91

[REBECCA]
Artemy had left me breathless and completely in a daze with his kiss, and now his words made my heart jump. My body melted under his, and I stared up into his furious yet painful eyes. I should have been scared, but I wasn’t. Not of Artemy.
He might have been angry with me, but he was still gentle. Even as he gazed down furiously, his fingers were gently and softly caressing my cheek. Artemy was doing it almost unknowingly, as if he needed to touch me, feel me.
We stared at each other for a few seconds, Artemy looking suddenly lost for words. Slowly the rage in his eyes disappeared until they were soft with unspoken emotions. Still holding my hands captive above my head and my body under his, he slowly bent down until our foreheads were softly touching.
“I’m going to tell you a story,” he said.
Confused, I only blinked up at him. A story? Is that why he dragged me here…for a story?
“Artemy-” I started, struggling under him, twisting my body with hopes that he would let me go.
But he didn’t. Instead, his hold on me tightened, and the glare was back.
“Stop moving and listen. Not a word, Rebecca.”
With a sigh, I laid limply and waited for him to start his story. In fact, I was curious what he had to say. So I was going to listen to his story.
And then I would let him know I forgave him.
Artemy lost his glare again, and his lips touched the tip of my nose in a small feather light kiss. “There was once a woman with blue eyes and beautiful long black hair. She was so beautiful and the kindest person ever. Her smiles and laughter were infectious. A man saw her, and she saw him. It was love at first sight, they said. They fell irrevocably in love with each other.”
A love story? More confused than ever, I listened silently, my heart accelerating just a little bit.
“They had a boy.” Artemy paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “He was her sweet gentle boy.” His voice cracked at the last words, his fingers tightening around my wrists. “They were a happy family.”
My body prickled with nervousness. I had a feeling that this wouldn’t end happily.
“The man would always call his wife Angel. The little boy was curious to why. So they told him what Angels were and why she was an Angel.”
Angel.
Sleep, Angel. I will watch over you.
A sudden memory flashed in my head. It was blurry, the voice barely a whisper in my head, but I heard it. Artemy’s voice, whispering to my ears once.
Sleep, Angel. I will watch over you.
I didn’t even have a chance to react because Artemy continued speaking. “The father replied that an Angel is someone who is sweet, kind, caring, calm, and mellow. The most beautiful woman on the planet. Someone who is amazing in every way. An Angel is the girl who makes your heart beat faster when she walks into the room. The girl you will need wherever you go. The girl who makes you want to be better. Angel is someone who is your rock. The person who you love with your entire heart. The person you can’t see yourself living without.”
His answer was almost monotone, like he practiced it. Like this had been running in his head for a long time and he knew it by heart.
And I had a feeling that this story, the definition of Angel, Artemy did know it by heart.
The way his voice had cracked slightly over the words and the way his muscles were locked tight with tension, I knew this story wasn’t just any story.
“They also said that if you find your angel, don’t ever let her go. Because you would forever be incomplete without her.” His voice had softened a little, just above a whisper now. His fingers on my wrist were not tight anymore, so I twisted my hands a little, to see his reaction.
Instead of struggling to get free from his grasp, my hands went to his shoulders. My fingers tightened around them as I held him. When Artemy shuddered with relief, I didn’t regret holding onto him.
My body was calling to his; the need to hold and be held was a need impossible to refuse. So I didn’t fight. I gave in and held onto this broken man as he continued to tell me his story.
“The little boy was happy with the explanation, and he couldn’t wait to meet his Angel one day, although he was hell bent on believing that his mother was his Angel.” A small smile played on his lips when he said that last few words.
When he lost the smile and his face twisted with a wave of pain, my heart slammed to a stop before restarting with a painfully racing beat. My hold tightened on Artemy, my fingers softly caressing his shoulders. I wanted to offer him any type of comfort.
“But then the mother died. A slow, painful death. A cruel death that left everyone heartbroken, especially the little boy.”
I sucked in a harsh breath, and I knew…I just knew…this wasn’t a story. It was reality.
“All he felt was darkness and pain. He was blinded by it, but over the years, he learned to be numb. Not to feel. He became darkness. He became a monster.” Artemy paused and then gave me a small sad smile.
“Cold. Ruthless. Heartless. Arrogant. Killer. Unlovable. These are all the words that little boy goes by now. He’s respected and feared by all. He can’t love or be loved.”
I flinched, my eyes squeezing shut for a second with sorrow. Those words were the same words I had hurled at Artemy in my attempt to hurt him.
“The boy long ago lost hope to find to his Angel. He thought it was a stupid idea. He refused to believe in Angels, for he believed that a monster can never have an Angel. And he was a monster.” His voice was low and gruff, almost pained.
Never once did he stop touching me while talking. And I never let go of him.
“Artemy, no.” I shook my head, trying to stop his agonizing story.
But it was impossible to stop him once he had started. He softly continued to caress my cheeks.
“But then everything changed when he found a broken girl hiding under his bed. She was dirty and so damn scared of him. But he was instantly taken by her. There was something about her that called to him and made him…feel. He hated it. He loathed the idea of feeling. He pushed until he couldn’t push anymore. He couldn’t deny the truth anymore.”
While speaking, he placed another kiss on the tip of my nose and then continued with his tale, this time taking away my breath yet again. Tears sprung in my eyes, and one single drop slid down the corner and disappeared into my hair, leaving a wet trail.
“She was the sweetest, the kindest, and so gentle. So beautiful that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was the true definition of beauty-inside and out. She was love, while he was hatred. She was kind while he was unlovable. She was sweet and gentle while he killed in cold blood and felt no remorse. She was light while he was darkness. He realized that he’d found his Angel. He couldn’t deny it any longer. Because he needed her. He couldn’t live without her. He didn’t want to imagine a world where she wasn’t in it.”