Blue
After almost being grabbed by that guy my heart is beating like crazy. I also feel super paranoid and can't help looking around me as I rush in the direction of the railroad yard. Forget the park! Besides, I swear people are watching me but I can't figure out why.What is happening?
Is there something weird about how I look today?
I cleaned up well before I went to Monica's but maybe I missed something. Except I'm pretty sure she would have said something if she noticed I looked off.
"Excuse me." I stop short when a young girl stops next to me.
"Yes?" I look around to see if anyone is watching us.
She has to be fourteen, so I don't think she's a threat to me. Maybe this has nothing to do with why that guy approached me.
"You're the girl from the Twitter hashtag!" She smiles at me like she's just met her favorite celebrity. "I can't believe I found you! Can I take a picture with you?"
What is she talking about?
"Hashtag?" I ask her.
"Yeah! See?" She turns her phone to me and I see a photo of me from an odd angle.
Who would post this? I read the message on the post as well.
Help us find this #bluehairedbeauty
Holy crap!
"It's you right?" The girl asks pulling her phone back.
"No, it's not." I walk around her and pick up the pace.
I need to get out of here.
The look I got was too short to see the account that posted the picture but it didn't sound like the police. So who wants to find me enough that they would create a hashtag and post a photo? At least the hashtag was sort of sweet.
Not that it matters since I'm officially going into hiding. Maybe I should get out of town sooner than I planned. Unless this follows me out of the city or even the state.
It doesn't matter. I need to get moving and soon.
I decide to take a shortcut where there isn't as many people walking around. Once I'm alone I stop and pull out the envelope Monica gave me. I nearly cry when I see almost a hundred dollars inside. There is no way I made this much in tips, but right now I can use every cent. It's going to help pay for my way out of here. I just wish I could have thanked her and said goodbye to everyone.
There isn't time.
With my mind made up I head in the direction of the closest main street. I have all my stuff with me so I can head straight to the bus station now. It doesn't take long for me to hear the sound of traffic and step out onto a crowded street. I glance around to find the bus stop and see it across the street. When a large group of people passes by I slip in among them and try to hide until I reach the crosswalk.
My heart hasn't stopped racing and I'm starting to feel light-headed. This is usually a sign that a panic attack is about to set in, but I try my best to push it down. I can't lose myself inside my mind right now. I can't break down.
The sound of the crosswalk alarm nearly has me tripping into the street, but I recover enough to quickly make it across. I don't slow down until I reach the bus stop. There is an AD display next to it, so I use that to hide until the bus arrives.
A few people are sitting on the bench on the other side but I don't think they know I'm here. One of them is watching something on their phone and I peek out to see it's some sort of news channel.
*"Everyone is talking about the hashtag that just went viral in less than a few hours. Many are wondering why Tech Billionaire Artemis Rhodes would post such a thing, but nevertheless, this girl has become a mystery everyone wants to solve. In fact, we have pictures from several people who have seen the girl in person."*
The screen of the phone is small but I catch several pictures of me flashing on the screen. This can't be happening!
You know that panic attack I had been pushing down? Well, that thing comes back with a vengeance. It feels like all the air is sucked out of me and my chest gets tight. My vision blurs and I register I'm falling just before things go dark.
When I wake I'm worried I've somehow gone blind because there is white everywhere. With a few blinks things start to make more sense. I'm in a hospital. I try to wrack my brain and figure out how I got here but I can't remember. What I do remember is seeing my face all over the news.
The reminder has my heart pounding and I make a sound of surprise when a loud beeping starts. I quickly cover my ears and look to the side of me to find a monitor blinking. What the heck? Why is it so loud?
The door to my room opens and a woman in purple scrubs rushes over to the machine and starts pressing buttons. Once the ringing stops I let my arms fall to the bed.
"You're awake!" She says far too cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"
How am I feeling?
Well let's see...a man tried to grab me...a girl asked to take a photo with me...my face was on the news in photos taken by strangers as I walked down the street...
I'm not doing great. Of course, I don't say any of that.
"I'm okay. What happened?"
"You passed out at a bus stop. Someone called the ambulance and they brought you here." She says as she fidgets with the wires connected to me.
"How long have I been here?"
"Just a few hours. Your heart rate was very erratic but you were stable until you woke up."
"Yeah well waking up in a strange place can do that to a person," I grumble.
She laughs. "It sure can. I'll go get the doctor so he can talk to you."
I nod but before she reaches the door it opens and a man walks in. Behind him comes a stunning redhead.
"I'm sorry, are you family? Only one visitor can be back here at a time." The nurse says, but she stops talking when a man in a doctor's coat walks in as well.
"Relax Miss Riley, this is Mr. Rhodes a donor to our hospital. This woman is his fiance. I'll take things from here." The doctor says and steps aside to let the nurse out.
I watch her scurry away before I focus on the doctor. He's an older man with white hair and a friendly face but he gives me weird vibes.
Wait...did he just say, fiance?
"I'm sorry what did you say?" I ask.
"About what dear?" The doctor says walking over to the computer next to the bed.
"Me being...someone's fiance!"
He chuckles. "You must have hit your head hard when you passed out. Mr. Rhodes was relieved to hear you were brought here."
Mr. Rhodes?
The name from the park bench...
I look over at the only other man in the room. He's already watching me and it isn't exactly in a friendly way. It's more calculating.
"Hi! I'm Abigail Simmons, I'm Mr. Rhodes's assistant." The redhead says moving to the other side of my bed.
She seems nice by the genuine smile she's giving me.
"Hi. What is all this about me being...his fiance?" I point at the man still standing by the door.
He looks familiar now that I think about it...
Oh my gosh!
"I ran into you this morning! Is that what this is about? Did your phone break? Because I can try and pay you back for it."
He must have told everyone he's my fiance to get into the room. Now that makes sense.
"She's looking good Mr. Rhodes. I'll get started on her discharge papers." The doctor says before reaching down to pat my hand. "Feel better dear."
I pull my hand away and cradle it to my chest. He really gives me creepy vibes, but he seems unfazed by my behavior.
I watch him whisper something to the suit guy before leaving the room. A room that becomes deathly silent.
"Okay, so about your phone..."
"This isn't about my phone. I have a proposition for you." The man says.
"A proposition for me? What do you mean?"
"A proposition? It means-"
I wave my hand. "Not that! I'm not an idiot. I mean what proposition?"
"I want you to marry me." He says with a straight face.
We stare at each other for a minute before I burst out laughing.
Did he just propose to me?
ArtemisI normally hate social media. The idea that people want to share everything they think and do at all times doesn't make sense to me.However in this case I was convinced that it could be useful. When Abigail suggested it I wasn't sure if it would work, but she said the post had gone viral within an hour. In that time some people had even snapped a photo of the girl. I was happy to let Abigail handle things after that and I decided to get back to my real work. Several urgent emails were waiting in my inbox to read. Alan has been out of town trying to close a contract with a security firm. Apparently, they were hacked a few times which I find funny since they work in the field of security. In their defense, they specialize in securing people. The first email is from my mother inviting me to brunch on Sunday. She adds that there will be a few friends joining us. That's code for potential wives and their wealthy families. It's the third of this month, and I'm ready to be done wi
BlueI slowly stop laughing when I notice the guy's face hasn't changed. He isn't cracking a smile or laughing along with me. Neither is the woman next to me. "Are you serious?" I ask with clear disbelief in my voice. "Yes." He says. "Okay. Can I ask why?" I'm not sure what to ask if I'm honest. "I'll be right outside Mr. Rhodes." The redhead says before leaving me alone with this crazy man."I need your help with a problem I'm having." The man says as he moves and stands at the edge of my bed. "Well, admitting you have a problem is the first step but what does that have to do with me marrying you?" He doesn't seem amused by my odd comment."I need to be married by Sunday. My family has a tradition where all children are supposed to be married by the age of thirty. Either to someone of their choice, within reason, or to someone of their choosing." He says this in what I assume is his way of explaining the situation. It only makes me more confused though. "Aren't things like fo
Blue"I agreed to marry you, not carry a child! What the hell? It's a good thing I didn't sign anything yet. You are fucking crazy if you think I'm going to give you free rein over my reproduction choices." We are back to me wanting to kick this guy out on his ass. How dare he drop that bomb on me! "I never said you would have to carry the child. We could claim you have a problem conceiving and use a surrogate to carry the baby. We can even use a donated egg if you don't want to have any biological connection to the child." My mouth drops open in shock. Literally. Did he just say..."You want me to pretend I can't get pregnant and have another woman carry a baby that isn't mine but will be passed off as mine? You are certifiable." I can't believe I thought about marrying this guy!"Look...Blue," He stops and tilts his head at me with an odd expression on his face. "Is that a nickname for something?"Great now I have to explain this to some rich prick. "No. When I was little my fo
ArtemisI hesitate outside of Blue's room feeling a strange surge of concern for her. After what she told me...something changed. She wasn't just a random woman I picked to play a role in my life. She was a real person with a past and from what it sounds like, possibly a bad one. She was in foster care. What happened to her in the system? Suddenly I want to know everything about her. What happened to not caring? I told myself to keep my distance from the woman I would marry so I wouldn't have to deal with the mess of a relationship, but I don't know what that means now. From one conversation with a mysterious woman, I've only just met my whole plan has been thrown out. Maybe because she isn't like most women I know. It's not just the blue hair, it's more than that. I have never been interested in getting to know people. My mind is constantly wrapped up in my work. The only reason Alan and I are friends is that he was the one to keep that connection alive. He is an extreme extrovert
BlueI stand in front of the mirror and see a girl playing dress up looking back at me. It's blindingly obvious that these sorts of clothes don't suit me. My hair is a bright blue sign saying this businesswoman look isn't me. Also, it doesn't hide some of the scars I have. One in particular. It's a section of round burn marks from when one of my foster dads put a cigarette out on my skin a few times as punishment. I was too little at the time to fight back and too scared to try. For the most part, I don't notice it and it's easy to forget some of the dark moments of my past, but this outfit highlights all my worst parts. It's unflattering and...off. Still, Abigail thinks it would be a good idea to wear it, so I'll follow her advice. I would prefer people not to make horrible comments about my looks if I'm going to be in the spotlight from now on. I'm hoping that once Artemis and I are married...if we get married...Who am I kidding? I'm accepting his dumbass deal. What the heck? It
BlueThe view is amazing from Artemis's office. I don't think I haven't had the chance to see Seattle like this. It's breathtaking even with the dark clouds steadily rolling in. His office on the other hand looks very...professional. There isn't a hint of anything personal anywhere in the room. No pictures of family or diplomas like you see in most offices. It's a lot of brown and black with a pale grey wall and wood accents. It sort of reminds me of what you would expect an old man's den would look like.I'm not surprised, to be honest. He seems to like control and this room allows him to become the center of everyone's attention. The air around him screams authority and I guess that's enough to fill this space. Still, if I had a say he would at least have some colorful pillows. Even something like a soft cream color would do a lot for this place. "Who decorated your office?" I ask moving away from the window. I can feel his eyes following and soon I hear his footsteps as well. "
ArtemisBlue and I are both breathing hard. I realize too late what I just said and I hate that I lost control like that. Actually, I hadn't been thinking when I said it. My mouth blurted it out before I knew what I was saying. Shit. Then because I can't seem to control myself around her, my eyes travel down her body taking in every detail that I have yet to see. When I bumped into her she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and loose jeans. Somehow Abigail had bought her clothes that fit her almost perfectly and is giving me a good idea of the body that hides beneath them. "Those clothes look wrong on you." I blurt out. Blue looks down at her outfit and blows out a breath. "Yeah I thought so too, but I didn't have anything else. Plus Abigail went through the trouble to bring it so I didn't want to waste them. Plus she said it would give me a better image in the press since my last photos were less than appealing." She said what?"Why would that matter?" I ask her knowing full well w
Blue Artemis watches me through the window of the car until I can't see him anymore. Something happened just as he was about to follow me. One second he'd been holding my hand and it felt...nice. He seemed so set on going somewhere with me to buy clothes and as much as I hate admitting it, I wanted him to come. I never did things like that with anyone. Honestly, I didn’t spend much time with anyone at all. Bucky hangs out with me for about an hour every night and although nice, it didn’t feel like eating with Artemis did. I feel surprisingly comfortable with him. We should have a level of comfort between us if we'll be married, but it felt easier than I expected especially since we don't know each other. Don’t get me wrong, the man has some serious personality flaws, but it’s nothing I can't handle. I've had to deal with my share of personality-stunted men. “Miss?” My mind had been too distracted to notice one of the men in the front seat had been talking to me. “I’m so sorry. Wha