Terror stuck the very breath from her mouth. She was in pain, but couldn’t express it. With a shaky hand, she tried to wipe the beads of cold sweat, but darkness was engulfing her slowly. Her past, her humiliation everything flooded into her mind again waking her nightmares. She breathed in and out to catch air, but her heart was racing at a tremendous speed. An invisible force was crushing her from every ounce of her body. Leena felt her brain has shut down completely and was not in a state to see anything or anyone. She was about to collapse onto the ground when Reese rushed and caught her before her body could touch the ground.

“Leena! Wake up, please!” She screamed. Tears welled from her eyes when she was seeing Leena in an unconscious state. She was scared.

“Renya! Naomi! Please come fast!” She yelled and started rubbing her cold hands and feet. Despite Leena was half-conscious, her mind was shut to the outside world.

“Don’t panic ok! I will call uncle Francis right now.” With a shaky hand, she grabbed her mobile and before she could dial his number, Leena stopped with her weak hand and shook her head in denial.

“D_odon’t scare h_im” She whispered with all the energy she could employ.

“No Leena! I can’t leave you in this state.”

“Get me that pill, Reese. I will be fine.” She weakly muttered.

“No! You can’t eat those every time. I will take you to the hospital.” So she still has not recovered from the trauma of her past. I shouldn’t have mentioned that place.

“No!” Those hospitals bring back her memories again. Leena hugged her tightly nearly crushing Reese’s body.

“I am here, I am here.” She consoled. “At least drink some water.” She grabbed the bottle and put it near her mouth.

“OMG! Leena! What happened.” Renya and Naomi rushed into the room when they heard the loud screams of Reese. Both were utterly shocked to see the cheerful Leena senselessly lying on the floor.

“Nothing. She is not well. Please look after the office. I am taking her home today.” Both nodded and wanted to ask more about it but stopped looking at Leena’s state. Her usual cheerful face was now replaced by a pale one.

….

“Sleep for some time. I will make something light for you to eat. Don’t eat those pills. Ok?” Reese coaxed and helped her settle on the bed after reaching home.

Leena nodded her head in a daze. At least she is responding now, she thought. Reese gently patted her head and went out to make some porridge.

A tear welled from deep inside coursing down her cheeks when Leena closed her eyes. The buried memories she had hidden for years resurfaced again.

“Excuse me? Hello! Leena?” A flat and hard voice echoed into a young girl’s ears when she was reading peacefully in an enormous campus library. His sudden voice startled the library’s tranquillity, but he did not care. Leena craned her neck and noticed a man looking at her intently with his deep black eyes.

“Are you probably Jane Evans’s friend?” She nodded her head slowly.

“She has hit someone on the campus very badly and media is all over the place.” Before he could add the last word, she grabbed her bag in a frenzy and rushed out of the library.

“Leena Relax! Nothing big has happened.” The man shouted and rushed behind her when he felt he has gone a little overboard seeing her genuine concern for a friend.

“Hey! Take it easy. It’s not a big issue. She is fine now.” He grabbed her hand in an attempt to stop her.

“Don’t touch me.” She pushed his hand away and added. “Who the hell are you. You can’t just_”

“Ethan”

“Excuse me?”

“Ethan Davies, my name.” He smiled at her.

“Ethan, Professor Nathalie asked you to call back for some urgent matter.” He craned his neck and looked over the person shouting from the other building.

“Shit!” He searched over something in his pant pockets and added.” Can you give a ring to professor Nathalie?”

“Number.” She asked. Leena wanted to get rid of this man as fast as possible. She grabbed her mobile and entered a series of numbers he was verbalizing. The moment she dialed, the ring echoed into her ears from his pant pocket.

“Oh my! I think I did bring my phone. Sorry, I have given my number instead of Professor Nathalie in confusion. But you need in for the future.”

” “

“I am again introducing myself. Ethan Davies. I am from the business administration department. My interest piqued when you outrightly rejected a man when he proposed to you. Let’s get to know each other.” He winked and waved goodbye before stepped into his car.

“Useless fellow.” She muttered in irritation. Congrats? What is he thinking about himself? Did he think getting my phone number is a kind of achievement? She loathed this kind of man. It’s not easy to court Leena Hayes Mr whatever your name is. She scoffed and went away.

“ena”

“Leena, can you hear me?” Leena jerked from her trance when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Did you think about the past again?” Placing a porridge on the table, Reese asked carefully not to hurt her again.

“Yes.” She admitted. There is no point in lying when her best friend can see through her.

“Do you still love him, Leena?” She gently asked.

“Love? I have never loved him.” She scoffed. “There is only disgust for that monster. He doesn’t deserve me and my respect.”

“If only I and Jane were with you on that night.” She clenched her fists with the mere thought of that memory.

“Reese, please don’t blame yourself.” She hugged and comforted her. It was her fault for putting her guards down.

“I have observed one thing for the past week and I have proof that you are starting to forget your past,” Reese said to lighten the atmosphere when she felt Leena has cooled down a little.

“How so?” Leena asked crossing her arms.

“Well, every time you drink, you have cried recalling the past. But last night you have remembered someone else.” She teased.

“I didn’t.” She looked away when a certain face popped up on her mind instantly, but Reese definitely caught her blushing. This man-hater also knows how to blush now.

“So, he is the one you saw at Azure hotel?” She asked with a teasing grin.

“He is not. I_I am going out for some fresh air..” If she did not put an end to this conversation, she doubted her tongue would slip and babble all those things that shameless man has uttered at the hotel.