Yesterday when I promised Christopher that I'll help him, I didn't have the slightest knowledge of what I meant by it. But now, as I sit next to him on the flight to San Diego, I realize how clear I am in my mind about what I am going to do. Christopher was and always will be the main priority of my life, and I am ready to do anything to get him out of Richard's evil grip. I don't have many contacts, so it's obvious that the only person I know who could help us in this situation is my dad.
Three weeks ago when my father showed up at the door, never in my worst time I would have thought of going back home to seek his help. I still remember how bluntly I said it on his face that I shall pray to God that I'd never see the day when I'll need his help, but here I am on my way to do the exact opposite of what I declared. I guess that's fucking life. When you decide never to fucking let your foot off the beaten path, life brutally forces you to crawl exactly on it, leaving you without a choice. I went back to ignoring his calls after that day, thinking that I wouldn't have to face him anytime soon, but I guess I was wrong.
I turn my head to see Christopher looking out of the window. He still looks sad. I wish I could do something to put a smile on his face. I can't see him suffer like this, but I also know that things can't get back to normal overnight. The truth that he has learned about his past is really hard to digest. I know it would take him some time to adjust to everything and accept the harsh reality. I put my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder. My heart fills up with warmth when he turns to plant a soft kiss on top of my head.
Last night when he revealed things about the truth of his past, I was shocked. It was really scary to know Richard could do that to him. I can't believe he kept everyone in dark including his own daughter. That's freaking crazy! From looking at Christopher's face right now, I could sense how much his revelation has affected him. I am sure Richard was expecting this to happen. And that's why he let Christopher go. He thought that after learning the truth, Christopher would be traumatized. He would become too weak to gather any courage to fight against him.
He thought Christopher would never be able to get out of his grip with the guilt he has inflicted on him. But that's where he went wrong. He doesn't know that I am here with Christopher and I am not going to let him win so easily. Back when he came to threaten me, I had noticed in his eyes how much he underestimated me. He thought I was too naïve. He assumed that his terrorizing tone was enough to get me out of Christopher's life. But he isn't aware that's where I get the advantage. He is too overconfident, and that's the thing that would lead him towards his downfall.
Richard doesn't know me or my father. He doesn't know what my father does, and I am clinging to that little hope that he'll help us. My father may not have been titled as a perfect family man, but he has surely proven himself to be a dedicated officer. I know I am risking Christopher in all this. It would just need a call for my father to make and inform the headquarters to get Christopher arrested. That's the worst possible reaction that I could get from him, and I don't want that. I hope my dad listens to me and everything goes according to my plan.
When I told Christopher that we could get help from my father, he didn't say anything and that led me to know that he was okay with my plan. It's pretty obvious that he still is not in a good mental state, and it wouldn't have been fair for me to stress him more. Before leaving Christopher informed Max, I am sure Christopher hasn't told Max everything that happened between Richard and him. He just knows that the differences between Christopher and Richard have grown bitter over a period, especially because of Sophia. And now it has reached an extent where we want to get rid of him.
He isn't aware of our entire plan, but we know he is on our side. Max has been always helpful, and he is proving it again this time. He assured us that he could keep Richard engaged while we are gone. But he asked us to be quick with our plan because it isn't certain that Richard wouldn't come looking for us. That's the reason we took a flight instead of going by road. We are running out of time and we need to figure things out before Richard gets ahead of us.
We reach San Diego in about an hour. It's around two in the afternoon as we head out of the airport. A wave of nostalgia washes through my body as I take in the surroundings, sitting in the taxi going back to my home. I remember when I was here last time. It was a couple of months after I moved to LA. I realize now how distant I have grown from my family as old memories surf back in my mind. I was so close to them, yet I never made any efforts to reach them in the last few months.
I stare at the door of my house nervously when we finally reach there. It still looks the same as I left, and I feel a sense of happiness knowing that nothing has changed much. I don't know why I am having this feeling. I was away for just a few months, yet it feels like I haven't been here in ages. I don't realize how long I have been staring at the door until I feel Christopher's hand on my shoulder. I look at him as he gives me a slight nod, and then I turn back to ring the bell.
I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for the door to open. "Holy shit!" Charlotte screams as soon as she opens the door and sees me. "What a freaking surprise, Nikki? I didn't know you were..." She stops abruptly as her eyes fall on Christopher standing behind me and again she squeaks. "Oh, my god! I can't believe this. Is that your boyfriend?" she asks being all hysteric and I nod.
She pulls me into an unexpected hug and whispers in my ear. "He is freaking hot!" I try to hide my blush when she pulls back and grins at me. Looking at her bright smile makes me realize how much I missed my baby sister.
"Who is it, Charlotte?" I hear my mom ask from in.
"Mom, Francis, get here right now." Charlotte turns and calls them from inside. "Nikki is here..." She then looks at me and wriggles her eyebrows playfully at Christopher. "And she is not alone." She adds excitedly. I turn towards Christopher and give him an apologetic look, silently begging him to bear with my crazy sister. He says nothing but smiles.
"Oh goodness! Nicole, I am so happy to see you." I turn around and see my mother standing in front now. She looks just as beautiful as Charlotte. It feels like I am seeing her after a really long time. She has her long brown hair up in a ponytail and I wonder, looking at her, how she manages to look so good. She gently hugs me and says. "This truly is a great surprise. I thought you weren't going to show up this year." I feel a knot build in my chest when her voice cracks up.
"I am glad to be back," I say when she pulls back and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
"And who is this handsome young boy?" She asks when she looks at Christopher.
I clear my throat and introduce him. "That's Christopher..."
Christopher steps forward and extends his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Johnson."
My mother shakes his hand and then smiles. "You are such a gentleman." She then looks back at both of us and says walking in. "I am so glad to have you both here. Come in."
Before we can go in, another voice interrupts us. It's Francis's. "Wait! Who is this and what is he doing with my sister?" He crosses his arms and stands in front of Christopher. I let out a frustrated sigh and narrow my eyes at him, but he doesn't look at me. Francis has always been a total drama queen, and I know it becomes frustrating to deal with him sometimes. I look back at Christopher again with pleading eyes. He still looks pretty cool with everything. I just hope he doesn't think I have a bunch of crazies in my family.
"That's Nikki's boyfriend." Charlotte rolls her eyes and states standing next to him.
"What? Nikki's boyfriend? He asks in disbelief and looks at me. "You are not allowed to have a boyfriend without my permission."
"Being tall doesn't make you an elder brother here, Francis," Charlotte says in a bored tone and we laugh.
"Younger or elder, doesn't matter." He scoffs and replies. "Brothers are always there to protect their sisters from falling for bad boys."
He then turns to glare at Christopher and asks. "Let me first get his details...What do you do? Where do you live?"
"Stop it, Francis." I seethe.
"What? Who knows, he could be a criminal?" I sense that Christopher's body tenses when Francis says that. He clenches his jaw and looks away, and everyone gets silent. Shit, this is bad! Before the situation can get any more awkward, Charlotte pushes Francis aside and smacks his head.
"Our brother is a little weirdo... Don't take his words seriously." She looks at Christopher and says sheepishly.
"Excuse me, who gave you the right to degrade my reputation like that?" Francis complains as we walk past him. I hold Christopher's hand and squeeze it as we make our way into the living room, hoping that he would understand how sorry I am for my brother's behavior.
When we all get seated in our living, my mother begins to speak. "I am beyond happy to know that you are staying here for Christmas. It's so good to know that our family will be together after a long time." She turns towards Christopher and smiles. "And not to forget about our special guest this time."
"And we would even get to celebrate Nikki's birthday," Charlotte chirps excitedly. Christopher turns to look at me in surprise when she says that, but he soon hides his expression, not wanting others to be suspicious about him not knowing about it. I never told him about my birthday nor did we have that conversation before and with everything going around I just forgot that it's next week on Christmas eve.
We talk about my life in LA as we have lunch together later. I am surprised by how normal I feel with this conversation, even after not being around my family for months. When they ask about how Christopher and I met, I narrate the same story that I have told Millie to them, except this time I add a lie about Christopher working in an insurance company. Though his appearance hardly matches with the job I referred to, none of my family members get suspicious about it. Fortunately, they seem to like Christopher even if he is strangely being quiet than his normal self. I wish circumstances would have been different with their first meeting so they could have seen the cheerful side of him.
"We missed you so much," Charlotte says as I help them clean the dishes after lunch. Christopher passes me the plates and I nod at him, smiling.
"I missed you guys too," I say to Charlotte. Then I turn to look at my mother, who is wiping the table, and ask her. "Mom, when is Dad going to be home?"
"He'll be back by evening. Why?" She asks, looking up at me.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to him." I purse my lips and say.
She frowns and suggests. "You would be staying here, right? You can do that tomorrow."
"Mom, it's important. Just let me know when he is here."
"Fine." She nods. I know she probably thinks that it's about my unsettled issues with my father and she fears that if I had a conversation with him right now, I might end up fighting with him again like all the times I have done before. I look back at Christopher who is sitting at the table now, his eyes meet mine and he flashes a weak smile. I wish I could tell my mom that I am here just to get help for Christopher.
"I am a bit tired," I state after we finish everything.
"Oh, dear. You should have told me earlier, I wouldn't have let you do all this." My mother glances at me worriedly.
"Mom...it's nothing." I shake my head.
"I have your room ready. I'll tell Francis to bring your bags. You can get some rest until your father gets back." She says and I nod.
Before she can make her way out of the kitchen, I stop her nervously. "Mom, I am taking Christopher with me."
"Of course." She smiles before walking again.
After my mother leaves, Charlotte comes and stands next to me. "Sure. But just keep in mind that we are right in the next room." She teases, earning a glare from me in return.
As soon as we get in my room, I hop onto my bed. I relax myself, leaning against the headboard, and then look around, scanning the room. Nothing here seems out of place. Everything appears to be the same, just like I left it. I missed being here so much. It feels so good to be back.
When I look back, I see Christopher standing at the window. "I hope you aren't mortified after getting acquainted with my family?" I joke, looking at Christopher nervously.
"Not at all. In fact, they are pretty cool." He turns to look at me and shakes his head. "You never told me that you have your birthday this month." He asks after a moment.
"You never asked," I say slowly. "It's on Christmas eve. I forget about it with everything going around."
I see the smile on his face drop as he looks away. "Sorry for being such a terrible boyfriend. I should have known better than to get you involved in this mess."
"Oh, come on, Christopher. You know we are in this together." I scoff.
"But you had to lie to your family about me." His face hardens as he looks at me again.
"It's just for the time being. When things fall into the right place. We'll tell them everything." I reason. Christopher doesn't say anything as he walks towards the shelf across my bed. He doesn't press any further, so I let go of the topic.
"This is such a nice picture. Is it you?" He asks after a minute, picking up a frame from the shelf. I glance and recognize it to be from my childhood. I am sitting on my dad's shoulders in it with a kitten over his head. I am holding the kitten and my dad is smiling looking at me. It's such a happy picture. Looking at it takes me back to the time when it was clicked.
"It is from the time when I went on rescue missions with my dad." I smile and tell him. I close my eyes and go back to the time when everything was good, and we were a happy family.
I don't realize when I fall asleep, but my eyes open when I hear a knock on my door. I shift to look around and see Christopher checking his phone, standing next to the window. I realize that it's already evening. When there is another knock, I get out of the bed and walk towards the door.
I find Charlotte standing in front of me as I open the door. "Dad is here." She says.
I nod and then look at Christopher. He looks a little worried as he lifts his head to look at me. I smile and assure him that everything is going to be fine before I leave the room.
I close the door of my room and make my way downstairs after Charlotte heads back to her room. I feel extremely anxious as I stand in front of my dad's office. I don't know if I could even face him. I feel guilty remembering how badly I behaved when I met my father last time. I know I can't turn my back now. I have to do this for Christopher. I take a deep breath and then step into his office.
When I get in, I see my dad standing next to his desk going through some papers. He looks up from them as soon as I enter.
"So you are here." He half-smiles looking at me.
"Dad, I need to talk to you." I purse my lips and say nervously.
"I know..." He responds, looking into my eyes.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I stare at him in confusion. "What?"
I notice his eyes grow darker and then he clenches his jaw. "It's about Christopher Harris."