The day after, at the end of their shift, Riley invites Tess to a bar. Riley is already inside and is waiting for Tess to arrive. A few moments later, she walks in.
Tess: Really? I thought you hated being in bars!
Riley: Well... I needed a noisy place for what I'm about to tell you, and nobody is really paying attention in a bar.
She pulls the stool bar next to him and sits down. She then notices the grave look on his face.
Tess: What's going on? You know, these last few days you've been really off, and I know that you've been keeping things from me.
Riley: Ah (he sighs) ... You know that I trust you with everything, right? Hell, I even trust you with my own life as my partner! You're one of the best, Tess...
Tess: And so are you! (she pats him on his shoulder) but spill the beans, NOW! Cause you're really making me nervous!
Riley: I know her... The girl...
Tess: The "girl"? The girl as in...
Riley: (he heavily sighs) Lina... (he takes a sip of his drink)
Tess: Huh! (she says with her eyes wide open) Damn... (she heaves a long sigh) You know... (she says while smiling) I'm so relieved you told me this! And I was right in the end... I knew something was going on...
Riley: What do you mean?
Tess: You always seemed ahead of me this whole time, and the fact that you knew already about Robert before the interrogation, well... it clicked. I thought to myself, either you were working for him, or you knew her. And of course, I preferred to choose and trust the second option!
Riley: See? Like I said! You're one of the best detectives! (He says, smiling at her)
Tess: I know! I'm the best! Anyway... What's the story there! Loop me in!
Riley: I knew her from high school. She was a refugee when she came in. She really went through hell (he says while taking a sip of his drink). I remember everyone was talking about her, about how many atrocities she had seen... she came looking for peace and look what she got! (he says, upset while clenching his glass)
Tess: Damn...
Riley: Yeah... And that's why I never knew how to reach her... But over the years, she managed to leave that past behind, she really started to blend in. Yet, she always had that look in her eyes that I never managed to solve... and she still has that look today... (he scoffs) The day we were chasing her, that's how I recognized her, with THAT look!
Tess: When did you lose contact with her?
Riley: Prom Night. I got dumped that night as well! I remember it! (he laughs)
Tess: (laughing) What a memorable night it must have been!
Riley: As a matter of fact, it WAS... (he says while smiling) cause I ran into her afterward. We've never been so close... we were sitting next to each other, and it's like we disconnected from the world at some point... and the most incredible thing is that we didn't even talk that much! We felt good, just staying there next to each other. But... (he comes to his senses) Anyway, that's the story! Huh! (he heavily exhales) It feels so good to tell you the truth!
Tess: You should've told me sooner! Must've been hard carrying all of this by yourself...
Riley: Actually, Max already knew, although he doesn't know the whole story. He's been helping me out covering her tracks at first.
YOU ARE READING
As Long as I Breathe...
RomanceLina arrives in the United States alongside her four-year-old little sister Sarah. Both have fled their country because of the war that took Lina's parents' lives. For Lina, the United States represented an opportunity to start from scratch and put...
