I Found Home [Completed]

Chapter Nineteen

"My feet really hurt..!"

"Should've worn something more comfortable then, huh?"

"S-Shut up.."

Only three hours into walking, and I already received at least ten complaints and twenty-seven 'shut up's. I grabbed hold of Rebecca's hand, dragging her underneath the shade of a tree. Before Rebecca stopped, I pulled her out of the way so she wouldn't block people on the sidewalk. Or maybe because a group of guys were passing by and seemed to be eyeing her legs so shamelessly. Disgusting. I sent them a glare, and they seemed frightened, walking away faster. She almost tripped in the process, but my arm held her steady.

"If you're going to push me or pull me or do anything to me, at least give me a warning ahead of time!" She exclaimed, glaring at me slightly.

Rebecca stood up straight and pulled her skirt down a little, just in case something that shouldn't be flaunted was showing. She put her hand on my shoulder as she picked her leg up, fixing her shoe. I held her arm, making sure she wouldn't fall. My other arm guarded our belongings. She adjusted her Vans and grabbed her bag and suitcase.

"Okay! Let's go."

"Finally..."

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"No.."

~~~

Lunch was spent with Rebecca, who chose to eat dim-sum. It was really good, but rather amusing when Rebecca could barely fit a piece in her mouth. She ended up biting it into little pieces. Stupidly (but adorably), she was annoyed that I ate more than her. It wasn't my fault that I could actually eat it. We ended lunch with some creampuffs. We stopped and sat down at a table. Rebecca kept stuffing them in her face, not that I minded.

"You're a complete chipmunk right now," I said, smiling a little as I watched her eat. Rebecca looked up from the plate, her cheeks stuffed. "How can you fit two creampuffs in your mouth, but not dim-sum?"

Rebecca paused, as if embarrassed that she had been stuffing her face in front of me. Slowly, she shrugged her shoulders, cautious of her reply. I smiled at her.

"It's cute."

She immediately started choking on the creampuffs, coughing. She hung from her chair, turning away. After her coughing fit, she looked at me again. I raised an eyebrow at her, an innocent, yet devious, smile on my face.

"You said that on purpose!" Rebecca exclaimed, blushing madly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, sarcasm dripping on my words.

"Sometimes, you really get on my nerves," she mumbled, annoyance evident in her voice. She ate another creampuff. "God, you make me want to rip off your arms at those times."

"I'd like to see you try," I taunted, leaning over to her.

She pulled back, leaning towards her chair. Her hand covered my face, as if trying to erase me from her view. "Not today, you attention-seeking bastard."

I snickered a little. "Bastard? If anything, I'm not a bastard."

"Oh, I suppose you're right!" Rebecca exclaimed with fake enthusiasm as I grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand off my face. Leaning over as if challenging me, she deadpanned, "You're an asshole."

Because of the close proximity between us, I leaned over a little more and kissed her. She didn't seem to move, and instead froze in her place. The complete opposite of last time. She seemed to be shutting down, almost as if she were at a breaking point. I let go of her and sat back in my seat, smiling. Rebecca was still frozen.

"Yo. Wake up."

Rebecca fell back in her seat, her hands on her face. "oH mY gOd! Tell me that didn't just happen!"

"It happened alright," I replied with a blank tone, grabbing a cream puff and biting into it. "By the way, you could at least kiss me back. I felt a little neglected."

"I wasn't prepared for that!" She exclaimed in response, her face red. "I told you to tell me if you were going to push or pull me or anything!"

"Okay. Can I kiss you?"

Rebecca's face reddened even more at the question. She remained silent for a while, before closing her eyes. At first, I was bewildered. She then proceeded to nod, and I could tell that she was holding in all her pride. I leaned over again and kissed her. She kissed back this time.

~~~

"Still amused you actually let me."

"S-Shut up. That was two hours ago.."

The next two hours were spent walking in the heat of Southern California's afternoons. The sun was glowering down on us, and I felt like a baked potato in my hoodie. I instantly regretted wearing dark clothes, nevertheless clothes that kept in the heat of my body. Rebecca was lucky to have been wearing light colors, as well as a skirt to cool herself down. Lucky. People kept eyeing me because of my strange choice of clothes, and I now knew why. Rebecca must've noticed my discomfort, because she stopped and pulled me away from the sidewalk.

"Are you sure you don't want to take that off?" She asked, looking up at me and peering at my hoodie.

I wiped the sweat on my forehead. "It's fine. I'd rather not get a tan."

"What if you get a fever?" She questioned, giving me the familiar motherly look. "That would be problematic."

"I'm fine, damn.."

Rebecca put her hands on her hips, the sweet aura around her changing. "Don't give me that attitude. I'm watching out for you." She crossed her arms. "Say you did get a fever. Your body would function differently, and you would be lazy. You only brought enough money for two days, Sam. Two days."

I pat her head, completely ignoring her well-said point. "Whatever. Let's go. The faster we get there, the better. Right?"

Rebecca remained silent for a few seconds. She huffed and walked away, making me follow her. She never really did like when I ignored her motherly advice. I could see it. She was worried for me, even though I didn't want her to be. Jogging to catch up to her, I nudged Rebecca's hand with mine. She spared a glance at me, and the worry was clear in her brown eyes.

I grinned. "I'm fine. Promise."

Rebecca blushed, looking away. "Idiot," she commented, not knowing what else to say.

I smiled and continued pacing. Our footsteps became louder, which was almost unlikely in the crowded streets. My ears suddenly became alert when I realized two pairs of footsteps behind us. Rebecca noticed as well, because her eyes flashed, as if identifying them. Numbers. Like a broken computer screen in her eyes. I almost lost my breath when something pushed me against the ground. Someone punched me. Rebecca squealed at this. I felt my jaw slam on the concrete sidewalk, and alongside Rebecca, people who saw this screamed.

"S-Sam!"

I pushed myself up, letting go of the bags and suitcases. My hand went up to my face, and I touched my chin, only to hiss when I felt that the raw flesh had been removed. I peered at the ground and saw the skin. Rebecca's eyes were wide, and she seemed to want to say something, but I interrupted her. I grabbed her arm and pulled her behind me, looking at the two men in black suits in front of me. The one who pushed me stood beside his friend, and I felt their eyes behind me. I realized they were here for Rebecca.

A hand touched my arm, and I shivered when Rebecca whimpered at the sight of them. Bodyguards. From the suits to the glasses and the mics attached to them, they were bodyguards. From Rebecca's family. They want her back. I growled a little. They followed us. Probably put a tracker on one of Rebecca's clothes before she ran away. I turned my head and saw Rebecca flinch at the bleeding on my chin. The blood was already down to my neck. Her eyes widened when I pushed her a little.

"Run."