The Girl that Fled (Bliss Book 3)

by Veronica Soliman

  However, her secrets occasionally dug into her sides and brought fear along with them. Her paranoid fear of being found continued to grow as it neared Adam's birthday.

  And now Eleanor and Josiah had driven his run-down old car toward her old home, New Jersey.

  Eleanor's name was no longer spoken of on the streets because everyone on Earth knew that Eleanor had been buried with a closed empty casket because her body was too disheveled to be put in there.

  It was an unspoken rule in Jersey because apparently, Adam had made her out to be a damn saint, which she was far from.

  "Well, that was fun." Josiah smiled as they parked in front of a coffee shop. A coffee shop she used to go to, even when her opinion of coffee was lower than low and went inside. They had missed mass this Sunday to drive around all day, but they would be back in time next week.

  "Well, I'd say we earned this vacation." Eleanor smiled at him as he reached for her hand. She had made sure to use the last of her temporary hair dye before they'd left. It's crazy how a simple change such as hair could make one look like a completely different person.

  "Hi welcome to Stella Luna, may I take your order?" She smiled at the waiter.

  "I'll have the regular coffee." Eleanor looked at Josiah as he glanced right back at her.

  "I'll have what Bree's having." They sat patiently in the booth, speaking about all of the adventures of a day long road trip. The ladies at the bakery had probably been wondering where she was, so she had given them a call this morning and let them know she wouldn't be back until Wednesday, two days from today.

  The world froze as Eleanor glued her eyes to the screen. Adam's perfect face appeared, and she felt her heart being ripped out.

  She recognized the on-going sadness in his eyes. He had lost his wife and his father all within the span of a month, the guy must've felt horrible.

  By his side stood his younger brother Elijah who was just about his six' four'' height now and his older sister was waving at the camera. She had only encountered the other half of his family twice- the half that didn't involve Hank Carnegie. Once prior to my wedding and once after Adam rescued me from said Hank Carnegie, and both times had been memorable.

  The camera zoomed in on Adam's face and Eleanor felt her heart flutter. She missed him so damn much, so much so that she was willing to be caught just to catch a glimpse of him in real life.

  On this end, he seemed like a celebrity.

  "Bree?" Josiah's voice snapped Eleanor from her thoughts as he took looked at the screen. "Seems like a nice guy," he commented as their coffee arrived.

  "I'll bet." Eleanor blushed as she looked down at her coffee.

  "So... why New Jersey?" Josiah asked, reaching for her frozen hand across the table. It was winter and Christmas had been two days ago. In private, Eleanor wanted to be able to be in town on Adam's twenty-sixth birthday, which was in two days.

  December 28.

  "I wanted to see the ball drop."

  "That's in New York." He laughed as Eleanor watched his dark stubble move along with his handsome jaw. Josiah's features were a bit on the soft side, making him appear younger than he actually was.

  "Okay fine, I wanted to see what Adam Carnegie would do this year for his birthday. I mean his wife died about a year ago a few months after his birthday so... " I said honestly. "They usually had a Christmas party and usually everyone is welcome to come..." She hadn't realized that she want part of the everyone anymore. She was a nobody now.

  "But why?" Joshua chuckled, finishing his last sip of coffee.

  "Wouldn't you like to know." Eleanor laughed, wiping away the whipped cream off of Josiah's bottom lip. This tactic seemed to easily distract him as she stared at him.

  "Well, what else is the rich boy supposed to do with all that money?" Josiah suddenly said, his eyes staring at the screen as an image of Adam signing a check for a million dollars to the children's hospital appeared.

  "He's amazing." Eleanor said as Josiah glanced at me, "Relax Joe, it's not like I want to marry the guy, he's dating some girl." She couldn't help but cringe at her own words.

  It was hard pretending to not know the man she loved.

  Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past

  She stood there. On the corner of the street where she had supposedly taken her life and felt the warm breeze blow through her soft faded brown hair. Eleanor nervously tugged at the hem of her sweatshirt. The street was too close to Adam's home and that in itself made her too afraid to walk near it.

  This was the street where she had run out at a truck driver as he freaked out and crashed, later receiving millions of dollars in a lawsuit.

  After spending a day driving around, she'd told Josiah that she needed to go for a walk.

  She had done so every night, a habit developed since arriving in Oklahoma and he knew that was her contemplation time.

  He had asked if she would be okay all alone in an unfamiliar city, but she told him she could handle myself.

  He had no idea how unfamiliar this city had become.

  Her feet ached as she stood at edge of the road, her heart was racing wildly. She walked as far as she was willing to go without getting hit. It was cold out, and light snow had begun to form. She had worn Josiah's oversized black hoodie to provide warmth.

  "You're gonna catch a cold out here." A voice startled her as she quickly turned around, meeting familiar eyes and looking away immediately. She hadn't expected him to be here. Her heart beat rapidly as the prospect of being found struck her cold.

  "Right back at you, why are you out here, Adam- Mr. Carnegie?" She asked coolly, trying her best to copy Josiah's southern accent. Adam would easily recognize her voice if she didn't. At least this way, she could disguise herself a bit.

  He looked at her then walked up beside her, making no effort to look at Eleanor.

  "My wife died here almost a year ago." She didn't dare to look at him, "I've come here every night since." He choked, coughing to cover up for the fact that his voice had cracked. "I just wish she wouldn't have done it. We could have sorted everything out if she had waited, it would've all blown over, she was so young." He shook as the snow began to fall faster in the dead of night.

  "I'm sorry for your loss." It was getting more difficult by the second to not reveal that she indeed was Eleanor. It was becoming harder to not tell him she loved him.

  Love... then it struck her, two kids. His child passed away and so did hers, maybe it was a misunderstanding on her part, but they did fall in love. The fortune teller from their honeymoon had been right in his own twisted way.

  "Please don't say that I've heard it thousands of times, it's not going to bring her back." He said so softly that she barely heard him. Eleanor wanted to laugh at the irony of this situation; she was standing right beside him, yet he had no idea it was her.

  "You must've really loved her," She added, wanting to hear him talk about her some more. But since when did Adam do what she wanted? She stifled a laugh before turning to look at his hardened features. He looked way older now, his eyes contained bags underneath, but his same handsome stature remained. She couldn't ever imagine that this man could ever smile, and it hit her that she had done that to him. She looked at her boots, stuffing her hands in the sweater pocket.

  He cleared his throat, "Yeah, she was my everything." Snow began to trickle from the sky and drop from above. It landed on Josiah's black sweater. It was perhaps time to go home.

  She didn't know how to tell him goodbye. She wanted so badly to throw herself in his arms and tell him she was right there, but that was impossible. It would blow her cover.

  "Heavens knows how I would feel if my boyfriend left the earth like that," She said, trying hard to stay on balance with her charade, with her lies.

  "It's been hard, but there's nothing I can do now." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned around.

  "It was nice to meet you..." he said, waiting for Eleanor to fill in the blank.

  "Bree. I'm Bre
e Walker," was the lie she had been telling for months on end.

  "Right, see you around Bree Walker." He smiled at her and heart melted in the cold as she watched him walk away and toward his mansion, which was barely a few blocks away.

  "Uh, wait!" Eleanor called as he turned around, she wanted to slap herself for forgetting the accent, but she couldn't let him walk away without answers. "You got a new gal already in your life, Mr. Adam Carnegie, why do you still keep coming back here?"

  "It's hard to get over someone you loved." He shrugged, confirming that he did in fact have a new girl in his life and that he was still in love with Eleanor.

  He looked at her for a split-second too long, she looked down, trying hard to remain unrecognizable with the hood on her head.

  "Why are you out here?" He crossed his arms now, looking directly at her.

  "I was out for a jog, I wanted to take a break," She easily lied.

  "Well good night Ele- I'm sorry, her name is always on the tip on my tongue. Bree, goodnight Bree." For a second she thought her cover had been blown and after a year of hiding, she had been discovered.

  She blew out a sigh of relief and back to the hotel Josiah was at.

  "Name?" The receptionist asked.

  "Car-- Walker." She froze, hoping the receptionist didn't realize what Eleanor had just said. She had been so used to it; old habits die hard. Especially back here so close to Adam.

  "Right, did you want a room tonight because we are fully booked."

  "Actually, my boyfriend already got us a room, his name is Josiah Matthews, I lost my phone and can't call him." She gave her an embarrassed look as she nodded in understanding.

  "He is in room 246-E. That's on the second floor." She said as Eleanor walked toward the elevator and went to the fourth floor. Her hair had grown quite a bit these last four months, the new brown color made her skin look ghostly, but she would deal with it to keep her getup.

  Eleanor knew it was dangerous to be here, especially so close to her old home, but she couldn't miss Adam's birthday.

  He had told me he goes to the street where she had died every night and tomorrow night would be when she'll leave him a gift before they head back to Oklahoma.

  She knocked softly on the door before Josiah opened it for her.

  "How was your walk?" He asked.

  "Freezing, thanks for letting me borrow your sweater." She smiled shyly as he hugged her. He leaned forward to kiss her, but in the last second, she turned her face and his lips landed on her cheeks.

  "Is something wrong?" He asked, concern filling his eyes.

  "Hm?" she feigned, "no babe, everything is fine. What time are we going to drive home tomorrow?"

  "Whenever you like Bree." They walked over to the bed and her hand immediately reached for the remote and turned on the news as a replay of Adam standing earlier beside his siblings was on the screen. She could recall a time when she wouldn't dare watch what the reporters had to say, but now she couldn't get enough. She wanted to see Adam.

  "I swear you're obsessed with that guy." Josiah laughed as she elbowed his side lightly. He had no idea how true that was.

  Eleanor had successfully avoided everything that could remind her of her old life until this day, and secretly she wished she hadn't come.

  He leaned over me, his light stubble scratching my cheek. She smiled now, as his lips fell on her and moved farther below. She groaned, nothing felt right in this city.

  "Joe," Eleanor placed a soft hand on his shoulder before any clothes came off, "maybe we should just sleep tonight." She whispered as he furrowed his brows but nonetheless complied.

  "Are you feeling okay?" He asked again.

  "Dandy. " She looked at him, "it's just that this place makes everything feel strange."

  He nodded, no longer pushing for answers as he moved backward and let his head rest on the pillow.

  "Goodnight Eleanor." He said.

  "What?"

  "I said Goodnight Bree." For a second she must have misheard him, this city was doing weird things to my brain.

  "Goodnight Josiah." Eleanor said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. She sat up in bed and began rubbing his back unconsciously, her eyes still glued to the screen.

  She didn't want to turn the volume up and wake up Joshua.

  The image changed to a thin woman smiling and speaking. Maybe she could get subtitles, Eleanor scrolled through the menu and activated them.

  The pillows of doom are what they have decided to call it now. The truck that struck our dearly departed Eleanor Carnegie had been delivering pillows and the craziest things have been happening from people who've bought them. Some have woken up in the middle of the night unable to breath, others have awoken with blood on their faces, some have even decided to try to call out to her ghost.

  Eleanor snickered, what a load of bull, these people would say whatever they could to get more views.

  Eleanor read silently as her eyes began to shut and then an image of Adam popped up and she was wide awake.

  At that moment, she wished she had never turned this damn television on.

  Adam Carnegie got down on one knee and has finally proposed to his girlfriend, Magdalene. After a year of mourning his wife's death, the soon-to-be 25-year-old has put himself out here and is planning a wedding in March of next year.

  Eleanor's heart sank and she couldn't sleep the rest of the night.

  Chapter 3: Uptight

  Eleanor was lost.

  Completely and utterly lost in those beautiful brown eyes of his. His mouth was moving, but she couldn't seem to make out anything that he was saying.

  A total make out scene played in her mind as she stared at his chiseled jaw. His plump pink lips look delightful. She tried concentrating on what he's saying, but she couldn't.

  Stop thinking of kissing him, she warned herself. Sighing, she finally turned her focus away from his lips. Shivers ran down her spine as she realized how red she must be right now. She must have been at least thirty different colors of a ripe tomato.

  "So, will you help me?" Even his voice was smooth, as smooth as silk and his words were as sharp as a knife, but with a certain degree of sweetness.

  He disappeared; his brown eyes left an echo in her mind.

  Eleanor awoke with Adam's name at the tip of her tongue.

  "Bree darlin', you feeling okay? You were saying the name Adam all night." Josiah raised his eyebrows.

  Eleanor's eyes widened; she hadn't realized. Of course, she hadn't realized, it wasn't like she could control what she does when unconscious.

  "I'm fine." She gulped, turning toward Josiah.

  "Are you sure? We could take you to a psych if you need," he said, and she hopped out of the bed.

  "I'm not crazy okay! It's just a celebrity crush, people get those all the time." Eleanor stifled her anger, heading toward the bathroom.

  "But I'm sure people don't cry the name in their sleep." She bit her lip.

  "You're jealous," Eleanor smirked now, it wasn't a question.

  "Yeah actually. Kind of. Ever since we got here all you've talked about is that damned Adam Carnegie."

  "Calm down baby," Eleanor walked up to him and placed her legs on either side of him. "We're leaving today anyway." She kissed him softly, feeling the soft feel of his lips on hers.

  His hand groped the side of her body as he pulled her closer to him. His soft kisses landed on her stomach as the sweater she had come home in came off. He brought his face up to her as she smiled against his lips.

  "You need to shave," She laughed as they flipped over.

  ¤¤¤

  The ring.

  Eleanor's wedding ring had been on her fingers even after she ran away. And when Josiah asked about it, she would tell him it was the only thing left after her parent's died. She had become such a good liar, too good a liar.

  She was walking around her old home, the streets of Jersey, as her fading brown hair glistened. There was a cute boutique nearby and she immediat
ely went inside. She went bought a beautifully decorated velvet box, empty and devoid.

  She hadn't brought much money with her, but this was worth it. As soon as she got back to the hotel room, she searched for her boyfriend. But Josiah was nowhere in sight and she thanked her lucky stars for that.

  She took off the giant ring for the first time in almost two years. A newfound pain struck her heart, she hurt, feeling like she was backstabbing herself. Her heart raced, beating too fast, as she looked at the beautiful gold of the ring and the giant diamond attached in its center. Engraved inside the ring read Eleanor, my love.

  She felt tears spring to her eyes and begin to fall down my cheeks as she silently placed the ring in the velvet box.

  Adam,

  I love you. I'm sorry for what I've done and the pain it's caused you.

  Love, Eleanor.

  She quietly scribbled on the small piece of paper and stuffed it in the box with the ring inside the fancy Styrofoam area. She had forgiven him; she couldn't have stayed mad for long... even after what he did to her

  It was his birthday, which meant the annual Carnegie Christmas party would be going on soon. But then again, it wouldn't. They had too much to mourn.

  She proceeded to wrap the small box with a red ribbon and placed it in her sweatpants pocket.

  It was about the time she had left for her walk yesterday and if she made it on time, she could give the gift to Adam. And if he asked, she would just tell him she's Eleanor's cousin or something. But the probability of him being home or here was very unlikely. He was most likely at the party- if there was a party- by now.

  To her disappointment, he wasn't there. Maybe he decided to stop showing up now that he was engaged. Maybe he decided to move on, even if she actually died, she wouldn't have wanted him to move on. Eleanor laughed, she wanted him all to herself even after death. How selfish.

  There was only one thing left to do before she would need to return to the hotel and go back home with Josiah. But she didn't want to go home. She wanted to stay here and live with Adam again.