Runaways

Chapter 21

Yoenjun's POV

"I've decided to go back home, and Liam has agreed." I blurt out, my heart beating out of my chest.

We had just come out the room, and it was on a better state than what it was when Mercedes barged in.

"Excuse me what?" Aleksandr stands up and look at me then at Liam then back to me.

"Huh?" Vladimir and Merc both exclaim, their eyes almost jumping out their sockets.

"You joke." Merc adds and does her infamous double blink and suddenly, I don't feel so confident anymore. I slowly move behind Liam and I hope I don't see anyone to question more of the decision that we decided on.

"No, she's not." Liam speaks up.

"Brother, can I talk to you for a second?" Aleksandr looks at Liam, and I swear, if I was Liam, I would probably say no because his brother looked like he wanted to kill him.

But off, course Liam was indifferent. His face was stoic, and he looked like he was ready for anything. But I wasn't, so the moment he took his first step towards his brother, I stopped him because I was afraid of the death glares that Merc and Vladimir were gonna give me.

He immediately stopped and he looked at me, and I tried a face that said 'don't go.' I think he got the memo, and instead, he smiled at me.

"It's okay." he whispered.

He walks to the side to talk to his brother, and Merc comes to my side.

"Are you crazy?" That's her first question. Her voice is laced with anger and annoyance, I can't help but try to survive. So all I do is just shake my head, looking on the floor, the wall and even the air. I try my best to avert my eyes from looking at hers. 

My heart was beating out my chest, and I was saying silent prayers to just survive.

"What are you thinking June?" She whispers in a softer voice, lifting my head up. Her voice is no longer angry or annoyed, instead, it's filled with concern now and right there, and become vulnerable again.

"I'm scared." I finally look at her hazel eyes and tears just willingly fall down my cheeks unguided.

"I'm so so scared. I wanna go home. I just, -"

She doesn't let me finish the sentence but pulls me into a very tight hug.

"I really wanna go home." I continually repeat, with my eyes closed, trying to stop the tears. "I'm trying to pretend that everything is okay, but I know it's not." I continue my lament, not caring what was going on around me.

"I don't know what to do Merc. I just, I wanna take it back. I wanna take it back and I wanna go home and I wanna tell mom that I'd never do anything to hurt her. I'd never do anything to make her cry." I confess in true honest. 

And the honest truth is there is a part of me that wants to know Liam, become his friend, his better half, then eventually, his wife. I wanna do all of that, but not at the expense of losing my parents, not at the expenses of living a lie. 

"It's okay honey, we gonna get you home okay?" She strokes my back in tiny pats.

"For real?" I pull away, getting a touch of happiness.

"Of course," She smiles at me, wiping my tears away with her thumbs. "I mean, I am your only SLS right?"

I quickly nod, but we are quickly interrupted by Aleksandr and Liam having a heated conversation.

"That's not for you to decide brother," Liam exclamations.

"You are going home with me and your wife Liam!" Alek adds not moving an inch.

"No, I'm not. If Junie says she doesn't feel comfortable, we are not going with you." Liam intercedes for me.

"Are you going to let your wife infer what goes on in your house?" Alex questions him and I get mad because that's not what happened.

"If that's what makes you sleep at night then yea, I'ma let her 'infer' what she wants, and you best believe I'm gonna follow her till the end of this earth with that decision." They were now looking at each other ready to kill each other.

"You,-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Merc jumps in between them pushing them apart.

"This is starting to get out of hand. We are all mature, and I think we should act as such, don't you think?" She looks at both men for a response.

"Really, mature?" Alek questions. "You think we are here because some people took a mature decision?" He looks around the room, annoyed at heck. "We all that is not true." He mutters.

"What is your problem?" I implore.

"He is!" He outcries, pointing at Liam, his voice echoing throughout the room. "He has always been the problem. All he does is formulate problems in hopes that we are his saving grace."

"Aren't you?" Asking the most oblivious question take a step forward. "Aren't you his saving grace?" I repeat.

"Yeah until when?" He raises his hands in disappointment.

"Until the age of time, until death, until whatever." I burst out. "He is your brother and he looks up to you." I try to reason with him.

"You have no right to speak lady, let alone advise me. You barely know him, let alone know what he has done." He walks up to me, but I don't back down. Liam spoke up for me, and I don't know much about marriage, but I know that we stand as one, wrong or right, we stand.

And right now, that's exactly what I'd do.

"And you have no right to count the many times he has made faults. I barely know him yes, I barely know any of his mistakes, in fact, I know none of his mistakes and he may not have a plausible reason not to marry, and I know that all of this is quite a lot to take in, but don't push Liam around like he is dumb. He is not. If anything, it's because he trusts you way too much to save him from whatever he throws himself too. That's his only fault if you asked me."

"You speaking for him doesn't pardon what he has done." Alek adds.

"It's not supposed to. It's supposed to make you understand that Liam doesn't need someone who makes decisions for him, but someone who will stand beside him while he makes those decisions and supports him thereafter." I look at Liam and smile, then I look back at Alek.

"Who will that person be, you?" He chuckles. "Honey, we all know that if you go home now, you not coming back, and who will be left with the mess again, me! I will be left with that mess. And where will you be when your parents tell you to divorce him?" He questions.

"Don't say that." I snap.

"But it's the truth." He moves closer and I start backing down.

"I bet you, if you go home, you will divorce him within a week." 

I have reached a wall, and I halt, placing my hands near my chest as some sort of protective mechanism.

"Brother stop." Liam stops him by taking a hold of his hand.

"You know what, I don't have to deal with the both of you, I'm out of here." He pulls his hand away from Liam and he leaves without saying another word.

The room is quiet for a solid minute before Vladimir says, "Well, that escalated fast, does anyone have plan B?"

*****
I'm alive.

That's what matters. Quiet literally. After all that I've been through this past month, it's all grace.

So I'm thankful to God for being here in this moment.

This author loves you.