Must listen this instrumental while reading.

Enjoy!

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All I had were emotions stuck-in my chest, in my heart. They were swirling between nerves, shooting back and forth. A circle that was moving so fast that I couldn't hold on.

Like my mind was in a spin wheel of what? Anxiety, fear, confusion-self doubt? His words were more like a confession that pierced through my skin.

A bitter truth.

"Think a little deeper about the night I came to the cafe and try to focus on what I said sweet cheeks," He pondered as a white smoke heaves from his mouth. Tears were streaming down my face, grazing my cheek like needles.

I shift my gaze down on the snowy slippery concrete, trying to focus what he was claiming to be my weak point. All I could pin point was, his heavy footsteps lumbered against the cleaned floor and then he ordered his coffee, though he did show his hatred but..

My thoughts trailed off in past as I recalled that night. A great sickness of heart smote me in a jar.

"I will never let you forget that night," He threatened and jerk away my body."I will break you from inside Aria williams, remember that.", with that he grabbed his cup from the table and left the cafe.

A tear slid from my eye streaking down before melt in the cold breeze as I raised my head slightly with blurry vision and met his gaze. From the wicked smirk tucked to his lips, my heart broke into shards completely.

So it was all a game?

He never believed me?

"With those fake tears of yours, your love talks, your pity self, you thought you'd fool me?" He made a tsk sound before stuffed his hand in his jacket's pocket and took out something which looked like a dairy with a blue velvet hard cover.

"I knew from the start what you did. It was all a drama of being best friends cause in reality You hated her Aria. You were bullying her and she wrote it in this all by herself!" He growled jerking his body, making me flinched.

My throat felt tight with thousands of knots of fire around it and my chest was burning with it's heat. It was all a dream, the nightmare, no matter how badly I wanted to escape, I couldn't.

"The day I went to John's house, I found this in Beth's room," Gritting his teeth, a deep growl left his throat. He bitterly chuckled before looked at me with a sarcastic loud clap. "And what you did, to save yourself you were putting the blame on others and living your life like nothing happened."

I reluctantly stumbled a step towards him so that I could hold him and tell him to stop this jar of mess. My head was flashing nothing but darkness, my own voice was screaming, pounding in it but like I was deep under the ocean, I couldn't spill a word but I tried.

"E-than li-st-en

"Why should I? Why should I believe in your nonsense? Do you have something to prove yourself," He held his palm and open it infront of me. "Weren't you looking for some evidence? show me than and prove yourself."

A weak sob escaped my mouth, not because of what he was doing this but because this was my last chance and I had nothing in my hands. They were frozen and empty. I lost it now I had nothing to show my innocence.

I grazed my fingers in his palms and an emotion flickered in his eyes but it didn't last longer and he retreat his hand back like a current shoot him.

"I ha-d it Ethan but-

"But, of course there's a but," He snorted, squinted his eyes at me. I stood still like my feet were glued to the ground. Even though the world was revolving in my head making me dizzy but the sensation of it was like bruises on my bones, grazed on them.

He took a step closer and wiped my tears with his thumb. His warmth was still there. For a second I felt like that touch was real even though it wasn't illusory.

"Don't cry, it won't work on me now. Whatever happened between us wasn't real sweet cheeks, so put a stop on your imaginations," He grabbed my jaw and leaned in. I resisted his touch but still he kissed my tears.

"You didn't mea-n that! you loved me, you care for me.....we m-ade love Ethan!" Suttering I clenched my palms and hammered on his chest before fisted his shirt but his response caught my breathe in mid way in my throat.

He laughed out loud and loosened my palms from his chest, making them fell on my sides.

That couldn't be unreal too.

"Oh after everything I've said, you still think there's a chance that stupid night hold something?" Je passed a wicked smile. "No Miss Aria Williams, it wasn't. Nothing was. I made you love that fallacy I created and you fell in it. I have always loved how strong you show yourself and how one in a million you act but to be honest I loved the way you begged me for it. I enjoyed how weak you were under me that night."

At this point my body was trembling badly. My anxiety was visible. I gasped with a choke and try to hold myself but my inner self, my soul. It was collapsing. Who would hold that?

I hung my head low as helpless rage simmered in my blood which made my lips quivered. "So y-ou just use-d me?"

He chuckled and grabbed my face harshly with both hands, so now our eyes were connected by a gaze of emptiness.

"I did Aria and I have tasted a heaven of victory today," With that he stepped back from me leaving my face drained with tears in cold.

A thousand unutterable fears bore inside me. Everything was pinching my skin like needles. I felt like I didn't even know him at all.

But that's not what scared me the most, though. It was that, the Ethan I knew all along didn't really exist at all. So I was the only one who was lying to myself all along?

He didn't mean that. I saw the sparkles of desire, passion with need of love and how his eyes softened when we kissed, when we hugged, when we touched. This whole time the affection he shared with me did had some meaning.

I rubbed my sweaty shaking palms over my thighs, nervously looking around of the surrounding for a distraction from my dark fate.

"It was fun and now I hope we don't cross paths in future," He corrected his leather jacket before stepped around me and walked away and me? I stood there completely like a maniac with no breathe, no vision, nothing.

A vast horrible silence crept through me.

Everything ended.....everything.

°°°°°°

Loud music was rumbling inside the house. The atmosphere of the after party was decent and night was in full swing. Gwen and Leo were dancing salsa like mad in love teenagers while holding drinks. Nate and Rachel were settled on the couch in the corner, laughing and mingled in talking while being all touchy.

Fred williams, Aria's Dad inspected his watch the fifteenth time while pacing near the window. The neighborhood was hushed and dark as people were swamped in their drowsiness. It had been forty five minutes since they all came from arena but there was no sign of Aria or Ethan.

He did try calling them to calm his nerve but no one answered.

"Stop worrying uncle, I know both of them very well, they must've gone on a long ride. Relax they'll be here in some time," Leo slowed the music and patted his shoulder then meandered to his way over the table to fill his cup again.

But Fred still had stress written over his face as he kept standing, waiting for his daughter to return home through the door. The excitement he had earlier was gone, like it vanished along the breeze of fear.

Loud footsteps echoed as a tall, handsome six feet man with broad wide shoulders dressed in ironed navy blue plain shirt and black jeans emerged out from the kitchen. His dark hair were all set back like a model with pale skin and his face clean shaved with a little stubble over it.

"Aria is not irresponsible cause if that would've been the case, she would've called. She isn't even picking up her phone," The tall man stated, unfolding his sleeves and buttoned the cuff as he walking to gate before he took his jacket from the rack turned to others. "I'm going out to look for her, call me if any of you heard anything."

Leo cut the music and his smiled faltered along with everyone.

"I'm coming up with you Blake, I can't waste another second here," Without wasting a second Aria's dad insisted. Being a father, the only person that mattered to him was his daughter. Blake sighed and nodded seeing the sweat beads visible on his uncle's forehead.

"But where will you guys go? It's not like we can search the whole city." Rachel reasoned hesitantly fidgeting her fingers as Nate who got alert about the situation stood up and with apprehensive look as Blake's words set him uncomfortable.

Where could she be?

Fred gulped the lump in this throat knowing Blake was right. Aria wasn't irresponsible. His lips formed into thin lines as he took off his glasses, breathed deeply as he thought and cleaned them before put them on.

"Let me try calling her this time." Gwen stressed as she took out her phone and dialed her friend's number but nothing new, it went straight to voicemail again.

"She isn't picking up, should we report it to the police?" She babbled asking everyone's opinion as she bit her lip and held Leo's hand in tight grip, seemed perturbed about her friend.

"She said she'd be with Ethan, try calling him, maybe he'll answer now," Fred adviced with a little hope as Nate nodded and dialed his number but like fate was playing it's stupid games again, his phone was switched off.

"Something is not right and I'm not sitting here knowing they're in some danger," Blake gritted in low voice with one hand on his waist and other ran over his face.

Being an twenty nine years old, soon to be thirty, he was an experienced FBI agent. His senses were stronger than a normal person. He'd sense when there was trouble screaming in the dark.

And now it was about his little wee-one. How could he sit still?

Blake called his uncle earlier today and told him to keep the surprise that he'd be coming and surprise his baby sister but night wasn't on their good side. They had been patiently waiting for her to come, to see the priceless smile on her face.

Fred knew how much her daughter loved Blake and wanted him to come see her playing her game. She did look upset in the morning knowing he wasn't coming though he couldn't ruin the surprise by telling her he was actually joining them today.

The faint ringing of an incoming call rattled made the four walls to fell in silence. A relief washed over Fred's face as he see Aria's name flashing on the screen.

Without wasting a second he slid the screen to right and picked it up but blake put it on the speaker.

"Aria! Where are you sweetheart, we've been calling you but you didn't pick up, we were so worri-

"Dad,".A faint voice lingered in the midst of heavy breathes, cutting him off in the mid. Everyone looked at Fred who straightened up. Her voice was unusual, like it wasn't her who was speaking.

"Aria?.what's wrong? Where are you?" He queried in a careful manner. A mix buzz of vehicles and a sound of faint murmurs of night could be heard behind like she was on road side or something.

Though it was almost eleven, New York streets charm of liveliness would never die.

Blake who stood there clearly knew something was definitely not right on the other side of the call and his posture was all alert. His eyes did softened as he listened her voice but his jaw clenched and eyes hardened the next second.

"It's been a very long night dad, I feel so tired. My legs hurts...my body hurts...Everything hurts," She whispered and from her voice it sounded like it was soar and croaky.

That was it.

"Aria where are you, are you okay?"

Nate, Rachel, Leo and Gwen stood there sharing glances, holding on to themselves to appear strong but they recognized the feeling crawling inside them.

Fear.

Ignoring her dad's question, she spoke again which was barely audible to them.

"Remember the time we were sitting on the porch last year and were gazing upon the stars. Remember what I said?" Her voice was hollow. It had no emotions, no wave, nothing.

It was empty, dead...Like her soul but shallow.

Realization fell on Fred's face as his heart picked the pace to abnormal. He knew what his daughter meant by that. He very well had idea of where this was going and it made him shiver to the core.

Last year after beth passed away, Aria was so drowned in depression that she did something because of the guilt, because of the stress, because of the reason Aria was sent to Melanie.

The main reason she was sent to her therapy sessions.

She was stuck in sorrow of losing her friend and dealing with her anxiety that it made her to take her own life next morning after she said what she was referring to now.

"Aria, TELL ME WHERE ARE YOU!" He screamed as fear built in his head. He held the phone near his mouth as tears threatened in his eyes, ready to fall.

No one knew anything what she was taking about but him. He locked it somewhere in the past. The cold night of new Year Aria sat with her dad outside under the moon lit night and was gazing at the sky. The night appeared to be lonely with stars illuminating the dark body and what she said was,

"That's where I belong dad, I can't breathe here.....just know that I love yo-" Before anyone could utter a word, a heart wrenching loud screeching of tyres echoed inside the house from the other side of the phone with a thud like a body flew and fell to the ground.

Gasps.

Silence.

More silence.

Nothing...

Slipping out of his lose hold, his cell phone dropped with a small thud before Fred's body loosened all his strength it had as he was about to collapsed with wide eyes but not before everyone caught him.

Those words were his worst nightmares. Something he'd never wanted to hear. Something which creeps him out. Her daughter's obsession with stars and starry night made her look at them in a different way again. The way one would ever look.

She found peace in them.

That's where I belong.

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😊.