"When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew."

~ William Shakespeare

Under the velveteen night sky, I found solace like no other. A liberating moment, free from the weight of my thoughts. The starlight twinkled, the crescent moon shone. The faint lull of music lingered in the background. Each star burned bigger and brighter, blurred in the most fantastic way by the dense clouds.

A burst of wind rattled the trees, reducing them to a shivering mess of branches and leaves. With the vociferous clap of thunder, a raindrop grazed past the side of my cheek. What began as light pitter-patter morphed into a torrential downpour, yet I didn't have the heart to go back inside. 

Intoxicated by the musky scent of wet mud, I inhaled deeply. Leaning back on my palms, sitting at the edge of the roof, my body became a fountain for the inpouring rain, the water making my eyelids heavy. I was an easy target, my bare legs and sheer chiffon top drenched within seconds, clinging to my body like a second skin.

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

The water seeped into Mother Earth, filling potholes and trickling into cracks. Throwing my head back, I grinned from ear to ear, letting the rain dance against my skin. With a childish giggle, I twirled, the rhythmic pattering of droplets became my music. With my arms wide open, I continued spinning, strands of hair stuck to my face.

Suddenly, an abrupt creaking sound distracted me from my halcyon moment.

"Who's there?" my panic-laden voice asked as my spinning came to a halt.

I whipped around with a heightened pulse, the wind picking up its pace, raindrops growing heavier. An eerie feeling loomed, darkening the atmosphere. Ominous howls and shadowy whispers were being carried by gusts of wind. I inched towards the source of the noise, trying to decipher where it was coming from.

When a silhouette crawling on the granite floor caught my eye, I yelped. It was a scrawny black cat, clawing the wooden frame of the roof door, its skeleton protruding through its wet and knotted fur. Despite its unpleasant outward appearance, I heaved a sigh of relief thanking my lucky stars that it was just Kali, the stray cat, instead of a crazed serial killer.

As I turned on my heel to face the edge, my soul practically flew out of my body, glitching a few times before ramming back in. A shrill shriek escaped my mouth, both hands rising to my chest in fright.

"Dude, w-who does t-that?" I half-whispered half-yelled over the rain, my teeth clattering as the wind rippled against my wet skin, "You scared me half to death."

There he was, leaning against the wall with a cigarette pressed between his chapped lips, dry as a desert standing under the overhead shade, sheltered from the rain.

"I didn't think anyone else would be up here..." Tobias shrugged, inhaling a drag from his cigarette, its smoke being washed down by the windy rain.

I stormed towards him, stepping out of the rain for a moment, and plucked the cigarette from his lips, crushing it under my heel, "We pinky promised." I reminded him with a stern look, temporarily forgetting what had transpired between us in my bathroom.

"You weren't with me when I lit it so technically I upheld my part of the deal," he countered plainly.

I rolled my eyes at his smart-ass response, wandering over to the edge. With my back towards him, trying to distract myself from his enticing lips, I voiced, "Can I ask you something?"

When he didn't respond, I proceeded with my question, letting my curiosity get the better of me. I tried to phrase it as politely as I could without using the words murderer or killer, "Did they ever, uh, find the person who, you know, who did it?" I turned to face him with a quivering lower lip, feeling my body temperature drop.

He contemplated whether or not to answer my question before finally saying, "Not really." He paused for a moment, a deep frown on his face as if all the ghosts of his past came flying in, "They convicted a man. But, uh, he was just a scapegoat. He didn't do it."

"You're saying he was framed?" I asked quietly as the rain became calmer. He nodded. "How do you know? I mean, how did the cops not catch on?" I stared into the distance for a second before meeting his gaze.

"The cops were involved. But whoever they were protecting, slipped up," he explained expressionlessly.

"So, you know who it is? The killer?" My voice echoed once the rainfall died down.

"Work in progress," he replied.

"Oh." I bit my lip before saying, "What 'bout your dad?" 

"Don't have one," was his tight-lipped response.

"How come Kiara hasn't come back to finish what she started?" I was glad that she hadn't returned but my genuine concern poured out in the form of a genuine question.

"Don't worry, little mermaid. You won't be seeing her again." His words may have been reassuring but his tone was bitter, an tenebrous shadow flashing through his amber pearls.

"What did you do?" I arched a brow, tilting my head.

"Something I should've a long time ago," he said with conviction.

The rain had stopped but the wind was brutal, chilling my bones from within. I was a mess, shivering and wet. I felt light-headed and delirious. Watching Tobias, his scruffy beard and messy locks, I shuddered. Under the heat of his gaze, there was a sense of warmth that battled the biting cold. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to him. My feet splashing through puddles to come face to face with him. 

Breathe.

"I want to get to know you," I rasped, my mind shocked by the sincere yet startling words that came out. 

Walking away from me, he propped his elbows onto the drenched edge instinctively, but pulled back when he realised how wet it was.

"Not a good idea," he articulated slowly and I wondered whether he was addressing my words or the fact that he had dirtied his elbows. 

I cocked my head, hoping he was referring to the former, "Why not?"

"Because you'll find nothing but darkness."

His words resounded in the silence of the night, heavy and bleak with the promise of disappointment. 

Say something!

Think. Think. Think.

I rolled my eyes, far more confident, "Well, I'm getting to know you anyway. Darkness and all." I approached the edge to stand beside him.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned to catch my stare, his eyes ice-cold.

My breath hitched when his searing gaze lowered to my lips for the tiniest second before meeting my eyes again. 

Gulp. Breathe. Blink.

Out of nowhere, we heard a crash. Our eyes remained connected, my face laced with a worrisome expression. I hurried down the staircase to identify the cause of the disturbance. Amidst the rukus, I lost Tobias in the background, racing through the crowd.

The crystal vase Mom had bought from Istanbul had shattered to pieces. The disco light hanging from the ceiling of the main hall reflected through the shards of glass spread across the tiled floor of the foyer. I stomped towards the large speakers and yanked the cord, putting the deafening music to sleep. 

Turning towards the gathered crowd, I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Everyone out. Now! Party's over!"

The sound of shuffling feet and indistinct murmurs replaced the booming music as the drunk crowd slowly cleared the main hall, leaving stacks of cups, rows of empty liquor, and crisps in their wake.

The house quite literally resembled a garbage dump with crumbs of finger food smeared all over the floor like varnish; hardwood tables, antique couches, and embroidered cushions disfigured with what seemed to be ketchup stains and an overwhelming stench of sweat and alcohol danced in the air. 

It was safe to say that the cancer had spread beyond repair, destroying everything in its path like the Great Heathen Army once did.

"Stacy, get the fuck in here!" I screeched as Emily and Melaine appeared.

"What the hell happened..." Emily gasped.

"Woah..." Melaine said at the same time as her.

I grunted as I crawled down to reach for a larger piece that had surprisingly traveled quite the distance, hiding tactfully under the coffee table in the living room.

"I'm gonna kill Stacy one day," I muttered with a strained voice, blindly digging for the lost treasure, "Ah, there you are, you little sucker."

My voice was full of pride as I straightened myself to cautiously inspect the piece of glass, turning it back and forth to observe the patterns of light that reflected off of its distorted surface.

"She's passed out upstairs," Emily said, while accumulating crumbs of soggy crisps from nearby tables, and disposing them into a large garbage bag which Melaine was holding.

"Of course she is," I replied bitterly, feeling frustrated that we were cleaning up her mess. "You guys really don't hav--"

"Shush it." They cut me off simultaneously. 

I reclaimed my feet, inching towards the closet to retrieve a broomstick. I gathered shards of broken glass, which sparkled like stars, swiping them gingerly to avoid leaving any behind, maneuvering them into a corner. From the driveway, I could hear indistinct murmurs. When I leaned to look through the bay window, I spotted Andy, Dan and Tobias. As I bent down to lift a larger piece of glass, the tip of my right index finger accidentally caught a sharp edge.

The glass sliced open my tan skin to reveal the darkness of my blood. I winced as drops of blood dotted the floor. Instantly, I retracted my hand away from the shard, all the while keeping pressure on the cut. My composure was calm enough to go unnoticed which granted me the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen and nurse my wound. As I frantically rummaged through the pale wooden cabinets for a band-aid using the support of one hand, tiny droplets of blood began to stain the shiny marble counters and the tiled floor.

"Come on, come on, where are they?" I muttered while pulling open the top drawer, my eyes finally landing on a box of band-aids.

I heard someone clear their throat from behind me causing me to close my eyes and sigh in defeat. Regardless, I turned to face whoever it was.

"What happened." It sounded more like a demand than a question as Tobias noticed the faint splatter of blood beside me.

"It's nothing, just a tiny cut." I shrugged it off as if the nerve endings situated at the tip of my finger had decided to go on a vacation.

A series of quick strides resulted with Tobias towering over me, darkness clouding his intense eyes as they peered straight into my soul. I felt my breath hitch as his rough hand found my injured one, our proximity almost numbing the stinging pain in my finger. He gently raised my hand with two fingers encircling my wrist, which unintentionally led me to open my clenched fist, displaying the cut as my finger faced him.

Why can't I just breathe?

His amber orbs transformed into a deep charcoal color as he stared at my open cut, from which a drop of blood trickled down the length of my finger. However, its journey was cut short by Tobias' tongue, flicking upwards against my finger to gather my blood into his mouth. When his tongue connected with the tender laceration, I felt a tingling sensation overcome me. Instantly, my lips parted to disclose a sharp breath, my eyes popping out of their sockets in pure shock. I felt paralyzed, my body finding itself at a standstill.

What. Is. Happening.

A mind-numbing shiver crawled down the nape of my neck as he continued to gently stroke the tip of my finger. I gawked at him with a pool of surprise erupting in my eyes, his shadowy gaze affixed to mine. It was as if he was aware of the effect our proximity was having on me, somehow he had managed to dictate the bounds of time, making seconds feel like hours.

He made sure to claim the opportunity by taking his sweet time to lick my wound, making me shudder. Even though it was supposed to ache, the dampness of his saliva pressing against the cut made my insides churn.

Breathe.

"Tobias." My voice came out hoarser than I had expected but due to no fault of my own, his piercing gaze igniting every hair follicle on my body.

Gratefully, there were still at least a few inches separating us. Then he did something that dropped my heart all the way down to hell.

Gulp. Breathe. Blink.

His lips encapsulated the tip of my finger, sucking on it ever so lightly. His mighty tongue and chapped lips worked magic on my wound, somehow he managed to stop the bleeding. After a few agonizingly long minutes he freed my finger, holding my hand in front of us. He skillfully tore open a band-aid that had tiny sunflowers on it and tightly wrapped it around my finger.

"Tobias, let's go." We jolted away from each other at the sound of Andy's voice from the hallway. Within seconds the warmth of Tobias' presence evaporated, leaving me to process what had just occurred.

Tonight was a disaster and I was furious at both Stacy and Tobias yet at that moment I couldn't help but smile to myself, knowing all too well that I was falling. 

And the only thing that was going to catch me was trouble.

----

Let me be your kryptonite.

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Love, Ari