Guarding My Heart

Once : La lavandería

El punto de vista de Lea

*A WEEK LATER*

It has been a whole week since James sent me home from the apartment. I was curious about Gabriel and Gina but I was too chicken to ask James about it. The ride in James' old sedan was silent with only a little small talks here and there between James and Gina in Spanish. I didn't understand what they were talking about so I didn't chip in in their conversation.

I was aware that they are both talking in Spanish because they don't want me to listen in on their conversation. When James walked me back to the mansion, holding onto my hand, he told me that I should keep quiet about what happened to the mansion and me during those two days. I just nodded my head blindly and didn't question him about it.

The mansion was restored to its own glory. There were no bullet holes or smashed glass anywhere and the furniture isn't strewn everywhere. The wall paper was still the same as the old ones and my mother's most prized China vase was still sitting on the wooden table near the stairs. I doubt that they managed to get a genuine one back because there was only two of the vases created. One of them was Mrs. Prise, a collector who lives downtown , and the other one - which is probably smashed into a thousand tiny pieces - is sitting in the mansion of John Leal.

James didn't want me to be involve together with Gabriel and decided to send me home straight a day earlier than planned. I didn't know why but he just said that I shouldn't get involved together with Gabriel that much because he's bad news. I didn't know what that meant but it seemed like everyone in my life is bad news. First my brother and now a stranger.

Mrs Rodriguez and the butler had came back a day later and freaked out over me and what had happened at the mansion while they were away. Liam hadn't contacted our parents because he thought that it isn't important enough to call them. I don't know what he's thinking of and I didn't care.

"Earth to pretty Lea" Rica's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She was waving a hand in front of my face and giggling away in her 'Rica's Famous giggle'. Rocio was on my bed and scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious to the both of us - Me and Rica-.

Shaking my head slightly, I waved her hand out from my face "What's up?" I haven't been paying attention at all to what she was talking about. I didn't want to know what she has to say after that two days of my life.

Rica snapped her fingers in front of me, rolling her eyes at me "You're not listening to a thing that I'm saying just now Lea." She pointed out obviously "What is up with you?" She was annoyed that I wasn't listening to her at all.

I looked at her, glancing at Rocio at the corner of my eye "Umm, hey Rocio doesn't seem interested in what you are talking about just now too, Rica. Why don't you go bother him?" I didn't actually mean to say that but it came out.

Rocio looked up from his phone and nodded his head. He wasn't listening to what I had just said just now but he knows me enough to get what I had just said. "Yeah, sure. I wasn't listening at all" He obviously didn't know what we were talking about but just went with it. It was written clearly on his face.

Rica sighed, going over to my bed and sitting down on it "What is wrong with the both of you? Rocio, you seem to zoom out from reality and to your own imaginary world and Lea, you seem like you're distant ever since you came back after the shoot out at your house." She was talking quickly and it was hard for me to catch what she was talking about. Rica checked her nails "I think I need to get a manicure and pedicure done if you two aren't going to talk together with me"

I turned back over to my desk, holding my pen over the blank piece of paper and scribbling on it. I didn't know what I actually want to draw or write on the piece of paper but then it was the only thing that I had been doing ever since James sent me back.