Three Thousand Miles To You

by Delia Longford

  Chapter 20

  I am woken up by Sophie who seems so irritated. “Alanna what happened last night” I rise up opening my eyes to see Sophie is right in my face. I lean back and she gets the hint and moves away too. “What are you talking about?” “I am talking about you Katharine and two unbelievably gorgeous British guys and the fact that there was a fight” “ it wasn’t a fight” “Katharine told me that Adrian hit Michael isn’t that his step brother?” “Yes he hit him but Michael deserved it” “what happened?” “When we got to dinner Michael starting being rude to me and Katharine was no better” “Katharine said that it was you two that were being rude” “what we only responded to their rudeness” “so what else happened?” “Michael called me a bitch and Adrian flipped out and hit him” “never why did he call you a bitch?” “he started going on about me and Marco and I really don’t feel like talking about it” “alanna you never seem to want to talk about anything anymore” “I guess I have just changed” “I know what’s changed its that you are now with Adrian and everything revolves around him” “no I am not like that I just find it hard with all these little dramas that go on here. If they had real problems then it would be different” “what are you talking about” “New York and its people, they worry about the latest fashion show and if they look fat or if there friends are talking behind their backs” “alanna you used to be one them” “maybe I pretended to be but now that I have heard how hard a life Adrian has had I can’t go back to pretending I care about all the silly little things.” “What happened to him?” “I don’t feel like I can talk about it Sophie it’s not my story to tell” “but I am your best friend or at least I used to be” “you still are but Adrian told me all that in confidence I can’t betray him by repeating it” “okay then I understand but I want you to know that you can come to me anytime” “I know I can” I jump out of bed and get dressed and head out into the hallway. As I do I think of what Sophie said about Katharine saying that it was me who was rude I have to talk to her. I go over to her room and I knock on the door. Her brother Leo answers he doesn’t look too pleased to see me. Leo and I used to study together and he did ask me out once but he wasn’t too disappointed when I turned him down and we have been friends ever since. “Leo hey how have you been?” “Alanna I am fine are you here to see Katharine?” “Yes is she in?” “No she’s not she told me that you two had some kind of argument or something?” Leo is one of those laid backed guys that never gets involved with any kind of drama so he always judges when others do. “The guys we were with did it wasn’t so much me and Katharine, did she say where she was going?” “she is meeting up with that British dude” “can you tell her I stopped by” “sure babe” I walk away and am a little glad she is meeting with Michael at least I won’t have to tell her that Michael is breaking up with her. As I walk back to my room I see Marco so I do exactly the opposite of what my head wants me to do but instead I follow my heart and my heart is saying how awful and depressed this guy looks his hair is longer than usual he has facial hair that I have never seen on him before and he is always usually dressed in finest Italian clothes however today he has on pair of loose jeans and an oversized black hoodie he looks a shadow of his former self And I can’t help but feel at blame for it. So I walk over to him looking down at the floor as I do. “Marco how are you” I say as I look up at him. He looks down at me and says “good I suppose” “Marco I want to apologies for everything that happened” “you apologies? Are you joking with me?” “No” “what do you have to be sorry for I am the one who assaulted you” “you didn’t assault me Marco I pushed your buttons” “alanna I was mad at you for not liking me I was obsessed you” “can we put this behind us?” “I can never be your friend it wouldn’t work I would want more” “we don’t have to be friends I just don’t want there to be this awkwardness between us” “there won’t be any” Marco reaches down and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I smile and turn to see Adrian standing there behind me. “Adrian HI” I say smiling but I know that look on his face he is not happy. He stands there glaring at Marco his hands are trembling I fear what he will do so I take him by the arm and lead him back to my room. “Adrian I know how that must have looked” “don’t alanna just don’t” Adrian looks so angry I go over to him and take his hands in mine. “I just wanted to clear the air with him that’s all” “why do care alanna?” “I don’t like seeing people unhappy” Adrian lets go of my hands and puts them on my face he kisses me and I know he isn’t mad anymore. When I finally break free from him I begin to wonder about Michael but knowing Adrian and how touchy he is about things I decide to wait until he brings it up first. “I don’t have long until my flight is there anything you want to do?” I see him look at the bed but I pretend I didn’t. “Maybe we could get breakfast?” he laughs and says “ok miss hart breakfast it is”. We go to small café not far from my dorm. Adrian orders us a massive breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs and sausages all rounded off by stacks of pancakes and waffles. “Adrian I think you have ordered too much” “no I haven’t you can manage” “are you trying to make me fat?” I say as I burst out laughing. “No but I don’t like to see people go without food” “but I have plenty” “yes but as a child I never had any” “I never thought” “that’s ok why would you” I look at him again feeling guilty for having it so good when I was growing up I try to shake off the feeling and say “Adrian are you looking forward to going home?” “I have to go but no I wish I could stay” “Adrian with all this going on now with Michael I don’t know how to feel about the situation with the people who keep following me” “you don’t have to worry Michael Is fine he will carry on protecting you” “so you sorted it out with him?” “yes alanna” “I am glad that it was all just a misunderstanding” “it wasn’t he told me last night that he loves you but he has agreed for your safety to stay here with you” “Adrian that is going to be very odd for me” “I know but there is nothing more I can do” “can’t you stay” “you know I would love to but the business needs me” “I need you” “if there were any other way I would do it in a second” “ I know” but the truth is I don’t know why would he put business before me if he loves me. And I can’t help but dread the next time I see Michael. I can’t get immune to the fact that he says he loves me. I am just shocked to my very core about it. I have no words I have no explanation to why. “Alanna it’s time for me to go” I roll my eyes I don’t want him to leave. “Can’t you stay a while longer?” “No my flight leaves in an hour and you know what traffic is like” “okay then” I get up and follow him out the café I see the car sitting there waiting to take him away from me. I feel sadness rush over me I will miss him so much. Even though we had arguments and fallings out this has still been the most magical five days ever. I fell in love with the most beautiful man I have ever seen. I began to understand him more when he opened up to me about his past. He still never told me the secret he has but I managed to look past the annoyance of that. I will miss his kiss. I will miss voice. I can’t think of waking up and him not being there. I don’t know how I will cope. I love him so much that it actually hurts I hurt every time I think of him so far away. “My love come here” Adrian takes me in his arms and holds me too tight. He slightly loosens his grip and kisses me. He lets go and gets into the car. As he does he looks at me and says “until next time baby”. As I watch him leave I begin to cry the tears are flowing as I walk down the street heading back for my college dorm I think of Adrian as I walk he looked amazing today in a tailored dark blue pin stripped suit with a white and black striped shirt with a tie to match underneath his eyes as usual were glowing green and his light chocolate hair was flicked back today I can’t describe his looks I feel lost in them every time I look at him! I finally get back to the room after walking so slow back as I didn’t want anyone to see me cry. I enter the room to find Katharine and Sophie sitting on the beds. I feel a little awkward and Katharine looks upset. I want to sort this whole thing out with her after all
she is one of my really close friends. I walk over to her and stand right in front of her so she has to look at me. Her cheeks are also tear stained just like mine. I don’t know if she is crying because she is mad at me or because Michael ended things with her. Either way I am about to find out as I pick up the courage to ask her what’s wrong. “Katharine are you ok?” “Alanna please I am not in the mood right now to have an argument with you” “the last thing I want is an argument, I want to clear the air” “alanna I know what Michael called you was terrible and I gave him hell for it but I really don’t want to talk to you about this right now” why was Katharine being so awkward? Did Michael tell her how he feels about me? “Katharine you are my friend and we can’t let guys fighting with one another tear us apart” “alanna it’s you they were fighting about” “what do you mean?” I say fearing what her answer might be. “Michael broke up with me, he told me he has feelings for you and that he was jealous of Adrian with you that’s why he got so mad” “Katharine even if that was the reason for Adrian and him fighting we can’t let that ruin our friendship” “alanna you don’t understand” “then tell me” I say desperately “I really liked him and he just chose you” “he didn’t choose me I am with Adrian I don’t feel that way about Michael” “then if you don’t why are you always with him everywhere he goes?” “That’s for another reason that I can’t discuss but believe me it’s not anything like that” “and you expect me to believe that?” “Have I ever lied to you before?” and Sophie you know how I feel about Adrian tell her I could never be with anyone other than him” Sophie looks to Katharine “it’s true she does only have eyes for Adrian” Katharine sobs and sits back down on the bed I go over to her and take her in my arms. “Katharine I am so sorry” Katharine sobs even harder and chokes out “I’m sorry to” for the next few hours Sophie Katharine and I lay on the one bed and watch movies. I feel like there is nothing else I could possibly do today. I don’t want to go out into the halls as I am scared I might run into Michael. I can’t go have a walk around the city because there is someone after me and who possibly wants to kill me staying in with my two best friends and losing ourselves in the world of Audrey Hepburn in breakfast at tiffany’s seems like the only thing to do. Sophie and I used to watch that movie every Sunday we would wake up early and call the other one to make sure they were coming each week we take turn to play hostess. I would always have the bagels and coffee out and Sophie would steal her mom’s pearls so we could wear them while we watched the movie. Every time I think back on a happy memory from my child hood it’s always plagued by one from Adrian’s. When other kids his age were out playing on their bicycles he was locked up smoking marijuana. The thought and the sickness of it will stay with me forever. My mind suddenly goes back when I was at the beach and I saw Alice. Unaware that she was Adrian’s mother how she seemed to have a lot on her mind. She looked distressed and I felt sorry for her. How wrong I was. I really wish that Adrian hadn’t asked me not to go back and see her because if he hadn’t then I would. I would go her and ask her how she could do that to an innocent child. Why would she let a stranger who beat her do it to her son? I have no words to describe the hatred I have to this woman for putting Adrian through all that. Then I have a sudden brain flash I will go see her. Adrian doesn’t have to know and I can keep it from Michael I will just say that I am going to visit my parents. If he ever shows his face again! I am beginning to worry why he hasn’t come to find me yet perhaps it’s because he knows that I am with Katharine and feels it would be to strange or maybe he is just boycotting me all together. All I know for sure that tomorrow I will go find Alice and I must make sure that Michael does not find out. Later that night when Katharine has gone back to her own room. Sophie pulls me to one side and has a very nervous look on her face. “Alanna earlier today there was a man here looking for you” “who was he?” “I am not sure exactly but he looked very weird” “what did he look like?” “He was older he had dark greying hair he wore a very smart suit and talked with kind of accent” “what did he say?” “He just asked me where you had gone who you were with and how long you would be” “Sophie did you tell him I was with Adrian?” “Yes why? Alanna who is he?” “I don’t know for sure I think he is maybe one of Adrian’s clients” I lie but the anxiety on my face shows Sophie that I am on the edge about this. “Alanna is there something going on that you are not telling me?” I wish I could tell her I really do but I fear not even what she will say I fear that I will get her involved and she may end up hurt. “No Sophie I think he was just looking for Adrian about business he obviously knew Michael was here and figured that Adrian was to” “are you sure that’s all it is?” “Yes there is nothing to worry about” I look away thinking that she might see right through my lies. “Alanna before I forget he left you this” Sophie hands me a little white envelope. I walk away from Sophie and start to open the letter it reads

  Your boyfriend is a murderer! If you don’t break up with him then you are as good as dead!

  I am shocked so I quickly fold the letter up and put it in my jeans pocket. I say to Sophie that I will be right back I open the door and I march down the hallway until I come to Michael’s room. I knock on his door and he answers straight away I barge in without even saying hi I take out the note and throw it to him he catches it and says “alanna what’s this?” “Read it” I say with no emotion. As Michael reads over the note the look that comes to his face is tremor. “Where did this come from” “the guy from the other day dropped it off with Sophie while I was out with Adrian” “he actually came here?” “Yes today” “this is getting worse” Michael says rubbing his forehead. “Why are they saying Adrian is a murderer?” “I don’t know” “the look on your face says otherwise” “alanna you have to talk to Adrian about that as for now you have to stay here I can’t let you go back to that room” “I can’t stay in here what would everyone think?” “I don’t care god only knows what could happen to if you don’t” “I will be fine I will lock the door” “are you still not understanding me there is people who want to kill you” “you don’t think I know all that but you didn’t spend the last four hours with Katharine sobbing her heart out over you what would she think if she knew I stayed here with you?” “You think I care about Katharine and her little tragedies your life is it at risk alanna you will stay here” the look on Michaels face says that I really shouldn’t protest any more. “Ok but I have to call Adrian and tell him everything first ok?” “fine by me I will go tell your friend that you are staying with me tonight” “what no” he shoots me another look of that I should do whatever he says “can you at least make up an excuse of some kind make sure she doesn’t think that there is anything going on” Michael rolls his eyes and slams the door behind him. I reach into my pocket and take out my phone I dial Adrian’s number and wait as it rings when he picks up his voice is rough. “Alanna what’s wrong?” “Don’t panic but the guy from the other day showed up at the dorm today while I was out with you” the phone is silent and I can only hear the painting in Adrian’s breath. “alanna I know things with Michael are strained wright now but go to him” “I am in his room just now I wanted to call you first to let you know that Michael thinks it would be best for me to stay with him tonight” the phone again is silent “alanna I can’t say that I am happy with that but giving the circumstances it’s the right thing to do” “I know but I couldn’t just stay with him and not tell you first, Adrian there was also a note” “what did it say?” “It said that you were a murderer and that if I didn’t leave you then I was as good as dead” “right how do feel about that?” “Adrian I don’t know are you?” “I guess that’s what you can call it” I can’t breathe is Adrian telling me that he is a murderer? “Are you saying that it’s true?” “alanna I don’t really want to discuss this over the phone but please don’t leave Michael for a second these people are the most dangerous people you will ever come in counter with, they don’t just kill people they torture them I don’t want to
alarm you but please you have to do everything myself and Michael tells you to do is that understood?” “Yes but how can I go on thinking you have killed people” “I never killed people it was just one person and I was a child alanna I need you forget about this for now put it to back of your mind I will in time tell you everything” how is he asking me to do this he is straight out telling me he killed someone how could I possibly forget. But still feeling the love for him that I do I can’t say no. “Yes I understand” “now please can you get Michael to call me?” “As soon as he comes back I will tell him?” “Where is he?” “He went to tell Sophie that I was staying with him tonight” “so he left you again?” “He will be right back” “alanna that doesn’t matter he should never leave you alone for one second if I was there I wouldn’t” “Adrian you are not here and Michael is trying his best” “are you mad me with me?” “No but you keep slating Michael and he is the one who is here with me not you” “are you going to throw that in my face now?” “Adrian don’t get like that” “alanna you seem to have everything covered over there and you think that I don’t care enough about you to stay with you” “Adrian don’t I didn’t mean anything by that” “you don’t think of how guilty I feel about this?” “I don’t want you to feel guilty I know that whatever happened couldn’t of been your fault we will get through this” “if anything happens to you” “it won’t I will be safe with Michael please try not to worry” “it’s impossible for me not worry, alanna there is stuff I need to sort out please make sure you get Michael to call me” “I will I love you” “yes I know you do”. Adrian hangs up and I see Michael come in the door. “It’s sorted” “what did you tell her?” “Does it really matter?” “Yes it matters” “you annoy me alanna” “yeah well so do you” “did you call Adrian?” “Yes he wants you to call him” Michael turns away and starts to dial on his iPhone. I sit down on one of the beds and listen to what he is going to say. The phone call doesn’t last very long and Michael hardly says a word it’s basically Adrian just giving him orders and he is just agreeing. When he comes off the phone he sits down on the other bed and begins to take his shoes off. He stretches out his long legs fully on the bed and is lying back with his head against the pillow. I never really looked fully at Michael before but having seen him lay there I think that he is gorgeous. His hair is so dark and eyes so blue. I wouldn’t go as far to stay that he was as good looking as Adrian but still he is one beautiful man. I feel a little awkward sitting here in silence with him. I don’t know how to act around him since Adrian told me how he feels. And this will be the first time I have seen him since he called me a little bitch. I sit further back on the bed and see Michael look over to me. “You may as well get comfortable” he says with no emotion on his face. “Michael I know this is hard and I know that you and I haven’t really seen eye to eye in the past but I really would like it if we could somehow look past all that” “alanna I am sorry for the other night” “I am to” “why are you sorry” “I can sometimes push guys buttons and I tend to make them angry I don’t know how I do it but I do so I am sorry for that” “ you sure do have way of getting under my skin” “again sorry” “I like that about you” “what are you crazy it gets me into trouble all the time” “yes but your feisty and I like that in a girl” “then you should have met me before” “before what?” “before I met Adrian I was to feisty I never spent any time getting to know people I judged them before I met them and I when I met Adrian he was the first person I ever met that I wasn’t my usual self with” “has Adrian changed you?” “Yes and for the better” “you really love him don’t you?” I feel uneasy as I say the next thing to Michael. “Yes I love him so much I have never met anyone like him” “then I am happy for him he is a lucky bloke to have someone like you” “now you better get some sleep” I look at him thinking maybe he is not so bad after all.