Three Thousand Miles To You

by Delia Longford

  As long as it takes.

  For what?

  To get you safe again.

  But Adrian how will you know when I am safe?

  I just will I am trying to deal with things over here in London. Adrian promise me that you will be careful?

  Alanna don’t worry about me.

  I can’t help it I hate being so far away from you.

  Alanna we will be together I promise you that.

  Adrian?

  Yes?

  I love you.

  I know you do.

  Now go get something to eat I have made sure that the fridge is stalked for you.

  Ok

  I will text you before you go to sleep.

  Okay Adrian.

  Until next time baby!

  I sit on the huge bed and try to take all this in. I get up and go back into the closet to have another look at everything that’s there. I slide my hand along the long line of designer dresses everyone more glamorous than the last. There are boxes of shoes piled high with names of jimmy choo and louboutin. Over on the other side there are so many handbags I can’t count them and one of every designer from Hermes to Chanel and one of every color. Down on the floor there are bags from Nordstrom filled with every kind of jeans I take out one pair and see that they are true religion and are just my size. There are many more bags filled with t shirts and tops. I take out one of the many sweat suits and get changed into it. Everything in this closet fits me like a glove. I am stunned that Adrian guessed my size so perfectly. And everything that’s in the closet is something that I love I feel like he knows me so well. Adrian is the love of my life and I feel so annoyed at Sophie for not being supportive of me. I hate the thought that she says bad things about Adrian. If she would just take the time to not judge him but to get to know him instead Then maybe she would see the real him. The kind and understanding guy that he is under his hard surface. He acts like he is made of steel but underneath he is pure silk. He is warm and generous he is not over controlling just procreative of me He wants to keep me safe. I don’t think there is another guy on the planet that would let his girlfriend share a condo with another guy that loves her if he didn’t want her to be safe. Adrian is a bigger person to see the bigger picture. He knows that I would never do anything to hurt him and by letting me stay with Michael he is just proving his trust in me.

  Chapter 22

  The next morning I wake up looking at the environment that I am now living in. the bedroom is to enormous with chic finishing’s. I get out of bed and go into the large bathroom that’s connected to the bedroom. I switch on the light and see that on the counter there are all my favorite products from the hair spray I use to the toothpaste. Everything I could ever need is here! I can’t help but wonder how Adrian knows so much about me. It’s like he has known me all my life and even then I still don’t know how he would know what serum I use in my hair. I go into the massive closet and start to pick through the bags I take out a dark blue pair of skinny jeans and plain pink t shirt. There are some pairs of flip flops down on a shoe rack on the floor and again all in my size. I pick out a black pair and close the door behind me. When I walk out into the hallway I can’t see Michael anywhere but I can hear his voice in the distance. I walk through another hallway that leads out into the kitchen/living area. As I do I see Michael talking to one of the huge security guards. “Alanna good you’re up” Michael says shocking me with a smile. “this is Jackson he will be here with us for the duration of our stay” I look at the massive guy he has a shaved head and is dressed in a dark black uniform I can see he has a gun clipped onto his trousers and that freaks me out a little. I look over to guy and say “hello Jackson it’s nice to meet you” “nice to meet you to now there are some things I need to go over with you ok?” “yes of course go ahead” “my colleague and I are here to protect you if you need to go out anywhere then one of us will be with you at all times don’t be afraid we are here to keep you safe and if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask one of us” I try to process everything he is saying in his strong New York accent. “Ok no problem” is all I manage to say. He walks over to the front door and looks out all the windows once he checks that everything is fine he takes a seat by the door. I turn to Michael who I must say looks amazing today he is wearing a dark blue pair of jeans and fitted white shirt that looks so good against his tanned skin. His hair is dark and strangely and his eyes are piercing. “Do you want some breakfast?” I look at him then I see a small dark haired women walk in she is wearing a white uniform and has a black apron round her waist. “This is Maggie she is our chef” “hi” I say not taking this in and with how much my life has changed since yesterday has Adrian gone too far with all this? “Sweetheart what would like?” “Whatever is the easiest to make” “would you like some pancakes?” “Yes that would be great thanks” I say giving her a smile. Michael walks over to the lounge area and sits on one of the huge arm chairs. I follow him and sit on the one next to him. “Are you alright alanna?” “Yes I am fine I didn’t expect all this” “did you think that Adrian wouldn’t have every luxury here for you?” “I knew he would have security but I was surprised by all the things he left for me in the bedroom” “what did he leave?” “The closet is full of new clothes and the bathroom is filled with all the products I use” “that’s Adrian all right” “I know but it still took me by surprise have you heard from him today?” “Yes he called first thing” I don’t even manage to get my next words out when the white blackberry begins to beep.

  Alanna how are you today? Are you ok?

  Yes I am fine, how are you?

  I am ok, alanna have you eaten today?

  I am just about to the chef you sent is making pancakes. Good, now is Michael being nice to you?

  Yes he’s been great so far.

  Okay have you met the security guards?

  Yes I met Jackson I haven’t met the other one yet.

  Alanna are you going out anywhere today?

  I wasn’t planning on it where could I go?

  I want you to know that there is a car down stairs for you if you need to go out.

  I don’t think I will need it today.

  Alanna are you sure you are ok about all this?

  I can’t say that I am I will miss college and my friends. You are still on course to graduate aren’t you?

  Yes I talked to Mrs. Henderson yesterday before I left and she told me that you gave them a huge donation.

  Yes I did are you ok about that?

  Yes the college really needed it now they can build the new wing Adrian I want to thank you for all this.

  Thank me what for?

  Everything you are doing to keep me safe and the style in which you are doing it how did you know my size and all the products I use?

  I just do alanna now go and get your breakfast I will call you later.

  Ok I love you,

  Until next time baby!

  I smile and put the phone down. I turn to see Michael glaring at me. “Nice conversation with the boyfriend?” I look at him, “yes Michael” “good, good” he says sarcastically. I don’t want to start anything with him giving that I am locked up in a house with him. So I simply give him a smile and say “how is your father?” “My father how do you know him?” “I met him in London he was talking to my dad about business” “I didn’t know I met yours too” “you did?” “Yes Adrian and I both did” “really he never said” “no? we had meetings with the company your dad works for and once Adrian knew that he was your dad he backed out of the deal” “I remember my dad saying that a company backed out but I had no idea that it was Adrian’s company” “yes he didn’t want to mix the feelings he had for you and business” “he never told me any of this” “no he wouldn’t he is a private bloke” “tell me about it” “but he seems to open up a bit more to you” “yes he told me a few things about his childhood but he has never told me about the fact that he killed someone” “alanna how are you so calm about tha
t?” “I don’t know I have surprised myself in the calmness is feel” “I can’t believe the way you are handling it and you don’t even know what happened” “do you know?” “Yes I know” “can you tell me?” “No but what I will tell you that it was not Adrian’s fault he was just a child” “he told me that part but who did he kill?” “I am sure he will tell you in his own time” “he says he will but I don’t know if I believe” “your pancakes are ready sweetheart” I hear Maggie shout from the kitchen. I go over and take a seat at the breakfast bar. Maggie gives me a huge stack of pancakes filled with bacon and syrup. “Enjoy” she says as she starts to clean up. I take a bite and I am surprised to how good they are. “Maggie these are the best pancakes I have ever had” Maggie turns to me and gives me a big happy smile. When I finish eating I go back over to Michael who is still sitting on the armchair. I again sit on the one next to him and look up at him. “Alanna you like you want to say something?” “Tell me about your brother chad” “chad? How do you know about him?” “I know this going to sound crazy but before I got to know Adrian I searched for information on him and when I found out that your dad adopted him I searched him too and that’s when I found out about chad” “I see what do you want to know about him?” “What happened to him?” “Doesn’t it say on the internet?” “Not really it just says that he had a falling out with the family and that he left” Michael takes a deep breath and begins to talk. “Chad is my older brother and he was the apple of my father’s eye they would do everything together and Chad is the type who always wanted to impress my father However it wasn’t until chad turned thirty that my father made him head of the department in which he worked in the company. Chad didn’t like the fact that Adrian was around and he did everything he could possibly to do to turn my father against him. The short story is chad made my father choose and he told him that he wouldn’t choose but Adrian was going nowhere. Chad then took matters into his own hands and left” “how long ago did he leave?” “About five years ago Adrian and I were twenty at the time and Adrian was in the process of getting his own company. Chad never had that type of success on his own he had always had my father to hand everything to him on a plate and chad became jealous of Adrian and began to do awful things to him” “what did he do?” “he did all sorts of things but he did however have one that he did on a regular basis” “what was it?” I say and Michael slightly rolls his eyes I get the feeling he doesn’t like to talk about this! “he would wait till my father and Adrian went away on a business trip and order escorts to come to the room where my father was he would always give Adrian’s name and try to pretend that he sent them when Adrian found out he went crazy but that was exactly the type of reaction chad was looking for” “have you ever seen him since?” “No he called me a few years ago and we were supposed to meet up but that never happened” “how does your dad feel about him? It must be hard having his son away?” “yes it was hard on my father at first but chad has done nothing but bad mouth my father since he went away and my father has now moved on I think that Adrian carry’s around a lot of guilt over this but my father doesn’t put any of the blame on Adrian” “your father sounds like an amazing man” “he is” “I know that Adrian thinks highly of him” “yes Adrian and my father have this great bond he took Adrian out care when he was a fourteen year old messed up child but now he has shaped him into the man he is today and I know that he can be a little controlling but that’s just who he is” “he is very controlling but I know he is just doing it for my safety” “he loves you alanna more than anything” “I know he does and I feel the same way” I see Michaels face change and he starts to say “Adrian knows that if you were any other girl than you would have ran a mile by now but he knows that you never would and that’s what has him hooked on you” “the thing that worries me is that the girl I used to be would” “you have changed then? You seem like this is all part of your life with Adrian and I can’t understand any other reason than love for you to stick around” Michael is actually giving me a complement He is also giving off a sense of vulnerability right now that’s has me alarmed. I think that maybe he I misunderstood him and that maybe he is actually a nice guy! Michael and I sit and talk for what seems like hours he tells me about his life in London. His childhood and it is nice to hear about a happy one for a change. He talked to me about his friends and about the party nights he has out in London. And to my shock he told me about his ex-girlfriend Louise. He said how she was too jealous of him and she didn’t get on with his family. She didn’t like Adrian but Michael thought that she maybe just liked him too much and she showed it by being awful to him. He said she had dark jet black hair and not brown but black eyes so from the first moment Adrian saw her he didn’t trust her and he warned Michael to get away from her. He eventually did when he caught her cheating on him. He hasn’t dated anyone since well except from Katharine and he now says how bad he feels about hurting her. He said that she was one of the most beautiful girls he ever saw but she just wasn’t right for him. I think of how that is impossible Katharine is a lovely girl and anyone would be lucky to have her. I think of how she would feel if she knew I was here living in a house with Michael I try to shake of the feeling I get whenever I think about it. I am still in the process of dealing with the new information about chad how he could hate Adrian so much as that? Giving what Adrian has been through I don’t know how anyone could treat him like that. I think that maybe it’s for the best that chad is out of the picture god only knows what he could do jealousy is an evil thing that can take over a person I couldn’t go on if something were to happen to Adrian. All this time I am spending with Michael I am really getting to know the real him. He’s not all about the sarcastic comments and the rude silent exterior instead when he opens up about himself he is a completely different person. A person that I can really relate to a person who is had the same type of upbringing as me Therefore he understands me. He is different in so many ways to Adrian and not all of them bad. I see him differently to Adrian I don’t think that I could ever be with Michael but I do know that I want him in my life. He brings out a different side to me a side that I never knew I had. I was worried of how awkward this would be to live here with him but now I can’t describe how wrong I was. Other than Adrian there is no one I would rather be here with.

  Adrian calls every hour and texts every half hour. Normally that would annoy me terribly but being here in this house with not much to do I actually look forward to them.

  Alanna how is everything going?

  Fine Michael and I have talked and I think that we are over the worst.

  What did you talk about?

  We talked about different things I think that we could be friends.

  Friends?

  Yes

  Do you like him now?

  Yes it took a while but now I feel like I know him more. What do you mean more?

  He opened up to me about things and I saw that he isn’t all bad. You know alanna that he loves you right?

  I don’t know he hasn’t showed anything to prove that so far. I need you to understand something

  Ok

  By you being nice to him and getting to know him he is most likely going to think that you like him back.

  No he knows how I feel about you.

  Trust me alanna I know his mind.

  So what do you want me to do?

  Nothing there is nothing you can do he is there and I am not. Adrian I feel like maybe you are worried about this? How can I not be?

  You have no reason to be I would never do anything.

  I know you wouldn’t but Michael he is a bloke and need I say more.

  I don’t think you give him enough credit if what you say is true then just think of how honorable he is to you by staying here with me your girlfriend?

  And I will always be in his debt but alanna please just be careful of how you act with him.

  I don’t act any different with him than I do with anybody. He is not just anybody he is a
bloke who has loving feelings for you so be careful.

  Ok then

  Alanna I forgot to ask how your friends took the news when you told them you were leaving college for a while.

  Oh Adrian it was a nightmare.

  What happened?

  Sophie happened.

  Alanna I know that she is your friend but I have to tell you that there is something that I don’t trust about her.

  Let me guess you don’t like her hair color?

  No it’s not just that the way she looks at you I think she is very envious of you.

  She is that way with everyone and she has been since she was a little girl No one could get anything but she had to have it too.

  You see that is not a good person to have around.

  Anyway she started going on about you again.

  What did she say?

  Just how I have changed and that you control me.

  Do you think that I control you?

  Yes you kind of do.

  That is the side of me that I have tried many times to change but I can’t it’s just who I am.

  I know that and I think it is cute how you like to be so protective.

  Alanna it’s not cute do you know how much I wish I could be normal.

  What’s normal?

  Normal is waking up and not obsessing about who you are talking to, normal is being able to let you do your own thing and normal is not panicking that you are in danger all the time. My mind is obsessed with you I can’t think of you so far away and me not knowing what you’re doing every second of every day.

  Adrian I didn’t know you felt that way.

  I do and I try to not text you every second but I can’t I need to know what you’re doing who you are talking to or mind doesn’t rest. I don’t sleep thinking about you I fear that some bloke will sweep you off your feet and I will be left with nothing.

  Adrian I only want you don’t worry about that it will never happen.

  I can’t be sure you are to precious and me I am just a controlling murderer!