Chapter 17
warning: the next chapter contains a rape scene that is both fairly graphic and violent.
**3 years earlier**
“Sweetie, thank you for doing this,” Marie Dagoni said with tears in her eyes as she cupped the young Leila’s face in her hands.
“I wanted to,” Leila whispered, fearing tears would spill down her own cheeks as she looked at the older woman, “I loved Keith, this was the least I could do. Besides, you’ve done so much with…everything.”
A sad smile appeared on the woman’s face as she looked around the large Manhattan loft that Leila and Keith had shared for less then a year. Leila had invited everyone over after Keith’s funeral service, not wanting to put the stress on his parents.
“He loved you… so much…” Marie said, choking on her words, “Promise you won’t be a stranger even though he’s gone. You’re like family now.”
“I won’t,” Leila whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she squeezed the woman’s hand, “I promise.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help you clean up?” Marie questioned, “we made such a mess…”
“No, it’s fine,” Leila smiled, “it’ll keep me busy, keep my mind off of it. Besides, Alex said he’d stay and help me.”
“You’re so good to us sweetheart,” the woman smiled, “if you need anything call.”
“Of course,” Leila answered, kissing the woman on the cheek, “I’m sure your husbands waiting downstairs by now. I’ll give you guys a call later.”
The woman nodded silently and another sad smile crossed her lips. She closed the door behind her and turned and looked at the remaining person in the loft.
“You really don’t need to stay and help clean up,” Leila told Keith’s best friend Alex as she walked to the table and started clearing up plates.
“Do you think Keith would have wanted me to leave his fiancée all by herself?” Alex questioned.
“You’re right,” Leila shrugged, walking into the kitchen and returning to collect more plates from the table.
“I’m sorry by the way,” Alex said softly, stepping behind Leila, “I know how much you cared about him.”
“Thank you,” Leila whispered, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as she continued to collect the plates.
“I know how hard this must be for you,” Alex continued, Leila flinched as she felt his hands rubbing her back softly.
“What are you doing?” Leila asked, her heart in her throat.
“You feel so tense,” Alex replied, “I’m just trying to help.”
“I’m fine,” she said through clenched teeth as she turned away from the table and out of his reach, walking into the kitchen where she placed the plates into the sink.
“Keith always talked about you,” Alex said from the kitchen doorway as Leila turned on the faucet and started washing the dishes.
“We cared about each other,” Leila mumbled, letting herself concentrate on the task at hand.
“He talked about every aspect of you,” Keith said softly as Leila listened to his footsteps get closer and closer, “your scent… your taste…”
Leila closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she felt his breath on the back of her neck.
“Your touch…” he whispered, his breath on the back of her neck, making her skin crawl.
“I was always a little jealous,” Alex continued as Leila once again felt his hands rubbing her tone back, “he had someone as beautiful, and smart…”
“Stop,” Leila hissed, “please.”
“All I wanted was one touch,” Alex said, not even bothering to acknowledge her last comment, “and now that he’s gone…”
Leila couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Keith’s best friend was coming on to her as they stood in the loft she and him had once shared. Someone both she and Keith had trusted so much.
“We can have that one touch,” Keith whispered in his ears as his hands reached around and cupped Leila’s breasts in his hands, pulling her back close against his chest.
“What are you doing?!” Leila shrieked, trying to pull out of his grip and turn around, but he was too strong.
“Keith always got the good stuff,” Keith continued, his voice getting lower as he held Leila tight against him with one hand and let the other travel down her stomach, reaching the waist of her black skirt, letting his one hand start to slide down it.
“Alex, stop!” Leila pleaded, breathing heavily and her heart pounding, “I swear to God…”
“You swear what?!” Alex screamed with sudden anger, spinning her around and holding her by both her wrists, “What? Your boyfriend isn’t around to save you anymore! You’re by yourself! You have no one!”
“No!” Leila cried, trying to struggle out of his grip, “No! Let go!”
Alex’s perfect smile grew wider and more sadistic as he listened to Leila’s pleas, and his grip grew tighter. Leila didn’t know what to do, he was stronger and bigger, so she did the one thing she could do and spit in his blue eyes, allowing him to loose his grip on her wrists as he stumbled back surprise.
Panicking, she ran to the phone and grabbed it off the hook, but before she could even dial one number Alex was behind her, holding onto her tightly as the phone fell out of her grip and hung against the wall.
“Play nice Leila,” Alex laughed as Leila continued to squirm.
“You’re a sick fuck!” Leila screamed, hoping one of her neighbors would hear her, “A sick fuck! Do you hear me!”
Alex didn’t reply, just continued to smile wickedly as he dragged a struggling Leila down the hallway and into the bedroom, throwing her down on the bed she and Keith had shared so many nights in. As if adding insult to injury…
“Oh God,” Leila prayed as she felt herself get pinned between the bed and Alex’s body as he climbed on top of her, his hands making busy work of tearing off her shirt.
“It will be less painful if you don’t struggle,” Alex advised with a small laugh as he pulled her skirt off, followed by her panties, so she lay naked on the bed, completely helpless as she looked up at the massive man through tear streaked eyes.
“Please don’t,” she begged one more time.
She watched tearfully as he just smiled more, before letting his hands wander all over her body, followed by his lips.
She closed her eyes and lay back helplessly, realizing there was nothing else she could do but pray.
“It’ll all be over soon baby,” he whispered in her ear, making her skin crawl as she felt him struggled to take off his clothes without losing his pin on her.
“It’ll all be over soon,” he repeated as she felt his naked body pressed against her.
Everything else was a blur. She lay there, numb and motionless the whole time, tears running down her face. She prayed for it to be over, and it felt like hours before Alex finally seemed satisfied as he sat up, quickly putting on his clothes and left, leaving a sobbing, naked, Leila alone on the bed she and Keith had shared.
Chapter 18
Chapter 16