It has been a week since she talked with Henry and she hated to admit that a big part of her was missing. Her finger hovered over a particular contact on her screen. She wanted to make a call, listen to his voice one more time but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What would she say? What if he was still mad at her? What if he hated her now? No! She preferred not to find out. There is some comfort in not knowing the truth.
She tapped another contact and made a call. "Hello, do you want to hang out?"
"Where do you want to go?" Robert answered in high spirits.
"Anywhere as long as I can escape reality for a while."
"Count me in."
Half an hour later, Sarah and Robert walked into an enormous room filled with colorful trampolines, foam pits, and dodge balls. The wall-to-wall trampoline tempted her to join the fun and it seemed to whisper in her ears, "Jump on me!"
Sarah's eyes sparkled at the sight of those trampolines. "You're great!" She suddenly turned around and dropped a kiss on Robert's right cheek before hopping onto the trampoline. In her hurry, she failed to notice Robert's trance as he indulged in the fading warmth on his cheek.
Sarah jumped, going higher and higher with each drop. How long had it been ever since she experienced that giddy feeling mid-air before bouncing? It was this freedom of flying through the air without worrying about anything that she needed the most. At least, she could free her mind for a while. The cushioned borders lining each square made it feel like running around in one big patch of quilt.
After a whole afternoon of fun and joy, Sarah lay with her back on the floor, panting. She scratched her sweat-soaked neck before letting her arm fall limply on the floor. She turned her head to the side to face Robert who was in no better condition than her. His left hand rested on his stomach and sweat trickled down his face.
"That was so much fun," he said, panting like a marathon runner.
"Yeah," Sarah said, not having enough energy to talk more.
After catching their breath, they went to take a refreshing shower in the changing rooms provided by the trampoline park. Sarah changed into black shorts, an olive green top, and sneakers. Robert, too, had changed into clean clothes and stood by the car, waiting to drive her home.
Sarah felt the exhaustion set in as soon as she sat on that comfortable passenger seat. The cool air from the AC felt refreshing against her hot skin and a satisfied moan escaped her lips. Her eyelids grew heavy and she soon drifted off to a peaceful sleep. Robert remained silent and concentrated on driving, slowing down in hopes of spending more time with her.
The distant sound of a police siren roused her from her nap. They were approaching the Salima bridge, a short distance away from Greenville residence. She saw two police cars stop at the Salima bridge. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar black SUV parked on the other side of the bridge. That familiar license plate made her heart race. She hastily signaled Robert to stop the car.
Robert quickly pulled over at the side of the road and turned to Sarah with a puzzled look. "What is wrong?"
Sarah didn't say anything. Perhaps she didn't even hear him talk. She unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and ran towards the police car.
Robert watched helplessly as Sarah ran. He stepped out of the car, and with one look, he quickly realized there was something unusual about this place. From a distance, he could see dozens of police cars approaching. He reacted fast and sprinted towards Sarah, managing to pull her arm before she reached the police. "It's not safe here. Let's leave quickly."
"Not safe?" Sarah asked, not willing to go back.
"See that?" Robert pointed at the dozen police cars approaching. "They don't send that unless there's a dangerous operation underway. Even the residents have been evacuated." His voice got even more urgent. "Don't go there and close more problems!"
"But..." Sarah protested. She still wanted to go.
"No buts," Robert cut her off before she could finish speaking. He pressed her shoulder and glanced at the black SUV. "I saw Henry here so everything will be fine. Follow me."
Sarah suddenly stopped and looked at him. Surprise flashed in her eyes from his words. So, he also knew that Henry was here. But, how was that supposed to make her feel any better?
Robert chuckled at her surprise. "Stupid girl, I know you don't want to leave anyone behind but this is not the time to play the hero." With that, he dragged her back into the car.
As they drove away Sarah looked at the bridge one more time and a sense of unease filled her heart. "I heard there were a few shootings within the demolition site recently."
Robert's face suddenly turned solemn. "No matter what happens, you better stay in a safe place. You, do not expose yourself to danger, understood?"
"Understood." Sarah nodded. She knew Robert was dead serious on this one. But it was his seriousness that made her even more worried. How dangerous was the situation? What on earth was Henry going to face? What if something went wrong?
Robert must have noticed her restlessness because he stretched out his free hand and patted her shoulder in a comforting way. "Based on my understanding of Henry, he has a way of protecting himself no matter what happens on that bridge. He'll be fine don't worry."
"Why are you so sure? Sometimes accidents happen."
"I certainly believe in his methods." He paused and continued, "Have you ever thought how he could make a lot of profit in these five years?" Sarah shook her head and stared at him with her eyes wide. He took that as a cue to continue, "Do you think all his achievements were obtained by pure luck?"
Sarah went silent. She never considered any of this before. Of course, he had his ways. She had witnessed it herself.
"By the way, is something going on between you two?" Robert suddenly asked, jolting her back to the present.
"What? No!" Sarah shouted, acting like a child caught doing something wrong. "Why do you ask?"
Robert frowned at her reaction. "Nothing. I felt like you were overly worried about him."
Sarah leaned back on the seat and took a deep breath. "You seem to trust him a lot."
Robert laughed and his face relaxed. "Of course. We've known each other for more than eight years."
"How did you guys meet?"
"Us?" Robert chuckled. "We met within the first month after I joined Havard and I detested him. At that time, he was a famous genius and in just two years, he managed to establish a small company of his own." Robert paused and rubbed his nose in embarrassment. "We both quarreled every time we met though."
"You two were always fighting?" Sarah snorted, "Based on your temper, it's not surprising."
"Hey, you can't blame it all on me," Robert defended, "he was arrogant and I couldn't stand him. We often fought outside school."
Sarah thought about the last time Henry had shoved money in her face. It was indeed infuriating. She laughed and gave Robert a thumbs-up. "He deserved it. He can be a brat sometimes." Sarah thought something didn't add up. She sat up and turned to Robert. "If you guys couldn't wait to tear each other apart, how did you end up as best friends?"
"It was a year later during one of our regular fights after school. A terrifying street gang attacked us and we were outnumbered; six to one. Guess what? He managed to beat them up and saved my life. Even I was surprised. I had to admit he had the capital to be arrogant." His gaze softened and his voice got gentler as he spoke, "After that, we started appreciating each other and became brothers."
Sarah remained silent. Robert took a deep breath and continued, "he graduated two years earlier than me and returned to Zaida City to visit his family before returning to Boston. Did you know he only needed three years to develop the Xian Group into a listed company? Impressive, isn't it?"
Sarah nodded but she seemed troubled. Despite Robert's attempts to make her less worried, a sense of unease overwhelmed her. It seems she cared more than she thought.
Robert added, "I'm very familiar with his behavior. Every step he takes is carefully considered and he will take immediate action if he is genuinely convinced that there is nothing wrong. That's why I believe in him."
Sarah finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering her. "If he already had such a successful life back in the US, why did he come back and enroll at Zaida University?"
Robert's expression turned solemn. He stared straight ahead and the grip on the steering wheel tightened a little. Just when Sarah thought he wouldn't answer, he said, "It's complicated."