Run Away [Completed]

28

Alden called Maine as soon as he ended the call with Jerald. He called her four times but she wasn't picking up.

He tried it again for the fifth time and he felt like his heart had been crushed by something heavy when it reached the last ring and she still didn't pick up.

He was about to get back into his car to drive to her house when his phone started vibrating and he saw Maine's contact photo on the screen. He answered the call but didn't speak and he was just holding his breath.

"Alden?" said Maine's voice.

Alden let out a sigh of relief. "Maine! What took you so long to pick up?" he demanded.

"I just came out of the shower," she answered. "What's wrong, you sound breathless."

"N-no... I was just worried." he answered.

"Why?"

"Because you weren't picking up." he answered sullenly.

Maine laughed. "You sound like a five year old. Do you miss me already?"

"Yes. And I want to go there now," he said.

"What? But you were just here earlier," she said, amused by his clinginess.

"I know, but I miss you. I want to be with you now." he said earnestly.

"You just can't get enough can you?" she teased.

"Hmmmmm..."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." she said.

"Thanks! I'll be there in 30. Don't unlock the door until you're sure it's me, okay?"

Maine snorted. "Ok, dad," she said she hung up.

Alden started walking towards his room to get some clothes but his eyes caught glimpse of the box on top of the coffee table.

He went back to the table and slowly opened the box. As soon as he removed the wrapper and lifted the cover, he knew that something was wrong. He had to scrunch his nose when he caught whiff of a pungent smell.

He checked the contents inside and saw something dark. He lifted it up and realized it was a police uniform. He unfolded it and noticed the blood that had dried up and caked on the chest area of the clothing.

He noticed a couple more items inside the box so he flipped the it over and out came a bloodstained police badge and an ID. They were of PO3 Martinez. There was a post it attached to the back of the ID too and he read the message written in bold letters.

1-0. HOW MANY MORE TILL I GET TO MAINE?

He stood up and quickly, went to his room to grab the first pieces of clothing he could get from his drawers and jumped into his car right away.

++++++

"Hey..." Maine greeted him sweetly as he walked into their house.

"Hi," he greeted back, pulling her on her waist and kissing her deeply on the mouth.

"Woah, you're not wasting time, are you?" she said and then noticed his sullen expression. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, touching his face.

"Nothing. I just got stressed out from the drive. The traffic was terrible." he lied.

Maine smirked. "You're the one who wanted to drive back here."

"I know. Let's go upstairs? Where's Jenny?" he asked.

"Already sleeping, I guess. She's still too depressed about her break up." Maine said as she pulled him towards her room.

Alden checked that all the locks were properly in place before following her up.

As Maine closed the door of her room, he quickly went to the window and slightly drew the curtains open to glance at the street outside.

"Are you okay? You're acting really weird." Maine observed as she sat on the bed.

"I'm okay. I just heard on the news how the criminal rate has gone up again this month and I just want us to be extra careful," he said before walking towards her.

"This country is seriously messed up," she agreed. "We need a new leader who can fix this."

Alden nodded.

"Can we sleep now? I'm actually really tired." Maine said as she laid on the bed.

"Okay, I'll just take a quick shower." he said and quickly walked into her bathroom.

When he got out of the shower, he saw Maine lying on her side. She appeared to be sleeping already. He slowly laid on the bed and pulled her closer to him.

"Maine?" he whispered.

"Hmmm?" she answered sleepily.

"Can you really not come with me to the book launch tomorrow?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Jenny needs me here. Besides, you won't have time for me there. You'll be too busy signing your books. Plus your fans might see me and start throwing tomatoes at me," she said, chuckling.

He buried his face on the crook of her neck. "They won't do that. I won't let them. It will really make me feel good if you're there, Maine." he whispered against her neck.

Maine turned around to face him and touched his cheek. "Alden, it's your spotlight. Go claim it. I'll be waiting for you here when you're done and we will celebrate," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Alden sighed. "Okay. Just make sure you lock your doors at all times okay?" he told her, while brushing a stray hair from her face.

Maine giggled. "Sometimes you sound like a five year old and then there are times like these when you act so much like a dad. Is that really what happens when guys get engaged?"

Alden pulled her closer. "I just love you so much," he said.

"I love you too. And I promise to be safe." she told him, kissing him on his eyes then on his nose as she spoke. "Now can we sleep?" she asked, finally planting a kiss on his lips.

"Hmmmmkay," Alden answered and he realized he too was already so sleepy. "I love you."

"Ditto."