Innocence Betrayed

Chapter 5

A new throng that emerged from the subway separated them. People pushed each other to make way for themselves and he saw Clea slowly get swallowed into the crowd. He tried getting to her but the people kept pushing him in the other direction, away from her. Tears built up in his eyes as he shouted her name, but the merciless crowd did not hear him. He managed to push few people away, but by the time he got to where he had last seen Clea she was nowhere to be found. The crowd was slowly disappearing yet Luca stood transfixed at the place, his eyes staring at nothing in particular, with just one word on his lips, 'Clea.' 

He started forward, his eyes searching for her and his voice calling out to her. He looked around himself again and again, just to be sure. The fear was building in his chest as the evening slowly crept on. The tears were now flowing quite freely from his eyes and he did nothing to wipe them away.

At last he saw her in the park, adjoining the market. She was sitting on the wooden bench, clutching tightly at her skirt, head bowed and low sobs coming out from her lips.

"Clea," Luca shouted and her head snapped up. A small smile slowly spread on his lips and he ran towards her. She hastily got up from the bench and stood, her skirt still clutched tightly in her fist but the faintest of smiles playing on her lips.

He stopped a few steps away from her, not sure of her reaction. He wanted to hug her and take her in his arms and never let her go. At that moment he didn't even want to acknowledge what the idea of never seeing Clea again did to him. He just wanted to hug her.

He took a step in her direction but she shrank away from him, frightened. He would shout at her for leaving his side. Luca understood the reason. "I won't shout at you. It was my fault, not yours." 

She merely shook her head.

"I swear, I won't shout at you. I can't even bear the idea of you getting hurt. Please Clea," he whispered but she refused to believe. 

He tried reasoning with her, but she plainly refused to believe him. The night was slowly approaching and Luca had to take her back home but was confused as to what to do.  Clea wasn't allowing him to come anywhere near him.

"We have to go home. Mom must be worried." Luca tried again but Clea just stood there, refusing to give in.

At last Luca took out his jacket. He offered one sleeve to her. She hesitated but caught it. He held the other end of the jacket and started walking out of the park, Clea trailed behind him, clutching his jacket in her small fist.

Luca smiled again. He had found a way to get her home without holding her hand and now she wouldn't get lost in the crowd as long as she held onto his jacket. Luca looked back at his sister for the hundredth time and this time he smiled at her. She gave him the faintest smile she could manage, and that was the first genuine smile Clea had given her brother.

"Thank you," he whispered and looked ahead again.

The next day, Clea let Luca tie her shoelaces, holding him by his hair as he knelt down and tied them up.

That incident let Clea to start trusting her brother and as she stood at the window, mesmerized in her own memories, she realised she trusted Luca more than she trusted anybody in her life, not even herself.

A knock on the door brought her back from her reverie. She walked down the stairs slowly, taking her own time. The doorbell rang again.

"Coming," she said as she neared the door. Somehow she knew who the person was. She opened the door to find a messy haired Ryan standing there, leaning against the wall.