"you are my never ending thought"

- unknown



Aria POV

Who would have thought that the person whose desk I hid under is a smoker, I guess someone is watching over me, and after I've been through hell the last 48 hours I deserve some luck.

And then in just a matter of minutes the fire I started in the trash bin under the desk is creating enough smoke for that god forsaken fire alarm to start.

The men discovered the fire too late, they couldn't put it out before the horrible sound started.

I start running again. Burst through the first door I see, before me the hallway is getting narrower and no windows. The only way I see right now is from the red light coming from the fire alarms. The light is flickering on and off every few seconds, and paired with the piercing sounds the adrenaline in my body is at an all time high again.

I make my legs go faster, I don't know if anyone is following me, I can't hear anything over the alarm and I don't dare turn my head to look behind. I just focus on getting one foot in front of the other as fast as possible and taking one breath after the other.

Finally after turning what seemed like 25 corners, but were definitely fewer I start to slow down. Not because I want to but my body is starting to give out. The adrenaline is slowly leaving my body, the lack of food, sleep and the sedatives I was given in the last hours probably didn't help. My head is hurting like hell and my legs are trembling from so much effort. I turn two more corners and collapse, gasping frantically for air. I can't hear myself over the alarm but I definitely sound like a broken machine. There seems to not be enough oxygen in this hallway.

Did the smoke make it all the way here? Impossible.

I collapse even more. I feel tears streaming down my face and my head feels like it's about to explode. I shouldn't have stopped running, I shouldn't have dropped to the ground because now there's no way in hell I can actually get up again.

The horrible sound from the alarm makes everything even worse. I try to put my hands over my ears because I feel like I'm gonna pass out. But it makes no difference. Everything is too much. There is pressure building in my head. Like something is pressing on my skull but from the inside.

Come one Aria. If you pass out now you're as good as dead.

I am screaming at myself to get up and continue walking just a bit more. I don't know if I scream out loud or not. It makes no difference. I look ahead.

Is that a door?

My vision is fuzzy from the tears and the constant flickering of the red lights but that's got to be a door.

Come on Aria.

I don't know how but I manage to get up and half dragging myself half supporting myself with the wall I get to the door.

The second I try to press on the knob to open it I feel arms wrapping around my waist from behind.

NO

No

no

I am so close

I try to fight back but I'm too weak. I succumb to the darkness but not before catching this person's scent.

A scent I recognize.



Is this how death feels like?

Nah.

I'm feeling too much pain to actually be dead.

Fuck

I think I mutter but when I feel a hand on my shoulder slowly shaking me I realize I must have said it out loud.

Is someone saying my name? My brain is extremely foggy; everything seems like a dream. A dream from which I don't want to wake up right now. Because I know I don't want to face reality. Even though everything hurts it's still better than reality.

"Aria" I hear Blake's voice coming from somewhere far away. Like he's on the other part of a wall or at the end of a very long tunnel.

"Aria wake up please" I somehow hear the pleading in his voice, the desperation. I honestly feel it more. How can you feel someone's voice? Maybe I'm still extremely out of it.

"Come on Aria" I groan what's wrong with this man. Everything hurts and he wants me to open my eyes. Fuck him.

"Aria wake up"

"Fuck you" I manage to mutter after clearing the fog from my brain. I still refuse to open my eyes. It's not exactly like the situation from the plane. Back then I was scared. Now I'm just pissed off. How things have changed.

I hear him laugh.

Gosh it sounds beautiful.

Come on brain, don't think like this.

"Those are your first words to your savior" he questions with humor in his voice

Now I'm like 70% conscious but I refuse to open my eyes. More to piss him off.

"Savior my ass" I mumble in the pillow and move my head a little bit. I feel a few strands on my face but I ignore them.

He chuckles again then goes silent.

What the hell happened? Did he leave? I should have heard his steps.

If I wouldn't have been so deep in thought I would have gasped when I felt his fingers slowly brushing against my cheek, moving the strands of hair behind the ear. I freeze. His warm hand lingers there, near my ear lobe. My heart rate increases, I become hyper aware of everything around me. My breathing, his breathing that seemed so close yet so far away. And after what felt like an eternity he slowly retracts his hand and that's when I open my eyes. I meet his eyes.

His hand freezes mid air.

He looks hot as always, and when I look into his eyes it's the first time in my life when I don't have to concentrate and force myself to keep eye contact. It seems..natural. Like in a room full of people I would find comfort in his gaze, which never happened to me before and I don't know if I want to feel like this.

Oh Blake, why couldn't we meet in normal circumstances.

I was actually pretty content on keeping this eye contact for the rest of the day but his phone rings and he looks down, pulls the phone out from his pocket, a grim expression crosses his face before he looks at me apologetically and leaves the room to answer.

After his extremely infuriating attractive aura is out of the room I can think a little clearly. I look around the room and before I have time to think of anything else I hear Blake from the other room.

"Yes Aria, yeah she's fine, no they didn't..."

I can't hear the rest of the conversation because he moves further away.

Fuck.

I get out of bed as quickly as I can and move towards the door. But apparently my brain sent too many signals and my body couldn't keep up and I fell on my knees.

Shit.

My head is spinning again. And I bet a lot of things that if I had any food in my stomach I would have puked everything.

I start counting again. There are white spots before my eyes. I close my eyes and the spots are still there.

"Fuuck" I whine quietly.

Maybe Blake was far enough and he didn't hear the...

Blake barges in with a murderous expression on his face. Gun in hand and phone long forgotten.

He looks down at me blinks a few times opens his mouth and

"If you say anything I will murder you" I threaten and I surprise even myself, my voice does sound threatening.

A few moments of silence and he starts laughing, hard. He tilts his head backwards and laughs.

I let out a growl promising pain and lunge. I don't think my plan through I just get up and practically throw myself at Blake, who wasn't expecting this loses all balance and falls backwards with me on top of him. I let out a shriek and try to step back but he grabs my waist, I don't know if it was intentional or not but next thing I know we're both falling and I land on top of him. I let out a groan of pain and from the look on his face it seems he just got all air knocked out of his lungs. I can't even imagine how much it hurt him, especially because I fell on top of him.

"Shit! I'm so sorry I didn't..." before I can even finish the sentence he grabs my hips and turns us around and suddenly I am the one with my back on the floor and he's on top of me.

"If you wanted to be on top all you had to do was ask, cupcake"