In Love with a Kidnapper - Episode 21

 

~Nathans Point of View~
Was it fate perhaps? That brought me to this very place? If I had known the area more… If I had known where that stupid restaurant The Red Dragon was… I wouldn’t have gone into the arcade to ask for directions… if I didn’t go to the arcade and instead went straight to The Red Dragon, I wouldn’t have seen Kim…Kissing another man besides me. I know it’s been three years… and I thought I had fully prepared myself for this as well when Jake broke the news to me… She was getting married, and yet I wanted to just see her… to somehow… change her mind.
“Kim…” I whispered her name in the sudden silence between the three of us . She was wrapped in an embrace by some other guy, someone who obviously didn’t deserve her, but somehow had her. He gave me a strange look; confusion mixed with a warning glare. I couldn’t help but glare right back at him. I could tell right away… I don’t like this guy.
Kim’s slow tears fell onto the guy’s shoulder. “Nathan, why did you come back?” She let go of him to face me completely. She still looked as beautiful as ever, even with her eyes turning a little red and tears streaming down her face. I stayed silent through her expectant look.
“Answer me Nathan, what’s the point of even coming back? You’re ruining everything,” she whispered through her tears.
“Kim, I’m… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just… I needed time, and-”
“Don’t lie to me!” she said cutting me off

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/in-love-with-a-kidnapper

. “Why did you leave? Where have you been for three whole years?”
“Listen, Kim, I know I messed up a lot. I had to see you again, so I came here, but…”
Suddenly, the guy she was with, probably the one she’s supposed to marry, stepped in front of her.
“Who are you?” he asked with narrowed eyes.
“I should ask you that,” I stared at him with the same expression even though I knew who he is, thanks to Jake. Although I couldn’t recall the name, I knew it rhymed with beef. Why was he being so protective? That’s my job. I should be protecting her from him.
“Kim,” he stated her name softly and put his hand on her shoulder. “Who is he?”
“Don’t touch her!” I yelled, shaking with anger. I couldn’t help it. Who does he think he is? He can’t, and he won’t , take her away from me.
“Why, is it bothering you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow as he slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“Keith, stop,” Kim said.
She pushed past him to stand right in front of me. “You don’t control me Nathan, I control my own life.”
“Yet you didn’t choose to marry Keith,” I stated.
“How did you even know about that? Only my family and Jake know… Have you talked to Jake?!” she exclaimed. “When did this happen? You’ll keep in contact with someone you don’t even like but won’t talk to me? What’s wrong with you?” The tears were falling faster now.
“No, Kim, it’s not like that. I just saw him today, I couldn’t talk to anybody while I was-“I quickly stopped myself. She can’t know what’s happened these past couple years, not now.
“While you were what? Tell me Nathan!” Kim yelled.
“I can’t, I just-” I looked around at all the faces of the kids and teenagers at the arcade. They were wide-eyed, some quickly leaving the area, others watching closely. Keith was staring at me with a mean, fierce look, but the worst thing I saw wasn’t his expression. It was Kim’s. She was crying, really crying, and I couldn’t do anything about it.
I’m supposed to be the one who cheers her up and hurts the people who make her cry. How did I get to be the one who makes her cry?
“Kim, I… I’m sorry,” I ran out of the arcade as fast as I could.
~Kim’s Point of View~
“Kim, the phones for you!” my mom called from downstairs. I yawned and stretched, still dazed from my thoughts. I kept replaying last night’s events in my head all morning. Did I really kiss Keith? Was I actually happy and carefree for a moment? Did Nathan actually come back to ruin that?
I got out of bed and walked downstairs to the living room where my mom was holding the phone.
“Good morning sleepy head. Just woke up?” she asked laughing.
“No, I’ve been up for a while,” I replied as I took the phone from her. “Hello?”
“Hey Kim, it’s me!” Keith’s voice said happily from the other end. I smiled and glanced at my mom, who was also smiling as she walked out of the room.
“Hey Keith, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you would like to hang out with me at the park. You know Scarlet Park? It’s pretty close to your house,”
“I’d love to!” I exclaimed.
“Great! Can I meet you there in half an hour?” he asked.
“Yeah that’d be great, see you then,” I replied and hung up. After last night, I was hoping he would ask to hang out again. When I think about him, it’s so much easier not to think about… No, I won’t think of his name. Hopefully today can be a Nathan-free day! ….Shoot.
I walked out of the house 20 minutes later in my comfy black jeans and red t-shirt. It was a pretty warm day for winter. Luckily, my hair was still nice from last night so I didn’t have to do much with it. The curls bounced a little as I walked to Scarlet Park, a simple 10 minute walk. When I finally got there, I had a quick rush of memories flow through my head. Everything that happened with Nathan, with Cole, with Lucy… All the lies…
I shivered and quickly spotted Keith sitting on a bench. He was wearing jeans as well, dark blue, with a red sweater. I giggled a little since we almost matched. He turned to see me when he heard me laugh.
“Hey Kim!” his smile was bright and his eyes looked so cheerful. I sat down next to him and smiled back.
“Hey Keith, how’ve you been?” I asked cheerfully.
“Good, just kind of worried…” he replied.
“Oh, about what?”
“You,” he responded, looking into my eyes. I felt my face get warmer. “Last night you got pretty upset, so I didn’t know if you were feeling better when you got home. Did you sleep well? How are you today?”
He seemed so worried, I couldn’t help hugging him.
“Thank you for caring,” I whispered. I let go and said, “I was just surprised yesterday, but I’m better today. Nathan and I have a… really big history.”
I looked away from Keith and around at the forest where I found Nathan and Lucy kissing. I quickly shook my head to get the memory out of my head.
“Are you sure you’re okay now? You seem like you’re thinking about something bad that happened.” Wow, am I that obvious?
“It’s… nothing. Don’t worry about it.” I replied.
“Kim, I want you to know, you can tell me anything,” he said sincerely, gazing into my eyes. He took my hands and held them close to himself. “I’m here for you.”
I looked back at Keith. His eyes showed so much emotion as if I could tell him everything. But I wouldn’t know where to begin, and I was able to keep a secret about Nathan being my kidnapper from my parents. Is it even safe to tell Keith that I fell in love with my very own kidnapper? Would he report Nathan to the police? Would I be able to lie to Keith? Keith was my soon to be husband after all.
“Its… hard to say…I’m not good a wording and its just that.. if I say it.. it might hurt those who are involved,” I sighed. My mind was jumbled. I looked back at Keith who was now more concerned.
“How about we both relate about our past,” He said in a calm voice. “And whatever we say, stays here. Sealed forever in this park.”
“I… can work with that. But lets go somewhere else,” I said. “there’s some place I want to go.”
The place still looked the same as it did the past. The trees surrounding the area leafless and bare. The knee high grass but now was covered in a blanket of snow. I took a deep breath in. It smelled clean and gave me a sense of freedom.
“This place is beautiful,” Keith said as he finally caught up behind me.
“Yeah.. There are good memories.. and bad ones,” I flinched touching the scar on my chest. Everytime I think of it, it starts to sting.
“Does your chest hurt? Are you cold?” Keith asked in a concerned voice.
“No, no its fine. I just remembered something thats all, ” I gave a nervous laugh.
The log was still near the middle of the forest. We sat there.
“So who will start first?” Keith asked.
“I will, but… I might cry.” I looked down at my feet.
Suddenly Keith put his hand cupped my cheek and turned my face towards him. Our lips touched. He parted slightly just to whisper, ” I love you,” then he kissed me again. “I’m here for you, Kim. And I wont judge you no matter what it is.” His voice was so sweet and trusting. I felt as if I was melting with every word.
I explained my relationship with Jake first, then the kidnapping. Occasionally I would look back at Keith to see if his expression but it stayed the same. Calm and reassuring me that it was okay. His face wasn’t judging me at all. I then explained about Nathan, Cole and Daniel and what I had done to protect myself from getting killed. Claiming to be Nathans girlfriend, one that hated me the most when the kidnapping began.
As I keep going deeper and deeper into the story I felt as if I was there reliving the moments. My body began to shake. Keith’s warm hand then touched my shoulder and pulled me closer. Feeling his body heat against mine. I continued. I told him about the incident with Dylan and even related it to Blair. My ex. I hesitated to tell about my scar. It seemed irrelevant so I left it alone. By then I skipped most mushy parts and went to the heartbreaking part. The ripped picture, the car crash, amnesia and then finding myself cut deep into Nathan’s drug past that I ended up having the drug shoved into me by that crazy girl named Sharon. I sighed.
I then told him about myself being stupid and anxiously waiting for Nathan’s return for three years, hoping he would come back. But then reassured him that I didn’t want him back because Keith was here. Which felt a little childish.
I looked back at Keith who then looked very concerned. This is what I was afraid of. I felt a pang of guilt for telling everything.
“You faced a lot from this guy, Nathan.” He said. He had this dazed look as if he was curious about something.
“And yet your father didn’t come pay back the ransom on the first day? Why was it such a long time for the ransom deal? What was it? Three months? You could have died!” He pulled me closer. I looked up and blinked, he wasn’t asking about Nathan but father? That’s when I remembered I had left out another important part.
“Ah.. I forgot the grocery store robbery…” I whispered.
“Who would rob a grocery store?”
“That’s the thing… No one ever does unless they were hobo. But what was weird was that… the robber was after me. Nathan came out with a bleeding shoulder from the grazed bullet. I overheard a conversation then, at the mansion with his father… Robert I think. He said… my father sent that man to kill me.. I haven’t asked my father anything about it though… I was scared and wanted to forget it,” looked towards the sky. It was white and the sun was barely showing through the thick clouds. I sighed.
Keith stayed quiet. Which kinda made me anxious but it felt good he didn’t say any judgmental comments yet.
“Keith how come you aren’t saying anything,” I looked towards him but noticed that he had his mind set on something totally different. He was staring at a figure who was lean on a tree across from our view. My eyes widened. How long has it been since I’ve seen him? His jet black hair, the way he leaned show his broad shoulders, his pockets always filled with items especially the pocket knife and his hazel eyes staring right at me with lust and hate. The scar on my chest cringed in pain.
Keith was the one who spoke first. “You, what the hell are you doing here?Your suppose to be in…” his voice trailed off. And Keiths eyes set on me. With fear and anger. I stared at him in confusion.
“Keith… you know Blair?”
To be continue