Imogen

Drew started his car and drove towards the crowded town. The sky was taking on an apricot tint along with the mango-yellow sun. I looked out the window, felt the warm breeze on my skin, and saw unfamiliar stores. I don't think I've ever been to this town. We arrived at a university, with most of the parking lot full. 

He parked the car by the theater in the university. He pulled open his car door, lightly slamming it, and walked over to my side to open the door for me. His hand immediately tried grabbing onto mine, but I kept my distance from him. We entered the building; Drew gave them a friendly gesture to the guards, which got us inside. He led me into a huge theater that could fit over five thousand people. In the middle of the stage was a white grand piano along with a bench.

"How did you know I love playing the piano?" I said, rushing up the alley to the piano, and he followed right behind me. One of my favorite activities, when I was younger, was playing the piano. My grandfather had an old piano lying around in his house, getting rustier by the day. One day my mother offered to teach me the basics, and I completely fell in love with it. After months of watching piano videos, I learned how to perform my first song for my mother. I sat down on the bench, feeling like I was home. My fingers glided on the keys like it was my second nature. 

Drew placed himself next to me, so close that our shoulders were touching. "Wow! You're amazing, Imogen," he smiled, his eyes filled with amazement.

"When I was younger... my biggest dream was to a professional pianist," I laughed reminiscing about my childhood. 

"There's the smile," he said, poking my dimples, feeling uncontrollable heat rushed to my cheeks. "You're talented enough to be one," his hand caressed my cheeks and shifted to my hair, pulling it down from the bun. He leaned in closer, but I quickly turned away. 

"I became so infatuated with the piano that my grades dropped. My mother banned me from ever playing again. The next day she canceled my lessons and ordered a tutor instead," I said. The smile that was once on my lips disappeared. The more I thought of her, the more my heart ached.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," he murmured. "We should head out. I only booked the theater for an hour." We both got up from the bench, and I started heading down the stairs. Until I felt Drew tug on my sleeve.

"What?" 

He pulled me in closer but hesitated; he shook his head and released his grip on me. 

"Let's go home," he stated.

------

Once we opened the door, I dashed up the stairs. I collapsed on my warm bed, my head turned to my bed stand glimpsing the photo of my mother. I grabbed it, admiring her beautiful features. She would rarely smile, but when she did, her eyes turned into crescents. I felt my vision becoming blurry and tears dropping in an instant. When I got up from the bed, I looked at the mirror to see how puffy my eyes were. I tried taking my contacts off, which took a few attempts. I then placed a warm towel on my eyes to reduce the swelling from all the tears. 

After making sure my swelling has gone down, I wandered downstairs to join Drew. When I reached the last step, my jaw almost dropped at the sight of a shirtless Drew. His abs looked so defined; if you look down, you could see his v line. At this point, I looked like a little child whose mouth-watered at a candy store. 

"Woah," I covered my eyes with my palm, turning away. "Put your shirt on."

"You know you like what you see," he teased.

I bet he's winking right now, but I can't see. He wasn't wrong, but I can't have his body influence me. It wouldn't hurt to touch it, though.

I heard him ruffling through his pocket, "Do you want something for lunch? I'll place an order," he offered.

"Umm, tacos will be fine?" I asked, unsure with my hand still shielding my eyes. I was biting my lip, trying to resist the impulse to peek through them. 

"Only if you give me a hug." 

"If you put on your shirt then I will," I answered. 

"Too late." 

Suddenly, I felt his big muscular arms tightly wrapped around me. He pulled my head into his chest so tightly, smelling the scent of lavender coming off him. He must have used my shampoo. His heartbeat was speeding up, I wondered why. I felt his hands stroke my hair and leaning his chin on it.

"You're warm," he said, squeezing the air out of me. 

The doorbell echoed into the household, but Drew didn't budge. I tried to force my way out of the hug, but his grasp was too strong on me. Finally, he grew tired of my resistance, freeing me, and I wandered to the door.

Drew followed behind, leaning his hand on the door. "Oh hey Lucas," he rolled his eyes. Drew's body tensed up when he entered the house while Lucas seemed his natural self.  

"Hey," I waved my hand. Lucas walked up to give me a small comforting hug. When we parted ways, he connected our palms. It felt like they mold together perfectly, causing chills to run down my spine.

"I guess I should get going," Drew said, picking up his shirt glaring at Lucas. "See you Monday, Princess," Drew came close to Lucas and I. He bent down to my height, placing a sloppy kiss on the cheek. I felt Lucas's grip get a little tighter, and I noticed his jaw clenched. I quickly wiped it away once I saw him exit.

"Why weren't you at school?"  Lucas asked.

"Drew took me out," I answered, "He wanted to help me feel better," I smiled slightly at the thought of piano keys sliding through my fingers.

"At least he can do something right," he joked, unzipping his jacket and placing it on the coat rack.

"Are you going to stay with me tonight?" I asked, subconsciously batting my eyelashes.

"Of course," he tenderly kissed my forehead, making the butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"Want to watch something together?" I offered, gazing up into his soulful blue eyes.

"Anything you want," he smiled. 

"Okay, I'm just going to change into something first."

 I rushed up to my wooden stairs to my room. Reaching into my drawer for comfortable clothing to change into. I picked my penguin pajamas since it was the first one on top. As I walked down the stairs, my wrist caught my attention. Lucas's name was still darker than Drew's.

I saw Lucas placing snacks on the table by the couch for us to munch on. Goosebumps started to form on my arms from a sudden cold drift; I skipped up the stairs to grab a blanket. The chilly drift increased, the closer I got to my door. It slammed suddenly right before I could grab my knob, making my body jump. My hands slowly reached for the doorknob, opening it gradually to see where the brisk drift was coming from. My window's curtain kept swinging back and forth from the wind. 

I furrowed my brows, trying to retrace my moments. "I don't remember leaving my window open," I whispered, going towards it. I glanced out the window. Nothing seemed out of place. Only Lucas's car was parked out front, I shrugged my shoulders and reached over to fix the lavender curtain. My heart rate quickened when I suddenly felt a grip over my mouth.

"Don't say a word," his deep voice hissed into my ear. I shuddered against his breath. He had his one hand covering my mouth and the other gripping my waist. The pressure he placed on my body was causing it to throb. I tried to wrestle my way out from his hold, but he minimized any chance of movement. 

"Imogen are you alright?" Lucas yelled. 

I wanted to warn him, but I couldn't think of a way to get myself out of his grip. My body kept squealing under his grip, but every time I fought against him, his grip would get tighter. I needed to send Lucas a sign that someone had broken in, but how? Why is this mysterious man even trying to hurt me? Could he be the one who killed my mother? 

"Imogen, I'm coming up," he said, his footsteps stomping up the stairs, becoming louder with every thump. I started screaming, but they were all muffled up by the attacker's palm. The urge to cry reached my eyes, filling up to the brim with tears.

Please, Lucas, just stay downstairs and run is what I wished I could scream. Even if I did, I knew he still would come upstairs because that's the guy he is. 

I haven't done anything wrong! What is this guy trying to achieve by taking me? Was my mother not enough, now me...

My heart was pounding out of my chest. I tried bringing his hand closer to my mouth, so I could bite it, but he could see what I had planned to do.

"Imoge-," His footstep was getting closer to my room, he was moments away from joining me. The man turned us around to face the door but removed his palm from my mouth. He grabbed a blade from his pocket and placed it right on my throat. His hand dragged the icy metal knife against my dull skin. Ultimately, my glossy eyes meeting with Lucas's.

"If you try to call anyone, I will slit her throat in front of you," his hoarse voice said, stopping Lucas in his footsteps, he was overwhelmed. It seemed like he was glued onto the floor, eyes and mouth left opened wide. Both of us did not understand what to do.

I'm not ready to die, but at least I will be with my mother again. I didn't expect my life to end today; I thought I still had time, but it has run out. Universe, if there's anyway of getting out of his grip please tell me now! 

"Lucas, just go, I'll be okay," I forced out, feeling my throat scratchy. The guy deepened the knife in my neck, causing me to release a whimper. 

"Just let us go please," I begged, feeling his grip on the blade stiffened on my neck. Any moment now he could slit my throat and kill me. 

How am I going to get out of this?

Lucas glanced at me, his eyes tight and worried. He began walking towards us, but the man reacted faster. He chucked the knife at him, but it missed its target, striking the wall behind him.  

His grip on my waist was slightly looser on me. This was the time to get an advantage over him. But I don't want to mess it up. My mind tried to calculate which option had the best chance of working.

Lucas was currently distracted him; I used this moment to elbow him in the ribs. 

"Fuck," he groaned, releasing me. I sprinted towards Lucas as he grabbed the knife from the wall. We started dashing down the hall to the stairs, but the man once again grabbed a hold of me. 

"Bitch," the man groaned as he reared back to punch me, hitting me straight in the stomach. I lost my balance and fell, my body colliding harshly with the wooden floor. 

I landed on my wooden floor, feeling the blood pouring down my nose. Lucas tried helping me, but the man kicked him in the stomach. He grabbed my head, his fingers digging into my scalp, and lifted me till I'm dangling on the tips of my toes. He slammed my ribs, and I winced. His fingers curled around my neck, pressing, and closing. His eyes burned with emptiness and anger as my lungs blazed with pain. I was squealing under his grip wailing my hands trying to cut him with my nails. 

This is really it... The world made sure I suffered for my final moments. My hands struggled desperately, grabbing and scratching his hands. I don't want to give up, but how am I getting out of this hold. I started to hallucinate, seeing my mother's figure in front of me. If this is really it; I hope Lucas can make a run for it. 

I felt the last breaths escaping my body and my limbs becoming numb. My soul was draining from my body, making my eyes rolled back. The last thing I remembered was dropping to the floor and feeling every part of me ache. 

--

"Imogen," Lucas whispered, moving my hair out of my face. Every part of my body danced with  pain. Lucas kneeled down, using his arms to help me sit up straight. My entire body was throbbing in pain, no matter how I moved a winced would escape my lips. I skimmed the room, noticing the man on the floor. He had a dagger stuck in his back, looking like he was dead. This could be the best opportunity to release his face from the mask he had covering it.   

Lucas was holding my face, examining my eyes, making sure I was okay.  

My eyes shifted from his gaze, noting the blood dripping down his forehead and lips. I gently raised my fingers to his lips, dabbing it, but he winced, making my hand drop back down. 

"Lucas... You're bleeding," I said, the urge to cough fighting its way out of my body.

"We have to get you to the hospital," worried Lucas as he lifted my body into his arms. I draped my arms on his neck as he walked me to his car. He smoothly settled me down on the passenger seat. He rushed to the nearest hospital, parking at the first spot he could find. He carried me again and brought me inside. He sprinted past the other strangers, forcing his way up to the front counter.

"She needs help!" Lucas expressed.

I shook my head, "No, ma'am help him first," I pleaded.

"No, Imogen, you're in the worst shape than I am," He said.

"Please, I want you to get help first," I said, placing my hand on his chest.

 He nodded in defeat, walking over to the waiting room. Lucas lay me down on one of the armchairs as the nurse called for him.

"Lucas," I blurted, causing his head to turn towards me. "For the question, you asked yesterday the answer is yes," I felt my lips formed into a bright smile. A grin was on his face as he followed the nurse down the hall.

 I realized the moment I had a blade on my neck that I wanted to further my relationship with Lucas. Spending the day with Drew made me realize my heart didn't belong to him anymore, anymore, but to another. Since I had a near-death experience today, it helped me noticed to fight for what I want. Right now, that's Lucas.

The bright light was aggravating my eyes, causing my head to vibrate more. The urge to cough overwhelmed me. I kept coughing and coughing, disturbing all the other patients. I felt bad coughing in front of everyone; so I tried searching for a bathroom. Eventually, after traveling up the elevator, I was able to find a bathroom. At first, I struggled to twist the doorknob, but once I turned it I entered inside. Immediately releasing the coughs I held in, but this time blood escaped from my mouth. It tasted like rusty iron, very bitter and salty. I coughed into my hand, noticing it was a darker shade of red. 

At this point, my chest ached, and I had blood all over myself. I didn't know why? I was lovely several ago but now I felt death taking over my body. I couldn't stop coughing, it just kept going with more blood coming out. 

 My eyes glanced down to see the sink covered in blood. The sight of the blood made my eyes go black, the last thing I saw was my blood going down the drain. 

Cliffhanger!!! lmao, sort of. I want to put some action. Hopefully, it was a good chapter!!! Imogen and Lucas are officially now you guys happy??? Let see how long that will last. I just can't wait for you guys to keep learning about these characters.

Love you hope you enjoy