I touched my new aluminium knees and shuddered at how cool it was. I rarely felt the cold. My fire heated me from the inside.
‘I have knees.’ I glanced up at Natalie.
Her eyes were full of water. I should have comforted her but I was too wrapped up in my own excitement. I had legs. I was wearing legs. I couldn’t believe that I had two bloody legs.
‘I want to walk,’ I whinged, smiling at the doctor when he shook his head and chuckled.
‘What’s that old saying?’ he said, looking up at Natalie.
She grinned as I pretended to scowl.
The doctor went on, ‘You can’t walk, before you can crawl.’
‘I don’t think that’s quite right,’ I said back.
‘It’s true in your case, though. Right, that looks good. I think your legs are a good size for you.’
I took the man’s hands in my own and squeezed them. ‘Thank you!’
He released himself and patted my arm. ‘Well, you have a couple of months to get used to them, before you can thank me. I think you might curse me for a bit in between.’
I shook my head with a silly smile on my face. ‘Never…!’
He chuckled again and took my new legs off. When he had packed them away, he looked around and motioned for a young man to come over.
‘This is your new trainer. Natalie has done an excellent job but it’s time for her to retire.’
I blinked as I frowned up at her. She smiled but I could see something in her eyes. She had known that it would be our last session together. I hadn’t. Why hadn’t she said anything? The new man sat next to me and we started to go through my routine. Natalie had moved away with the doctor. She was saying goodbye. When the doctor left with a wave towards me, Natalie picked up her bag and left without looking back.
‘I’m sorry, will you excuse me?’ I wheeled myself to the door and opened it.
‘Natalie…!’ I shouted, going through and speeding down the corridor. I caught her before she went through the automatic sliding door.
‘What’s wrong?’ she said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.
‘Why are you no longer my trainer?’
She bent forward and placed her forehead on mine. ‘I’m not trained in this type of recovery. You’ll be fine.’
I threaded my fingers through hers and tried to pull her further down.
‘Don’t. It will only make it harder,’ she whispered, pulling away.
Several people were watching us. They were probably judging, thinking that one of the staff was being inappropriate.
‘Make what harder?’ I asked, not caring what others thought.
Natalie went through the doors. I followed her onto the concrete outside.
‘I’ve been your nursemaid for months now. My mother passing away has made me think a lot. It’s time for me to go home and get on with my life.’
Something had shifted in her. I thought we were moving forward. Why did she need to get on with her life?
‘What have I done?’ I was completely clueless.
She huffed as an old man went by. ‘You haven’t done anything.’
Then why was she leaving? It felt like she was saying a final goodbye.
‘I must’ve done something,’ I said as she shuffled on her feet.
‘That’s just it, Aries. You’ve done nothing.’ She spun and stormed away from me. She got lost in the crowd as she disappeared into London.
I hadn’t done anything. What did she mean by that? If I hadn’t done anything, why was she leaving?
‘Is everything okay?’ my new physio asked from behind me.
I nodded and apologised. ‘Yeah, it’s just…’
‘Women.’ He laughed, clapping me on the shoulder as we made our way back inside.
Chapter Twenty One
‘Wow, look at you! You’re still as handsome as ever,’ the barmaid told me as I wheeled myself into the pub. I had avoided my local hangouts. I didn’t want to see pity on people’s faces.
‘Thank you. I’ll have a vodka,’ I said, giving her my most charming smile.
I was alone. I needed some space from the others and drinking seemed like a good idea. The pub was quite empty. It was still early in the day. I watched a pretty girl come in through the swinging door. She made her way to my side and sat at the bar.
‘Hi,’ she greeted me as she ordered her drink.
I nodded at her, unsure of what to say. It was a first for me. I was usually talkative. In the past, my chat up line attack would have already started. I was out of my depth. What woman wanted to be chatted up by a man in a wheelchair?
‘What happened to you?’
Her outright question made me smile. She was lucky. With the way I was feeling, it could have gone a completely different way. I downed my drink and asked for another vodka. There was no point in getting drunk slowly.
‘I was a fireman. I got blown up.’
She squinted at me, her gaze searching mine. Was she assessing whether I was telling the truth?
‘That’s not good.’
I flung the vodka down my throat.
‘You drowning your sorrows?’ she asked.
She wasn’t sipping her own drink. She had dumped a bag at her feet when she had come in. There were books sticking out of it.
‘What are you studying?’ I asked, ignoring her question. It was bloody obvious what I was doing.
‘Psychology,’ she said, glancing down.
I nodded and gestured at the barmaid to get me another shot. ‘Will you tell me what the bloody hell I did to upset my…?’
I stumbled over the word. What was Natalie to me? She wasn’t my partner but she was my soulmate.
‘Girlfriend…?’ she offered. She looked a little disappointed. That made me quite pleased.
‘I don’t have a girlfriend,’ I told her truthfully.
Her cheeks flared red. I smiled up at her. I didn’t mean to lead her on. It was just nice to have a woman interested in me again. I used to be a magnet. It seemed I had lost my touch, along with my legs.
‘Well, I’m assuming it’s a love interest because people don’t usually get drunk over a friend…or relative.’
I choked on my laughter. There was no need to go into detail. It was complicated in my own mind.
‘Have you met her needs? A lot of people don’t realise that you have to think of the other person in the relationship. Your needs will be met when you start to think of the other person, and what you may, or may not be doing, in the partnership.’
She giggled when I raised my eyebrows at her. My head started to spin but I understood what she meant.
‘She said that I haven’t done anything,’ I said.
I wasn’t the sort of man who opened his heart.
‘Does she mean that she does everything in the relationship? Or does she mean that you haven’t shown her enough interest? If she’s not already your girlfriend, does she know how you feel about her?’ She tucked her hair behind her ear.
I shook my head, smiling as another drink appeared in front of me. The bar was higher than my head but because my torso was long, I was able to reach it with no problem.
‘That’s a very interesting question,’ I slurred.
She put her empty glass down and went to climb off her stool.
‘Where are you going?’ I asked.
She looked over my shoulder. I felt a presence behind me. I followed her gaze to a man that wore a completely black outfit. He waved at my new friend but didn’t come over. He looked like one of Nick’s men but I couldn’t be sure. I faced forward again. The room spun as I did.
‘If you’ve not done anything to offend her, I would suggest that you let her know how you feel.’
The light touch of her hand on my shoulder made me wish that I was taking her home. She would be easy to get along with. She would know why I did what I did, before I did. Our relationship would be smooth.
‘Thank you,’ I replied as she went to her date.
I was pretty drunk. My head spun as I looked over to a table with three old women sitting at it. They winked at me so I decided to take my leave.
The cool night air tried to sober me up as I turned my wheels. The streets were quieter in Clapham. Not as busy as central London. I stopped at the corner of the road and stared around me. The headlights of cars moved in weird directions. How was I so drunk?
‘Do you need help?’ someone asked.
I shuddered as a feeling of helplessness ran through me. ‘I needs lots of help, mate,’ I slurred, wheeling my chair into the road.
My chair was pulled back abruptly. I grunted in an effort to stay in it. A car beeped as it went past. I swore loudly. I tried to look behind to see who had rescued me but there was no one there.
‘Hello,’ I called when a young woman with long brown hair walked past me.
It looked like Natalie. I hoped it was. When she looked at me, her eyes were not those of my soulmate. I had not seen her for a few weeks. I had tried to call her but she wouldn’t answer. She was running from me. I had no idea what I could do so I had given up.
‘Aries, what are you doing?’
The voice was one I recognised. Taurus and Gemini stood in front of me. They were not my favourite brothers but they were my siblings.
‘I’m drunk.’ I laughed.
They shared a look. I fought the urge to reach up and punch them in the face. Problem was, they were much taller than me and I was sitting in a wheelchair.
A shout behind me made the men look up. They stiffened as my own muscles tensed.
‘We’ve got a problem,’ Taurus said.
Before I could ask what was happening, a group of lads had surrounded us. One of them took the handles of my chair and wheeled me into a less busy side street.
‘We don’t want any trouble.’ Gemini followed the group.
There were roughly six boys. They were a bit younger than us. We could beat them but I spotted the bulge of weapons under their hoodies. We didn’t want to be too hasty.
My eyes tried to focus as I looked at them, but as much as I blinked, I couldn’t get them to stay still. How much had I drunk?
‘If you give us your wallets and phones, you can go,’ someone said.
Gemini reached into his jacket pocket. His hair was smooth and his shoes were polished. The perfect candidate for a mugging.
‘Don’t do it.’ I stared at my brother.
We couldn’t let them overpower us. A glint of silver showed under the streetlight when another of the boys moved towards me. I hadn’t even noticed it was dark. How long had I been in the pub for?
‘Shut up, will ya?’ he said.
I closed my eyes briefly as a rush of heat enveloped me. I clenched my fists in my lap. It was going to take a lot to stay in control.
‘You need to leave,’ Taurus said, flexing his arms unintentionally as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a joint.
Was he serious? He was going to spark up as we were being attacked?
‘I’ll give you this but that’s all,’ he offered.
I shook my head. The man had gone bloody crazy. Was he seriously trying to bargain with a Joint?
‘I got nuff of that for myself,’ the lad with the knife said.
‘This is a joke. Just jog on!’ I drawled.
I could hear the shake in my voice. It wasn’t nerves that made it wobble. I had stayed silent for a while. It was dangerous. When I was quiet, it meant I was about to explode. My whole body burned as I watched the lads.
Taurus and Gemini stepped back when the group zoned in on me. They knew me well enough to know that it was better to stay away when I seemed calm.
‘Man with no legs is speaking. Ain’t got a leg to stand on,’ one boy said laughing.
The rest followed and I almost joined in. If I wasn’t so pissed off, I would have found him funny.
‘I think we need to teach him a little lesson,’ another one said.
My head was still spinning from the alcohol. I couldn’t make out how many of them were coming at me. I closed my eyes as the fire ran up and down my body. I opened my mouth and roared. The sound sent a fireball bursting outwards from me. I opened my eyes but all I could see was red as fire engulfed me. I heard screams through the roar of flames. I had no idea what had happened.
‘It’s okay, Aries.’ I heard Taurus in the distance.
The fire sucked back into me. I slumped in the chair. The rage of the last few months left me, and I couldn’t move. I blinked and looked around. The lads were gone.
‘A couple of them caught on fire.’ Gemini grabbed my handles and pushed me towards home.
His step was quick as Taurus followed closely behind. They were looking over their shoulder. I didn’t have the energy to speak or protest about being pushed. I was done.
‘I hope no one saw that,’ Gemini said.
I breathed in deeply and a rush of energy flew through me. My power returned. I grabbed my wheels and clamped down on them.
‘What are you doing?’ Gemini exclaimed as I forced myself to stop. The rubber of the wheel burned my palms. The friction sobered me up even more.
‘I’m going to her.’ I waved the others away as they tried to protest. ‘You either take me to her, or you leave me to it.’
They raised their eyebrows at each other but I ignored them. My head had stopped spinning. It was as if the fire had burnt away the alcohol in my body.
‘We’ll take you,’ Gemini said, pushing me to the van.
I hadn’t even noticed that it was parked nearby. ‘What were you doing here anyway?’ I asked.
‘The barmaid at the pub phoned to say that you were getting raving drunk,’ Gemini said.
I wiped a hand over my face. ‘How did she have our number?’
Gemini chuckled and I realised my mistake. She didn’t have our number, she had his. He was more of a womaniser than I had been. The thought shook me. Was I no longer a player?
‘Don’t answer that,’ I said when he opened his mouth to speak.
‘She was good.’ He winked at me as they fastened me into the back of the van.
I tilted my head to the side. ‘She looked like she would be up for it.’
I couldn’t help it. It was in my nature.
The boys laughed as they drove me to Natalie’s. When we got there, I froze. What exactly was I going to say to her? How could I stop her from running?
‘That’ll be twenty five thousand dollars, please,’ Gemini said in a fake American accent as he deposited me in front of Natalie’s door.
I ignored him and thumped my hand on the wood. It wasn’t late but she should be home. I heard footsteps on the other side of the wood and wondered what she would be wearing. Gemini and Taurus talked between themselves by the van. The door opened. She stood there in a cute blue dress. Her hair was pulled into a fancy ponytail. Her eyes sparkled from makeup that made them look massive.
‘Aries, what are you doing here?’ Her mouth dropped open when she saw the others behind me.
She was dressed up for someone. I could tell by the way her cheeks blushed bright red.
‘Who’s with you?’ I asked.
She swallowed and bit her bottom lip as she glanced into the empty hallway behind her. Whoever he was, she didn’t want me to meet him.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked again, leaning on the door.
She wasn’t going to let me in. The fire that had died away, returned to boil my blood. I had to clench the arms of my wheelchair to stop myself from exploding.
‘Why have you been ignoring me?’ I demanded.
She blinked slowly, her long eyelashes almost touching her cheeks.
‘I need to move on from you. I have moved on from you.’
Her words made something in my chest vibrate and as I opened my mouth, a flame flickered out. Natalie’s eyes widened as I choked back the fire and swallowed it deep.
‘I don’t believe you. Who is he?’
Something was
n’t right.
‘He’s a man I met at work. He’s kind, friendly, and easy to talk to.’ Her back was straight as she explained herself.
‘Unlike me,’ I muttered.
She smiled very slightly. She felt the same way I did. There was no running from us. Not anymore.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, suddenly remembering Pisces and Antony.
As soon as Pisces had surrendered, Antony had come to her. I had to do the same. I had to show her how I felt and leave her to return to me when she was ready.
‘Don’t be sorry,’ she whispered as tears filled her eyes.
I fought the urge to fight for her. It wasn’t the right type of fight. If she didn’t want me now, I had to fight for myself.
‘Until next time.’ I spun my chair and went back to my brothers.
They helped me into the van. Not once did I look back at the door to see if she was still there. The engine rocked me as Gemini turned it on. They were silent as they drove us back to our house.
Natalie had made her choice but it wasn’t over. I had a mission to complete and nothing would stand in my way.
Chapter Twenty Two
The bars were rough against my palms as I lifted myself. My weight tipped forward but I managed to hold on, righting myself before I fell. The pressure on the bottom of my new legs felt weird as it sent a thrill running through my thighs and up my body. I could feel them. I could feel my legs.
‘That’s good. Are they okay?’ the man asked me as I stood still for a moment.
I couldn’t describe it. I wished that Natalie was there to see me standing for the first time in seven months.
‘Bloody amazing.’
The twinge of pressure on my bones was completely bearable. I would do anything to walk again, and it seemed it would be possible. I was finally learning to stand on my own two feet.
‘Do you think you can try one step?’
My arms held my weight. The skin on my knuckles was white with the effort of holding myself up. My biceps burned but I was alive. I took in a deep breath and lifted my leg. My lovely metal leg. It swung forward as I struggled to place it down properly.
‘That will take some getting used to. That’s the amazing thing about the operation. You’ll eventually be able to feel where the leg is and automatically know where to put it. Just like your natural leg.’
[Zodiac Twin Flames 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Page 28
