My blood ran cold as I observed the scene in front of me.
I tried my hardest to think of any possible scenario that included the police miraculously not searching for Calum, but the longer I thought, the harder it became.
I closed my eyes as dizziness overtook. As much as I cared and believed in Calum, I knew he had a past, and if I had learned anything from life, it was that history almost always repeated itself.
Next to me, Calum hadn't moved an inch. His eyes were intently glued to the flashing lights. It was almost as if he was plotting.
I wanted to wait for him to give me an explanation, but as the suffocating silence prevailed, I knew I had to press him.
"Babe...if you did something wrong...you would tell me, right?"
He blinked for what seemed like the first time in years. As he turned to look at me, I could see the usual warmth in his eyes had drained away.
He held my gaze for a few moments before glancing down to unbuckle his seat belt. Before he had a chance to reach for the door handle, I hit the automatic lock button.
"Calum. What's going on? Please talk to me."
Leaning back in his seat, Calum pushed both hands through his hair and exhaled loudly.
"I fucked up, Leisa. That's what's happening right now."
Cutting the engine, I steadied my breathing before facing him full on.
"I need you to tell me what you did. Maybe I can help you. H-how...how bad is it?"
He sank down a little and shook his head. "Pretty bad, babe. It's bad."
My mind began to wander again. My dad may have hated Calum, but maybe if I put in a good word for him, he would go easy on him. It wasn't as likely as I would have hoped, but still worth a shot.
Tapping my thumbs against the steering wheel, I tried to fight of the queasiness in my stomach. Panicking wouldn't help either of us.
Silence consumed us again as we both sat. I knew that time was running out. They would notice us soon and Calum would be taken away from me.
That was something I still wasn't ready for. Even the weeks and weeks of sneaking around with the possibility of us being caught at any second hadn't prepared me for the harshness of reality.
"Look, Leisa...I'm turning myself in. This will go a lot easier for everyone if I just end this right here." Sitting up, he took my hands off the wheel and held them. "Before I go, I just want you to know that I love you. I wanted to change for you. I really did. I-i wanted to be someone you could be proud of, but...I messed up. I just...I love you."
The corners of eyes threatened to spill tears, but I couldn't let them fall. I couldn't fall apart right here.
Not yet.
"I love you, too. Please tell me we can fix this. Tell me that everything doesn't stop here."
He reached across the center console and pulled me into a kiss. One, I hoped with every fiber of my being wouldn't be the last.
"This isn't over."
I tried to take in as much of him as I could. We both knew that once he stepped out of the car, the next time we could be together would be far from soon.
He scanned my face one last time before sliding the lock over and slipping out the door. His walk down the street was a slow one. He wasn't going to make a fuss.
When they noticed him, he would then turn himself in. Not a second sooner, not one later.
I watched as his hands slipped into his pockets, a nervous habit of his. A burly cop with a crew cut standing beside his car was the first to notice Calum. He immediately reached for his walkie talkie and babbled something into it. In no time at all, the whole street of cops turned their attention to Calum nonchalantly making his way over to them. The crew cut cop caught Calum by the arm and escorted him over to the waiting hands of another cop, who quickly cuffed him.
Both officers hovered near Calum. They were obviously several inches shorter than him and tried their best to intimidate him from a lower stance. They talked to him for a bit, clearly interrogating him. He shook his head at everything they said.
Smart boy. No lawyer, no talking.
It was becoming clear to them that he wouldn't be doing any talking soon, but the last thing they said to him, made his expressionless face falter. He shook his head once more before crew cut opened the back door and threw Calum in.
All at once, I completely came undone. Tears trickled down my face as I rested my head on the wheel. Everything I had been holding back for the past half hour exploded.
In the cup holder, my phone jiggled around, but I ignored it.
I wanted him back.
I wanted him back in the car holding me and telling me everything was going to be okay.
But he wasn't in my car, and I didn't know if it was going to be okay.
As I started to disconnect from my surroundings, there was a tap at the window.
My heart immediately stopped as I glanced up and came face to face with an officer.
Crew cut.
He pointed downward, signaling for me to lower my window. Wiping my eyes, I complied.
"Are you Leisa Melton?"
Slowly I nodded, another nauseous wave crashing over me.
"Step out of the car, please." He placed his hands on his hips and backed up a bit so I could open the door.
But I didn't open it. Instead I swallowed hard.
"W-why?"
Thoughts rushed violently through my head.
I hadn't done anything wrong.
Driving Calum around couldn't have been a crime.
It wasn't like I was his getaway driver.
"You're under arrest for aiding and abetting in the robbery of the Rockwell Plaza."
I drew a complete blank.
The Rockwell? I hadn't been there since-
Everything around me began to slip away. The floor disappeared and the wheel melted down into nothingness.
My aunt's wedding.
He had stolen from the plaza.
I couldn't hold on anymore. My eyes closed as everything around me retreated into complete darkness.
*
Nearby, there was a steady beeping. Opening my eyes required an energy level that I was unable to reach, so instead I listened closely,
There were shoes scuffling around on linoleum floor. Sharp yet faint squeaks echoed around the room. There was muffled chatter close by, mostly one sided and getting increasingly heated by the second.
The dull throb in my head inflated as everything came rushing back.
All the lights and cars.
Dozens of them.
They took him away from me.
My thoughts were slow and foggy. Differentiating fiction from reality was almost impossible. If the officer had been telling the truth, then I should be in jail.
Judging by the beeps, however, I knew I was not.
Finally prying my eyelids open, my blurred vision settled on a beige wall with a chair settled in front of it. On the back of the chair was a black blazer that I knew belonged to none other than my father.
Seeing it instantly made the nausea return.
Somewhere, Calum was alone, being poked and prodded by interrogators until there was nothing left to say. But he had been through all of this before. I, on the other hand, didn't know what was in store for me.
A portion of time I was unable to measure passed before the door to my room opened and someone sauntered in. I debated in my mind if I should
1) pretend to still be unconscious or
2)pretend I didn't know who or where I was. Jail was not somewhere I was ready to go.
"I know you're up. Don't pretend to be otherwise."
My tension lessened a bit when I recognized the voice of my dad.
"I was just-."
"Leisa, I don't have time for games right now. Do you know what kind of position you've put, not only me, but yourself in right now?"
Dread filled me up and weighed me down like an anchor.
"I-i didn't know."
It wasn't a complete lie. There was no way to tell that our night would have gone from a cute date to total hell in less than 30 seconds.
My dad was still for awhile, surveying me from across the room. With a disgruntled sigh, he swiveled himself away from me and towards the window.
"I told you from the beginning, Leisa. Stay away from that boy. He's trouble. Complete and utter trouble. Now look. My daughter is wanted by the law. How could you let this happen?"
I was at a loss for words. There wasn't much I could argue. I was, in fact, a wanted woman, and I had disobeyed him and dated Calum.
But my dad still didn't know him like I did.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He's so -'
"He's what? Handsome? Sweet? He could have you put in jail, Leisa! Is that what you wanted?"
"Then why aren't I in jail right now? Are they taking me when they find out i'm awake?"
My dad softened a bit and walked over to the end of my bed. When he spoke again, his tone was hushed.
"No, you're not going. At least not tonight. I pulled a few strings down at the precinct. You may be free right now, but don't think you're off the hook. This is far from over."
____
Told you it was about to get real. This is still just the beginning! The real fun is a couple chapters away.
Until then, vote and comment while I start on the next one!
xxx
