East to West

It felt as if the heat punched me in the lungs when I exited the building I had been living in for the past years. The building I was now leaving. Secretly. Hoping that I'd never see it again. The building itself had never done anything to me. The apartment it held was quite nice. Spacious living room, recently re-decorated kitchen and big balconies. I was going to miss it. What lived inside it was something else. I considered myself lucky to have escaped this place as the Beast slept. Usually, it stirred at the slightest movement. Always alert. Always watching. Waiting for you to let your guard down. Waiting for you to sleep. Watching. Ready to strike.

“Single latté, extra hot!” the barista shouted in my ear. I'm right here, no need to be so loud. I was just about to leave the coffee shop when I spotted something that caught my eye. Someone. A guy. A very attractive one. I hesitated. Would I be late? Probably. Would it be worth it? Probably. I went in.
“Jeremy? Jeremy, it's me. Don't you recognize me?” I touched his arm and he turned around. I put up my best “I-thought-you-were-someone-else-face and said: “Oh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Sorry.”
“It's okay,” he replied and made himself likely to turn to his friend again.
“Actually,” I said. He turned around again. “You do seem awfully familiar, have we met?” I asked. “My name is Noni.”
“Hi Noni, I'm Dan. And no, I don't think we've met.” He gave me a small smile. My knees went a little bit weak. And now for the finishing touch.
“Well, I'd like to. Meet you again there is. Can I get your number?” Please say yes. He looked a little bit surprised but pleased at the same time.
“Sure, why not.” He handed me his phone and we exchanged numbers.
“Great, I'll call you,” I said and sent him the most dazzling smile I could manage and walked away. Triumphed over my success I had almost made it to the door when someone grabbed my arm.
“You dropped this,” it was Dan. As he turned me around by my arm, the cup I was holding slipped out of my grasp, splashing...

I gasped when the burning liquid hit my face and streamed down my chest. The tears filled my eyes but I would not let them fall. I would not let it see me cry. I opened my eyes just in time to dodge the empty cup the Beast had thrown at my head. I didn't look back as it smashed on the wall behind me. I stared in its eyes. Daggers were shooting out of them. The next thing I knew it had gotten a grip on my hair and was pushing me down to my knees. It yanked my head back so I was looking straight in its face. I did not blink. Provoking it was the only thing I had left. If I didn't, it would have won. The Beast smirked. It slapped me across my face. I would've fallen over if it hadn't been holding me up by my hair. My scalp was aching. My cheek stung. It threw me into the wall. I waited for the rest but instead I heard the front door slam. For a while, I lay there, waiting for it to return. When it didn't I stood up and examined my face in the bathroom mirror. My cheek was red. It would probably be bruised tomorrow. My scalp had bled a little bit. I rinsed the clumps of blood out of my hair and thanked whatever was up there that it hadn't been worse than this.
Later that night I jumped up for my slumber at the sound of the front door. I hugged my pillow tight to my chest to stop me form shaking. Had it returned? More furious than ever? Someone grabbed my shoulder and turned me over. It was Dan. My body relaxed. He smiled at me and held me in his arms. He pressed me up against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. Slow. Steady. I felt happy. Deep inside I knew that it wouldn't last. Just like all the other times, the Beast would return.

That night I made a decision. I got up in the middle of the night. I carefully released myself from Dans grip. I stuffed some clothes in a bag and left. As I stood in front of the building, thinking about the Beast. The Beast that had made my life a living hell for the past five years, I couldn't help but think of Dan. My boyfriend. The person I loved most in the entire world. Dan, with his brown eyes and sweet smile. Dan, who managed to make me feel like I was nineteen again and didn't have a care in the world. My darling Dan. Slowly, I started walking back up the stairs. I stuffed my clothes back into the closet and looked at the bed where he was sleeping soundly. I crawled back in there and decided to enjoy the moment. Because inevitably it would be snatched away as the person I loved the most turned into the thing that I hated the most.