Mister Arlington

22

Once we had successfully made it above the water both Mister Arlington and I simultaneously gasped for air, coughing and sputtering.

"Your head?" I choked.

"It's fine," he answered curtly with firmness in his voice, before leading me over to a small sandy area at the bottom of the cliff we had just descended.

I was shaking, I realised. From my teeth to my ankles. Mister Arlington noticed too when he let go of me, allowing me to fall onto the sand, though he didn't bother to show acknowledgment to it.

"Cant you swim?" Mister Arlington snapped, looking up at the cliff before he did so with the rest of our surroundings.

"No," I replied truthfully, curling up into a ball to conserve any warmth I had in me.

Mister Arlington let out a frustrated growl, sleeking his hair back with both hands before searching his pockets. I was moments away from asking about what he was looking for, until he pulled out a phone from his inside pocket of his suit. He played with his phone, mostly shaking and slapping it, until the device lit up. He tapped at the screen swiftly before holding it up to his ear, the line was answered almost immediately and Mister Arlington proceeded to tell the other side of the line about the incident that just occurred.

He stopped pacing when the call ended, placing the phone back in his suit pocket. "Come," was all he said before walking off.

I followed, watching him from behind as he stumbled slightly. Regardless, he continued on, playing it off discreetly. Although I wasn't injured as Mister Arlington was, I was still in a state of shock and in addition, the cold was gnawing at my bones, as a result my teeth had began to chatter and my limbs shook uncontrollably. But I didn't dare utter a complaint, not even a word as I watched Mister Arlington from a few paces behind him as he searched for a way to the top of the cliff.

"For gods sake, Angelica," he snapped, suddenly spinning to face me, causing me to come to a wobbly stop because of my heels. "Control that chatter of yours," he hissed, taking long strides towards me before stopping a few steps in front of me.

"Strip."

"E-excuse m-me?"

He turned so that his back faced me. "Strip," he repeated.

"I-i-im no-not strip-p-ping!"

"Hurry up and pass me your clothes."

Reluctantly, I obeyed. Only because of the reason that he sounded absolutely serious and I was too exhausted to argue. I started with my heels, leaving them to the side before I removed my pants, handing them to him over his shoulder. Though I couldn't see much of what he was doing because of his broad back, it wasn't hard for me to notice him wringing out my pants, passing them back to me as I handed over my satin top then my red scarf.

After wringing out my scarf he turned, handing the gift over as he surveyed my appearance slowly, starting from my feet. His eyes lingered on my chest a few seconds too long, causing me to look down, finding my nipples poking through the thin fabric.

My face flushed as I looked back up, only for my sight to be covered by his suit that he had thrown at me. When I pulled the clothing off of my face he had resumed walking, rolling up the sleeves of his white button up. I slipped the large jacket on, pulling it tight against me before picking up my heels and walking behind Mister Arlington, this time much further than I had been before.

~~~

It had taken us much time to find our way up, though in the end Mister Arlington had found a steep grassy area for us to trek. By the time we arrived at the car I assumed he had arranged for, it was nearing sundown.

I let out a relieved sigh as I leaned back in the leather seat as Mister Arlington turned on the heaters.

"A-are you s..sure you can drive wi-ith that inju..ry of yours?"

"I'm fine."

He wasn't fine, it was obvious. He closed his eyes too much for too long... He needed rest. Still, I didn't object.

"Where to n-now?"

"We need a place to stay for the night."

"A hotel?"

"No, that would be the obvious choice."

Violeta, maybe? Her warehouse of flowers would be a good hideout. But if I called in such a favor without her knowing much about me would she allow us to?

"I may k-know a place."

He turned to me with a raised brow.

"I have m-might have a fr..riend that can help us."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded surely, however my insides churned. After all, she could somehow be apart of all of this. The shiver that passed through my body allowed my thoughts to drift away.

"Where is it?"

"I-im not sure. But, Mary has told me before that there was a caf-fe she liked visiting down the same street."

"Theres only one cafe Mary will go to,"Mister Arlington announced, starting the engine of the car.

No one chased or trailed us as we sped to the street Mary's cafe was on. I fought my exhaustion, keeping my eyes focused on our surroundings. Though, I knew my efforts were much too late.

~~~

"V-violeta!" I yelled. She was walking towards a car when we skidded to a stop a few passes away from her.

Her head snapped in the direction of my voice, once realising it was me a wide grin spread across her face. She signalled to the person in her the car that she would be a moment before walking over to me, embracing me in a hug.

"You can talk!"

"I've been w-working on I-it," I informed, stepping back.

"This is a surprise seeing you here and so late in the day too."

"I-i have a fav-vour to ask," she nodded, urging me on, "can me and a f-friend of mine stay h-here for the night?"

She raised a brow. "That's an odd request."

"Im sorry," I apologised.

"I suppose it's for a good reason," she accepted, discretely placing a key in my hand. "Just please be out before eight in the morning, my boss wouldn't like me doing this, leave the keys under the stone in the plant pot by the door, bury it in the dirt."

I nodded as there was a honk.

"I'll be going now but promise me you'll tell me what this is all about when I see you next."

"I can't promise you t-that but depending on how things a-are between us, I'll tell you someday."

She frowned, "you and your friend are in danger then?"

"No," I lied.

Her frown deepened slightly, "be safe then," she said in farewell before turning and running to the car.

I let out a deep sigh as I watched the car leave.