mention of a mother. Immediately, Alex's entire expression changes. His eyes fill with so much pain, I want to reach over and comfort him in any way I can. They are wide with vulnerability and he tears his gaze off me, looking at the floor instead.

"She died when I was six," he murmurs, his voice broken, cracking. I clench my jaw tightly and feel my eyes fill with tears, moisture pooling up inside them. My heart aches with pain and I reach over once again, taking his hand.

"I understand," I whisper, my voice wobbling. His head immediately snaps to the right, eyebrows creased with confusion.

"What do you mean, you understand? You can't possibly understand how painful it is to have your own mother ripped away from you, so brutally -"

He stops talking abruptly. His jaw clenches and he inhales deeply, composing himself. I watch as the pain melts from his eyes, replaced with anger.

"My Mum died when I was twelve. A blocked valve that travelled to her heart, she was gone within a few hours." I explain, my words now strong, confident. I don't want to show my pain, I want to conceal it. He turns to look at me again, guilt filling his eyes.

I can feel my heart pounding hard against my chest, threatening to break through. The empty feeling inside of me deepens and I want to break down, cry and grieve for my dead mother.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." He mutters, gently squeezing my hand. I wave his words off, blinking back tears.

"No, no, it's not your fault. It's life, it shits all over you when you least expect it to."

"Amen to that," Alex sighs heavily, leaning back until his back is pressed against the pavement. He stares up at the sky, his chest rising and falling steadily. His hand is still wrapped in mine and for a few minutes, I sit beside him, just watching.

"What about your father?" Alex asks me, never one blinking as he studies the dull stars above us. At the mention of my dad, my throat begins to tighten. All of the moisture inside my mouth vanishes and I swallow, my mouth feeling like sandpaper. I don't notice I'm trembling until Alex sits back up, his eyes concerned.

"Hermosa, you're shaking," he whispers, pulling me into his chest. I freeze, my body rigid in place.

"Should I not ask about him again?" Alex murmurs down my ear, sending shivers pulsing through my blood.

"I don't want to talk about him, he's a bad person." I whisper, my breath trembling. I know I'm not supposed to do this, I know I shouldn't open up to him. He's a stranger. . .

So why is it that he's the only person I've ever spoken to about it?

He leans forward, gently guiding me towards his chest as he comforts me. His scent ravels around me, causing me to grow light headed for several seconds.

"Alex. . . " I mutter against the fabric of his shirt, my words strained with fear. His arms around me tighten, muscles tensing against my body.

"Shh, you don't have to explain. Let out your weakness, it's okay." He rests his chin on top of my head and I can feel the beating of his heart inside his chest. It thuds quietly, rhythmically.

I nod silently, giving in to his words. So we sit there, embracing each other, holding each other up despite barely knowing one another. Just two people in a messed up world who's paths accidentally crossed. Minutes pass or maybe hours. I feel content lying against his chest, breathing in his scent, having his arms around me.

"Gracias Alex," I whisper, my voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. I feel him still underneath me, his body tensing.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, feeling like I've done something wrong. I feel his breathing pick up pace, heart beat increasing. He shakes his head —

"Nothing hermosa, I simply feel like you're going to end up driving me crazy."

I pull away from him, frowning hard. What in the world does that mean? I can feel the effects of the alcohol slowly wearing off however I'm still not sober, nowhere near sober.

"W-what? What does that — "

"Alejandro!"

At the mention of his name, we both snap our heads down the abandoned road we've been sitting on for hours. A dark figure is hidden in the shadows, watching us. A shiver immediately runs down my spine and next to me, Alex is frozen in place. A threatening noise comes from him that almost sounds like a growl. He springs to his feet, his arms tensed, ready to fight.

"Who's there?" He yells into the shadows, his voice dripping with danger, anger. From behind, his shoulders are broad and his shirt is stretched against his muscles. My heart leaps into my mouth as I slowly watch the figure take a few steps forward. The sound of his footsteps echoes around the empty street, bouncing off the walls. He continues to walk until his body is lit up from the street light.

I freeze.

Glaring at us is a six foot dark figure. His hood is pulled up over his head however despite not being able to see that far, I know his eyes are burning holes into Alex.

"Alejandro," he repeats again, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

"Who are you?" Alex booms back, taking a threatening step forward. His entire posture screams danger, fists curled up tightly by his sides. From behind me, I hear a shuffling noise, light padding of footsteps. I don't have a chance to spin around to see as a hand is immediately pressed against my mouth, another gripping tightly onto my arm. I let out a scream but it's muffled against his hand. It smells sweaty, warm, disgusting. My eyes widen in fear and I thrash around, struggling to get free.

"Alex!" I scream, watching as the hooded figure runs at him, his fist raised. The hand around my mouth tightens and Alex dodges the first punch, his wild eyes landing on me. They widen in surprise, fear, anger.

"Ariana! Run!"

It's the first time he's said my name.

I can't run. I want to but my legs don't move the way my brain wants them to.

The grip tightens on me and I'm dragged to my feet, pressed against a hard body behind me. I whimper, my heart beat going crazy against my chest. I continue to struggle, kicking, screaming, biting but it's no use. His grip doesn't loosen.

I'm forced to watch as Alex and the hooded figure continue to fight, throwing punches and kicks in a blur of bodies. I know Alex is winning but the hooded figure lands heavy blows, beating his body senseless.

I can't watch. I squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to watch as the man who comforted me for the past few hours gets beaten up relentlessly.

I hear muffled groans, bangs, thumps, yells. I don't know how long it goes on for. Suddenly, the grip on my body lets go of me followed by a loud groan. I snap my eyes open to find Alex standing in front of me, his eyes wild.

Behind me, the man is laying on the floor, blood trickling from his mouth. A few feet away, the hooded figure is crouched on his knees, coughing and spluttering.

"Holy shit, how did you do that?" I gasp, adrenaline cursing through my blood. He takes my hand in his, clutching tightly. His chest is rising and falling heavily and his knuckles are bright red.

"Come with me," he says urgently, his voice low. I simply nod at him, glancing down at the man who held me tightly.

"Wait!" I tell Alex, tearing my hand away from his. He hisses out in disagreement but watches me with curiosity as I walk over to a bin, pulling out a long piece of thick wood. My hands grip tightly onto it and I clench my jaw, anger now fuelling my actions. I walk over to the man on the floor, my breathing picking up pace. He's still conscious and tries to get to his feet as he sees me coming.

"You asshole! Never touch me again!" I scream at him, lifting the wooden stick and plunging it down hard into his stomach. The force of it causes my hands to tremble and he lets out an agonising scream as the stick drops to the floor. I watch as he squirms in pain and I dust my hands off, feeling better.

I spin back around to find Alex watching me, his expression full of shock. His mouth is hung open and his gaze flicks over to the man on the floor and me, over and over again. I walk towards him, taking his hand in mine.

"Now, we can go." I say, my jaw clenched tightly. I vowed to myself a man would never restrain or use their strength against me ever again. I intend to stick to my own promises.

"Holy fucking shit hermosa, that was beautiful."

I let out a loud laugh, unable to control the buzz and excitement I feel inside my chest. Alex quickly scurries down the street with me, his face still shocked and full of surprise.

"What's wrong Alex? Never seen anything like that before? I smile at him, my chest rising and falling heavily. He looks at me intensely, brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I've never seen anything more sexy in my entire life," he murmurs, his words immediately sending heat travel through my body. I shiver and pretend I don't hear him as we both continue to walk away, a small smile playing on both of our faces.