March 27th, 11:05 PM - Moonshine Club, Chicago, IL Preston's POV

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He had been running for a while, and still, someone had managed to catch him. A voice yelled for him, forcing him to a slow down.

"Preston! Where are you going?"

His lungs had finally started to burn in protest from the sudden exertion, the outcome of his sprint evident as he heaved deep breathes that left him in huffs.

"Preston, look at me? What happened?"

He had been doing so well. So well. He had promised to never cry over that woman again, but right now, the child he had locked away in his mind screamed to come out. He was close to taking over as tears were now threatening to fall.

"Preston?" They were closer to him now, yet still out of arm's length.

His mind wasn't thinking clearly. Unable to process that it was Azura and not the crazy woman he had just seen, his pre-programmed reflexes made him flinch when her hand reached out to touch him. His nerves were firing warning signals at rapid-fire, as it tried to process all that was happening. The unfortunate meeting mere minutes ago being the only thing that played over in his head.

"No, no, no!" he screamed into the cold air.

Flashes of bedtime stories, happy memories at the beach, morphed into foggy images of the faces of his father's tear-streaked one and that wretched woman's. But the reeling thoughts came to a standstill when two arms tightly wrapped themselves from behind him. The shock from the gesture allowed for the words being said to register finally.

"Breathe in, Preston. Deep breathes in and count to three before you let it out. Come on, deep breaths."

Forcing himself to inhale deeply, he mentally counted for the duration before he let out a ragged breath. 

"Good, one more time." The familiar scent of strawberries and vanilla soothed him as she held onto him tightly. She guided him through a few more rounds, and eventually, Preston's shoulder sagged, his entire body going lax. When she attempted to remove her arms, he stopped her. 

"Just...a little longer." 

Without missing a beat, the familiar warmth encompassed him again, offering comfort. 

They stood there for a while, and in an odd sense, Preston wanted to freeze this moment forever. The raging storm inside him had slowly calmed down, and he had to give his thanks to Azura. To think that she would be the one to get this close to him during his time of need. 

"I saw her. I saw...my mother," he whispered to her, as she silently listened. 

"I didn't recognize her at first, but she recognized me. She talked to me like I was a regular customer until she used my name. She spewed out all this nonsense about loving me and how proud she was of who I have become." 

He took in a sharp breath as he felt the familiar chaos stir within. Right on cue, Azura gave him a light squeeze, quietly promoting him to continue. 

"It's been almost 10 years...10 years. And she claims to have thought about me each day. How, Azura...how can she say all that when she left me so easily." 

The dam broke, and tears flowed freely with no restrain. Yet never once did the warm embrace around him dissipate. The voice coaxed him softly, to release all the pent up emotions he had buried since that day. And he did just that. Standing there, he cried out all he had felt when he saw her face when he recalled his unfortunate past.  

As the tears eventually stopped, and he regained control of his emotions, the inevitable embarrassment from being vulnerable presented itself center stage. Clearing his throat,  the simple cue released him of her hold. Hastily rubbing his eyes, he turned around to face Azura. He smiled, hoping it would erase from existence the last five minutes she had witnessed. 

Yet she tentatively took a step forward. 

And then another. 

And another, until finally, she was right in front of him. 

Her hand reached up, hesitantly before she gently cupped his cheek. Brushing her thumb against his tear-stained skin, she whispered an apology. "I'm sorry."

Her apology for the pain he felt released another fresh set of tears, and she patiently waited to wipe away each one. Despite the initial pain, Preston felt lighter, content with releasing his anger and hurt.

This time, his smile did reach his eyes as she removed her hand. Realizing how fast she had come to his aid, his eyes widened as he took a step back to look at her. "How did you..." his sentence trailed off as he zeroed in on the heels she was still wearing.

"Star track runner, remember?' she stated with a small grin. But the expression simmered to a sad smile as she stared at Preston with sympathy. "I think we're ready to head home. How does a movie sound?"

A small hiccup of laughter escaped his lips before his head bobbed up and down in agreeance. "That sounds really good right about now."

Gesturing towards the direction of the club, she took the lead. "Let's go."

Side by side, they made their slow trek. Azura didn't pry or further question his breakdown to his relief, allowing him to accompany her in compatible silence.

"Thank you."

Turning her head to look at him briefly, she quickly redirected her gaze ahead of her. "Don't mention it."

They continued their walk until their peace was interrupted by the revving of a car engine. "Fucking racers," she mumbled under her breath as she nudged Preston further into the sidewalk as she took up the side closest to the road. Scanning the relatively empty street for the source of the sound, they spotted, a few meters ahead of them, a red Lamborghini. 

The engine's roar increasingly got louder as it reached them. He watched Azura stalk it with a steal gaze until it passed them, her demeanour the entire time, menacing. Wanting to question the random hostility towards the unknown vehicle, Azura picked up her pace, making Preston do the same. "What's wrong?" he asked, throwing a cautious glance behind him.  

"Let's hope nothing," was all she said, as she managed to keep a steady pace in her 4-inch heels. The sound should have become faint, but instead, it sounded closer than ever. Looking behind him, he watched as it slowed it's speed until it was practically rolling beside them.

The window opened to reveal two smirking faces. The men were fairly young, the one in the passenger seat barely 18. 

How could they afford such a car? Do they know Azura? Maybe they need directions. 

But the rude words they spoke were nothing close to that of asking directions.

  "Mami, you lookin' fine," the youngin' quipped, letting out a low whistle.  "Where you headed to? Let us give you a lift," he said as his partner snickered in agreement.

Frowning, Preston glanced at Azura, who didn't even spare them a glance, keeping her poker face on. He wanted to intervene, but the silence Azura offered told him to keep quiet as well. They continued their fast pace, and the car followed along with more jeers being thrown at Azura every minute.

"Come on, let us show you a good time. Do your pussy a favour, eh? We know girls like you like 'em big," the boy hollered. 

What the fuck is happening to youth these days?  

"Enough, leave us alone," he growled through gritted teeth, no longer able to hold back like Azura. But she too must have heard enough because she stopped in her tracks, much to their delight. 

"Azura," Preston warned, unsure of what the girl beside him was about to do.

"Stay here." The command momentarily kept him in his place. But as she approached the vehicle, on instinct, Preston moved closer to her. "Azura, let's just go, we're almost there."

"Fuck off," was the insult he received from the boy closest to them. The kid stared at Preston annoyance before redirecting his lustful gaze on Azura. When Azura finally made it to the open window, she did something no one was expecting. 

It didn't even take her a second before she whipped out a knife and held it against the boy's neck. Everyone froze, Preston included, in utter shock by what she had just done.

"Say another fucking word, and I promise you the next will be in gurgles as you choke on your blood," she hissed. Her threat worked on the schoolboy who whimpered in response. 

But the same fear wasn't instilled in his friend. "Are you fucking crazy? Do you know who you're messing with?" the driver's voice boomed, yet it had lost its confident edge from before.

"Do you know who you're messing with?" she shot back, making the man slightly shift back in his seat. Her victim looked like he was ready to cry, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Preston could finally move again and reached out to pull her back. Not wanting this to escalate any further, he grabbed her wrist only to have her yank her hand out of his hold. "Don't Preston. Stand down."

With the knife still to the boy's neck, Preston watched her stealthily pull out another one from the base of her heel before hiding it behind her back. He stared at in awe, stunned into silence. 

What in the name...

"You are going to keep driving to where ever the fuck you crawled out of. If you make one more remark, it will be your last."

Maybe it was the fact that she was a girl, and she had the upper hand, but it didn't sit well with the man in the driver seat because everything that happened after that was in slow motion. 

Word count: 1619