Hide N Seek

3. Mae

"Run!" 

Ryan felt the little guy grab his hand and start running while being chased by a mob.

Almost an hour ago, Ryan had interfered with a group of people who were bullying a bartender. He had successfully managed to intimidate them with his fighting skills. Little did he know that the bullies who ran away after being beaten up by him would return with more men to face him.

His alertness heightened and he took the little guy's hands instead and ran. They hid in a narrow alley.

Ryan could literally feel the little guy's racing heartbeat after all the running they did, as the latter's body was pressed against his. He was hugging the latter close to himself. The smell of alcohol assaulted his nostrils as he looked down on the fluffy brown hair of the guy.

The little guy was paying no attention to Ryan and had his eyes fixed on the street from which they ran off.

"Those two must be around here somewhere! We must find them!" The leader of the bullies yelled as the mob was searching every nook and corner of the street.

The little guy trembled and buried his face on Ryan's chest when he heard those words.

Ryan felt a pang in his heart watching the scene. He waited for a while so that the mob went away, with his hands around the little guy's tiny waist.

"Hey, they are gone." Ryan patted the little guy who was trying to hide himself in Ryan's jacket.

The little one looked at the street again, fear evident in his eyes. Those people were gone. Even their shouts couldn't be heard. 

The guy let out a sigh of relief. That was when he realized that he was standing in an awkward position with a total stranger.

"Oh! I am sorry I stained your clothes." The little guy apologized looking at Ryan's shirt that was now wet with the alcohol from the former's clothes.

"It's alright." Ryan sympathized with the other party who seemed vulnerable and helpless at the moment.

"You should get going." The little guy said. "It's not safe here."

"What about you?" Ryan was worried about the little guy's safety. The mob earlier was like a flock of vultures wanting to hunt down the little guy. And the guy was like a mouse who was in front of a cat as he was cornered by the group.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." The little guy left without turning back.

"So rude," Ryan muttered as he watched the little one walking further and further away from him. "Just a second ago you were all scared and clingy and as soon as you realised that you were past the danger, you ditched me. I was just trying to help you and now I am in a mess."

Ryan didn't know why but he couldn't help but feel bad about the little one's response. He was hoping to leave a good impression on the latter and make friends with him for the mission. But it seemed to have backfired on him instead.

Coming out of the alley he texted Dome, telling him that he was not coming back to the pub. He then went to the nearest mall to get a change of clothes. He also had to buy things that would be needed for his mission.

After a little shopping, he had dinner in the mall and headed straight back home.

Changing into a set of comfortable shorts and a tank top, Ryan looked at his favourite white shirt which was now stained with traces of alcohol. For some reason, he felt that he shouldn't get rid of the stain. He hung the shirt on the clothes stand, staring at it.

The shirt reminded him of the little guy with doe eyes that were so clear that it could reflect the moonlight at night.

His phone rang, waking him up from trace.

"Hello, Mae," Ryan answered the phone. He had been planning to call his mother earlier but due to the whole chase thing, it had slipped off his mind.

"Ryan, have you talked to Towie? Has she agreed to proceed with the marriage?" Ryan heard his mother's anxious questions.

"No Mae. I didn't." He could feel a headache coming his way as he knew that his mother was going to start nagging.

"Why Ryan? Towie is such a sweet girl. She would be perfect for you. Or do you have someone else in mind?" His mother was at it again.

"No Mae. It's nothing like that, Mae" Ryan had no idea how he should explain to his mother that he wasn't eager to get a partner for himself.

"Then what is it? I talked with Towie's parents and they said that Towie felt that you were not interested in her." The woman complained through the phone. She was worried about her son's marriage.

"Mae, it's not that I am not interested in her. It is just that she doesn't seem to understand my work." Ryan answered.

Due to confidentiality issues, he couldn't reveal many details to his fiance. 

"Even I don't understand your work. What kind of police officer has to stay away from home so much and not even contact his family for so long." 

Ryan's family was unaware of his real profession. He had covered up his job as a mere detective under the police force.

"There is nothing much to understand, Mae. Given my line of work, it is better not to get married this early."

"Early? You call this early? You are already in your late twenties, Ryan! It is not early! And it is exactly because of this weird job of yours that I want you to get married. At least when you have a family, you will be willing to come back home."

"Mae..." Ryan groaned. He didn't want her to start a discussion on this topic.

"Ryan, I am warning you. You better talk to Towie and clear up things."

"Mae, I will be going for duty tomorrow and won't be available for a while. Take care of yourself, na. Please send my regards to Por too. Bye-bye." Ryan dropped the call before his mother could argue back.

Ryan knew that his mother was a strong woman. She had practically bought him up alone as his father was away for the sake of work. As her only son, he often had to put up with his mother's nagging. But still, he loved her the most in the whole world.

He took out the new sim card that Dome had given him and put it on the spare phone he had. He then went ahead to pack his bag to take up his new role as Dawn, a university student.

Making sure that everything was in place, Ryan picked up the file that described his soon-to-be housemates. He had the habit of mingling with people according to their personalities. Knowing their likes and dislikes along with their habits would always help him get closer to people, making his disguise flawless.

As he flipped through the pages of the file, Ryan made a character sketch for himself. He also had the information about his new partner, Key, who would be acting as his elder cousin in the whole set-up.