Burning Love. by Emily Zimmerman. (classic novels for teens .txt) 📖

promise.” I said.
“I’m so afraid, Daniel.” She whispered.
Linda came in and set the water on the bedside table. “Call me on the intercom if you need anything else.” She murmured.
I nodded and thanked her. After she left I pulled Skylar back, looking her in the eyes. She gripped my shirt even tighter in her hands “don’t leave me tonight.” She begged.
I shook my head slowly. “I won’t.” I promised, I’ll never leave you, I added in my mind.
I pulled her back into my arms and sat against the headboard, cradling her to my chest. She curled her legs up, using my shoulder as a pillow. Every once in a while she’d hitch a breath, but she wasn’t crying anymore. I leaned my head on hers, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off to sleep.

I awoke to sun streaming in the window behind the bed. I still had Skylar cradled in my arms, but she was now using my chest as a pillow, and we had somehow ended up lying on the bed. I pulled myself up on my elbows, staring down at Skylar. She slept peacefully, one of her hands loosely curled around part of my shirt, the other hand resting limply on my arm.
I carefully shifted her off of me, easing out of bed. I walked quietly out of the room and went down the hall to my room. I quickly showered and got dressed in my work uniform. Fifteen minutes later, I strolled into the kitchen to find Skylar sitting at the table, coffee in hand, hair out of its braid and cascading down her back in long, thick curls, her crutch sat against the wall beside her. Linda was cooking breakfast, standing in front of the stove with her spatula in hand.
Skylar smiled slightly at me. “Good morning Daniel.” She murmured, ducking her head to sip some coffee.
“Good morning. Linda, I have to head to work today, my “vacation day” was fun but the boss is going to have to deal with me coming back to work. I’ll see you tonight.” I grabbed a piece of bacon, hugged Linda who scowled at me and turned to Skylar.
“Can I speak to you for a minute before I go?” I asked her.
She nodded once and got up, bracing herself on the table and balancing her crutch under her arm, she followed me to the dining room.
“If there is any sign of Gram or John anywhere near the house, I want you to call me right away. My number is on your bedside table. If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate to call. It’ll probably be a slow day; it always is. So I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She nodded. “Okay. She said. “And Daniel? Thank you…for last night, I mean.” She blushed.
I smiled, lifted her hand and pressed a small kiss to her knuckles. “It was my pleasure.”
Chapter three:

I blushed furiously after he left, rubbing my hand where it tingled. I limped back into the kitchen and sat down at the table, thanking Linda as she set a plate of breakfast in front of me. “You seem a bit flustered dear. Is there something wrong?” Linda asked me.
I hesitated, but decided that this woman knew Daniel better than I. “It’s Daniel. He’s being too kind to me; I’m not used to a man extending such kindness to me.” I admitted softly.
“Oh? And why is that?” she asked me, sitting down in the chair beside me.
I sighed; she was going to find out soon enough anyway. “My Ex-husband was abusive, and hardly ever took rejection well. When we went through the divorce, I let him have everything of mine, just to get him off my back. But he didn’t get it; he seems to think that we’re still married. He told me that if I ever told anyone about his behavior toward me that he would kill me and anyone I told. That’s why I ran. I moved here a week ago because John won’t give up until he finds me. Just yesterday I saw his best friend, Gram, investigating the building I used to live in.” I explained.
“And does Gram know of your husbands…violent behavior?”
I snorted. “Gram was there when he raped me.” It slipped before I could keep it in.
Linda sucked in a sharp breath. “Your ex-husband raped you?” she asked in alarm.
I sighed again. “It was five days after the divorce was settled. He and Gram found me when I was walking home from work. They drug me back in an alleyway and John raped me repeatedly. I thought they were going to kidnap me, but they left me there. That was the night that I ran.” I explained.
Linda’s eyes hardened. “If Daniel doesn’t kill the man I’ll kill him myself. What a terrible man. Did you tell Dan about that night?” she asked.
I smiled slightly and shook my head. “No…I figured he knew enough.” I whispered.
“You need to tell him, sweetheart. I know it’s hard to talk about, but he can help you. You know he used to be a policeman. He’s got friends up at the station; he can help you with this. Oh, and about him being too kind, you deserve all of his kindness and more, plus I don’t think he’s doing this out of sympathy.” She pat my hand.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”
She only grinned a little wider and got up, starting on the dishes. “If he used to be a policeman, why did he become a fireman instead?” I asked her.
She smiled, shaking her head. “He decided that he was better at that job than he was as a policeman. He thought it was a better job than catching drug dealers and pulling over speeders. Which I agree with.” She laughed softly.
I liked Linda; she was nice to talk to, and she was nice. Her eyes twinkled with pride when she spoke of Daniel; I suspected they had a mother-son kind of relationship. I smiled and dug into my breakfast.
“This is delicious. I haven’t had a breakfast like this since I was little.” I complimented.
“Thank you. Its Daniel’s favorite. Unfortunately, he hardly ever has time for it. He works from morning till late at night. I usually cook dinner for him and put it in the fridge, I’m not going to wait up that late.” She put her hand to her heart and waved the other hand in the air.
“I understand.” I chuckled softly.
Linda wiped her hands off on a towel and walked over to me. Patting me on the head, she smiled. “I’m going to go freshen up. If you need me, just press five on the intercom.” She said before leaving.
I sighed and decided to find the living room. I limped over to the sink and rinsed my plate off, remembering that Daniel led me through what looked like a living room on his way to my room. I was about to settle into the loveseat in the middle of the room, when the doorbell rang. I knew Linda was in the shower, so I got up and limped down the hall to the front door. I braced myself and cracked the door open. I opened the door wider when I confirmed that it was no one I knew. It was a tall man, with black hair and light green eyes.
“Yes?”
“Hi. My name is Ben Finnick. Are you Skylar Parkinson?” I tensed, that was my husband’s last name.
“I’m sorry, it’s Grey now, Mr. Parkinson and I are divorced. How can I help you?” I asked.
Mr. Finnick raised a confused eyebrow. “Maybe I should have done a little more research. I’m sorry; your husband hired me to find you. He says you disappeared one day and never came back.” He said.
Of course he does.
“No. My husband and I divorced about three weeks ago. I moved here recently. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.” I murmured.
“That’s just fine. Thank you for your time Miss. Grey. I’m sorry to have bothered you in your injured state.” He said, referring to how I leaned heavily on my crutch.
“It’s no trouble. Bye now.” I said.
He nodded once and I shut the door, letting myself freak out. He knows where I am now! He only wanted that stupid private investigator to find my location! I went as fast as I could with this stupid crutch down the hall, and came into my room. I found Daniel’s number on my bedside table, and dialed his number into the phone I got from the kitchen.
I worked to keep from breaking down as it rang, and finally, Daniel’s voice chimed in on the other line. “Hello?”
“Daniel, he found me. He hired a private investigator telling him that I disappeared, and told him to find me. He knows where I am now!” I panicked.
“Calm down, I’ll be right there. My boss is about to kick me out anyway.” He said.
“Please hurry.” I said.
“I will. I’ll just tell the boss I’m going and then I’ll be right there.” He said.
I disconnected and went into the living room, sitting back in the love seat and trying not to panic. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wincing in pain. I crossed my arms over my knees and buried my face in them, breathing deeply.
What felt like hours later, I felt the couch dip beside me and warm arms wrapped around me. I wrapped my arms around Daniel’s neck and buried my face in his shoulder. “He knows where I am.” I whispered.
I heard and felt him sigh. “I know. He won’t get near you though, I promise.” He said.
I thought of what Linda said, that I should tell him about the night that John raped me, and decided that now would be a good time.
“Dan…” I trailed off, trying to gain some courage.
“Yeah, Sky?”
“There is something that I didn’t tell you…part of the reason that I ran…” I trailed off again, unwrapping my arms from around his neck and sitting up. I swallowed hard and stared at the blank TV screen as I relived the horrible event.
“Actually, it was most of the reason that I ran. It was Saturday, five days after we finally settled the divorce. I was walking home from my job at the mall, it was only a block away from my apartment…” My eyes unfocused and I got sucked into the memory, still explaining quietly what happened.


It’s freezing out here! I thought, burrowing deeper into my coat. I could almost see my apartment, just around the corner. It was dark, and the neighborhood was empty. No cars driving by, no late night joggers, just me and the frigid air.
The sound of two sets of footsteps behind me made me glance over my shoulder. John and his best friend Gram came toward me with identical grins on their