(Trigger Warning)

Third Person Point Of View

Arlan restlessly woke up, brushing unruly black bed-head curls past his eyes, his mind heavy with stress. He knew the business was fairgrounds. Either he, or his rival mafia group, would win the money at stake at the operation that took place last night. They both knew of the drug trade happening, and both mafias targeted it at equal vantages. They wanted the money. The rival mafia had offered to "work together", but Arlan didn't trust that.

They had killed one of his mafia's biggest assets, Jake, and for that he would never forgive and held a bitter grudge. He knew in the world of mafia, death was a frequent consequence that you couldn't take personal. Just collateral damage. But Arlan had a fondness of Jake, he was like a big brother figure who guided him and took him under his wing. He missed him. Arlan wouldn't get involved with the Silvercrest Mafia men. Collateral damage was not an option. He groaned inwardly thinking of having to see Santiago and his men today, as they wanted another meeting to try and convince Arlan to "work together".

Arlan turned and raised an eyebrow at Aurora's limp arm next to him, covered in several little freckles. He gently lifted her arm to him and pressed kisses on each of them, like connecting dots. The rhythmic motion calmed him, her milky skin softening his rushing thoughts.

She moaned and groaned softly, awakening, eyes slightly opening. When her doe eyes met him, he possessively pulled her to himself and buried his head into her shoulder.

"You're so sweet," he murmured, taking the hair in the back of her head in his hand and intertwining the messy locks in his fingers.

Her eyes fluttered close and he sighed, not wanting to leave this peaceful moment.

He removed his head and eyed her, she was attempting to fall back asleep on his chest. She was so small, such a delicate thing amongst his world of violence and drugs. Like a little dove. Maybe his dove could ease his tension. After all, wasn't that partly why he was keeping her, other than the fact that he loved and protected her?

"Dove," he whispered in a raspy tone, trying out the new nickname.

"Aurora," he said purposefully when she made no inclination to respond.

He grabbed her hips easily and placed her on top of the covers, situating her on his lap as he laid back with a furrowed brow.

She rubbed her eye and shifted away, trying to get back in bed.

"Wait," he stated disappointedly, taking her frame and setting her back.

"I want to have some fun with you," his hands found her dress and started to lift it.

She was suddenly alert, dodging his attempts, wiggling away from him.

"It's early," her little voice came out.

He sighed heavily. He was getting too ahead of himself, again, with his little virgin Mary. But it was so hard not to. She was fucking beautiful, in a weird, non-traditional looking way that he had never experienced before and it ignited fires in him.

"You're right," he nodded, letting her clamber back into bed. She cuddled back into the covers, away from him, and drew the stuffed lamb close to her chest.

What was he thinking?! He was being too handsy too fast for someone who just had their first kiss.

"Aurora," He whispered, looking at her curled up frame. "I'm sorry I stole your first kiss like that. I know to some people, it's meaningful, and I shouldn't have forced it on you like that. I was just so angry....but I promise, I'll make it up to you. Pretend like that one didn't even count."

She was silent. He sighed.

"Do you forgive me? I only want to give you the kind of affection that makes you feel safe."

"I forgive you," She whispered.

"We need to start slow, I know that. Can I kiss your neck?" He asked softly, drawing a thumb up and down the exposed skin gently.

She tensed up but nodded once slightly, and he smirked.

He leaned forward and enjoyed the feel of her soft skin, kissing softly, which eventually lulled both of them back to sleep.

Once Aurora slowly drew back awake, she turned towards Arlan, who was texting on his phone. Glancing at the white bandaging on his finger, curiosity got the best of her.

"Did you get tattooed?" She asked sleepily. He glanced down to it, as if suddenly remembering he permanently inked his body.

"Oh...yeah," He mumbled, texting again. His brow was furrowed, like he was distracted by something stressful. "Nate did it. He did all my tattoos."

She had forgotten about Nate, and quickly tried to again. She didn't need more than one person in her head making her anxious.

"Arlan," Aurora propped herself up on her elbows, "If we're a real couple, why don't we go out to dinner or the movies or the mall?

He laughed cheekily.

"You're sneaky, dove," He said and she frowned at the newfound nickname poking at her innocence. "I know what you're doing. You want to go in public to escape. We're not at the point where I trust you enough. That shit has to be built."

"I know...things have to be built," She shakily agrees and he smirks when she avoids cursing. He found it amusing and she felt embarrassed. "B-but I just want to buy some things I need," She lied.

Arlan switched his phone off and suddenly hovered over her, making her gasp. It's then she took in the sight of his bare skin without a shirt and gasped again, feeling nervous.She hadn't fully realized she slept next to him without his shirt on. His tattooed arms encased her and she had never seen both of his full sleeves. They were all just numbers...she couldn't make sense of what they meant.

"I'll tell you what-tell me what you need, and I'll send the list to a maid to pick it up."

"B-but, Arlan,"-

He dove into her neck and began kissing it once again, addicted to her and cutting her off.

"I-I just want to get out, please, it's boring here," She lied, once again.

"Boring, huh?" He leaned back over and smoothed hair off her forehead. "If you want an exciting day baby, come with me to work, the last thing you'll be is fucking bored."

Her face paled.

"N-n-no, I-I don't,"-

"Relax," He narrowed his eyes, caressing her cheek, addicted to touching her in anyway he could. She was intoxicating, he couldn't stop. "I wasn't being serious. But complain one more time, and I might be," He pecked her nose.

Arlan hopped out of bed with that and stretched his tattooed arms.

"I'm going to work, you'll be alone here for the day. There will be guards all around so don't even try to leave this room."

"W-what am I supposed to do all day?" Aurora asked timidly, realizing she was now stuck to his bedroom all day.

"Sit there like a good girl," He mindlessly answered, as if it wasn't 'obvious', pulling his button-down shirt close together after it was on his arms.

"A-Arlan,"-

"Unless, of course, you need a reminder that if you complain again, I'll take you to work with me," He turned to her, shirt un-buttoned revealing the toned, hardened structure of his rigid abdomen.

Aurora's heart jackhammered in her chest in a way that left her terrified. She squirmed and looked down. She didn't like looking at his exposed skin, and she feared the idea of being around drug-ridden weapon-holding criminals, who were probably equalled as tattooed and psychotic as Arlan. She was silent and soon he was gone.

The day was long, and as gray as the color of the sky and walls that Aurora stared at. At first, she attempted to sleep again, but felt far too alert and aware of her circumstance to do so. She then decided to pace back and forth, but that only made her further anxious.

After hours of desperation, Aurora decided to even pray. She had never been brought up in religious upbringing, and wasn't even exactly sure how to, but she didn't know what else to do. She closed her eyes and brought her hands together, not even entirely sure if she was doing prayer right. She tried to contact God through her thoughts, and prayed-

'God, if you hear me, my name is Aurora and I am kidnapped. Please help me, let someone find me, let the police know to look for me. I'm unsafe and so, so afraid. I don't want to get hurt, I want to go home and be safe.'

A maid had tried to knock with breakfast, but Aurora locked the door and did not answer. Again, at lunch, a maid knocked and pleaded for Aurora to open the door. Aurora did not, she did not want to eat or see anyone, but at least it helped her keep track of time.

She began to miss her work shifts at Little Louisa's, serving coffee to jolly old couples and Sunday brunch to sweet little families. She missed listening to music on the bus ride to school, watching the Autumn foliage unfold before her out the window. She wondered if she had told Arlan she had a boyfriend they day he met her, if this would have never happened.

A bang on the door slapped her out of her thoughts and made her flinch, turning to the direction of the noise. Was Arlan home?

"Aurora, open this fucking door," Nate roared. She hugged herself and whimpered, tears raising into her waterline. Nate.

"NOW!" He beseeched.

Fearfully, she came to the lock and twisted it off, the door slamming open as she cowered back quickly. He was holding dinner.

"It's 5:45 and you haven't eaten all day!? What the fuck is wrong with you?! Do you know how much trouble we could all be in for your behavior?!" He raged.

"I'm not hungry, Nate!" Aurora quietly seethed. "I have no appetite being locked away like a captive."

"It doesn't matter if you're fucking hungry, you eat! You understand me? And you're gonna tell Arlan you had breakfast and lunch, too, or they'll be hell to pay for everyone here and it'll be your fault!"

He sounded just like Arlan's words yesterday: ' If I tell you to eat, you ask 'how much, Arlan'.'

Why was everyone so harsh and cruel!? It was breaking her spirit!

"What happened to being my friend?!" Aurora sobbed.

"Friend?" Nate repeated incredulously, eyes widening in disbelief. "I'm a mafia man, sweetheart. My life is on the line every day if I don't follow orders, including ones I've been assigned to this new little..project," He looked her up and down. "You. And it's proven to be rather difficult. We're not friends."

He shoved the hot tray of food at her and slammed the door. He might as well have told her to choke on it. She coughed as she sobbed harshly.

A pearly tear rolled down her chin as she sniffled and looked down to the tray. Another vegetarian dinner, this time penne ala vodka with seitan crumbles, drizzled with lemon zest and garnished with basil pieces. This meal did not impress her or distract her from the ugly reality she was in.

Why did no one truly care for her here? Sure, they gave her nice vegetarian meals, but no one truly emotionally cared about her here. Not Nate, not Elise, and most certainly not Arlan. She was stuck, like a prisoner, all because Arlan had a stupid little crush on her and became obsessed with her. Why not another girl, why her? All she did was have a class with him and be kind to him. How many times had this happened to other girls? Was she the first? She didn't understand how she could end up like this-she had always followed the rules and did not deserve this kind of torture. She had been through enough in her life.

After dinner, she curled up into the bed and felt exhausted enough to actually sleep again. She pulled the lamb to her and sighed, dozing off.

The door slammed opened around 1 AM, awakening Aurora and scaring her, her body scrambling up. In the darkness, she could see Arlan's shadow. He was back, and she clutched her stuffed lamb tightly to her. He wiped something from under his nose and turned the lights on, her eyes adjusting and squinting and she saw it was blood. Her stomach turned. Blood, splattered all over his clothes, particularly seen on his white wife beater. She whimpered.

"I've gotta shower," His gruff voice said in exhaustion, and with those three words, he slammed the bathroom door. She was still holding her breath, clutching the covers. What had happened?! She was terrified, silent tears slipping as tremors racked her shaking body.

This type of behavior and routine continued for six days, Aurora alone all day, Arlan returning home at midnight either bloody and bruised or just in a sour, angry mood. She did not want to know, she did not want to ask. She enjoyed not being around him that much during the day, though. Because at night, when he was home from work, he was gradually becoming more touchy and aggressive. Her whole neck and collar bone were bruised purple, as he now had no hesitance to claim her in painful hickeys. He held her tighter in her sleep, his iron grip and large muscles encasing her tiny body making her miserable and intimidated. She appreciated the space from him during the day, where she felt like she could finally breathe. She had even asked for paper and started to draw during the day.

"Aurora," Arlan said on the seventh night, hovering over her. It had officially been a week of her being captive. He cupped her face and she eyed him bitterly, he kissed her softly, and she nervously did nothing back with her lips. He looked into her eyes, ring-covered thumb caressing her cheek.

"In the mess of my job, in the frustration of life, in the cruelty of violence, when I look into your doe eyes...none of that matters. It washes away into oblivion, into background noise. Because you're mine, little one. My little dove. From the moment I saw you, right now," His grip on her face hardened and she gulped, eyeing him with fear, eyes watering, "and until forever."