Day One

    I woke up the next day in a very comfy queen size bed. “Hm. Where exactly am I?” whispering to myself. I sat up and instantly I felt a miserable headache coming at me. I scanned the entire room and I guess it was not a dream. The room was fancy with a strong scent of cologne. The smell reminded me of my abusive boyfriend, James Fredericks. James had a great first impression to me and my parents before they passed. James took care of me until he started drinking. He completely changed and I always knew deep down he would become scary. I offered him to get some help but he refused and pushed me down the stairs, I broke my arm. After I broke my arm, I thought it would all stop. He never did wake up, he was still the same and my love for him had left. Suddenly a knock on the door woke me up out of my daydreaming. “Karla Roberts, you must dress nicely with the clothes provided in the room. There is a shower and makeup, so make yourself look nice. You have an hour and we will be timing you. After you are done, come downstairs and sit at the kitchen table where there will be food waiting for you. Thank you, goodbye.” she said professionally. She never did open the door and it made me wonder how she knew my name. I got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. The room started to look more and more like it belonged to a man. I tried not to think about the room. I hopped in the shower and it was definitely one of my coldest showers. I brushed my teeth with a brand new toothbrush. It was time to get dress and the closet was full of clothes but none of pieces were girl like. I checked another closet and a short white dress was hanging. The white dress with high black heels were my size and everything. The heels were pretty high and sadly I had no idea how to walk in them. I looked very nice with my hair braided to the side, red lips, long tan legs, and a flashy watch. I opened the door and peeked my head out of the hall. This was not a house, it was a mansion. Luckily the stairs were in front of room. My heels clicked as I walked down the stairs on the wooden floor. “Hi Karla, my name is Miranda. I will guide you to the kitchen.” she said. Miranda sounded very familiar to the girl who knocked on my door. Miranda was the maid of the beautiful mansion. I sat down at the kitchen table with eggs and toast sitting right on my plate. I was a quite shy girl and I was also stubborn. I was not going to eat no matter how hungry I was. I sat there and began crying over my plate. Out of the blue, I felt a hand pressed up against my shoulder. I looked up and oh man was he cute. He had a masculine, sharp, extremely attractive jawline, and equally attractive cheekbones. His scent reminded me of the spicy cologne in the room upstairs. Words were coming out his mouth but I was so focused on how cute he was. His deep manly voice spoke, “Karla. Karla, are you listening to me? Karla!” I spoke softly back to him, “uhm, yeah.” His hand left  my back shoulder and he walked towards the other side of the table and sat. His piercing blue eyes engaged with my tedious brown eyes.

“My name is Kyler,” he said.

“Kyler who?” I said.

“That is none of your business. Anyways Karla Roberts, I see you are going to school for the health field.” He pulled out a folder from his black suit and continued speaking, “It looks like you have got everything planned out. Hmm, the best in all your classes and you chose an abusive boyfr-.”

I interrupted immediately, “How do you know all of this? Who are you? What do you want from me? Answer me now!”

He laughed evilly and called his maid to escort me back to the room. I continued yelling at him but it did not affect him whatsoever. Miranda, the maid seemed nice so I did not give her much trouble.

“Miranda, what does he want from me and when am I going home?” I said.

She smiled and said, “Oh sweetie, you do not even have an home.”

Did she really just say that to me? Miranda pushed me gently into the room and locked the door. I stared at the door and began crying. Everything happens for a reason but what exactly was the reason for this? I changed back into my regular clothing and crawled into bed.

Day Four

    Day four and I have not talked to Kyler yet. I have not spoken to Miranda after what she said. I did not thank her for bringing me food, water, or even new clothes. I actually have not spoken in days. I had so many questions that needed to be answered. It was 10 in the morning and the door began to open slowly. It was him, Kyler. He walked in, looking all filthy. However, his cologne was spicy and intoxicating. I low key liked it but he did not stay long. He grabbed a few pairs of clean clothing and left. What kind of work does Kyler do? I noticed he did not lock the door. I hopped out of bed and walked towards the door. I twisted the handle of the door knob slowly and opened the door. I peeked my head out the door and there he stood.
“How did I know you were going to try and leave? You are not sneaky Karla.” Kyler said.

“Uh, sorry I am starving.” I stuttered.

“Mhm, I am sure that is true.” He said sarcastically.

He started to close the door. I stopped him before it fully closed.

“Listen Kyler, I-.” I could not finish my sentence. Kyler was so intimidating. I just stood there staring at him. He laughed and smiled, “Karla, I sure hope you don’t have a little crush on me”

“What? I do not Kyler. Listen, when am I free to leave?”

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I mean James is after you. But don’t worry he won’t find you here.” He said.

“I am not scared of that piece of. Just let me go.” I said hopelessly.

He shut the door and left. I slowly kneed down to the door and began to cry. How long am I going to be trapped in this room? The door was unlocked, did he forget to lock the door? Or is this one his tricks? I opened the door quickly and Kyler was not there. I quickly walked downstairs and ran out the front door. I noticed I was not quite far from town. I was once on the cross-country team but I could not run like I use to. It was difficult but I pushed through the pain. It was not exactly pain, I was just out of shape. I finally reached town. Not much people were out walking around like usual. I was walking and I was back to a free girl. Until, someone grabbed my arm in a aggressive way. I turned around and I was in shock.

“I thought I’d never see you again, I thought you were smart. Nope, still a complete useless, stupid little girl. Karla baby, you cannot survive without me.” James said.

“Get off of me now James!” I screamed.

“I bet you missed home, let’s go baby.” James said.

I began crying and wishing I never left the mansion where everything was provided for me. His never let go of my arm. I could feel his nails digging into my arm. It was painful but my cry did not make him stop. He was stronger than I was so I could not do much. He practically dragged me to the truck. Before he threw me in the truck, he was stopped. It was a bunch of random boys who I did not know. Our town was full of hatred and no one would help others. I was surprised.

“Who are you? Mind your own business and leave.” James said

It was Kyler and the rest of his friends. James continued to push me into the truck but he was stopped. Two men grabbed him and pulled me away from him. Kyler walked up casually and said, “I could end your life right here, however I won’t.” I got into the front seat of Kyler’s 2014 Chevy LTZ and we left safely. It was just Kyler and I driving in the truck together.

“Thank you for saving me Kyler.” I said.

“I told you not to leave the room.” he said angerdly.

I began to cry again, “I am tired of being locked up in a room all day with nothing to do!”

“Fine.” He paused for a good thirty seconds, “Karla, I do a lot of bad things that are kind of illegal.”

“Wh-What do you mean by kind of  illegal?” I said.

“I am the leader of The Immortals.” He replied.

“Immortals? What is that?”

“The Immortals is a gang. We have been known to protect and attack those who have stolen or sold drugs.” Kyler said.

“Wait, so when I witnessed that murder, he was part of a gang or something?” I said.

“Yes, he was. He was not killed for drugs though. Let’s just say I do not like people who spread rumours and disagree with me.” He said with a smirk.

“Oh my gosh. You are crazy Kyler.” I said.

“I knew I should not have told you any of this. Karla you are different from most girls and I cannot bare to see you get hurt. I am going to protect you until I figure out what to do with you.” He said.

“You don’t even know me! You cannot say any of that!” I yelled.

    He slowly pulled over the car and looked at me.

“It is very cute when you are mad Karla.” He said.

I did not say a word to him. All I could do was stare at his perfectly clear skin, messy blond-ish hair and charming smile that was framed by the cutest dimples. He really knew how to get a girls attention. His right hand left the steering wheel and glided over to my thigh. I was still daydreaming about how cute he is. I felt his right hand touch my thigh softly and I immediately pushed him off.

“What do you think you are doing?” I said.

Then he smiled again with his cute little dimples. I rolled my eyes and turned completely towards the window. He turned of the music and started driving back home again. I kept thinking to myself, what if I did not stop him? What exactly does he want from me? And why is he playing with me like this? I could already tell he was going to be a roller coaster. Kyler, from what I could tell had some anger issues and was a very independent man. We finally pulled up in the driveway. The drive seemed like forever. I was so tired that once we pulled up into the garage I fell asleep.

Day Five

Yesterday was wild. I have never experienced such a thing. I sat up in bed and thought to myself, how exactly did I end up here? I was in a different room. The room was much smaller than the one before. The scent was divergent, I missed the old smell. I got up out of bed and walked towards the door. I opened it and walked out casually. I walked downstairs to eat breakfast. If I am going to stay here, I better get used to it. The maid was nowhere to be seen so I decided to make my own breakfast. Kyler came into the kitchen still in his pajamas.

“What are you doing?” He said with a little raspy voice.

“Ha, what does it look like?” I smiled.

“We have maids to make you food, you don’t have to do that.” He said rubbing his eyes gently.

“Well, I know. This is my choice, I always make myself breakfast.” I said.

“Miranda! Miranda!” He screamed.

You could hear footsteps upstairs and the sound soon went away when Miranda entered the kitchen.

“Sorry sir, what is it?” She could barely speak, she was out of breath.

“Look at Karla. Do you see anything wrong with this picture?” He said.

I interrupted, “Seriously, Kyler it is fine.”

Miranda looked at me from down to up. It finally clicked and she pushed my out of the way. She continued and finished cooking me breakfast. I just stood there, I did not want to interfere. I was quiet while I ate breakfast with Kyler. Kyler did not look at me much either. He sat there for thirty minutes reading the newspaper and every once in a while taking a sip of his coffee. I felt so awkward in this house. I got up to put my dishes away and the phone on the table began to vibrate. It was Kyler’s. Before I could read it, he had already picked up the phone. He hung up the phone and walked up the stairs. I sat at the very last stair waiting for him. Kyle walked right over me and there it was again. That spicy cologne that filled my nose. He looked so sharp in his black suit. I wonder if he ever noticed how I looked at him. I hope he never noticed how I stared at him. I always felt this weird feeling in my stomach whenever I was around him. I regularly thought if he had ever felt the way I did whenever we interacted each other. I mean it was pretty pathetic to think that because I constantly look like trash. He most likely did not even notice me, all he does is work. It is also weird how him being a gang leader did not phase me that much.

    I followed Kyler to the garage and he unlocked his car. I stood by the garage door watching him, hoping he would invite me. Sure enough he asked if I would tag along since I am a “curious one.” I hopped into the truck and we took off. He brought me to this brick building with broken windows. The house was very spooky with all the dead trees framing the rotten house. Kyler had a beautiful mansion, it almost seemed like a joke when he said this is where he grew up.

“Yeah, I have so many memories with my family here.” he said.

“What happened to your parents?” I replied.

He hesitated, “They were both killed and this is why I do what I do today. Anyways let us not worry about this, please.” He stopped and then he slowly mumbled, “My name is Kyler Kannon. I lost my parents at the age of seventeen. Karla, you remind me of my mother. The smell of your perfume was my mother’s favorite. I am sorry I got you into this, you should go.”

He basically told me everything I wanted to know. It was awkward silence. I could leave right now and forget about everything that has happened to me. But deep down I feel like it was only right to stay with him. He needed me and I needed to find out why. Anyways, he is the only thing I have in life right now.

“Well, are we going to go in or just sit here?” I said.

“What do you mean? You are going to stay with me?” Kyler said.

“Come on, show me your workplace.” I laughed.

He unlocked the truck doors and we walked in. He was close by my side and I felt he would never leave my side. I felt safe with him, knowing he was still a complete stranger. Once we entered the building, all his friends stood and were quite as I walked into the room. The inside of the house was definitely nice than the outside. I was not expecting it to look liked this. The house was filled of games and you could tell it was a men’s hideout. I was so focused on how the house looked and I could hear the whole “gang” talking but it was sort of a mumble.

“So who is this pretty lady?” I heard from the crowd of boys.

Kyler interrupted, “Ha, the pretty lady does not belong to any of you guys.”

You know that feeling when you find out someone who you think is super attractive calls you a “pretty lady” and the entire world is perfect. Kyler Kannon thinks I am pretty or is he just saying that for no reason? I feel like Kyler could tell what I was thinking and it made me nervous. I looked at the floor and I could see him walking towards me. He walked up over to me, without hesitation he grabbed my cheeks and planted his lips on mine. My body immediately started following his lead. It felt so right and natural with him. The kiss was fast and intense. His lips left mine and his forehead rested on mine. We looked at each other and our eyes never blinked. Did that really just happen?

“Alright boss! We see you!” yelled from the crowd of boys.

He stepped back in shock. Wow did I really just kiss her? That kiss was so perfect. Her lips were soft and juicy with the taste of cherry chapstick. I was still in shock, I did not know what to think. I kept wondering to myself what Karla thought about this whole situation. I could tell Karla was intimidated by me, she could not even look at me in the eye. I really hope I did not make it awkward than it already is.

“Uhm, alright guys. I am sorry for what just happened.”

The room was still in complete silence after Kyler said that. I really did not know what to think or do other than stand there awkwardly. I walked out of the room and I could hear them beginning to talk. That was pretty weird of him to kiss me like that.

    Day 10

The next five days were simple. I had nothing to stress about. After Kyler brought me home that night, I have not seen him since. He never did say goodbye to me. I kept thinking to myself that he was most likely on a business trip. I know he was only gone for five days but I began to worry about him. It was something about Kyler that had all of my attention. Not only was he super attractive, but his words and reality really hit me. I hated how much I thought about Kyler. I knew I never crossed his mind with the busy life he has. All this daydreaming came to an end, I heard the front door shut loudly. It was Kyler, his left arm had some sort of tourniquet attached. He stood at the door, looking at himself through the mirror. I could feel his pain but I could tell it was not his arm. I was scared to ask but I did anyways.

“Hey, uhm. Is everything okay?” I stood at the top of the stairs waiting patiently for a response. He never looked up to me. He threw his clothing onto the floor, something was up. I walked down the stairs and hoping to show him comfort. Finally, he looked at me. Him looking shocked was definitely an understatement.

“Talk to me please.” I said.

His eyes were filled with tears but never left his eyes.

“I am fine.” he mumbled.

“That is hard to believe, please let me help you!”

“You cannot help what has been taken from me! My brother, my best friend is dead. It is  my fault! I did not protect him Karla!” he hollered at me.

He broke down into tears. I was not used to seeing people cry. I felt like I needed to do something but all I could do was stand.

“I am so sorry Kyler, I really am. I will give you some time to yourself.” I looked at him and he did not look back at me. He grabbed my arm as I turned around to leave, hoping to escape his wrath. Alarmed by his strong grip to my arm, I thought he was going to bring his anger out on me. He pulled me in and gave me a hug. His tears dripped onto my shoulder. He held onto me, this was a real hug.

    He whispered into my ear, “Thank you Karla. You really are something.” He was still hugging me and I felt like it was never going to end. He took a deep breath and stepped back, “Karla, you can go back to your normal life. I will give you money to pay for your classes and to buy an apartment. Please do not argue with me and the money I will be giving you. Just say thank you and nothing else.”

I was confused but excited to get back to my daily living. “Thank you, Kyler.” “Yeah, of course, Miranda will have your check when you are done packing.” He left and never looked back. Am I doing the right thing? I felt like Kyler and I could be so much more. It was too late to convince him to change my mind. I knew he felt the same the way I felt about him. Kyler was pushing me away so I would not get hurt. He was protecting me in a sort of way. Once I packed all of the brand new clothing that Kyler gave me, I inhaled and hoping I will smell this again. The smell was unforgettable and it was weird of me to be in love with the scent of a man’s room. It was time to leave and forget about all the feeling’s I had. My ten day journey was over.

Two Years Later

Schooling went by so fast. After I left Kyler, he never came across my mind. I was living happily with an apartment, a job, and a brand new puppy. Dakota was the cutest little puppy you could imagine. Dakota was an Australian Shepherd with the color of a brown on her left and baby blue on her right. She did of course shed a ton but she was still the highlight of my day. I always brought her on walks after working a nine hour shift. It broke my heart that she was locked up in a kennel all day. But after a long day of work I would treat her to an ice cream cone while walking through the park. The one thing that bugged me about Dakota was she would never listen when off the leash in public. Today she was acting different and more mature. Knowing this could either go badly or good, I unhooked her leash from her pink collar. We were sitting enjoying our ice cream and then she heard a bark off in the distance. Before I could put her back on the leash she was gone. I watched her haul ass towards the pond with her tongue repeatedly hitting her in the face. Dakota was so adorable but not this time. I laughed at her while she ran away from me. Her run was different from others dogs, it almost looked like she only ran with her front legs. She was only a year old, maybe her run will changer later in the years.

I started hollering her name, “Dakota! Come here girl! Dakota!” I bet everyone thinks I am psycho the way I am yelling. I became very annoyed, she never listens to me. I walked over towards the pond and there she was bothering some innocent man. I rolled my eyes and smiled to myself. I walked towards the wooden bench where Dakota was. Once I was closer, I smelt a scent I have not smelt in forever. “Wait a minute.” I said to myself. “No it can’t be.” The man was petting my dog and when I arrived it was someone who I never thought I would see again.

He looked up to me while I almost dropped Dakota’s leash, “Cute dog, What is her name?” He finally then recognized me while I stood there shocked. “Karla!” He stood up and gave me a hug. “Wow Kyler! It has been a while. How have you been?”

“I have been good. Ha, my arm is finally functioning right again. I am happy I ran into you. I will stop talking, how have you been?” He kept petting Dakota while he talked to me. I told him everything and how successful I have been. He was happy for me like really happy for me. He told me everything about him too. He backed out of being apart of a gang and became a very successful cars salesmen. We sat on the bench and basically talked for about thirty minutes. Our chat was coming to an end and sadly I did not want it to end. I got that vibe that he did not want to leave me either, considering we said “bye” to each other more than once. But it was time to split paths again. I walked away with Dakota and turned around to see if he was looking at me. He was not looking at me but I wondered if he did as I left. Once I arrived home Kyler was on my mind. I laid in bed wondering if that was going to be the last time I see him. But a part of me believed I was going to see him. I had a dream that night. It was a very strange dream. It was one of those dreams where you do not remember anything but it scares you. All I knew was I needed Kyler.

Kyler was the one for me and I knew I was the one for him. He did mention he was a successful car salesman, so why not look for him? I skipped all of my classes for the day. This could take a long time to find him. I really hoped he was working today. I showed up to a company where they sold Ford and came upon a really annoying guy. It seemed like he would not even listen to me. He kept rambling on which gave me a terrible headache. Kyler would never hire someone like this guy, I know that for sure. I got back into my car and continued driving. I thought about cars and how Kyler was obsessed with Chevy’s. Then it hit me, how could I be so dumb? I headed towards the Chevy’s dealership and somewhat jogged inside. I asked everyone if they knew or know where Kyler Kannon is. I was so confident that I knew he worked here. Some small nerdy guy stood up out of his chair with and raised his hand.

“Kyler Kannon, ha surprised he did not stop you will you pulled in. He is out in the lot introducing people to the trucks.” He said.

“Thank you!” I replied as I left. I looked outside and I could not see him. I ran towards the brand new trucks and he was nowhere to be heard or seen. I heard my phone buzz and it was just my school. It was around noon and I figured he was out for lunch. I stood there staring at nothing and then it was him who came up behind me. I turned around quickly.

“Karla, hey you! I did not know a girl like you were into Chevys.” he said.

“I am not.” I said

“What are you doing here then?”

“Kyler, I am here for you. I love you. I know we only spent time with each other for no longer than ten days. It is just that everything feels right with you. I hope you feel the sa-”

He interrupted me, “Karla, I am flattered. I knew this was going to happen. This is why I pushed you away. Listen, the kisses and hugs that were romantic were never supposed to happen. I have a wife and we just had a baby girl. I am deeply sorry.”

    Wow, that hit me hard. I did not want to respond but it would be rude if I did not.

“It is okay, I am happy for you. Thank you for everything you have done for me.”

He nodded his head and he was on his way. I stood staring at him as he left. I felt like the dream I had earlier was about Kyler. It did hurt me, but it was the right thing. I felt like he was never going to talk to me ever again and I was ok with it. I just wish it did not have to end like this.