Unwanted Obsession

Chapter Fifteen

Erick Johansen-Jagger was a devoted business man.

His business wasn't necessarily legal, but it was business after all. Dealing with the daily distribution, sales and production of drugs was something that fascinated him... And his wallet.

Since the death of Mr. Jagger, he took charge next to his stepbrother.

To him, in the beginning, Gehiem wasn't giving his best.
Meanwhile Gehiem was grieving the death of his father, Erick was busy taking all the decisions in his hands, with consultation of Albert of course and a simple notification to his brother.

A whole year passed like that, a  completely silent and uncooperative Gehiem.

The night of the year anniversary of Mr Jagger's death, the elder was extremely drunk.

He staggered towards thier father's record player he hadn't approached in the whole year. Erick watched him from afar with no astonishment at all, as the elder pulled out a record and blew the dust off.

The melody started playing, it was Eric Clapton. Layla. By Eric Clapton.

The day after that Gehiem wasn't the same. The sudden change in his persona frightened Erick.

He remembered seeing him in an impecable black suit. His computer was on for the first time in a while, the record player in the corner was full of life, the notes of jazz coming from it.

He remembered walking slowly towards him with curiosity buzzing in his head.

"What are you doing?" He asked the man sitting in front of him.

"Just... Checking the news..." He simply replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm hungry." he suddenly called turning to face him with a bright smile "What about going to town? I'll pay if you want."

He was back to his old self. Before moving to America.

Five months later, while they were drinking in the lounge, Gehiem wasn't in full consciousness. He was humming a soft tune. Then started speaking.

"You remember our year in America?"

Erick only replied an indifferent yes. They had been in different states, with a minimum amount of contact. 

"Do you remember how lonely and different it all felt...the way that we were away from home?" Gehiem sighed deeply, "And now we're home...but it doesn't feel like it. Everything is distant, without purpose, I need that something...or someone...to make it feel like home."

The last words were partly slurred, the alcohol in his system making him dose off on the couch.

And a week after that, he was informed by Gehiem that he was planning a trip to America, to bring his 'home'.

Erick went against this completely, his brother should just move on from this girl and find any other. He already had many admirers from the towns nearby, and even daughters of other mafia leaders were ready to get married in an instant.

Gehiem just denied and dropped the topic completely. Erick knew best though. His brother was always up to something. A month later, one of the workers mentioned him of the arranged flight, in the plane they owned, across the globe.

Taking matters into his own hands, Erick went to 'save' the business.

Fake student IDs and new personality was just part of what he did to get closer to Layla. And he tried all he could to avoid what Gehiem had planned.

He coursed a full semester, protecting Layla, he was literally her personal bodyguard without her knowing. He even became quite fond of her. Each day he watched her from afar, waiting for her to arrive to a save place.

During the summer, he would try to get as close as possible to her. It felt quite like a vacation more than business, ever day he would hang out with Jesse, Chris and Layla.

Around the middle of summer vacations, he went out for drinks with them. That night his drinking got out of hand, he was very drunk. He remembered some crazy dance and being really "close" to someone.

The day after he had a terrible hangover, and he didn't get out of bed all day.

And the day after that, Gehiem had won.