“Yes, sir?”
“No ‘sir’. My name is Dylan, all right?”
“Okay, Dylan,” she said and smiled, sweetly. She wasn’t staring at her feet and blushing every five minutes like she used to do before, and Dylan thought she looked very cute with that fringe and those big eyes.
“And one more thing, can you call a taxi and ask the driver to wait for me? I want to escape as soon as possible.”
“Sure thing.”
“Great, honey.”
As he had foreseen it, talking to his dad wasn’t very pleasant. He knocked at his door and waited. His dad appeared shortly after, still wearing the purple tacky robe.
“Hey, son. Where’s Natasha? What do you want?” he asked, smiling. Dylan imagined how his mood was about to change.
“I have to talk to you.”
The reaction was exactly as Dylan expected. Mr. Fleck started by screaming, then he told him he was a useless tramp, a mindless brat, and Dylan could only look at Nicolle’s shocked face. She was on their bed, folding some of Michael’s clothes. Dylan never really entered the room, so, when he saw that Michael was about to trash him, he turned around to the hall, shouted “Bye!” and ran downstairs.
Mr. Fleck followed him but he didn’t go down, he just kept screaming about his no-good, liar, and terrible son, while Dylan opened the door and Emily looked at him, worried, but Dylan got her hand, carried her bag, finally laughing from the situation, and they both got away, running, while Michael kept screaming. The taxi was already there.
They sat on the back seat and Dylan screamed for the taxi driver, “GO, GO, GO!” but it didn’t seem like his dad would follow them this time.
Dylan stopped to breathe. He was still laughing, feeling warm and sweaty from the great escape. The interior of the taxi smelled like cigarettes and the air con was very cold inside, he shivered. Emily felt the same. She put her hands on her belly, resting her head on the car bench, while smiling, her face red.
“That was super cool!”
“It definitely was super cool,” Dylan said. “At least I think he’ll leave me alone for a while. I can’t wait for him to go away.”
“Doesn’t he live here?”
“He travels a lot for work. This’s just one of his houses.”
When they got to the college, Dylan felt excited to show everything around. He pointed at the buildings and trees, telling where he got classes, stopping to show the soccer team training, and even their teacher Mr. Thompson, that walked wearing his brown suit and carried a cane.
“He looks scary,” Emily whispered.
“You bet,” Dylan said, chuckling, while they kept walking. “Do they have scary teachers where you study too?”
“Chayl, right?”
“Yeah,” Dylan smiled.
They got to block 2, where Dylan’s apartment was, number 15. He was almost never there since he basically exchanged dorms with Julian, Natasha’s roommate. Julian was dating Dylan’s roommate, so it made sense. But now Dylan wanted his bed back. They got upstairs, to the third floor, and Dylan opened the door.
The apartment looked empty. The shutters were closed, darkening the room.
“Make yourself at home, even though it isn’t very homey,” Dylan said, going inside, heading to his bedroom behind the couches. He knocked, but no one answered, so he entered. The room was empty and pretty much as Dylan had left. The only difference was a bag on his bed.
“It’s Julian’s,” Dylan said. He put the bag on the floor, so he could sit on the bed. Emily sat by his side. “My housemates are annoying but they’re almost never here, so we might have some peace for a while.”
“Don’t worry about me!” Emily exclaimed. “It’s nice enough to be here. Thank you for bringing me.”
“You’re welcome,” Dylan said, smiling. She looked like a different person altogether.
He was thinking about telling her that he really liked how she’d changed when he heard the front door slamming shut. They exchanged a look, frowning, and Julian stormed into the room. He halted, looking at them both, confused. His face was stained with tears.
“What happened, man?!” Dylan asked, getting to his feet. Julian was always calm, controlled, shy. Not this time. He cleaned his face with the back of his jacket and reached out to get his bag on the ground.
Chapter 10. The Runaway
“Carl and I broke up. I’m here to get my stuff,” Julian said, pure sorrow showing from his voice.
“Really? What the hell, man. I’m sorry…” Dylan said. “Today’s being rough for everybody. I had a discussion with Natasha.”
“Oh… that sucks,” Julian said, looking down. He picked the bag from the floor and put it on his back. “I’m sorry to hear.”
“You know what, let’s go for a drink, what do you think?” Dylan asked, getting up, and looking at Emily. “We have to cheer up otherwise we’ll die!”
“I’m not sure if I’m feeling it. I just want to go to my room,” Julian said.
“Crying there by yourself will do no good. Let’s cry together!”
Julian looked at him, his chin trembling, but he nodded, holding back the tears. Dylan smiled and involved his shoulder with his arm, in a hug.
They walked through campus to the streets outside. It was hard not having a car. The campus was far away from downtown. Chayl city was divided by areas, and the university area had plenty of pubs, restaurants, and places to go. However, everything was kind of dead and boring. The houses and walls were gray, the cars were all either white or black. It lacked life.
“I get why Natasha want so badly to leave here,” Dylan whispered, staring at the grey walls, while few cars passed by their side. They chose a bar with tables outside and took a seat. “So, what happened, Julian? I mean, if you want to talk about that.”
Julian shrugged. He still looked very upset. He was wearing a thick navy-blue coat, his glasses stained with tears.
“It just wasn’t working,” Julian whispered. “He wanted things that I couldn’t give him yet. And he didn’t seem to understand that. Dylan, I don’t want to talk about that anymore. Let’s change subjects, please.”
“Sure, man…” Dylan murmured, putting a hand on his shoulder for support. “Do you remember Emily?”
“Yeah,” Julian said, smiling at her. She smiled back, nodding.
“I brought her to live with me for the next weeks. I bet Carl will freak out,” Dylan said and laughed. “It’s my revenge for you, bro.”
“Who’s Carl?” Emily asked.
“It’s my ex,” Julian said, “and Dylan’s roommate.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Emily said but Dylan noticed she wasn’t looking down and blushing anymore when she apologized for something.
“It’s all good,” Julian said, but he didn’t sound like it was all good. A waiter appeared to serve them and handed each a menu.
“Is it too early to ask for vodka? Well, fuck it. Vodka with lemon juice, please?” Dylan told the waiter.
“I also want one,” Emily said. Dylan looked at her, impressed.
“I didn’t know you like to drink,” he said, smiling. She shrugged, her eyes lightening behind the brown fringe that covered part of it. He liked that version of Emily much better.
“Make it three,” Julian agreed. “But bring us some fries too. Having your heart broken makes you hungry. Who would guess?”
“Totally agree, man,” Dylan said, looking at the steaks on the menu.
“I’m sorry that you had to go through this Natasha thing,” Julian said.
“Meh. It’s life. It breaks your heart and steps on your face, and you still love it.”
“Maybe everyone is a bunch of masochists,” Emily said, smiling. They laughed.
“And sadists at the same time,” Dylan added, while the waiter came back already with the drinks. Dylan raised his glass. “Let’s make a toast. To being single!”
Everyone raised their glasses. They drank and the bitter taste of vodka invaded their
mouths, burning. Dylan felt like gushing it down, but he knew it would only make him more miserable. So, he rested the cup on the table at the same time that his phone rang, and he looked at it, hoping it wasn’t Natasha, but actually hoping it was Natasha. It was Oliver. He smiled and picked it up.
“Hey, bro,” Dylan said, while Julian and Emily looked at him. “What?!” he asked, raising his voice. His face fell, he joined his eyebrows together, anxious.
“What happened?” Julian mouthed. Dylan was frowning now.
“Yeah, we had a fight. No, okay, we’re coming over, don’t worry!” Dylan exclaimed, putting his phone down while looking at them.
“What’s up, man? You’re killing me!” Julian exclaimed, raising his voice to almost a shout, something he never did.
“Is everything all right?” Emily asked. Dylan shook his head while the waiter put the fries on the table.
“I’ll need the bill as quickly as possible. You know what? Take this here, keep the change,” Dylan told the waiter, handing him a one-hundred bill. The waiter raised his eyebrows, surprised. “Let’s go, guys. Natasha ran away or something.”
“What?!” Julian asked while they all got up.
“She left a note or something, Oliver told us to go home.”
“A note? Who leaves notes nowadays?” Julian asked, confused. Emily was frowning, not completely understanding the situation.
They all walked as fast as they could to campus, Dylan’s stomach burning because of the vodka and the nervousness. He was also hungry, but they didn’t have time to eat the fries. Julian looked worried, his face sweating, and he kept pushing his glasses close to his eyes.
It took them fifteen minutes to cross the whole campus and get to apartment 39, where they lived. Oliver was sitting at the dining table and Lucy was on the sofa, holding her belly, pale as she was very sick.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Oliver said, getting up. He had a wrinkled piece of paper in his hand. “Look at that.”
The note was handwritten in pink ink. It was undoubtedly Natasha’s. It read:
“Please, don’t worry, guys. As you all know, I never intended to stay in Chayl. I thought it was a good time to go away now. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way, but I didn’t want to worry you, and I didn’t want you to stop me. I’ll be fine. If you could be kind enough not to contact the authorities, it’d rock. I know that maybe you’ll need to do that, the law and stuff, so no hard feelings. I’ll be thinking about you all, Natasha.”
And a little heart accompanied her name.
“I think I’ll throw up,” Julian said, covering his mouth.
“Me too!” Lucy exclaimed from the sofa.
“Oh, my fucking…” Dylan said, putting his hands on his head, his eyes widened. “What do we fucking do now, Oliver? What do we…?”
“Calm down!” Oliver exclaimed, feeling like slapping him on the face.
“Have you tried ringing her?”
“Of course! Give it a try, maybe she’ll pick it up.”
“Nothing,” Dylan said, with his phone already on his ear. “Her phone’s not even on.”
“Gosh…” Julian said, covering his mouth with his hand while sitting on the sofa.
“What’s she thinking? She’ll go to another country and adopt a new personality?” Oliver said, running his hand through his face. “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”
“You know how Natasha is. And she always told us she would run away,” Dylan said.
“The authorities will want to punish us all in the public square!” Julian exclaimed. It was a common punishment for Chayl.
“It’s not our fault?!” Dylan exclaimed, his voice breaking in terror like a little teenager.
“They’ll think it is!” Julian said, freaking out. “No one can leave Chayl without permission!”
“Guys, stop freaking out, we need to think about what we’ll do!” Oliver exclaimed, firm. He was feeling his neck hurt from the tension.
“Gosh, they’ll put us in jail!” Julian continued.
“Julian, don’t make me slap you, man,” Oliver threatened.
“He’s right, Oliver!” Dylan screamed, and Oliver slapped his face, but not very hard.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Oliver.
“Sorry. You’re all panicking. Panic won’t help Natasha.”
“The Government doesn’t allow you to move unless with official permission. She wants to escape the totalitarian government. And, obviously, this’s a crime. She’ll go to jail! And we’ll go down with her for covering her!” Julian exclaimed again like he was analyzing the facts. Oliver raised his hand, but Julian cringed in fear, so he stopped.
“Go on. Slap him too, Oliver,” Dylan said, bitter, still resting his hand on his face.
“I told you I’m sorry, I needed to do it…”
Then they heard a vomiting sound. They all turned to Julian, but it was Lucy.
“Lucy!” Oliver exclaimed, worried, while Lucy was puking.
“Icky!” Dylan said, twisting his nose.
“Oh, I’m sorry…” Lucy started saying, but she felt the urge to puke again. Oliver grabbed her by the hand, taking her to the toilet as fast as he could.
“I’ll clean it up…” Emily offered.
“No, it’s all right,” Dylan said, but Emily was already aiming for some napkins on the counter.
“You have to think about how you’ll deal with your friend.”
“We have to go after Natasha!” Julian exclaimed, looking worried at the hall, while they heard another vomiting sound. “She can’t have left already! If we hurry, we can get to the airport or something before it’s too late.”
“It’s a good idea,” Dylan said, going down the hall. “I’ll ask Oliver what he thinks.”
Oliver was holding Lucy’s hair while she vomited. He was also pale, worried. Dylan arrived right when Lucy sat on the ground, feeble, her eyes closed.
“I think I’ll have to take her to the hospital. She won’t stop,” Oliver murmured. “She has been sick for some time now. She even took two boxes of antibiotics for her throat. Maybe it didn’t work…”
“Will you need help with Lucy?” Dylan asked.
“No. She might be too nervous.”
“Listen we have a plan,” Dylan said, telling him about their plan to go looking for Natasha.
“It’s good. Go quick before it’s too late,” Oliver said, while Lucy went back to face the toilet.
“Let’s go, Julian!” Dylan exclaimed, getting out of the bathroom.
“And to think moments ago I was upset because of my breakup! Now, this! And Lucy sick!” Julian exclaimed.
“Should I go too?” Emily asked. Dylan and Julian exchanged a glance.
“Sure, come,” Dylan said. “But hurry!”
Chapter 11. Hospital
Natasha wasn’t sure of what she would do, although she didn’t let this show in her face. She was trying to smile at all times, but she stopped when she thought this would make her seem like a psychopath. Her heart was heavy with the burden of leaving. She always thought that was her dream, but now that the time came, she started reflecting on everything she would miss.
Relationships of dominance weren’t as common in other countries, even though they existed. She doubted it would be as easy for her to give someone a spanking, or to receive one. Also, she would miss having a purpose, and how she used to stand out for fighting for it. But, above all, she would miss her friends.
She was at the airport, looking for the place to buy the tickets. She didn’t have much money, just some that her mom always sent her every month, and she religiously saved for that. The biggest problem would be the passport. They could only travel to other countries with official permission, so she was thinking of going to the border by plane and running away from there. She heard of many people that got away like that. However, many more were arrested.
Natasha wasn’t afraid of jail. Or at least that’s what
she thought. She sat on the airport bench, looking around at all those travelers, the many airport stores and gates, the check-in place. She never felt so alone. Even though feeling alone was her usual state of being. She looked down at her pink suitcase, unsure.
I’m already here, I left the note, it’s too late now, she thought. She would keep the plan, get the ticket, and go. There was no turning back now.
Deciding to buy the tickets, she got up, but then she saw a pizza place there and her heart sank. It was the same pizza franchise that she always ordered with her friends. She took a deep breath. Focus. Was she doubting herself? She never doubted herself in all those years. It was a hard step to take. She walked to the ticket cabin, but she held back. All her documents were electronics, all on her phone. But the phone was turned off in her bag. She didn’t want her friends to call her.
She wondered if Oliver had already called the police. Probably not. Oliver looked mean, but he was a good boy. He always tried to help her whenever she needed. She didn’t deserve that. She thought of Dylan. And how she broke his heart many times. She didn’t deserve Dylan either. But she would need her documents, so she grabbed her phone and turned it on. It was the only way.
Her phone had over ten lost calls. She was already expecting it. Let them think I’m a bitch who abandoned them. It’s easier this way. However, the messages previews started to pop-up on the screen.
“Lucy’s in the hospital, Natasha!!”
“WHERE ARE YOU?”
“Lucy’s very sick. Pls, help!”
“Answer the phone!”
She read it again, unable to believe. What was up with Lucy? If she was in the hospital, then that must be serious.
Natasha was even more confused now. She looked at the airport tickets. Too late now, she thought.
Dylan, Julian, and Emily looked for Natasha everywhere at the airport. It wasn’t big, since not that many people traveled to and from Chayl. They asked security, who said they had seen a girl like that, but she wasn’t there anymore. They looked in the pizza place, inside the stores, and they even asked the boarding guys.
Mansion (Forced Bonding Series) Page 7