Exposed (#wattys2016)

chapter thirty-four

After our food, we got ice cream and played mini golf. I was starting to miss home a lot but being with Caspian felt enough like home to me.

We got back to the hotel and Caspian parked in the back of the lot, even though the valet was still taking cars.

"Why did you do that?" I asked while I unclicked my seatbelt. Caspian shrugged and let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes afterwards. "More exercise, I dunno."

I cocked my head and shrugged, just going with it while he took my hand again and we made our way towards the hotel lobby. We didn't even get halfway across the parking lot until I spotted the man from earlier, the same man standing by the elevators. The streetlights shining down onto the parking lot helped me indentify who he was, the same thing seemingly happening for him as he removed his sunglasses to get a better look at us.

Now it clicked. It was Giovanni.
The same guy who sat with me and took my cigarette at the hospital. What the fuck was he doing here?

"Hey... why do you keep staring at us?" Caspian called out as Giovanni kept his eyes plastered on our bodies. He had his arms crossed, leaning against a random car about 50 feet away.

I grabbed Caspian's arm and pulled him closer so I could speak quieter into his ear. "I know him from when I went to the hospital with Levi to see Gina... but I don't know why he's here."

Caspian cracked his knuckles now, biting back his lower lip as the man wouldn't let up staring. "Dude, what do ya fucking want? Stop staring at me, creep!"

I stayed back as Caspian got closer. Giovanni started to get closer too. I stayed in the background, my fingers pressing my temples as I watched them walk towards each other in the somewhat desolate parking lot. It wasn't even nine yet, only half past eight and Caspian was about to cause trouble for himself.

Giovanni grabbed something from behind his jacket which made Caspian stand still in his tracks. Giovanni pulled out handcuffs and started sprinting towards Caspian. I covered my mouth as Caspian mumbled something under his breath, running towards the other end of the parking lot, away from Giovanni who was so much faster than he was.

I watched him tackle Caspian to the ground and attach the handcuffs to his wrists. My heart dropped and I ran over to where they were, seeing Caspian's lip bleeding as he tried to catch his breath. His cheek was pressed against the cement of the parking lot as Giovanni flashed his police badge and called for backup into some sort of walkie talkie thing.

"What the fuck! He's innocent, let him go!" I desperately tried to pull Giovanni off of him, but nothing was budging and all I saw in return was his police badge. "You lied to me, you're not a nurse!"

I felt so angry at everything that I almost forgot about Caspian who was trying to catch his breath with one cheek against the cement. He was already starting to look bruised. I crouched down next to him, tears flooding my eyes as I heard sirens in the distance.

"What...?" I asked Caspian as I became speechless and too confused for words. He looked up at me, moving only his eyes which looked glossed over not only from this incident, but from something else I couldn't place. I didn't know what to do so I crouched down on the pavement, wiping his bloody lip with my shirt. He looked out for me all of this time—now it was my turn.

Giovanni was off of his back now, waiting for the sirens to get closer so he could give directions to the parking lot. I pressed a kiss on Casp's forehead and then his lips, getting the taste of blood in my mouth. I was crying as Caspian tried to break his wrists free.

"What did you do?" I asked as my tears hit the ground and mixed with the blood from his lip.

Caspian closed his eyes and shook his head, sucking in his bleeding lip which was obviously from his teeth upon impact.

"I stole a diamond and pawned it so I would be able to do this for you."

I leaned back on my knees and covered my face as I felt more tears stream from my eyes, the sirens becoming visible in the distance. He didn't have to do this for me if it meant a jail sentence. I almost felt guilty. I heard Caspian's voice speak up again.

"I threatened him with a gun. He gave me the diamond because he didn't want me to shoot him. I wouldn't have shot him," Caspian said as his words turned to mumbles.

The police cars pulled into the parking lot and came to a screeching halt. One man, who was probably the chief, quickly rushed out and forced Caspian into the police car before I could even say anything else.

Giovanni approached me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm a detective and a police officer, not a nurse. This was my assigned task and case to gather evidence—we've been watching Caspian even before this incident. Your boyfriend will be taken to jail at home since there is overflow here. He committed a crime, he is a thief. I'm sorry."

His words cut through my skin like a freshly sharpened knife. It was all true, though. I knew this from the get go.

"Grab your stuff and I will give you a ride back home," Giovanni said while handing me a key to the suite.

I was shaky and I couldn't breathe right. The tears just kept coming from my eyes and I couldn't stop them. Going back into the room and seeing Caspian's suitcase was the worst feeling ever. I grabbed a shirt from his pile of clothes and tucked it neatly in my suitcase—I knew I would need him tonight more than ever.