Had I heard him right?
I'm only for temporary?
An alternative?
How dare they treat me as a toy!
But, yet again...
Pride or money?
What should I choose when my brother's lying somewhere. Even dying.
Stop thinking about that. He's alive. It's still Monday.
But still.
I cast a glance to him as he had his back turned to me. He was having coffee, the sweet aroma wafting to my nose.
My stomach grumbles.
I cleared my throat as an effort to hide my embarrassment, hurriedly keeping the marriage contracts. Louis went down to answer his call, leaving us two alone.
My stomach grumbles again.
I stand, ready to leave the room.
"Uh...see you later then?"
He doesn't even acknowledge my presence.
I sigh and opened the door.
The morning sun was hot and crisp and the summer air was cool. I walked straight down our street, immediately opening the gate to my home and unlocking the door. I collapsed into a chair.
Thank God. I still don't have to stay with him.
But the melancholic sadness of being alone was making me swell up. Worry tearing me at the seams.
My brother...My one and only brother...
Somehow, I drifted off to sleep in the height of the afternoon.
I awaken to the sound of my ringing cellphone.
I checked to see who it was and was caught off guard. I didn't expect him to call me. Knowing for one, we don't have good points listed on each other.
I picked it up.
"Hi, Kaye speaking."
Chrome: "Where in the world are you?"
"Uh, in the US?"
Chrome: "Don't mess with me, idiot. Where are you? There's this party we have to attend."
"I'm at home."
Chrome: "Did you really think I know where you live?"
Oh, God. How can I be so...
"Fine. I'll meet you at the coffee shop."
I quickly left, making sure everything was locked. I immediately jumped into a taxi giving the driver directions.
I arrived in the nick of time as his Porsche swiftly parked in the lot.
He gets out just as I do.
But I quickly hid away.
"What are you hiding for?" He asks, irritated.
"What are you wearing a tux for?"
"Are you always this weird?"
"Are you always that demanding?"
He stands just a meter away from me. But his hands pulled me out of my hiding place. And his eyes widen at the sight.
Why am I always a fashion criminal? Or worse, Ms. No sense of what to wear?
I nodded.
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"Because I'm meeting you."
"Is it your idea to dress plainly?"
"Hey!" I snapped, This guy is really too much.
"Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that...I hate all of this!" He said, crouching down to meet me eye to eye.
"I hate it too." I admitted. I hated how my life was. Without my mother. And now my brother.
Why does the world revolve around money?
"So, what's this tux-wearing-thing all about?" I asked, looking at his blue eyes.
Why is it blue? Last time I checked, it was green.
"Hey," he says.
"Uhh...What?"
"Let's go."
"Where?" I asked. I think I'm not dressed to wherever he's going.
"I don't know. Anywhere?"
"Okay, but do I dress okay?"
"Maybe...it's alright."
I nodded, pursing my lips together, wondering where we were headed. I slipped into the backseat but I immediately jumped over onto the front, almost stumbling over my converse.
"Are you okay?" He says, confused.
"Yeah!" I screamed, "Yeah."
He shrugs and sits beside me.
He starts the car and drove off, away from the shop. And towards the mountains. My eyes widen and I look at him.
"Why are you going to the mountains in this time of the night?"
He smirked, "I want adventure. That's all."
Suddenly his phone rings. I sneaked a peek over his pocket and saw Louis' name.
He immediately pressed end.
"Aren't you going to answer that?"
"No. I'm not in the mood." He says, briefly.
I shrugged and closed my eyes to feel the wind blowing. He had taken off the car's cover and the night sky sprawled endlessly. I gazed at the stars and felt a smile wanting to tug my lips.
And for a long time, I let them. My second smile.
Then, I feel stares from beside me and flipped my head. Chrome was on the phone. My smile faded and I averted my eyes to the road ahead.
Whatever was that?
We had reached the base of the dense forest that looked over us with tall shadows. The air was really cold.
He parked his car just beside the mountain cliff, not to near the edge. He gets off.
I looked at him, taking a deep breath.
I jump off too. Suddenly, he speaks, "It's the best remedy is it?"He asks, eyeing the view below. The city was pulsing and alive with lights and fast cars.
And I remembered my mother.
"Yeah, I think." I answered.
He smiled and looked at me. "Are you scared?"
"No. Why?"
"Nothing," he sits on the red hood of his Porsche,putting his hands on his pants pocket.
I walked a bit farther towards the forest but not too far. "But it sure is scary in there."
The humm of an engine starts. Strangely.
I turned around and saw the him backing out. "Ashfield," I shout, "Hey!"
But he laughs. And accelerates the motor.
And I find myself alone. Void of anything.
Right now, I'd do anything just to get a flashlight.
My hair stands as I looked back at the forest, the feeling of being watched from behind the shades of tree trunks. I took no second longer and run for my life.
Oh, God, it's three miles from the shop.