We Got Lucky

Chapter 9

Stepping into our new home, all my worries seem to fade away. It's breathtaking. The large windows let in so much light that it brightens up the house. The furniture is modern and artistic but it still has a comfortable look to it. I walk further into the house as my eyes wander over every single detail. The moment my eyes land on the kitchen I know this will be my favorite place in the house.

I place my hands on the countertop as I feel hands wrap around my waist. I lean back and he places his chin on my shoulder. "Did you forget about me after seeing the house?" Fransis questions teasingly. "Maybe..." I reply with a cheeky smile. He turns me around and pulls me in for a hug. I move my hands up his arms and wrap them around his neck. We stay like this for a long moment until the realization hits me. "Hey...I would love to stay here for a lot longer but we need to unpack," I whisper to him and he groans. He lets go and we begin the exhausting process of unpacking.

We spend the rest of the day packing and organizing and occasionally bickering about where certain things should be put(I won most of the time...hehe). After we're done, we throw ourselves onto the bed and pass out from exhaustion. 

Laughter echoes in the dining room of the house. There's a family gathered around a table, eating dinner, having a casual conversation about their day, and enjoying their time together.

A knock on the door silences their voices. "Oh, that must be him," she excitedly says as she jumps off her seat towards the door. She quickly opens the door then she is immediately tackled into a hug. Laughing she says "did you miss me that much? I saw you just yesterday." He sighs into the hug and responds "of course I did, it's been hours!!" She only laughs heartily.

They let go of their embrace and make their way to the dining room. "Mom, Dad, this is Quinton." She introduces this man to her parents who only smile and greet him as well. He sits down next to her at the table and the conversation begins again. Mostly interrogation from her father who was trying to get every little bit of information about Quinton out of him.

However, someone else sitting across Quinton seemed to be holding onto crucial information about this man she brought in. Her brother stands up and points at Quinton "you, come with me." He orders and walks out of the house. He goes into his car followed by Quinton and his sister. "John, where are you taking him?" She questions. "No need to worry sis, I'll try to be nice." He says with a soft smile on his face but the growl in his voice makes her think otherwise. She sighs in defeat as she knows there's nothing she can do to convince him to stay. Quinton enters the brothers' car.

She watches the car drive away silently until images of their dead bodies flash through her mind. Her skin goes pale and her legs limp. She felt there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen so...she screamed. "John! Quinton! Don't go!" She screams her lungs dry, and her throat now hurting, she stops. Tears stream down her pale face as she falls to her knees. "Please..."

"Please...please..." I whisper before shooting up into a seating position. Breathing heavily, I realise it was just a dream. My hands move to touch my face only to find it wet with sweat. I leave the bed to wash my face in the bathroom. I walk back into the room and finally notice the emptiness of the bed. I walk closer to it and notice a sticky note on the bedside table. It reads "Mari, there's an emergency at work that I need to handle. I'll be back in the morning. Love, Fransis." I smile at his use of the word 'love.'

I walk to the balcony and breathe in the crisp night air. I'm trying so hard to avoid it, to forget it but I can't get his smiling face out of my head. It didn't bring me joy to see him alive, even though I wished for so long that he would come back and hold me in his warm embrace again. It only raised so many questions that I've been pushing aside in an attempt to move on and pretend I never saw his face but...I don't think I can run from it any longer...

Fransis POV

I lean back in my chair as I skim through the documents on my desk. My mind wanders off to a few hours ago when I was staring at Mari's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful. A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts, releasing a sigh I place the papers gently on the desk. "Come in," I say. My secretary walks in with a worried look on his face. "What is it?" I question. "Sir...I received word from the security at your house that Mari just left for the airport..." he speaks, answering my question. "What? Where is she going?" I ask. "That we do not know, she didn't tell anyone." He responds.

I don't waste another minute to hear anything else he has to say. Right now I need to find Mari.