"We never realize how frozen we are until someone starts to melt our ice."

~ Bridgett Devoue

Emily asked from the passenger seat, "Are you sure you want to do this, alone? Shouldn't we call Dan? Tell him what happened?"

"I need to do this alone," I replied, gripping the wheel tightly.

"You sure, Ari?" She confirmed.

"Positive," I said before slamming the door of Dad's old corolla. The night sky greeted me immediately.

Breathe.

I had to do this alone. Dan would have let matters escalate. Tobias had been avoiding me since the riding club, which was worsened when I found him in the alley. It was time for a confrontation. I would have walked away, in fact, I was prepared to walk away after his unwavering indifference towards me.

But...I was being reeled into his mess. Whoever Kiara was, whatever she did, it had something to do with Tobias.

"No loose ends."

"This is gonna hurt and I'm going to enjoy it way more than I'm supposed to."

"This isn't over."

I stormed into the warehouse, my rage building inside the pit of my stomach. When I entered the warehouse this time, it looked nothing like before. There were barely any people inside, the few souls that were lingering around looked like they were gathering their things to leave.

I was close to exploding when he came into view, a cigarette balanced between his fingers, dense clouds of smoke engulfing him.

Of course.

"You," I voiced with authority.

Unsurprisingly, no one moved a muscle. They didn't even acknowledge my existence.

Tobias' glare, however, instantly locked with mine. A handful of people stared back and forth between us. Tobias held his cigarette between his index finger and thumb, inhaling a deep drag before tossing it to the side. Before I could utter a word, his aggressive strides shortened the distance between us.

He grabbed me by the forearm and dragged me along, his eyes flamed and his brows knitted. My glare was intense, my annoyance visible.

With the slam of a door, it was finally him and I.

"You need to keep your bitch on a leash." I unleashed my anger, pulling away from his grasp.

Fuck. Did I just...

I ignored the burning sensation his touch left in its wake. I had to.

Breathe.

His face was stone-cold when he growled through gritted teeth, "Lower your fucking voice."

"Or else?" I stepped forward, tilting my head and crossing my arms over my chest.

Breathe.

"You really don't want to find out." His voice low and crude.

An irrepressible shiver crept down my spine, the corners of his eyes tainted red, a ruthless look embedded in his irises.

Oh, I am so fucked.

My rage withered away and was replaced by fear, anxiety, and panic. My confidence crumbled and I cowered away from him.

"Who is she? Kiara. What does she want from m--me?" I choked out with my back towards him, biting my tongue to control the hot tears which threatened to spill.

"She said she was tying up loose ends, Tobias. What does that mean?" I decided to face him, my voice louder now. "She fucking attacked me!" I gestured my palms towards my stinging cheek. "I got lucky this time because Thomas stepped in to save me!" I roared.

His eyes were impassive, his countenance expressionless.

Callous. Uncaring. Dangerous.

"What if--what if she killed me? What then?" My voice broke again, "Do you even care?" I whispered.

His prolonged silence reignited my anger.

"Oh my God," I scoffed, "Are you even listening to a single word that's coming out of my mouth?" I paused. "Whatever you're running from is catching up to you. Your past is unleashing itself and you're just going to stand here...like this." My hands were moving around with a mind of their own.

"She said it wasn't over, that means...she's going to come back to finish what she started," I continued shouting, my frustration peaking until I realized he simply wasn't going to budge.

"Fuck this." I sighed, an exasperated chuckle escaping my lips.

He abysmally stared back, without revealing a thing. He said nothing and I just stood there, barely holding on to my patience. One last time, I waited for him to say something.

Fucking anything.

"I guess it's my own fault. I shouldn't have walked into that alley. I should have never let myself care. What was I even thinking?" I shook my head and beelined for the exit of the dingy room we were in.

"This is all my fault, for being so fucking stupid," I muttered to myself, storming through the hall, crossing the fighting ring to leave.

"Fight me."

The sound of his husky voice finally cut through the silence.

"What?" I gave myself whiplash when I turned with furrowed brows and parted lips.

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

He climbed into the ring, "Fight me."

Breathe.

Paralyzed, scared shitless, and out of breath.

"I said, fight me," he repeated authoritatively.

Just fucking do what he says before he kills you.

But I couldn't. I couldn't feel my legs. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even blink.

"Did I fucking stutter?" His voice echoed through the empty warehouse, resonating off the windows and back to me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I threw my hands up.

"I told you I was dangerous." He shrugged. "I'm the reason that she came for you. Doesn't that make you angry? Doesn't that make you want to fight me?" He fed my emotions, tempting my anger to cave in.

The blood bubbling in my veins allowed me to feel my legs again. I marched towards him, sliding between the ropes and maneuvering myself to face him.

Fine. He wants a fight, I'll give him a fight.

"Yes, it fucking makes me angry. It makes me angry that you won't tell me. It makes me angry that I had to fend off a surprise attack. It makes me angry that you came into my life and fucked it all up," I hollered, louder and louder.

My head was throbbing, my face was flushed.

"If you're so fucking angry then goddamn do something about it! Come here and fucking let it out. Fight for yourself, come on!" he yelled back.

Suddenly, his voice lowered significantly, "You know you want to. You know I deserve it."

I swung a punch at his chest and he didn't even attempt to avoid it. I quickly moved forward and threw multiple punches straight at him, my exerted fists colliding with his body. With ragged breaths and a dizzying vision, I charged towards him, as Kiara had, and pushed him hard against the corner pillar. I kept shoving, each push consuming all of my energy. I didn't stop until my body gave up on me.

My heart was flying hyperdrive, my vision dotted with black spots and tears. I was a mess. My pants morphing into hiccups and sniffles. All my stamina withered to dust, my muscles sore and weak. I was weak. Fisting his shirt, my nails digging into his skin, I clutched onto him as securely as I could. I felt myself get light-headed, my legs caving in, but Tobias was there to break my fall. He wrapped his arms around me as we both tumbled to the floor.

That was the last thing I remembered before everything went dark.

----

As I regained consciousness, a cracked ceiling and indistinct voices surrounded me.

"How could you not tell me?"

"I'm sorry. She didn't want to--"

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

"She'll be okay." I slowly recognized the voice as Emily's.

I groaned, cutting their conversation short. Adjusting the makeshift pillow of sheets behind me, I sat up.

"Thank God you're okay. I told you this was a bad idea." Emily quickly approached me, taking my hand in hers.

"Ugh, my head is pounding. How long was I out?" I rasped, massaging my temples.

"Twenty minutes, give or take," she said, handing me a bottle of water and two aspirins. "Here, you have a mild concussion."

I gulped the water down rapidly before observing my surroundings. We were in the same room at the warehouse where Tobias had brought me. Dan had his fists balled up, his expression hard.

"Dan, I'm okay." I forced a smile to reassure him.

"Like hell you are." He clenched his jaw and Emily sighed. "I'm so mad at both of you right now but I'm madder at that fucking prick."

A knock on the decaying door interrupted us.

Emily answered, "Come in."

Andy entered the room slowly with a guilt-stricken face.

"Where is he?" I asked immediately.

"Ariel, I think it's best if--"

I cut Andy off, "Where is he, Andy?" My voice was demanding.

He sighed, exchanging a look with Dan. "Outside."

I rushed to my feet, inching towards the door but lost my balance, having gotten up too hastily.

"Sit your ass down, Parker," Dan ordered.

"Ariel, you need to rest," Emily added.

"What I need is to talk to--"

"Just fucking bring him here." Dan cut me off, knowing how stubborn I was.

When Andy returned, Tobias was shadowing him. His demeanor was tense, hands inside his pockets. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating, dense, and nerve-wracking.

I had never felt so low, so pathetic, so weak. I needed to talk to him. I needed answers. I wanted to tell him I was sorry for hitting him despite being mad at him.

"Can we--" my gaze briefly flickered towards Tobias, "--have a moment alone," I whispered.

Emily's gaze met mine before she exited the room with Andy and Dan on her trail.

"You fucking hurt her again, I'll castrate you," Dan threatened Tobias before leaving.

Once more the room was drenched in nothing but silence, I tried to formulate a sentence but I couldn't. I gulped a sip of water before taking a deep breath. Lifting myself off the bed, I approached him.

"Don't." His voice was strained.

I closed the distance between us, facing him. I extended my hand to gently stroke the side of his arm. "I need to know what's happening. Please, Tobias." I breathed shakily, my eyes brimmed with tears.

"I can't." He closed his eyes, heaving a sigh, before breaking away from his position against the wall.

I stood silently, still facing the wall. I let my emotions get the better of me as a tear trickled down my cheek. When I sensed him behind me, I turned around to face him, my back now against the wall. He huffed exasperatedly, eluding my gaze. I lightly caressed his cheek, steering his face to meet mine.

"What if she--"

"She won't touch you again." His breath fanned my face as he stood inches away from me. I was entranced by his captivating features, my heartbeat slowly picking up the pace as he consumed my vision and thoughts. I lowered my head, but I felt his hand under my chin seconds later, lifting my face to meet his stoic gaze.

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered.

His fingers grazed my sore cheek and I instinctively leaned into his touch, the warmth of his hand replacing the shooting pain.

"I just need you to stay away from me," he said, tight-lipped.

The moment ended when his feathery touch pulled away from me as he retreated towards the door. He spared me one last emotionless glance before he vanished.

And I needed him to stay.

----

We're all dancing to the song of life.

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Love, Ari