Shattered Relations | Aru Shah AU |

XXXII

RUDY
"Okay, this is bad," he said, pacing in Mini's room. 

"He knows we're on his trail, and he somehow knows what we're planning—" Mini said, clutching her head.

"He recorded us, and that's creepy enough—"

"Oh God," she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"He told me that I'd have to do what he said, otherwise he'd release that tape, and— and ruin my future!"

Mini looked up, morose, "We— we can fix this. We just need to—"

"There is no "we" anymore! I'm being sent to Atlanta! I'll be leaving you alone, and he said— he said that if I didn't listen..."

"What?" she asked, her voice catching.

"He said he'll kill you, okay?! I can't risk that! I can't risk losing you!"

Her eyes were wide, and her fists were clenched.

"I'm sorry, Mini," he said, fighting back tears.

"I'm so sorry, I tried, but... we lost."

She covered her face with her hands, and he saw tears escaping through her fingers, silvery-gold in the light.

"I tried to be brave for you, Mini. I really did. But I failed in the end. And now it's all breaking apart." He felt a tear roll down his cheek.

His grandfather's words echoed in his head.

"If you want your girlfriend to live, you'll listen to me, won't you, grandson?"

————

Three days later, Rudy was dragging a heavy suitcase through the entrance of the airport, ignoring the chatter around him and Mini.

His grandfather had somehow managed to convince his parents and brother to not come to see him off, possibly to make his departure more painful. It would certainly be the type thing he would do.

Both he and Mini had danced around the topic of his leaving, the unsaid words clear in the silence between them: Maybe we won't meet again.

But he had to keep hope.

"You'll be okay, won't you?" He asked, shouldering his bag.

She smiled slightly, though he saw sadness glimmering in her eyes.

"Have a safe flight," was all she said. "...And tell Aru and Aiden that I said 'Hi'."

He smiled back, and said, "Will do."

Silence fell between them, as announcements echoed overhead.

Mini checked her watch. "Your flight is in an hour, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She crossed her arms, and said, "Well... good luck."

He tilted his head, catching the upward tilt of her eyes, a swirling dark that he could get lost in.

"Stay safe. Please." He said.

She turned her face away from him. "I will."