Entangled (Entangled Trilogy #1)

by Anika Rahman

  I gave him a blank look and he looked at my eyes, which were still shining with tears, and he looked at the teardrops that continuously fell from both eyes. I quickly tried to wipe the tears away, but he caught my wrists and put them both back down. Adrian wiped away my tears, every single one of them and then pulled me in for a hug. I hugged him back, trying to find out a reasonable explanation for me being here.

  “Love, what are you doing out here, in the cold, all alone and unprotected, crying your heart out?” Adrian asked as obvious sadness laced his deep voice.

  “I wasn’t—,” I started, but Adrian cut me off.

  “Shhh, shhh. It’s okay. I understand,” Adrian said.

  “How’d you know I’d be here? Why are you here?” I asked in a small voice.

  “A) I contacted Lucifer and found out some interesting information. B) I know where you would go if you were upset. C) I love you. D) I blew off all that after school stuff just to be with you once I heard about what happened. E) Nothing else is more important to me than you,” Adrian smiled. I reached up and kissed his cheek and muttered a quick thank you.

  “Adrian, can I ask you something?” I ask him.

  “You just did,” he pulled somebody's leg, trying to lighten up the whole atmosphere. Okay, he didn’t literally pull someone’s leg. It’s just another way of saying he joked around.

  “What are fallen angels?” I blurted out and Adrian went all rigid and his eyes widened before looking down at me with a shocked expression.

  “Fallen angels are angels that fell from Heaven due to them defying against God,” Adrian replied in a small voice. I looked up at him, trying to absorb this information as if my brain was a sponge.

  “There are two types of fallen angels, although, according to humans, all fallen angels are demons. But, that’s not true. Those who serve Lucifer truly loyally, from his or her heart is the demon. Some angels are from Heaven’s side,” Adrian told me, picking out his words carefully.

  “How come?” I asked as I furrowed my brows together. This was confusing but I had to find out all of this, right now.

  “Some of them chose God before the fall but unfortunately, they were, unwillingly, sucked into the Fall like a vacuum. Some of them chose God in their hearts after they fell and gained their white wings. The demons have black wings. The ones with gray wings are the ones who are still choosing or they might be in between, not choosing either side,” Adrian explained.

  Some of them chose God in their hearts after they fell and gained their white wings. The demons have black wings. Last time I checked, James had black wings. I guess I didn’t even have to try and explain the rest to myself.

  “Can the angels from Heaven go back to Heaven?” I asked.

  “Unfortunately, no. They are sort of like . . . locked out of Heaven. Angels from Heaven are called Heavenly Angels while the ones from Hell are called demons or better known as, Abaddon Angels. Those who are in the middle are known as the Outcasts,” Adrian grimaced, but his eyes held a sort of longing in them.

  “Are you a fallen angel?” I asked, moving towards him so he wouldn’t think I’m about to leave him. To my dismay, he nodded and hung his head. I sighed and he instantly inched further away from me, at least an arm’s length. I moved closer to him, putting a reassuring hand on his arm to show that I was here and I wasn’t leaving him.

  “Which one are you?” I winced as I asked that question. I promised myself that I wouldn’t leave him no matter what. I will be loyal to him and love him with all my heart. Adrian winced and opened his mouth to answer. Realization hit me. I didn’t think about how much it would hurt him to tell me what he was. He was already hurt, a lot.

  “You can answer if you want to, you don’t have to,” I said and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he hugged me back, burying his face in my neck and nodded. So . . . if Adrian was a Heavenly Angel, then he was more or less, locked out of Heaven and stuck in this hellhole.

  I felt little teardrops slide down my neck and I realized that Adrian was crying. I held onto him tightly and he pulled me closer to him.

  “Roza, please don’t leave me. I don’t know what I would do without you,” he cried.

  “Why do you love me, Adrian? I only make your life worse,” I said bitterly.

  “I love you because I see my God in you. You’re like a God to me, on Earth. I want to be with you forever, Roza. I love you and I am not leaving you and you are not leaving me. You are stuck with me,” Adrian said.

  “I love you too,” I replied and I really meant it. He quickly pulled away and kissed me. He kissed me with such fierceness and held me so tightly; I thought that I would die. I kissed him back with just as much passion. I loved Adrian and I was lucky that I wasn’t locked out of Heaven. I don’t know what I would do, being locked out of my home. But for now, Adrian was my Heaven and I was not deprived of it.

  CHAPTER 18

  TAKE A HINT

  I love to take walks in the park. Since I was about four years old, Elliot and my Uncle John would bring me to the Riverside Park. I loved this park and one of my favorites would be the Cloisters. It is basically like an ancient medieval castle like place, built like a king’s home with a garden inside. I loved to go there, too. As I walked hand in hand with Adrian right now, I couldn’t help the smile that crept its way onto my face, making me all warm and fuzzy with all those blissful memories.

  When we were done talking about all those fallen angels stuff, he insisted on walking me home. I told him, even begged him, not to, but he simply wouldn’t listen. He had one arm draped around my waist while the other hand was interwoven with mine. Adrian said that from now on, he’s going to be extra protective of me. He is not going to let me out of his sight. When Adrian saw me smile, he tugged on my hand to make me look up at him, still smiling.

  “What’s making you smile all of sudden, Roza? Not that I don’t want to see you smile or anything,” Adrian asked as he began to smile. Wow, my smile was infectious, I guess.

  “Nothing. I was just remembering how Elliot would take me to parks like this instead of those kiddy parks since I was really little,” I beamed again, wishing I could be there again, as a little girl.

  “I remember how happy you would look when I mentioned that we were going to some park. Even a crappy park. Those were some great days,” Adrian said quietly and I stopped dead in my tracks. What did he just say? He knew me before all of this?

  “Wait, what?!” I said and Adrian quickly took a step back and looked down at his feet.

  When he opened his mouth to answer, someone came up behind me and Adrian sighed and motioned for me to turn around. I obeyed him, for now, and saw that it was Maddie and Mark. I raised an eyebrow and Mark instantly put an arm around Maddie’s waist while she stood there grinning.

  “So . . . you two are officially a thing?” I asked while they nodded in agreement.

  “That’s nice. It’s about time,” Adrian grinned, stepped up and put an arm around my waist to pull me closer to him. Adrian looked down at me, smiling while his eyes sparkled, silently telling me to exonerate him. To forget what just happened between us.

  Adrian acted as if that talk never happened. When I shot him an icy glare, he detached his arm from my waist and stepped back, taking the hint. He looked down at his feet again while Mark and Maddie snickered quietly and I shot both of them a glare to shut them up.

  “You two really need to stop fighting,” Mark told me rather than Adrian.

  “Yeah. Alice, you two can’t stand each other at all,” Maddie smirked.

  “Yeah, look who’s talking,” I smiled and they both came over to hug me.

  “Thank you so much for convincing her to date me,” Mark whispered in my ear and I smiled. Those two were so alike, they deserved to be together. After a few minutes of chitchatting, the couple left and Adrian stood less than five feet away from me, looking down at his feet again.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized for I don’t know what. Probably for
acting like a brat. He was probably thinking of a way to break up with me.

  “Don’t apologize, Roza,” Adrian said, still not looking up at me. Something was wrong with him.

  “What’s wrong, Adrian?” I asked.

  “Are we a couple, Roza? I am not really sure if we really are dating or not. Are we official?,” he enquired me unobtrusively.

  “Yes, we are,” I grinned and his head snapped up to meet my gaze. I didn’t even need to hesitate to answer that question; that’s how easy it was.

  Adrian smiled and a few girls passed by us, waving to him, smirking and some of them gestured the old call me motion with their hands.

  They were all prettier than me and I suddenly felt a pang of jealousy. What if Adrian left me for someone prettier? Well, he did deserve them. He was great looking and he deserved someone as good looking as him. I pretended to look down at my fingers and Adrian ran over to me, picked me up in his arms and twirled me around to show the other girls that he was already taken.

  “Adrian, please put me down,” I begged in a small voice and he instantly put me down, his smile replaced by a frown.

  “Now, what’s bothering my beautiful girlfriend?” Adrian asked me, reading my mind or something. I gasped and looked up at him, tears burning my eyes. No one really called me beautiful before, except for my brother. Your own siblings are supposed to compliment you; it’s the circle of life.

  “Nothing,” I replied, forcing a small smile onto my face.

  “Hey, do you really think that I would leave you for girls like them?” Adrian took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes, trying to read me. I wanted to scream out a yes in response, but I held myself back. “You’re beautiful in every way possible and I wouldn’t leave you for anyone else,” he smiled and hugged me. Adrian was now my boyfriend, of course, boyfriends are meant to compliment you.

  I quickly pulled away from him and he really looked upset now. His expression was a mixture of pain and sorrow.

  “I have to go,” I said, turning around to leave with Adrian tailing behind.

  “I’ll walk you home,” he said softly, taking my hand in his and this time, I let him.

  * * * * *

  When I walked into my house, Elliot was waiting on the other side, impatiently tapping his foot on the glossy marble and porcelain floor. The whole house was all glossy and shiny and perfect, unlike me. Elliot was the perfect one and not me. I envied his looks, his height, his eyes and his personality and everything about him. Tears burned my eyes, but I ignored them.

  “Adrian,” I sighed and he didn’t ask me any questions at all.

  “Yeah, he’s a great guy,” Elliot murmured before heading for his room and I did the same.

  When I entered my room, I saw that the glass door to my balcony was wide open. I quickly ran over to close it. I don’t remember leaving it open. Why was it open? I ran over to my bedside table to see if everything in there was still . . . there. Oh, everything was there alright but now, the note caught my attention.

  There was a note on the table with my name on it. The person who broke in to my room must’ve put it there. My instincts told me to go to Elliot but I remained still, looking at the letter with cautious and curious eyes. I took it in my hands and slowly opened it. The writing was in red and it smelled a bit coppery. Was it blood? I began to read it.

  * * * * *

  Rose,

  Such a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl. In case you were wondering, yes, this letter is indeed written with blood. Not just any blood, a fallen angel’s blood. Judging by your carelessness, you don’t know what you are yet, do you? Don’t worry, I won’t tell you either. It is so funny watching you suffer, trying to find out more about your past. If I tell you now, then you’ll die because of your fate. I could do that and kill you instantly, but I won’t. It is funnier watching you in pain. Mark my words, Rose; I will be your death. I will make sure that you don’t come back. I’ve been watching you for a long time now. If you don’t do as I say, let’s just say I will be your nightmare dressed up as a daydream, sweetheart. Now, listen to me carefully. That angel you are dating, the one with the curly hair, is a very nice person you know. It would be such a shame to see him dead or heartbroken. I prefer the heartbroken. Rose, you are going to break up with Adrian in the most painful way possible. Do as I say or else . . . Stay away from him. He is a bad influence. Take the hint woman; you’re not good enough for him. Break up with him for your next letter. I will know if you’ve broken his heart or not. If you fail to obey me, then you know what is going to happen. Oh, one more thing. You mustn’t share this letter with anyone else. I mean it when I say anyone. Your loved ones’ lives are in my hands. You make the choice of setting them free or not. Sweet dreams, sweetheart.

  Love,

  Your secret admirer.

  * * * * *

  Who is this person? Who could it be? What did he mean when he said that I didn’t know what I was? What was my fate? I can’t break up with Adrian. I just can’t I’ve totally fallen for him. I love him. So it’s true what they say. “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be yours. If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.” I have to let him go. He was never mine to begin with.

  CHAPTER 19

  UNCONDITIONALLY, FOREVER AND ALWAYS

  Who could that be? I know for sure that James didn’t write that letter because first of all, he would never use blood. He knows for sure that blood makes me squeamish. James would never call me sweetheart and if he wanted me to break up with Adrian, he would come up to me and say it. But then again, no one says, “I’m your worst nightmare dressed like a daydream,” other than James and Lucifer so they are on the top of the list. James knows that he shouldn’t threaten me so James is off the hook. Maybe not completely; no one is off the hook.

  I can’t break up with Adrian. He is the one I love unconditionally. I will love him forever and ever. I don’t know why but I feel a strong emotional and physical connection to him. I love him. No matter how many times I say it, he will always be mine and mine only. I truly do love him.

  “What’s wrong, Rose?” Elliot asked, making me jump out of my daydream. I needed to come up with some sort of a boring excuse to make him get the hell out of here. If Elliot finds out about the letter, then everyone I love will be dead. I turned around to face him and unfortunately, I stuttered out my next words.

  “N-nothing, Ells. Just a lot of h-homework,” I laughed nervously and he didn’t buy it. Great, just my luck.

  “You can run, but you cannot hide, Rose. What’s wrong? Is it Adrian? I swear that if he hurt a single hair on your head, I’m going to rip that little—,” Elliot threatened but I cut him off. There was no way he was going to do that to Adrian.

  “Elliot Edwards Hathaway! You are not supposed to swear, remember?” I scolded. This was probably the first time I would be using his full name. First and Last time I guess.

  “Oh, sorry,” he muttered.

  “It’s okay and it’s not Adrian. Don’t hurt him; please don’t,” I begged and he nodded.

  “Really, what’s wrong?” Elliot asked.

  “Nothing. I swear, it’s nothing,” I said and he smiled at me. He believed me. This was just great.

  “Alright, I’ll leave you to it,” Elliot smiled and headed off to his room. Once he was gone, I shut every single door in my room and broke down. I love Adrian. I can’t help it. I love him. I can’t break up with him. I have to set him free. If you love something, let it go. If it never returns, it was never yours. Adrian was never mine to begin with.

  * * * * *

  “Roza,” Adrian smiled into my neck. He was sitting on my bed with me on top of his lap. It has been five days since the letter. I have two more days, that’s it. Just two more days to break up with him or else . . . How could I? I tried, but it’s not very easy. I’m tired of that letter bossing me around. If today didn’t work out, then I’m going to take drastic measures.r />
  Adrian leaned in to kiss me and I let him, knowing that this could be our last kiss. He kissed me softly and he slowly ran his tongue over my lower lip. I grant him access and ran my hand through his silky auburn hair. I might not get to do that ever again. His tongue invaded my mouth and I still let him. He kissed me a bit longer and then left my lips, trailing kisses from my jawline all the way down to my collarbone.

  “Adrian, I . . . I . . . have to te-tell . . . you so—,” I tried to say in between our kisses, but he silenced me with a longer kiss this time. He continued to kiss me and then kissed my collarbone. I tugged on his hair, pulling him closer and closer to me. I had to physically push him away this time with the little bit of self-control I had.

  “Roza?” he asked, his face filled with confusion. Adrian’s eyes were filled with love, his hair messy, his cheeks a light shade of pink and his lips swollen from the kissing. Even with all of this, he still managed to look handsome. This is going to be harder than I thought.

  “Adrian, I don’t think we should continue to see each other anymore,” I said and detached myself from him. He wouldn’t let me go.

  “Nonsense,” Adrian smiled. “You don’t mean that. Any second now, you are going to shout out April Fools or something.” He started kissing me again. He trailed his kisses halfway down my neck before I pushed him away again.

  “Adrian, I’m serious. This isn’t a joke and I’m not going to yell out April Fools or anything because it is only March,” I explained. I inaudibly cursed myself for using logic at a time like this.

  “What are you saying?” he said and he tightened his hold on me. I untangled his hands from my waist and stepped away from him. I looked out the balcony and he came up from behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist again. He isn’t going to let me go easily, will he?

  “Adrian, I think we should break up,” I said rather inaudibly. He quickly stepped away from me, his expression impassive.