Stalker...

Chapter 5

She looked down at the rushing water below her. Jump, a voice told her, just jump. She took another step forward, watching the white foam rush along in a haze. Her legs trembled with fear with every step she took. She grew closer and closer to the edge, watching as her fate became nearer and nearer. Her heart longed for the feeling of freedom, to be whole, to breathe. A voice called out from behind her, then in front of her. It was all around her, all at once, "Maria. Maria, wake up." 

She jolted awake, seeing she was back at the same place. The backseat of Tyson's car, above him again. He handed her his shirt, "Are you okay? You sounded like you were having a nightmare." 

She put his shirt on quickly, wanting to make sure her dream didn't come true, "Tyson, we should go. We've been gone all night." He climbed into the driver's seat, helping her get back to the front. They took off down the road, only to realize an embarrassing fact. His face blushed red as he looked down at Maria. She followed his stare down to her legs, which were extremely bare. The shirt was long enough to cover her as she glanced around the backseat for her shorts. She finally spotted a piece of the fabric poking out from under Tyson's seat. Falling back into her seat, she huffed in frustration.

Tyson laughed, "You look better without them, anyway."

She blushed, hoping he wouldn't see it. The scent of Tyson's cologne filled her senses, relaxing her in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. The soft material of his shirt contradicted the roughness of his hands, but she adored both. Bright lights from the city reminded them both of home. They looked over at each other, stealing a kiss as they entered the parking garage of Tyson's building. They were home. He tossed her the shorts as he exited the car, still shirtless, but Maria didn't mind. She covered herself and exited the vehicle, glancing at his apartment window. Maria could think of nothing to say to him, but Tyson had other ideas. He pulled her closer, pinning her against the door to the stairwell, "Maria, will you be my girl?" 

She stuttered, thinking of what her family would say, "I- Well- Yes. Yes, Tyson, yes." 

"I know this is very soon, but since we're here, would you like to meet the rest of my roommates?" 

"Only if you promise to keep us quiet around my family. Just for a few days until I can find a way to tell them. Father will take it nicely but I'm more concerned about Dima and Mik." 

He smiled at her ranting, "Anything for you, Princess." 

They entered the building, which looked almost unfamiliar to Maria. The dark walls screamed at her to remember, but she had been too young the last time she was here. She had only been to Tyson's apartment once, and that was a long time ago. Her heart raced at the thought of being with Tyson. Her mind flashed back to last night as they walked down the hall side by side. Should she have told him it was her first time? Before she could speak, they arrived at the door. Loud yelling erupted from the other side. Tyson kissed her one more time before unlocking the door. Inside the small room was utter chaos. Rodriguez was dancing on the kitchen counter, a tall, skinny, brunette boy was throwing pretzels into his mouth from the couch, and the third roommate was laying in the doorway to another part of the apartment singing along with the music from the television. 

They stepped inside, instantly enveloped in noise and the pungent scent of cologne. Rodriguez turned to face them, his jacket unzipped enough to reveal his well-toned chest. He jumped off the counter, landing in front of them and pulling Maria into a tight hug. Now I know where the cologne smell is coming from, She thought. 

"Hey kid! What are you doing here?" Rodi asked joyfully. 

"Well, I guess I'm just here to have fun," She answered, unsure if Tyson wanted her to say. 

"She's my girlfriend." Tyson smiled. 

The entire room went silent. All eyes were on Maria now, and it wasn't something she enjoyed. Rodrigiez let go of her, "you're with Tyson? Alright, alright, alright. Y'all play fair, and use protection." 

They all laughed, then went back to whatever it was they were doing. Maria hooked her phone up to the charger by the sink, seeing how much she was truly missed. 17 missed calls from Mikhail, 20 missed calls from Dima, but none from her father. Jake hadn't called her, but he had left her almost 100 messages. He had never worried about her like this before, so what had caused him to change? 

Tyson glanced at her phone, wincing at the amount of texts Jake had sent. He worried about what they would do if he took her back, but he knew she had to go home. Tyson had never trusted Jake, no matter how long he had been around, and nothing could make him change that. He took her into his room, which he shared with the brunette. Maria smirked at him as he locked the door behind them, "What are you doing that would cause you to lock the door?" 

He breathed heavily, looking her up and down, "I know I have to take you home, but I just want to spend five more minutes with you. I don't want to have to worry about whether or not I'll see you again." he backed her against the edge of the bed, "Please. Just say I'll be able to see you again." 

"Tyson," she blurted, "I should've told you this sooner... but I was scared. What we did last night... that was my first time."