Chapter 89: Chapter 89

CHAPTER 89

CHRISTIAN

“So how have you been?”

At this rather absurd question, Christian’s chest tightened all to suddenly. Throwing Dinah, a sideways glance he bobbed his head twice, and truthfully replied, “The last few days haven’t been the best at all.”

As he said this, Christian felt a little bit of relief pass through him. Now more than ever, he realized that he wanted to talk to someone. He needed someone whom he could trust, and vent out his worries too, and luckily for him now he had that person.

When she had approached him some minutes earlier, asking to sit with him he had obliged not because he wanted it, but because he just couldn’t turn her down and it was obvious she had coincidentally met him here too. Who was he to say no? This was a public beach, and the bench he was sitting on was public property so he had no right to ward her off…

Now though, he was glad he had offered her a seat. Her presence was warm, and he felt free with her which was a good sign in his opinion.

“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed, her eyes widening as she asked again, “What’s wrong with you? Are you ill? Or do you have some sort off…”

“Personal problems.” Christian interjected, shifting closer to her and turning to face her squarely. His throat croaked, his voice breaking as he continued, “I don’t want to bother you with my long boring troubles. It’s fine, I’ll be okay.”

He was trying to reassure her, because he could see the worry lines on her smooth face, but at the same time his own words resonated in his head.

‘I’ll be okay…’ Would he be? He doubted it so much. He would never be okay, and he would run mad before finally leaving this damned city.

Every single place he looked at, reminded him of her, and Christian regretted and hated how after all these things happening he still loved Sara so much.

She had not come to see him, she wasn’t picking her cell phone, but still… The part of him reserved for her was still intact and it hurt so much. The pain was indescribable, and he couldn’t even put a name to it again. This was worse than heartbreak. Worse than…

“Hey!” Dinah called out waving her hands in front of him, and raking his hands through his hair, Christian apologized, “So sorry. I must have zoned out. You were saying something right?”

“Yeah. I was just asking if you would love to share your problems with me. Also, how about your girlfriend? The girl, that’s so lucky to have a handsome hunk like you.” Dinah said winking her brows at him, and another mild pain shot through his chest.

“I…” He began with a stutter before continuing, his words firm, “We are not longer together.”

“What? You must be joking right?” Dinah asked, her hands reaching out to touch his stuff thighs, “What happened? Do you want to talk about it? Damn!”

What would he even say? How would he begin? He hadn’t broken up with Sara yet, but he was officially done with her! There was no way they could be together after everything that had transpired, and now all he wanted to do was leave this city, go to Seattle and work his ass off to become better.

He was more determined, now than ever and he would make his dreams come true. Dreams that once included Sara, but now…

“I don’t want to talk about it though, but I’m done with her. It’s terrible, and it hurts but I guess life goes on. What she did is unforgivable and… Fuck?” Christian broke off, cursing and burying his face in his hands.

He felt Dinah’s hands on his back as she caressed softly, and when he lifted his face back up, she tackled him quickly pulling him into a comforting hug that he needed more than badly.

“Whatever she must have done damn! You don’t deserve this at all. How could she?” She blurted out, still hugging and clutching tightly at his arms. The hug lasted more than he wanted, but he couldn’t pull out waiting for her to make the first move.

When she finally disentangled herself from him, she began to murmur some soothing words, telling him sorry here and there.

He didn’t need her pity, and her words were making the wound in his heart sore, but again he couldn’t tell her to keep quiet. She was trying her best to comfort him, and he didn’t want to come of as rude in any way.

Silence creeped in after a while, and the cool breeze whipping past as they both faced the ocean, Christian once again got lost in his thoughts.

“What’s going to happen now?” She asked softly breaking him out of his reverie, and the words falling out of his lips more deterring than ever and convincing himself he answered, “I am going to leave her here. I got a job offer in Seattle, and I’m moving away. I have to work on myself, and my dreams.”

“What?” Dinah asked, and when he turned to stare at her, Christian was shocked to see the somewhat strange look on her face, but quickly it was wiped off, as she asked again stammering, “I… I… What do you mean?”

She looked horrified hearing him say that, not happy at all and not the reaction he would have expected but he didn’t want to read to much meaning into it. Besides she was just some random friend of his, a girl he had met back then when he had been working at the supermarket, and it was only natural for her to look stunned.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, still looking intently at her and nodding she faced the oceans back, and mumbled, “Yes I am okay. I was just shocked a bit. I had plans for…” She broke off and coughing she said, “Congratulations Christian, I am so happy for you.”

“Thank you so much.” He replied gratefully, and he started to say something again but Dinah’s cell phone pinged and he cut off his speech, “I am sorry, I have to pick this call.”

Bowing in acknowledgment of her statement, without saying another word Christian watched her scamper away far from him.

He didn’t know if she would come back, and so focusing back on the ocean and the random people wandering about, happy and carefree, Christian decided to feel calm and a bit free too. He wouldn’t let his worries weigh him down at all.

…….

SARA

“I’m so worried Ariel. I keep having these frightful nightmares, and this feeling that something bad has happened. I just can’t shake it out Ariel, and I have to see Christian tomorrow. I’m done with this bed rest, I’m leaving the shelter to his place tomorrow.” Sara blurted, her head pounding as she held into Ariel like her life depended on it.

It was late night already, and she couldn’t sleep still, coming down from her bunk bed earlier to stay with her friend.

She was feeling cold all over, her body aching and intensifying the anxiety she was currently feeling.

“Everything is okay Sara, I think you are just overthinking things.” Ariel said, stroking her cheeks softly trying to reassure her but her words were doing nothing in comforting her at all.

“Everything is okay? I haven’t seen Christian since that day and you expect me not to be worried? He has not even called or come to check up on me, and you expect me to be calm. No I can’t be. I’m well rested, and way past the trauma of whatever happened that night at the festival. Since the police has closed the case, and Miranda is nowhere to be found with any answer to what might have happened that night, then I need to move on with my life too.”

“I agree with you though.” Ariel said, and sniffing Sara just bobbed her head up and down frantically.

“Why is his line not going through with your phone though? I don’t understand, and I still haven’t found mine. What about Daniel? Have you spoken to him?” Sara inquired after a while.

“Daniel is on some errand and he’s not in town at the moment.”

“I’m still baffled over Miranda’s sudden disappearance.” Sara said, as she sat up on the bed, packing her scattered messy hair into a bun.

“I am too, but I don’t want to think much about her. I’m still somewhat grateful to her for coming that night, if not we wouldn’t have found you quickly. I feel like she knows something, and Dinah also has a hand in this, but we know she runs this city in a way. I won’t be surprised if she paid the police and carnival workers off.”

“Yeah, at-least I was not raped neither did I sustain any life threatening injuries, so it’s best to forget about them.” Sara mumbled, yawning out loud and Ariel was quick to agree to her statement.

Suddenly feeling a wave of nostalgia and thirsty to at the same time, Sara stood up from the bed intent on going to the hallway and taking some water from the public dispenser in the corridor.

“Where are you going to?” Ariel asked as she began to walk away, her feets wobbling strangely and Sara was about to answer, but instantly she fell to the floor in a heap.

Her legs gave out involuntarily, and before she knew what was happening she lurched forward, lips dropping open as she began to vomit sporadically. Her body temperature heating up instantly.

“Sara, Sara…” Ariel rushed towards her, taking her light body, in her arms but Sara wasn’t even feeling herself at all. She was still vomiting, and she could hear people rushing towards where she was but her head was dizzy and her eyes were turning as her vision became blurry.

“Sara!” Ariel called out, the door to the room burst open and as matrons rushed in, Sara’s eyes shut close as she passed out.

The last thing she could remember seeing was Christian running away from her in a field of bushes, and then everything went black.