A week had gone by since I helped Reese escape.

For a few days, my dad didn't look me in the eyes. As if I were the bad guy.

But his anger faded. And now, he's acting as if the entire thing had never happened. He smiles at me when we eat together, asks if I need to go shopping for anything, and even went on a walk with me one day.

I find myself thinking about Reese more than I'd like to admit. I don't know where he is, or what he's doing. 

But whenever I think about him, I force myself to stop.

It's for the best if I don't see him again. I know that death follows anywhere he goes. And I don't want to be like that. I want to stay in the bubble of good that I'm in. I don't want to be responsible for any more deaths. I don't want to kill anybody ever again.

I don't want to be bad.

"Azalea! Get down here!" my moms voice called up the stairs. The panic in her voice made me drop the pencil and stop drawing what I was drawing.

I rush down the stairs. The TV volume plays loudly in the living room, and as I rush in, I see my mom and dad both sitting on the couch. My mom holds her hand over her heart, and my dads hand covers his mouth.

I turn to look at the TV.

'Beloved son of a famous billionaire Max Brown was found dead last night in a forest just outside of New York City,' the news reporter spoke. 'It's believed he was killed in a different location and dumped there. In the meantime, we are hoping police officers will find answers as to who ended the life of this young twenty-year-old.'

I felt my stomach drop a little. My dad shook his head, "This is awful. Who would do such a thing?"

I'd bet money on a certain assassin whose name starts with R.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" my mom asks me sadly. "I know you two were very close."

As horrible as it made me, I didn't feel bad. I had to force my face to have a sad expression, mimicking the one on her face.

"Yes, I'm okay," I nod.

"I'll give Kevin a call and see when the funeral is," my dad rises to his feet.

I watch him as he walks past me. He enters his office, and shuts his door, but leaves a crack open.

"It's just awful," my mom keeps shaking her head at the TV. "I hope they catch whoever did this."

I don't think they will.

"Yea, me too," I lie. I turn and walk into the kitchen, grabbing an apple that I know I won't eat.

I take slow steps toward the stairs, as I approach my dad's office. A crack of sunlight shines on the floor from the open window in the room, and I watch his shadow as he paces back and forth.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Kevin. Max was a fine young man," I stood against the wall and listened to my dad speak into his phone. "Of course, we will all be there. And feel free to use as many of my recourses as you want to look into this."

He falls silent as Kevin speaks from the other end.

My dad replies to him, but far quieter this time, "Yes. I've had dozens of men out looking for him ever since he escaped, but no luck yet. Don't worry. It's only a matter of time until we find that damn Ricci, cut his head off, and then keep it to use on Halloween every year."

My entire body tensed hearing his words. I nearly dropped the apple I was holding, and quickly started walking up to my room.

I shut my bedroom door behind me. Dozens of thoughts race in my mind.

Find him and tell him.

Stop your dad from looking for him.

Do something.

I take a deep breath. And force my mind to go blank.

Reese is out of my life now. I'm sure he's far away, and out of New York. 

Don't get involved, Azalea.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

I spent the entire day out. I went shopping, went to the gym, and now sat at the beautiful fountain in the park.

As I sit on the ledge, I look up at the pink sky while listening to the sound of the running water. New York is never quiet, so people walked by regularly. 

Of course it was freezing, as it was now December. But I made sure to wear a big jacket so that I wouldn't get sick this time. 

I was bored. Doing nothing all day only feels good for so long.

My eyes dance along the white clouds that fill the sky. The cold made the tip of my nose red, and I let out a sigh before looking back down at the fountain.

I watch the water flow. I look it up and down, but slowly pause when something shifts in my stomach.

I look over my shoulder. I look around, trying to see if anybody was watching me. It felt like somebody was.

I look everywhere. At every bench, at every tree.

But there was nobody there. 

I shake my head and look back at the fountain. 

I stay here until the sky turns dark. I watch the stars in the night sky, which reminded me of memories I was trying not to think about.

I blink harshly and stand up. 

When I get back to my house, I hear my parents cleaning up dinner. My dad poked his head out, "Azzy! There's a plate for you in the fridge."

I force a smile and nod, "Okay."

I keep walking, but he quickly rushes in front of me, "Oh, wait. Max's funeral is tomorrow, and we will all be attending. Everybody is to wear red, instead of black, since that was his favorite color."

"Okay," I nod.

I continue walking. He looks like he wants to say more, but doesn't.

I enter my room and let out a sigh as I shut the door. A cold gush of wind hits me, making me shiver. With lowered eyebrows, I look at my window, which was now open.

I rush over to it and slam it shut. I frantically look around the room, worried someone was in here.

But then, my eyes fell onto something on my bed.

I slowly walked over to it. It was a flat white box, with a ribbon on top. I slowly lifted the lid off, and gasped at what I saw.

It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen in my life. It was short, red, and silky. I picked it up, holding it into the air and admiring it.

A note fell off of it and onto the floor. I set the dress down and picked up the note.

To the better half of  The Half and Half,

I always keep my promises. 

Love, R

My heart squeezed in my chest and all of the things I was trying not to think about came crashing down onto me like a tsunami. I held the note close to me and smiled, my stomach feeling all warm.

I started to feel phantom kisses. I could nearly hear his voice in my ear. I missed him.

I put the dress in my closet, safely. 

And as I curled up under my sheets, I couldn't stop smiling until 3 am. 

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

The last time I went to a funeral was 5 years ago.

It was for my grandpa. My mom's dad. It was one of the saddest days of my life. Everyone was sad, choking on tears, and hugging each other.

But this funeral felt different. 

Although there was sadness in the air, it was still far more upbeat. People stood around, talking, some even smiling and laughing. People sipped on drinks, which wasn't that odd since the funeral was being hosted in their own home.

I walk deeper into the house, walking past all of the people. My red heels click against the ground, and the red dress I wear hugs my body tight. The one that Reese bought me.

I wore a dress from the man that killed Max to his own funeral. 

I questioned what was wrong with me as I wore it. This is something I never would've done a few months ago. 

"Blanc family," Kevin, Max's dad greets us. 

My mom gives him a hug, telling him how sorry she is for him. My dad hugs him, too, saying similar words. 

And once it was my turn, I hugged him and spoke in his ear, "I'm sorry, Mr Brown."

"It means a lot for you guys to be here," he forces a smile at us. "I'm sure Max would've appreciated it."

"Has there been any progress in the case?" my dad asks him. "There's no way that this person left zero evidence."

Kevin shook his head, "Nothing. And they have no leads. I mean, we can't even have an open casket because he was beaten so badly that you can't even recognize his face. This hasn't been made public yet, so don't tell anybody....but 'Asshole' was carved into his chest with a knife."

Hearing that only made me more sure of who did this. 

"That's awful. I'm so sorry," my mom shakes her head. 

"Thank you, guys. Go grab a seat, we're about to start."

We found an available row with three chairs in a row free. I sat in the middle, in between my mom and dad. Almost every single chair was full. I had never even seen so many people in a room at once. 

"Thank you for joining us today," Kevin spoke into the microphone, the volume sounding too loud at the beginning. "It would mean the world to Max to see all of you here."

I sit with my legs crossed, remaining silent. 

Kevin spoke for a while. Teared up talking about how much he loved his son. 

I tilted my head and watched as he dabbed his wet eyes with a tissue while Max's mom replaced him up there. I kept my eyes on him as he kept walking. 

His mom talked. Then some of his friends, then his cousins. And once everybody was done talking, everybody dispersed in the house. 

There was nearly a line of people waiting to talk to Kevin. As I walked, my head turned right as I heard some older people talking, "So, if you give me 5% ownership of your company-"

I blinked harshly. I couldn't believe some people were using this time to talk about business.

I stood in the kitchen, since nobody was in there. I poured myself a glass of white wine, and leaned against the counter while drinking it.

I shut my eyes and tilted my neck to the side while rubbing it. And when I opened them, I was looking at the pool.

Memories of the night I pushed him into the pool played in my mind. 

"You lost your fucking mind or something, Azalea?!"

"This isn't the Azalea I fucking remember!"

I down my glass of wine in one drink.

"You're not enough for me, Azalea."

"You aren't special."

And in a room filled with grieving people, I stood knowing exactly who did it, 

And kept my mouth shut. 

After the funeral, my parents went back home, but I went to the fountain. I stand in front of it, watching it with crossed arms. The blue lights inside of it shine onto me under the cloudy night sky. 

I feel numb. I know that it's cold, and that it's nipping at my skin, but I don't feel it. 

I just listen to the sound of the water.

I feel something light hit me. I lower my eyebrows and look up, and see white snowflakes dancing down onto me and the surrounding ground. 

"Is getting sick something you enjoy?" a familiar voice speaks from behind me.

I uncross my arms and turn around so fast that I nearly fell. Down the stone path across from me, stood Reese. 

His black hair was neatly combed, with one hair falling onto his face. And for once, his face was bruiseless. His tan skin got hit from the blue glow behind me, and made his black t-shirt, pants, and belt appear slightly blue. 

And for the first time all day, I smiled. 

"You're one to talk," I gesture at the snow, and then him. "Wearing a t-shirt on the first snowfall of Winter?"

He keeps standing where he is, "I'm taking after a certain blonde."

We both smile at each other under the snow. This was my first time seeing him in real, clean clothes. His large tattooed arms seemed like they were fighting the sleeves to stay in. The belt to his black dress pants was the only thing that wasn't completely black, since his boots were, too.

I laugh as I run toward him. He smiles and holds his arms out for me to hug him, and I do. The snow hits us as I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck. I breathe in his cologne as he hugs me back, and while I'm in his arms, I feel so safe.

But once I realize that he's truly here, I quickly step back. I talk with wide eyes, "You can't be here, Reese. My dad is looking for you, he's still trying to kill you-"

"Shhh," he puts his hands on my upper arms and bends to be my height. "I know that asshole is after me. But I needed to see you."

His eyes looked me up and down. 

"I knew you'd look beautiful in that dress," he smiles.

His compliment gives me butterflies, but I try and explain to him, "Reese, if one of his men sees you, you're dead. You can't see me, you need to stay away from me."

"I'm not staying away from you, Azalea," he shook his head. 

I fall silent. Underneath the night sky and snow, I find myself speechless. 

He adds, "I can't."

My lips remain parted for a few moments. I whisper, "Reese..."

He cups my face, tilting it up toward him. I get a smell of his cologne, and God I had never smelt anything better.

"I don't give a damn about your father being after me. He has been for years," he speaks confidently. "But nothing is going to keep me away from you. Not your dad, and not an army of a thousand men. Nothing."

The man of cruelty held my face in his hands and I let him. The man known to bring death everywhere he goes, makes my heart skip a fucking beat. I melt at the touch from the same kind of man I vowed I'd never want.

"I...." I trail off for a moment as snow hits my hair and instantly melts. "I want to be good, Reese. I'm supposed to be good. I already carry the blood of dozens of people around with me. I can't take anymore...I need to stay on my side, where I belong."

"Is that really where you belong, Azalea?" he tilts his head at me. His large thumb tugs down on my bottom lip, before releasing it. "I think you only say this, because you've tasted the darkness. You know how addictive it is. And you're scared, that once you taste it again, you're going to crave more."

His face got closer and closer to mine the entire time his sentence went on. Our lips are nearly skimming each others at this point, and I can't take my eyes off of his. I want to kiss him so bad.

My lips nearly quiver for me to. They want to kiss him just as badly as I do. 

But I bite my lip and force myself not to.

I take a step back, and he lets out a deep sigh while looking to the side for a moment.

"I'm telling you right now, Azalea," he looks at me and says. "This isn't going to be the last time you see me. I won't let it be."

I stand there, staring at the man who killed the guy whose funeral I just attended. And he gives me butterflies.

He grabs my hand and kisses the top of it.

I watch him with a pounding heart as he turns around, and walks away into the night.

Word count: 2691