Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 33: It's complicated

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."