Where are you going?

Chapter 28

Colby's POV:

I could see Julia's face without even looking at it, mainly because I felt just as surprised. I didn't trust Malissa, and I had just got used to trusting Julia, but if I didn't find a quick way to tell Julia about the gangs and the operation I was supposed to run, I couldn't stay for long. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to just stay with her on that stage with her laugh hanging onto my ears. But I knew the truth wasn't going to be that. I had already discussed it with myself, if I should've let her go, let her in on it, keep up my guards from her or open up to her. I chose the last one after a long time, one of the nights where I couldn't sleep. One of the many nights actually. "What do you mean? Yeah, I have a lot of questions actually, but I'm fine as you can see.". That's right, Julia. You're safe with me, and your aunt is the one with ten armed men behind her. "Sweetie, it's complicated, but I'll explain everything to you at my place. You can bring your...friend too, but I need to tell you something about... well let's just say family.". I saw the way her body loosened up in front of Julia and how her head would bend to looked directly into her eyes, but there was something weird about her, besides the fact that she just friendzoned me in front of Julia. I was still studying her until I felt Julia's eyes on me, and I felt her asking me with her eyes, but I didn't say anything until I remembered the conversation. "It's fine, Julia. I can just drive behind you guys and then I'll see you back at her place.". I couldn't play the douchey guy, even though I wanted to, to protect Julia, but I knew she was blind from the love she had for her aunt. She kept looking at me with her big brown eyes and ended up putting her arms around my neck and burying her head in my neck. I hugged her back and listened carefully to what she was whispering into my ear. "We're not done searching for them, don't worry.". All I could do was nod, while my heart slightly sunk down my stomach, feeling the guilt I had been building up since I knew I one day would have to lie to her and then force her in a car to San Francisco. I had been planning on telling her today, then find our friends in the city where the gangs stayed, but I wasn't sure if I had much longer. They wanted her in San Francisco in three days, but if I was lucky enough I could bargain about some more time to plan how to find where they were staying. I had been faking the clues about where they were and she had been falling straight into them even a little quicker than I expected from her, meaning I didn't have much left. They were of course planned by Mathew, the one checking up on the job and the one who had Sam and the others. LA had never been this dark until now, when I knew my best friend was near but I had no idea where or if they were still alive. But something kept me going. Something so beautiful that had to do with Julia. She quiete frankly made me crazy and I wasn't sure if it was a healthy way anymore. She had told me about her live in New York, her childhood, how her parents died in a car crash and how she met Violette. My eyes were kept on the dry road in front of me, and the car containing Julia and Malissa, while my mind went somewhere else for a while.

"Do you ever think about life after this?". He voice was so delicate in the airless and boiling motel room, I think I could listen to her talking for a couple more hours, but it was my turn. "Sure, but I think I wanna make sure I have a life after this before I think too much.". She then turned her head to take a look at my face and went back with her head laying on my bare chest. I liked the feeling of her so near me, even though it was like 100 degrees in the room. I could hear her breathing and feel her thick hair in between my fingers running through it. "Do you remember that time in the white SUV when you had that nightmare and I had to wake you up?". I felt her first smile, then nod against my chest before she turned around so that her face was inches away from mine. "What about it?". She seemed curious at first and almost looked like she wanted to joke about something I hadn't gotten yet. "I just wondered what it was that made you so scared. You don't have to answer of course".

She told me that night about how her parents died in a car accident when she was little in New York. She was then adopted but ended up having a hard time with herself and her new family. I wasn't able to recognize what she must had felt, and I wished I had been there for her. I wished none of this had happened. I wish a could just tell her everything about the plan, but I know they were listening. I wished I could go back in time and tell her everything. If she was strong enough to go through the death of her parents, she could handle this too, but I was afraid I wasn't gonna be able to live with it. I wouldn't be able to live with the fact that Sam and all my friends, I call family would be dead if I did that. There were clear instructions the way I was supposed to "deliver" her in San Francisco, so the only way for me to save everyone was to find Sam, but I had already tried that, That was all me and Julia had been doing for the last week. I mean, we did other things too, like staying up late and talking, like we were the only ones left in this stupid city. We had grown close and intimate with each other, and I had noticed the tiniest things she would do, just small and funny features I hadn't noticed. Like her surprise-face, with her widening her already big and beautiful eyes or the way she would arch her right eyebrow at some points, or the little mole located at her jaw, the way she smelled, her lips, her hair, her skin. No! Stop it, Colby. I couldn't believe that I was thinking about her when I was about to literally force into her a car and take her to another city without her knowing. I couldn't be this selfish. This was fucked up, and it was getting more complicated every time I saw her. One part of me wanted her as far as way as possible, while another wanted her so close and to never let her go.

A few minutes more went by, and I kept on following the black car in front of me, turning now and then and parked when they did. I already had an idea about this situation, and that I would have to report it to Mathew before she went further into what her aunt was gonna tell her. Meanwhile I had my ways to make sure she ended up in San Francisco in three days, so that I could see Sam again.

"No, I understand sweetie, go talk to him. I'll wait.". Was what I heard when I stepped out of the car and looked around the parking lot containing only the two cars. I didn't notice the giant house in front of me because of Julia, walking towards me, her entire scent ingulfed my senses and it kinda shocked me. "Hi.". "Hey.". She looked oddly nervous around me, with some hair covering her face and fiddling with her fingers. She almost looked sad when I finally got some eye contact with her. "Hey, what's wrong?". I asked, grabbing some of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, and accidently grazed her neck. "It's just that... well, I understand if this is goodbye, cause I mean, aunt Liss... look its complicated but she knows something that I need to know, and I understand if you don't wanna wait and look for Sam and all your other friends. Cause I have to stay here for a couple of days, and I'm safe, not that I wouldn't like for you to stay but I'm not alone if you leave.". wow. That was a lot of words, but I think I got the memo. "I'm not leaving, Julia. You know you ca...". But before I could speak her lips was on mine, shutting me up and surprising me. I felt her small figure start to sink down again, since she had been standing on her toes until now. I just couldn't let go of her when the kiss ended and it was just us hugging, holding tight onto her waist and her wrapping her arms around my neck. Even though people were around us this time, it still felt like it was just the two of us, like we couldn't let go. But it had to happen. I slowly let her go and looked at her before agreeing to go with her inside the house, that apparently was her aunts. Julia figured it out with Shaely and Kiwi, and they were picked up by some of Malissa's men and I saw to them while Julia was with Malissa. It was an old house, classy but big. Malissa had been nice and got a room for me and Julia and so I spent my time in there, trying to catch some sleep, waiting for Julia to explain to me what was going on.