Bound To You

Chapter 14

Valeria

"But even if it was her, how could she possibly have known where you were going to be?!" came my sister's voice through the phone, merging with my footsteps echoing through the hallway.

"I don't know Carls!"

"Do you think she has people on the inside?"

"That's what I'm going to see," I said, now breaking into a light jog, the beige hallways starting to fly past me, footsteps silenced by the carpeted floor, alert for any rustles of clothing around the corners. I hadn't yet told Carlos about my suspicions - it would only result in a rampage that, considering I had no hard evidence, would be a complete waste of time.

"What do you mean 'going to see'?"

"I mean I'm on my way to check the storage facili-"

"OHHH right no no it clicked okay nevermind sorry I cut you off oh my God-"

"Carl-"

"No no seriously, I'm sorry, I have this bad habit you know, I've really become aware of it in these past few weeks-"

"Carl..."

"Do you know I cut mom off seven different times in a single hour yesterday? Not that I regret it in the slightest, she was trying to teach me how to stand like a lady, but still, I just became aware of how objectively rude it is-"

"CARL!"

"WHAT?!"

"Release me...from thy rambling...for I hath arrived...at the door...that holdeth...the answers...to my queries," I wheezed out, one hand against the metal frame.

"Lol," I could hear the grin in her voice, "okay, bye."

"Bye."

I snapped the phone shut and heaved open the door, greeting the dust motes and smell of old paper hanging in the air.

* * *

Juan found me twenty minutes later in a fortress of ochre, nearly knocking five different towers over as he headed towards me.

"Why are we here again?" he said, slightly out of breath.

"Uh-uh," I corrected absentmindedly. "I am here, you are visiting."

"Yeah yeah. Now why are we here again?"

"Just pursuing a suspicion."

"You do realise those kinds of answers annoy the fuck out of me right?" he clipped, sounding irritated enough that I looked up. Blue eyes glittering with anger gazed back, a light red seeping into his skin.

My own frustration rose, part of it powered by the heat and dust that surrounded us, part of it hunger, and part of it a refusal to back down that had got me through my train-wreck of a childhood.

"And you do realise your very presence right now does the same to me, right?"

He blinked, almost as if...he was actually hurt. The flicker, almost flinch, blanked out his ire temporarily, giving him an almost boyish look - which punched my stupidity right out of my head.

"I'm...so sorry," I sighed. "I really am. I don't mind your presence, not one bit, I'm just...stressed. But that is...no excuse, really-"

"Hey," he said softly, the boyish look now melting into a gentler one, "it's okay." He reached out, placing a lower hand on my back, and moved as if he were about to pull me in but thought better of it.