Chapter 13
1377 Words
"Are you sure about this?"Mandy asked me again while warming up the needle.
She snapped her fingers and a small fire ignited from it.
"Yes, I've done this before" I answered her calmly.
We’ve checked in into a motel right now. I decided to chose a motel rather than a hospital because the bad guys might have called some back up and they’ve anticipated that we’ll go to the nearest hospital.
Mandy winced when we entered the room for the first time. It’s filthy and cheap. This was the kind of motel for short time s*x or something. The tiles in the bathroom were stained from whatever it was. There were cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling. You’ll doubt if the sheets were itchy or something
We’re both inside the bathroom right now. First aid kit tools were laid in front of us. There are lots of blood all over the floor and sink from my wound shot.
I can see my face in the mirror and it's pale. I'm starting to feel dizzy and light headed. My wound was already cleaned up.
I just need some stitches to close it.
The needle is in my hand but I can't reach my left shoulder.
"Need some help?" Mandy asked.
"Yes, please"
"I've never done this before" she said and got the needle from my hand.
I inhaled deeply.
"Are you really sure about this? I don't want you to faint" she asked again.
"Yes Mandy, I'm sure! I've been worse" I said to her.
She just shrugged.
When she poked my skin with the needle, I gasped loudly.
"Sorry" she whispered.
I bit my lip while she's stitching my wound gently.
I must say that Mandy has gentle hands.
She stitches me in silence.
After a couple of minutes, she's done. My wound just needed 3 stitches to close it.
She let out a sigh after stitching me.
"I'll never do that again. My hands are still shaking" she said.
"You did well" I assured her.
I reached out for my shirt on the sink and slowly put it on.
I feel so much better now.
"I think you need to rest. I'll stay up and read this" she said and lifted her mom’s diary
"Sure" I said and started crawling on the bed.
We got double beds for our room. I don’t want this to be awkward for her by sharing one bed together. We’re not a couple.
"Aren’t you hungry?" I asked.
She glanced at the fast food on the table. We ordered it on a drive thru before getting here.
She shook her head.
"Me too, I need sleep than food" I said and lay down.
I leaned on my right side so that I won’t hurt my left shoulder.
"I was scared. I thought I'd lost you" Mandy said quietly.
I turned to her.
"What?" I asked her.
She’s leaning on her bed’s headboard. The diary was on her thighs.
"I can't afford to lose you. I don't want to be alone in this journey" she choked.
A warm sensation touched my heart. I slowly got up and approached her.
"Hey, you did not lose me. I'm here and you'll never lose me. That's a promise" I said.
I put a hand on her shoulder to assure her.
"You're being dragged down with my complicated life. You don't have to be here" she said.
"Don't say that. I want to be here. I want to be with you. I’m all in" I said.
She stared into my eyes.
I can see vulnerability in her eyes. It feels like the girl that I’m talking to right now is different from the girl who slapped me when we first met.
"I can't lose you" she whispered and wrapped her arms around my neck.
It caught me off guard.
Her warmth was overwhelming and I love every sensation of it. It feels like we're doing this for a long time. It is so familiar.
A couple of minutes passed by and she let go of me.
"Okay, you need to get some rest. Goodnight Ryan" she said and pulled away.
I went back to my bed and lay there. I need my energy for tomorrow.
"Goodnight Mandy. Catch some winks, okay" I said to her before closing my eyes to sleep.
5:00 AM
I heard my phone vibrating on the side table. It’s buzzing like hell. Without opening my eyes, I reached out for it.
I'm still groggy and my left shoulder is still sore from the wound.
I immediately got up when I saw that Mr. Sevilla is the one calling.
I answered it.
"Good morning Mr. Sevilla" I said to him.
"How is it going Ryan? How's Mandy?" he asked.
I glanced at Mandy who’s sleeping beside my bed. She's only wearing her jeans and her bra.
No shirt at all!
I gulped and immediately shifted my attention to the different direction
"Uh, she's fine and she's still sleeping. We had an encounter last night and we flew from the rest house. We've checked in to a motel to get some rest and spend the night" I explained to him.
I heard Mr. Sevilla gasped in the other line.
"Is she hurt?" he asked, worried.
"No, she's not. She's doing well and uh, I need to tell you something sir" I said, nervous this time.
"What is it?"
"I've told her about you and the set up. She was really sad when that happened. I told her everything to comfort her. Sorry for that"
"It's okay, I understand. I actually called to let you know that it's fine to tell her the truth now. I need to see her. Bring her to me and I'll text you the address. Please don't let anyone harm her, okay?"
"I promise sir" I said.
"All good" he said and cut off the line.
I glanced at Mandy and she’s now awake. I shifted my gaze quickly, too quickly.
"Put a shirt on" I said to her.
She laughed to what I said.
"What's wrong with this? This room is too hot like hell! That’s why I need to take off my shirt" she explained.
"You can't be shirtless every now and then Mandy. It's awkward" I scolded her.
Again, she laughed loudly.
"Okay, you can look now" she said.
I slowly turned towards her direction.
I sigh a relief when I saw she's wearing a shirt already.
"Your dad called, he wants us to meet him. I've told him that you already knew about the set up"
Her face lightened up when she heard the news.
"That's great! I miss him a lot! I can't wait to see him. By the way, how's your shoulder?" she said.
"It's sore but it's fine. I can manage the pain" I said.
"Okay, that's good to know. I'll take a shower first" she said and quickly went to the bathroom.
I took off my shirt and checked on my wound. It's starting to heal now.
I started to slowly stretch my limbs and moved my shoulders to reduce the soreness. This has always been my morning routine every time I wake up.
Then, I grabbed my phone and headphones and start listening to my playlist. A few minutes later, I heard the bathroom door creaked open behind me.
I pulled out my headphones from my ears and turned towards the direction of the bathroom.
Mandy is standing there. All wet and just wearing a towel, staring at me.
Wait, staring at me? Why is she looking at me like that?
I was dumbfounded when she started advancing towards me.
I feel like a deer caught in a car's headlights crossing the street at night.
I can't move.
She held my nape and tiptoed.
The next thing I knew, she's claiming my lips.
I stood there, in utter shock and amusement.
I'm confused.
All I can feel is her warmth and her scent. It’s igniting passion inside my whole being.
- Writer
