We had a great time at the Winter Park, even if Dylan tagged along. The pictures on Instagram were there to prove it. Aileen was happy with how the rest of the day turned out. So much so, that at the end of our little hang-out session, she even invited Dylan over to get his nails done. He laughed it off but promised he would show up some other time, to take her up on the offer. When that would be, none of us knew.

On Monday morning, a fresh smell of coffee was coming from my hands, as I was on my way to classes. I had a long day ahead of me. I knew hours would stretch in front, like a river I was never meant to swim in. So I went along with it. I finished with my classes at six and decided I needed an early night in. Tomorrow will be the same I thought to myself or even worse. Because I had to go to the gallery at six and be there until midnight rolled around. 

I thought of Mark before I fell asleep, he didn't call or text me like he said he would. He could be angry or disappointed with how we left things on the last date, I thought. I couldn't blame him. I wasn't ready to date, I did it only to keep Nicole and Dylan happy.

On Tuesday I started my day with some yoga because I had time before my classes at 10.30 am, then I had lunch on my own around 3 pm. I still haven't heard from Mark, but the thoughts of him lead to thinking about Alex. It was Tuesday, so that would usually mean he would drop by the gallery in the evening. I was waiting for a text from him, saying we would meet at our usual spot, however nothing came. I didn't want to feel disappointed, he said, he might not made it this time. However, I couldn't shake the bad feeling creeping in. I haven't seen any of my friends in the last two days, besides Aileen. And even the encounter with her ended briefly. 

At six, I finished my last lecture of the day, so I made my way towards the gallery. Until nine I helped Anna around, giving tours and explaining the meaning behind each artwork. Once nine rolled around and all the visitors had left, I sank into my chair at the back. My stomach made a growl, I was hungry. I thought Alex would be here by now. But I still didn't receive any text from him.

I took my little snack out of the bag and started munching on it. I looked at the clock hanging on the wall, nine fifteen. I should start on my readings I thought to myself. When I looked again at the clock, it was fifteen till midnight. I will be closing soon, a sigh escaped me, I was tired. I couldn't wait to go under the shower and roll myself into bed. I put my things into the bag and went to the back door, to meet Ralph. Alex was probably at the meeting and then he probably just wanted to go to bed. I couldn't blame him, my plans were the same.

Ralph opened the door. "Hey, little one, no Alex today?" he asked when he saw I was alone. 

"No, something came up," I answered trying not to sound disappointed. 

"Oh, I wanted to congratulate him on the win from Friday, my little boy, loved it." Ralph beamed with pride talking about his son.  

"I'll tell him." I smiled back. I made my way towards the door before I waved at Ralph, "See you on Thursday." 

"See you, little one." he smiled back.

I put my cap on my head and my hands in the pockets of my coat. It was freezing. I tried walking faster, so I would be in the warmth of my home sooner. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, not really thinking much of it. My last hope at seeing Alex today sank, the figure wasn't a tall one like I hoped it would be. It was one of a man, however. A bulky one at that. He started walking faster, and I sensed he was after me. So I speed up, not trying to look too afraid. My hands squeezed into fists inside my pockets, I tried to be as ready as possible if the man's intentions were as I feared they would be.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer until he grabbed my arm and turned me towards himself, "Where do you think you're going, little one?" 

My thoughts were fixated on the same nickname Ralph gave me, but this time it was used in mockery. He knew I couldn't do much. Not at this hour, when there weren't any people on the streets. I thought about Kitty, will I get the same story as her? I sure as hell hoped not to. I refused to speak. 

"So, you won't say anything. Are you shy, little one?" 

I didn't want to look at his face and see all his intentions written on it. I tried snatching my arm from his grip and turning my body.

"She said, you aren't much of a talker. Well, we will see, if you are a screamer." and with that he pushed his face towards mine, crushing his lip on mine. 

I tried pushing him off, but his grip was stronger. His other arm was snaked around my waste. I decided to give in, just so I could bite him in the lower lip as I simultaneously kicked him in his groin. His breath was out. He didn't expect that. So I took my opportunity and kicked him at the side of his waist, and my fist flew across his face. His jaw clenched as he prepared to take a hit. But I didn't see, his leg pointed toward my ribcage. 

My breath was pushed out from my lungs over the contact of his shoe with my side. My mind went foggy. I needed to step back, I shook my head and tried not to let the tears forming in my eyes overspill and roll down my cheeks. I tried to turn on my reflexes, just as I did in kickbox. Left foot, right foot, my mind echoed. 

He smiled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Did I do that?" I asked myself. I didn't know. 

"You're a fighter, little one." he spewed blood on the pavement "Oh, we will have so much fun. 

He started to get closer and closer again. "Don't come any closer." I heard my breathy voice. 

I would like to say, that I heard sheer determination in it, but I didn't. All I heard was my voice, begging for my life. And I hated it. I hated the fact, that I was helpless. He didn't listen. So I kicked with my legs as much as I could, letting my practice of kickboxing do the work. However, at the third or fourth kick, he managed to grab my leg. 

"Let go." I gritted. 

"I don't think so. Let me return a favour and paint that body of yours with bruises." he was a maniac, I thought as a shiver ran down my spine. 

I should have run, but I didn't have a chance. I pushed him off, but he didn't budge. I tried again, and we both toppled over and fell. During the fall he let go of my leg. I rolled from him and tried to ignore a burning pain on my left side. My things were lying across the path we brawled on. I let it, I ran for my life and hoped I would be fast enough, I hoped Aileen wouldn't be asleep and would open the door for me. I hoped he wouldn't follow me. I ran because that was the only option I had.

I heard footsteps behind me, and knew he was getting closer, but so was my house. "Run, but you can't hide." I heard behind me and then that chuckle of his, which made me shiver again through my entire aching body.  

I saw my house, it was the third in the alley of blocks. I ran on the stars knocking on the door, "Aileen, Nicole, open the door. Please open the door." 

I knocked and I knocked. I looked behind me, he was standing in the beginning of the alley. He didn't dare to make a move. He knew people were waiting for me on the other side of the door.

The door opened and I tumbled into Dylan's arms. "What happened?" his voice was stern as he instinctively wrapped his hands around me. 

"I... somebody... " I couldn't breathe. 

Nicole screamed behind Dylan's back when she saw my dishevelled state. "Rose, what happened?" 

"I couldn't ... He," I gestured toward the end of the street, a figure still standing there. 

Dylan put the pieces together and let me go as he ran out of the house and toward the end of the alleyway. At that moment the figure turned and started running. Nicole dragged me into the living room, and I noticed wetness on my cheeks, I tried to remove it with my hand, but it kept on coming. I was crying, my body was shaking. And I couldn't breathe. Aileen was on the couch with nail polish laid before her. When she saw me, she scooted over, to make more room. 

"What happened?" she asked.

I tried to answer, but the words weren't coming out of my mouth. Aillen took my face between the palms of her hands, so I was staring directly into her brown eyes. "Rosie, Rosie, breath. Do you hear me?" 

I nodded. "Okay, so breathe, just that. Okay? You're okay, you're safe. You're home." 

I started crying even more if that was even possible. Her hands went behind my back, so she would soothe me with caressing movements of her palms. But nothing worked. At that point, Dylan's phone rang.

Nicole picked it up. Alex's voice was on the other side of it. "Hey, where's Dylan?" I heard. 

Nicole stammered "It's Rose, she's been hurt, and Dylan went out after him." she said. 

I started moving my head "No, don't tell him." my voice was hoarse from all the crying I had been doing. 

"What happened? Is she okay?" I heard Alex shouting over the phone. "I am coming over. " 

As the line went quiet, Nicole looked at me. The words I was trying to say became hitched. "No, why would you say that?" I cried. "Now everything will become a mess." 

Nicole sat beside me and put her hand on top of my back "Rose you were clearly jumped, somebody followed you home." 

"I wasn't jumped," I cried "Somebody attacked me and I managed to escape."

"But you shouldn't have told Alex." I managed to speak before my breath was cut short again by the tears rolling down my cheeks. 

"Rose, he asked, I answered, it was a spur of the moment." 

"Everything will become a mess." I tried explaining my thoughts, but they didn't get it. 

"What everything?" Aileen asked. And to that I didn't have an answer, I just wanted to brush everything off. I wanted to erase the night. Dylan came running back in, making my thoughts go still for a minute. 

"Sorry, I couldn't catch him. I found your bag and things scattered across." he put the bag on the table.

He looked at me, I mean really looked. And his face changed a handful of emotions in a single glance, from complete rage to pity to complete sympathy. "Rose, I am so sorry, I swear if I find him, he will be a dead man walking." 

"It's okay Dylan, it's not your fault." I tried to speak through my tears. We heard tyres screeching outside and in a couple of seconds banging on the door. Dylan made his way toward the door. 

"Where is she?" we could all hear Alex's voice coming from the front door. 

"Alex now is not a good time." 

"Dylan, I know what happened Nicole told me. She is as much my friend as she is yours." Alex stormed to the living room, however, the sight of me, made him stand still. 

Nicole moved from my side and so did Aileen. "We'll leave you some space." I heard Aileen say, but all I felt was the loneliness and emptiness she left behind as she stood up. 

As soon as Aileen left her seat,  Alex was beside me, eyeing me. "Rosie, what happened?" he asked in the calmest of voices I have ever heard him use. 

"Don't make me repeat it." I shook my head. 

"Okay, I won't make you repeat it. Just know I am here now. Rosie, I am so sorry, I should have been there. I am sorry." he took my hands in his and put them on his lap while attentively watching me.

"It's not your fault." I shook my head while crying. 

He put his hand up, to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming. So he pulled me into his chest. And I just cried, my muffled sobs filled the room, while he caressed the back of my head and repeated "I am so sorry." 

"You're not." I would say every once in a while when my crying substituted to a part where I was able to speak.

After a while, when my sobs died down and I was just staying still between his arms, he quietly asked again "Will you please tell me what happened? Maybe it will help you."

"Maybe not now, but someday, when you'll be able to." he quietly added after seconds of silence. 

I nodded in his chest. I breathed deeply before continuing "Yes, you're right I should be able to talk about. It isn't such a big deal, it could have ended way worse."

And I was right about that. How many women have been jumped and attacked and their endings weren't between the arms of the ones they loved, feeling safe again, but maybe in the back alley gasping for life? I was lucky, I thought again, no need to make it a big deal. 

"I was walking home when I heard somebody behind me. I turned and by the height of the figure, it wasn't you." I chuckled remembering the disappointment I felt at that minuscule thing and feeling embarrassed by my revelation. 

"So I started walking faster, not enough although." I needed a couple of seconds before I could continue, the awareness that danger was following me that night overtook me again. 

"And then he grabbed me by my arm and turned me towards himself. He said some vile things." his voice came back to my mind and enabled me to speak for a moment. 

Alex growled underneath me before he murmured in my hair "I am sorry, I should have been there." 

Once his voice was out of my memories I started speaking again "So I let him kiss me, I bit him in the lip and tried pushing him off. It didn't work, we started fighting and then we fell." 

The emotions of fear came rushing back in, trying to take me under. My tears started pouring again and I sobbed into Alex's shirt. 

"It's okay, you're safe now." he whispered, "Take your time, you don't need to tell me everything if you feel you aren't ready yet. I'll be here when you'll be able to." 

I waited so my tears wouldn't fall anymore before I started speaking again "I ran then. When we both fell, I was a little faster at getting up and I ran. I was so afraid everybody would already go to bed. That I would stay locked out." 

I cried again remembering the thoughts from the hour before, remembering how I hoped somebody would still be up, waiting for me or at least that the door would be unlocked. 

"It's okay now. You made it home. You made it." he whispered in my ear, as my sobs filled the room once again. He pulled me closer and we tumbled on the couch, so I was lying on top of him. He never let me go as I drifted to sleep. He never once let me go during the night.