One Night Plus a Lifetime

Flames.

her nose stung as she yearned to breath gasping for air ..and she could hardly see anything ...Aria tried moving her body but she couldn't , she was bound to the bed with her hands to the headboard , her feet ached as more tight ropes were tied on them she tried to move again but still she couldn't .The smoke was painful and suffocating in her nose . it felt like a needle being shoved in her nose, she needed to breath clean air but the room was filled with toxic smoke , Aria tried pulling her hands free rubbing them against the ropes , the more she struggled the more painful it became as red bruises appeared on her body . She was unfamiliar with this place her brain could not process everything that was happening she looked up and saw smoke entering the room from the air vents above really fast .she tried to look through the smoke but her vision was blurred , tears started falling from her eyes slowly . She knew she had been kidnapped .earlier she was on her way to the hospital for a checkup, she parked her car in the underground parking lot of the hospital when she got out she was suddenly attacked by someone from behind , Aria did not see the faces of her attacker all she did was try struggling from them but they were too strong for her . One of them held a cloth on her nose and immediately everything blacked out. . when she opened her eyes she was in this dark strange room, Aria did not know how long she had been in here her body was too weak and numbed from the pain . Soon it started to get hotter and the smoke grew stronger she sensed there was a fire near her. it wont be late before it reached her and she was not going to escape ...

gathering all the strength in her body to her voice she screamed "Help!!!!" her throat hurt and her voice cracked, that did not stop her., she screamed once more "Please help me!!!" screaming hurt more than anything .no one answered , the room was enveloped in nothing but echoes of her voice and smoke . She coughed as the smoke started to fill her lungs breathing became harder.her mind spun a million times and rationality escaped her , she didn't know what to do anymore ..no one was there to help her and she knew she would die either by the smoke or the fire. 'This is it ' she thought in her head , this was her end ...her painful life will end this way... swallowed by the flames .

Aria looked down at her stomach , and tears flowed like a river , even if she was to die here, even if her mistakes led her here , even if the universe hated her . her baby's life did not deserve to end like this without ever growing up ...without any chance of survival She cursed her self for everything she was . 'Am a terrible mother i could not protect you my baby' she cried as the words rang in her head like a bell .

The image of her baby's father appeared in her head, their wedding, the words he spoke to her all played like a movie in her mind ..

was it true what most people say ? that you get to see your whole life flash across your face during the last seconds of your life, cause she did see it all . she closed her eyes accepting defeat in the smoke.

she wondered what he would do if he found her body, Aria wondered if he would be sad , or would he happy that she was gone from his life and that he was free . Thinking about all these things, a part of her wanted to close her eyes forever and never open them again never wanting to know the answers to these questions.

and so she did ..she surrendered allowing herself be drifted away in the smoke maybe at the end of it all she would get to hold her baby on the other side of life maybe the pain there was less ...the thoughts in her head were drifting and disappearing like bubbles . This was it, her end.

the door burst and fell to the ground creating a heavy impact . Aria heard it and it pulled her back to the present . It was like a string being thrown in the Abyss she was falling in . Her mind tried to hold on to that string that was pulling her back to the surface . She opened her eyes and saw a figure walking towards her in the room . She could not make out who it was but as the figure approached, not even the smoke could drown his presence in her mind .He went and stood next to her and touched her face, her neck , checking her for any serious injuries or maybe he was checking to see if she was still alive , Aria wanted to say a lot of things but even words were too heavy for her all she could do was let her tears fall .She looked up and met his gaze through the smoke. , his deep brown eyes looked back at her with nothing but emptiness , they were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen . She looked at his face his hands that were busy untying the ropes , he was like an angel that came to save her on her death.

but this angel was cold and emotionless this angel had hatred for her that could be felt from a distance, this angle hated her with everything in his soul, she could feel it in her bones, she knew how deep his hatred for her was.

But through it all he came to save her or perhaps she was wrong , he came to save his child in her womb . The only thing connecting him to her was this child , this child he did not hate , this child he always protected unlike her . she had his name , she had his child but never his heart nor his attention .

"You ....came ....for ...me " she said slowly while coughing , he removed all the ropes and lifted her off the bed carrying her carefully in his arms like she was the most fragile thing he had ever held.

He covered a wet blanket over her head and headed out to the door , the whole place was filled with smoke, he walked as fast as he could with the fire burning wildly behind him, the only fire Aria felt was the one in his body and it was stronger like a raging volcano ready to explode .

He left the burning house and headed towards the ambulance parked afar . Aria could breath but it still hurt in her nose. The man pulled the blanket off her and placed her on the bed near the ambulance , he brought his head and looked at her face that was bruised and swollen . Her curly red hair was wet and stuck to her face sweat dripped from her forehead . He pulled the hair behind to her ear and brought his face near her lips. Aria felt her heart beat a million times . He was so close she could feel his breath on her lips but he did not kiss her .her lowered his head to her ear and spoke in a slow tone only she could hear

"don't confuse yourself Mrs Presley ....I did not come here for you... i came here for my child."

he spoke and smiled at her slowly caressing her face with his hand and the other one on her belly ..the paramedics approached them and carried her to the ambulance. Aria felt her heart ache at his words even though she knew that all along , her heart somehow hoped that he came here for her and that he was actually scared of loosing her but she was wrong again and it pained her.

"make sure the baby is fine " he said one more time before looking at her and turned walking away as the house burst into flames .

Aria stared at the back of the man that made her happy and sad at the same time he looked like an angel of destruction next to the burning house, how could a person be both heaven and hell at the same time .His entire being was captivating and attracted attention were ever he went, this perfect man could give his heart to anyone but never to her, he could want anyone but never her . this man, her Husband Devon Presley.

1 year ᴀɢᴏ.

ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪɴɢs.

The steaming kettle on the stove could be heard throughout the house followed by the sound of cups and plates , this was always the sound Aria opened her eyes too like an alarm it woke her up everyday, it was the noise being made by her father in the kitchen preparing breakfast for her and her brother. but she had been awake since midnight , no matter how had she tried she couldn't bring her self to sleep , her thoughts were running a million times in her head. looking though the French windows of her bedroom, there was no light outside ...it was dark and quiet. Aria thought of the journey she would be taking today , the journey across the world , even though she had prepared and packed everything she needed, her mind still could not calm itself as anxiety kept multiplying in her system .this was her dream and also the dream of her father , to have herself attend college ..

her dad however did not want her to leave this state , he wanted her to attend a college close to home , but that was not Aria's dream. she wanted to see the world , to see other places to explore more , her life in this town had always been like a Ferris wheel always repeating itself going round in the same circles and she knew she needed to jump off.

having been accepted on a scholarship was a big blessing to her family , even though the school was a thousand miles away , it was still what she hoped for .her family could not afford 4 years of tuition fees in the course she was going to major in , but with a scholarship , they didn't have to worry about that. after graduating she would help at her fathers garage, he was a mechanic and sometimes he would teach her how to change tires and other simple things . She spent the whole December with him .

now she was leaving to a place far away from here, from her home.

fear and excitement were like the sun and the moon causing an eclipse in her heart. She had never left this town before , her adventures would go as far as the city , but now she was going to fly beyond the city all the way to the coast of the oceans .

"wake up kitty ..its time" he dad called from the other side of the door, she could hear his footsteps fading away in the hallway as he went to the kitchen.

'kitty' that's what he used to call her ..her middle name was Katy but Aria never used it, only her dad used it since she was a child.

she breathed deeply calming the storm in her head , this was not the feeling she thought she would be having , Aria thought she would be exited and jumping with joy ...

She stared down at her bed next to it was a photo album , it contained every picture she took from a film camera her dad gifted her on her 12th birthday .

Aria would take pictures of anything she found interesting so her room was filled with a lot of them. This was one of her favourite things in the world , taking pictures .

she wondered why she did not pack it with the rest of her things . Leaving it was not an option.

after taking a shower and wearing her favourite outfit black denim jeans a white top and a pair of converse sneakers , she descended the stairs , the smell of tea greeted her before she even entered the kitchen .. it was the usual thing they had every morning ,

Aria always wondered where her dad learnt to make such delicious breakfast.

The kitchen was small with shelves made of light wood and the floors with cream white tiles .

the house had an old design . Once belonging to her grandparents ...they left it for her father.

her dad was standing near the old stove pouring tea in three mag cups that were arranged neatly on the table,.he noticed her presence and looked at her over his shoulder. "Good morning are you prepared"

Aria knew her father was handsome and good looking , it always strikes her odd why he never remarried . It had been 15 years since her mother decided to leave them running away with her lover and never returned .

her father decided to quit his job and stay at home looking after her brother and her , they where little back then ..and after they grew up he still made sure he was around when they needed him and took care of their every need. He couldn't get his old job back so he opened a small garage shop the income could be used for the expenses .

but every time she saw him sitting on the porch looking into the distant , her heart broke for him , she knew he was lonely and even though he never admitted that to her .

she tried to convince him to date again but he would always reject the idea, Aria wondered just how heart broken her father was .

"yes papa " she sat down on a small table in the middle of the room. Her father sat down across on her . It was 6 am in the morning and her flight was at 8:30.

"take good care of yourself when you get there don't let yourself be involved in anything that may stray you from your purpose just focus on your studies , make friends with the right people , and if you have any problems ..don't hesitate to call me or your brother ..we will be right here "

He said to her, these where always the words her father told her every time she was going somewhere , whether near or far ,

Maybe her father was still traumatised when her mother left them that's why he never wanted his children to be far away from him and Aria understood that perfectly . It didn't matter where she went she would always come back to her home. that she promised him.

"finally ....you get to leave I've been waiting my whole life for a day i get to turn your bedroom into a private gym."

her brother spoke leaning on the door .

Andrew was her elder brother..he dropped out of college and decided to work instead in order to help out with the family expenses. He still attended online college Her father was against that but he insisted he always does whatever he wants.

Mr Remington always hoped for Aria to extend her studies and get a better job.

Aria hoped that too , she never wanted to disappoint her father .

"the only way you will be entering my bedroom is over my dead body "

she stuck out her tongue at him in annoyance . He always teased her till they end up fighting .. even though they argued a lot ..he always had her back .

"i will cockroach ...you know I've always dreamt of being an only child...with you gone my dreams are coming true"

she hated being called cockroach ..it was what Andrew would call her just to annoy her . And it always worked .. Aria didn't like being bullied by him he was only a year older than her but he treated her like she was still a child.

the two siblings argued through out the entire breakfast ..until Mr Remington couldn't take it anymore ..his two children were annoying in every way possible but he loved them dearly ..and it was moments like these that he cherished ...them having breakfast as a family .

"enough now stop arguing...and go get your things ...you should not be late and miss your flight"

He told Aria ..and she agreed .

"Kitty ..your room will always be here no matter how long you are away"

she heard his voice from behind and understood , her room, her things will always be here , just like her mothers things are still where she left them.

What kind of love did her father have for her mother , waiting everyday for fifteen years on the porch for her to return.

she turned around and smiled at him , before running up the stairs .

"go get the car started ...we should send your sister to the airport"

"do i have to come to come"

Andrew said lazily leaning in the chair ..

"Just go"

Mr Remington ordered .

Aria looked at her room one more time , 'ill miss you my soft bed , ill miss you window that lets me see the stars at night.

this was her favourite spot in this entire house.

The door bell rang and a familiar voice came from downstairs.

"has she gone yet Mr Remington"

it was her best friend Jamie, who lived next door , they had been friends since kindergarten . and did everything together but they got accepted into different schools .

She dragged her suitcase out of the bedroom and headed down stairs.

"am here to get my goodbye"

Jamie said and pulled her in for a hug

"don't be silly ill never say goodbye to you , we will always keep in touch hhmh"

Jamie nodded "yeah if you need me am only one face time away and don't forget to fill me in on all the cute boys you meet there okay "

, she said.

Aria simply rolled her eyes and smiled at her best friends words .

"like cute boys will ever be interested in boring me"

"show me who dare thinks my friend is boring and ill feed them to my dog"

Jamie jocked , just like always .

Aria would miss her so much , she hugged her one more time.

Before they walked out of the house,.

Andrew and her dad sat in the driver seat while she sat in the back ..she waved at Jamie as the car drove away ..

Not in a million years did she think this day would come ..she hoped for for a long time and believing it was finally time for her to go was different.

having dreams and living your dream sometimes felt like oil and water in a cup , they could never mix but now she was living her dream and it felt like she was living someone's life a different version of herself a version that was better, a version she created for those dreams,Watching the houses being left behind. This small town she grew up in , this town was her home.

Soon after they arrived at the airport , it was busy filled with people coming and going . It was true the airport was the saddest place to be at . The feeling of Seeing your loved ones leave was not a nice feeling.

"goodbye sweety ..take care ..and remember to be good..call me when you get there "

Her father hugged her as he spoke to her .

"Goodbye cockroach i wont lie .....i wont miss you"

Andrew said, she was expecting that from him but she knew he was lying they were going to miss each other so much she pulled her suitcase and walked forward Aria turned around and saw her family looking back at her ..they truly will always be there for her . And that was the comfort she needed,

She turned around and walked towards the check point . setting her wings she was ready to fly to a new world.