Running from Leo

CHAPTER 55: The proposal

I ran.

My lungs on fire, legs heavy with pain and the harsh sound of my breathing  escaping from my lips, forming a cloud of smoke and hitting my face.

I ran faster.

So close. So, so close to being in home.

Everything almost went according to what Adrian had said. We packed, I argued with those men about my nonexistent loan of money, which in the end Adrian had to pay for it because these people are, to be honest, whining four year olds who did not get their favorite toy – minus their real threats of selling my kidney, lungs, liver, eyes and all sorts of organs to an infamous black market to pay my impending debt with interest –  and throw tantrums till they get what they want. Half hungover, half drunk and half tired of all the drama in my life, I went to sleep while Adrian took the spare bedroom.

Next morning, I left America for good.

On the bright side, I enjoyed the luxuries of a private plane for the first time without hiding in a bathroom for almost thirteen hours. I kept throwing suspicious looks to Adrian who was busy working in his laptop and very much obvious to everything around him. At times or two, our gazes would meet and he would smile as if he were the most honest and innocent man in the whole damn world. But I know he isn't. Behind that charming smile of his, there is a big, fat liar who is an expert in hiding and lying smoothly, just like his brother. If what I guess is right, which I believe it is and I will confirm this by only one man, then I can easily get Adrian the papers he needs. Maybe I will burn it all and give him ashes in a nice box with Hello Kitty gift wrapper. Who knows? Till then, I enjoyed amazing meals with a treatment of a seven star hotel, hours of beauty sleep and watching cute puppy videos on YouTube.

We landed in an airfield of Trento from which, I kid you not, I found three cars waiting for our arrival. I thought everything would go perfectly on time and I would freely go straight inside the gates of the Agostini house, chatting and catching up with the men who came to pick us. No hassles. No tardiness. But when you have a city full of heavy snow and a big holiday coming around, you are bound to drive slow and be stuck in traffic. Not to forget that people here are actually preparing for a carnival festival which will last an entire week. A two hour drive turned into four hours and counting more drive. My patience broke when we stopped in an end of a closed road. From there, people asked us to take the long route and apologised for the inconvenience. How jolly of them!

I knew my way from the route which we were originally going, though it was only once. Another thirty or forty minute drive and I would see the mansion. So I did what I always do; I ran. Ignoring the shouts and protests of everybody I was with in the car along with curious gazes of the common folk, I ran past the preparing carnival crowd and I have been running ever since.

So close. So close. So, so close.

My body ached and I felt weak. I was empty handed, but my heart and mind was filled with determination to get my man back.

Funny thing about how much I wanted to run away from him the last time I found myself in a situation like this.

I took a turn and stopped in my track when I saw a glimpse of the Agostini house. Surrounded by nothing except trees and vast open grounds covered in thick white sheet of snow. It was dark already. Street lamps lit everywhere, a thin already shoveled from snow empty road ahead of my path and snow falling everywhere. I was in awe by the beauty of it. An absolute serene silence had enveloped around me.

I have been living here all these years!? This isn't hell. This is heaven on earth!

I was seeing the mansion from outside at night for the first time and I was in love it.