**( Flashback )**

Looking at the wrist watch yet again, Brandan skipped down the stairs in a frantic speed, he didn't want to get late for the basketball practice. Today was important, the coach had some huge announcement to make that he would only get to know if he reached there on time. However, he paused at the bottom stair, eyes stuck to the main entrance of his house across the long hall. Emma was entering through the double doors, the flats she was wearing barely making any noise on the ground. A scowl immediately formed on his face.

Emma kept her eyes locked downwards to the floor as she proceeded walking past Brandan to go and meet Robert, Brandan's father.

Her father and and Robert had been extremely close friends since the time she wasn't even born. Their bond was such that they decided to not live far from one another even after they got married to the love of their lives. Hence here they were, Brandan and Emma, neighbors since birth. But unfortunately, they never shared the same bond that their parents had once shared.

Brandan and Emma, they were far from being friends.

"Why are you here, again?" Brandan hissed.

Emma halted upon hearing his cold tone.

"Robert told me to... to...," she answered, stammering. "meet him."

Brandan sneered, "And you just came wavering your little tail to act like the perfect pet that you are, huh?"

Emma cringed at his words, she said nothing and proceeded to walk past him. He was always like this to her but still every time when he spat such venom at her, she felt her heart twisting in pain. She always tried to hide it carefully but most of the times failed to do so, specially in front of him.

When walking past him she felt a hard bump on her shoulder and fell down with a thud on the ground, the next moment she felt something wet being poured upon her head, the liquid crawled down her face and neck, getting quickly soaked into her sweater.

Wiping her eyes and face, Emma looked up to find Brandan smirking down at her.

"Oops! My coke fell upon a trash can." Then suddenly his expression changed from mockery to that of anger's as he yelled, "Now... get your fat a** moving and get out of my sight, I can't stand looking at the ugliness that you've got to offer."

Emma's eyes became moist, she tried to push back the tears of humiliation and hurt not wanting to cry in front of him. But she was failing at the task, failing miserably.

Brandan looked at her eyes which showed hurt from his words, his actions. His heart experienced a faint twist but he pushed it away immediately, no mercy should be shown to this girl. If he did, he would be doomed and bound to this girl forever and that wasn't an option he was looking forward to accept. He would never accept that. He would never allow himself to fall into the trap.

He stormed out the house briskly, only lingering briefly at the doorway, giving her one last look filled with disgust and hatred, drawn out freshly from his steel determination.

**( End of flashback )**

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The constant ringing of his phone made him snap out of the reverie of those memories.

"Yes, mom," Brandan answered the call.

"Where're you Brandan?" Martha, Brandan's mother sounded worried as always. "Have you not noticed how late it is?"

"I am at work mom, don't wait for me."Brandan said quietly, sighing.

"But Brandan..."

He held the phone against his ear absentmindedly, half listening to what his mother was telling him. He failed to decipher what was being said to him but it didn't go unnoticed - the concern, the worry in his mother's tone.

Heaving yet another sigh, not really caring to say anything back to his mother to ease her worry, Brandan disconnected the call and went back to stare at the darkness of this lonely night before him which felt like a perfect match to his own empty life.

"Where are you, Emma ?" He mumbled to himself and just like all the other times, like all the other nights a cold wave of wind snatched away the question, the misery of the night intensified. His soul probed at the darkness aimlessly and endlessly for an answer.

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