For the past week, he had only thought about the look on Chloe’s face when she had been looking at the piece while it played the lullaby. That was exactly how he hoped she would look at him one day.
He had met her tonight, and even though she hadn’t looked at him like that, he knew deep down that one day she would.
Lucca sat down another thousand. “This is as high as I’m willing to go.”
She seemed to contemplate it for a second, but only a second. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s not about the money.”
“I’m not leaving here without it,” he told her with certainty, the strong feelings he felt finally making sense. “This means something very special to the girl … I love, and I have to be the one to give it to her.”
Twenty-Eight
Only Time Will Tell
Only time will tell,
How a month spent with the boogieman,
Locked away from the outside world,
Will go.
Only time will tell,
How a month spent with the broken girl he loves,
That he has all to himself,
Will go.
Only time will tell,
How unbearable it can get,
How blissful it can be,
Or anywhere in between.
Only time will tell,
When the month comes to an end,
If it’s worth repeating for her,
And if it’s everything he thought it
Would be.
Twenty-Nine
I’m Coming, Chloe
A month had passed in these walls, and what had felt like a prison now felt like a haven. For years, Chloe had woken up every morning afraid of what the day would bring at school and even at home. She had been tortured day in and day out by horrendous people who only ever made her feel like a freak. Yet, the monster who was keeping her here never harmed her and had only made her feel less like a freak every day.
Chloe continued spending her days doing her online classes, and her nights with Lucca. It was nice, calming, even safe here with him, and she trusted him since finding out she wasn’t brought here just because he wanted it so.
There was a reason for her being here, something that had been made obvious by the select few who knew she was here, along with the feeling in her gut. Therefore, she would stay until she upheld her side of the deal with the boogieman. The problem was, when it came to an end, would she be able to walk away? Not even she knew.
She had grown used to many things, but the scariest one of all …
Lucca grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from leaving the kitchen. “I want you to try something.”
Every day he touched her more and more, and she was getting used to it more and more. His goal of helping her overcome her fear of touch was working.
In the beginning, he had always asked permission or warned her of his incoming contact, but as the month progressed, every now and then he would touch her without warning. It scared her shitless at first, yet the more he did it, the better she recognized and committed his touch to memory. There was still a split second of terror, but then she would realize it was Lucca and her fear would subside.
The hand circling her wrist grew firm, reminding her it was only him.
“W-What is it?”
Leading her over to the stove, he then released her to open a pot. He dipped a spoon into the mixture then brought it to his lips, cooling the hot contents with a gentle blow.
“You made me chili?” she asked, surprised by the kind gesture.
“Don’t get too excited. I found the recipe online, and I’m not sure how good it will turn out.”
“It smells good.” She was warmer already by the smell alone.
When Lucca moved the spoon to her lips, she let him feed her.
The chili was warm, but …
Reading her expression, he asked, “Bad, huh?”
Yep. “N-No, it’s um … different.”
Putting the spoon back into the pot, he dipped out some more chili then took a bite himself. Immediately, he made a face.
“That’s fucking disgusting.”
Chloe started giggling.
Smiling down at her, he laughed with her. “What did I tell you about lying to me, darlin’?”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to hurt your feelings. It’s okay,” she tried to console him. “You can’t be a master chef all the time.”
“Well, it’s good I made this for backup then.” Opening the oven, he showed her an incredible-looking homemade, chef-style pizza.
“Are you serious!”
Everything he ever cooked was beyond perfect and delicious. Well, besides the chili. That was made up for, though, by the pizza that looked worthy of a million-dollar chef.
Gardener, master chef, handsome … He’s almost perfect. Almost.
“Sorry, darlin’.” He winked. “It’ll be done in just a bit.”
Chloe playfully rolled her eyes before going to sit down at the kitchen island.
The phone in his pocket began ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket. When he saw who it was, he handed it to her.