Drowning In Color | ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Hello? Luka? This you?" he asked.

I let out a fake laugh and nodded, even though it's a stupid gesture to do because he's not here, and replied, "Yeah. Can't believe you haven't changed your number after so long." The same could have been said about me, but I know he's too polite to be sarcastic.

His name is Ivan. We used to hang out in the past, before we stopped contacting each other. It's kinda weird hearing his voice after all this time. Wonder what he's been doing recently.

"So what's up?" Even he thinks it's weird for me to call after so long. "How's you and your girlfriend?"

Damn, how does he know? Last time I checked, he's not one to go on social media very often. Probably a random coincidence that he chanced upon my change in relationship status.

"She's been taken," I answered. I explained to him about how Mario probably stole my bike and took her to the city.

Judging from his tone of voice, he didn't seem to fully understand what's going on. He told me, "Um... If she ditched you to go for yo—"

"Shut the fuck up, Ivan! She's not like that!" I screamed, not realizing that I'm in the middle of a public bus. And knowing him, he's probably as confused as he can be. I lowered my head and my voice shifted to a whisper, "I meant that he kidnapped her, okay?"

I heard a sigh on the other side. Hope he's not mad at me for the sudden uproar. I pleaded for him to help me out, now that I'm at wit's end. I looked out at the sky, dark as night fell, while I gave him some time to think and talk about it.

He asked for me to meet him, then asked if I could still remember my way around. It had been so many years that my memory had been hazy. Understandable, so he excused himself from the call to text me the subway station he was gonna meet me at, as well as asked me for the license number of my bike.

I had no idea how he could help me, but he seemed so sure of himself. Like he had some sort of plan for me. Whatever it was, it was an hour more before I even reach the city, much longer before I can get to the meeting point.

Every single minute made my heart race faster. As much as I wanted to trust him, paranoia was filling my head with doubts. Simply because there's no specific information provided to me.

Just when I was about to fall asleep on the subway, I heard the call of the station's name. Shit, it's my stop! I alighted as soon as it hit me. And by that, I meant the doors that trapped me just as I was getting out.

Good thing the sensors noticed me and I was released before I could be crushed for real. After a situation like that, I could only hope there's enough energy in me to keep on moving.

A text message on my phone cut through my thoughts. I assumed it was from Ivan, but instead, it was much worse.

"Where the hell are you and your brother?" the text read. And it's from Mom. Great.

I wrote a reply while exiting the station. But just as I was about to hit send, I was pulled to one side after I got out. Goddamn. Now the message was left as read and unanswered. But I had bigger problems to attend to now.

"You're not Ivan," I blurted out the first words that came to my mind.

It was a guy dressed in some kind of biker getup. Or a rock star, depending on how you see it. Heck, for all I know, he could be both. Or neither. He glared at me, then looked at his phone, like he was comparing me against a mugshot or something.

From a distance, I could see my cousin coming over with a bag of churros in his hand. He stuffed one of it in his mouth. Then his eyes widened when he saw me.