Ariel E-Book

Love Wild

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 51

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Ariel's best friend and secret love, Gabriel, disappeared months ago. With no clues and no leads, the police have changed their attention from a finding mission to a murder investigation. It's a heart breaking revelation for Ariel and a truth her soul does not want to face. Fleeing from her small apartment to the comfort of a local park late one night, Ariel finds her sorrow spilling out into the darkness in large, wracking sobs that echo and shake through the park. She is so caught in her grief that she never sees the man that grabs her until it is too late. Gabriel. Standing before her is the source of her sorrow - and now her joy. She soon learns the truth of her best friend and what has befallen him these last few months. He is still Gabriel... But he is changed, different in a way her mind can barely comprehend. Can she keep his secrets? Can she ever accept the truth of him? And if she does... Then what?

Leseprobe

Months had passed since Ariel had seen her friend, Gabriel. There was a missing person report filed, but nothing had turned up yet. She, along with various family members and friends of his, searched every night for weeks. They would even go miles out near state borders to find him. The news was devastating. Gabriel was a top student in his college and was near graduation for electrical engineering. There was just too much promise for a young man like him to be so easily swept away and lost in the world. By now, the worst was thought since there had been no findings or clues at all. Officially, the case was ruled as a murder once nothing turned up to prove he was otherwise alive. The authorities would still work to find Gabriel, but now that were searching for a body and not a person.

Ariel didn’t take the news very well. She spent most of her time in her apartment and didn’t go out much at all. She had always been a vibrant and cheerful person, especially when around Gabriel. Now, she always had her mid-back length dark red hair up in a messy bun or ponytail and she’d just wear some old shirts and a t-shirt to go out. She didn’t have the energy to do much else past getting dressed and decent for public interactions. What’s worse is that she had lost a few pounds as well due to her lack of eating caused by her depression and despair. Truth be told, Gabriel was more than a friend to her. Whether he realized it or not, Ariel had feelings for him that went beyond friendship. She was never brave enough to express these feelings, though. The possibility of straining their relationship or losing a friend made her too nervous to do anything about it. After his disappearance, she regretted her inaction. She could have told him and maybe they’d be together now. Maybe they would have been together the night he disappeared and she could have stopped it.

Tonight, something was itching at her. She felt the need to go outside and get some fresh air which is a feeling she hadn’t had in a long while. She managed to get herself dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top, a step up from what she usually wore as of late. She let her hair down and put a brush through it to get her red, wavy locks a bit more tame after being up in buns for so long. After looking herself over in the mirror and putting on her shoes, she was out the door and already knew where she was heading. There was a small park not too far from her apartment. Not many people went there, especially not at night. It held a few benches and was mostly surrounded by trees, and there was no play equipment set up. She used to come here a lot with Gabriel to hang out and talk. Those were the times where she really wanted to tell him how she felt, but never developed the courage to do so. She wasn’t sure why she was compelled to go there, but she had arrived and wandered over to the small bench the pair would sit at when they came. She hesitantly sat down as if she was about to plop down on something sharp. A small pain went through her, but it wasn’t anything that was on the bench. It was as if a pang went through her heart now that she was taking it all in and admitting to herself that her best friend was really… gone. She’d never given herself time to process his likely death, and now that she was out here in the park that held so many memories, it all came crashing down on her.

Ariel started crying, sobbing really. She had her face in her hands and they quickly became damp with her tears. Her anguish was unhindered and had quite a bit of volume to it as all of her despair poured out of her, all of it that had been bottled up inside. Her body shook and her breathing was uneven and labored as she took in shaky breaths and let them out in her shaky sobs. She wasn’t paying attention to anything else around her at all. As far as she was concerned, she was in her own world of turmoil. No one was at the small park so late at night, anyway. Even if someone was around, she wasn’t sure if she’d care or if she’d be embarrassed at all. It was due to her inattention that when she felt a touch to her shoulder, she cried out sharply in sudden fright.

Her shriek was cut short as a hand went around her mouth to silence her. Another arm went around her front and restrained her arms. Now she was absolutely terrified and the strength of whoever restrained her was even more frightening. She couldn’t even move as she writhed and struggled, her whimpers and protests muffled against the hand at her mouth.

“Ariel, please.” Pleaded a male voice behind her. “I need you to be quiet.”

She froze and her eyes widened. That voice. It was Gabriel’s. At least, it sounded like him… a lot. He also knew her name, and the way he held onto her was fairly gentle even if applying a surprising amount of strength. Then again, with all the trauma she’d been through, maybe she was hallucinating the sound of his voice or something. Still, she stopped struggling and tried to relax even as she panted heavily, making herself lightheaded.

“It’s me, Ariel. Gabriel.” He said finally. “Just please… don’t scream or anything.” That was a strange request coming from her missing friend.

The young woman nodded and relaxed her arms. She had no idea what was going on, but if it was really Gabriel, she’d start crying again!