CHAPTER 2

              A small army of hairy caterpillars skitters under her skin at the recollection. Her hands twitch and fidget without her concern. In dire need of a distraction, she turns to Mike

“Where are we going today?” Her fake smile behind the wry-filled eyes didn’t miss his apprehension. She keeps clenching her hand into a fist, masking her fidgets. As a psychiatrist, Mike couldn’t help but read her. His eyes trail from her face to the floor.

'If something is this much bothersome, why doesn’t she just talk about it?' he slips into his own turmoil.

            Left hanging in the air, Sarah turns to others and all she gets is the same reaction. Each one pondering on to confront or not. Finally, Jessica spoke, breaking the silence.

“I badly need a shower. Then... maybe we can go to the mall. Nothing like a shopping therapy and I could use one now”. Seems right and Sarah nods, setting an anonymous decision into the act.

            Mike drove them to Jessica’s apartment first. The small interior fell into an odd silence. Sarah slips into her own dimension, ignoring Mike next to her, in the driver's seat. Her eyes staring stolidly out of the window. Mike glance at her face, watching closely her expressions. 'What happened last night?'  the question is tipping his tongue when goosebump stipples his cheeks and he turns to look behind. The rest of the group glares at him with sky-high eyebrows. Laura shrugs her shoulder and mouths an inaudible “What???”

            Charged guilt for breaking his own rule, Mike shook his head signing a NO before panning back to the road. The 4 got ready in Jessica's apartment. It’s a norm for them to sleepover at each other’s place every once in a while and so, extra clothes will always be available except for Sarah's new house. Both girls went to take a shower while Sarah settles by the window, again gazing emptily outside.  

             The pack later spent the whole day together. Despite the effort of the familiar company, Sarah rarely smiles and often gazes emptily into space. Thoughts drifting away. At some point, Mike snaps. He grabs both her shoulders and shook her, pulling her back to reality.

“What are you staring at? Stop it already. You are scaring me” yes, a 6 feet full-grown man admitting he is scared– not to be depicted as a weakness though. With a tiny gasp, Sarah collides with his eyes. Deep brown, not too big, not too small, with a rare thick eyelash line for a man. Mostly tense, sharp and cold–it's ridiculously easy to lose yourself into those eyes.

She blinks away “Nothing, I just...just... want to go home” she couldn’t cook up an excuse fast enough and blurts whatever comes first, flustering under his scrutinizing gaze– under the whole group’s scrutinizing stare actually– in the middle of crowded megamall's ground floor.

“Fine...Mike, you bring her home. We will take a taxi to our place” Laura suggests, putting Sarah as their priority.

            With a gentle nod and deadpan serious eyes, Mike reaches Sarah’s wrist. It's the type of hold where the skin barely touches but there is no escape. She tails his tug.

‘Damn!!! That’s the best excuse you could come up with?’  Sarah bit her lips hard. Now she must return HOME!!!

             The car glides effortlessly, taking in much of his concentration to the road while Sarah unconsciously gazes at his hand, enfolding the gear stick. Her mind is sizing up his hand and its capacity, possibly comparing to someone else.

“Is there anything you need to tell me?” Mike's deep voice caught her red-handed that her shoulders twitches.

“Huh? No…no, nothing” she shook her head frantically with a flickering eye, earning a glare from Mike. What could be so dark that she needs to hide it from him? She doesn’t even hide her periods from the group, for God’s sake!!!

“You know you can tell me anything right?” he adds and again, she nods frantically. The tell-tale sign of stress.                                                        

              Rows of tall Christmas trees align the borders of Emerton Residence, supposedly to give the place a professional, rich look. Sarah thought so too until today when those trees emerged around the curb, spelling ‘home is close by’.

              Arriving at the gate, Mike got off together with Sarah to send her off. He lingers outside till Sarah locks the solid brown timber door behind her. Assured she will be safe, Mike stride back to his car in seconds with his long legs that steps pretty further apart.

              But the delicate woman watches him driving away, peeping from behind a window in the living room. Once he is out of sight, she hastily grabs some changing clothes and calls a taxi. Mike made sure to slip a bribe to the tall, masculine safety guard, so that he would keep an exclusive eye on his friend’s house. To his oblivion, the friend is preparing to run away from the very house.

              The next few nights slip away at a nearby hotel. All those days, she manage to avoid Jessica’s phone calls, claiming that she is too busy to meet up or have long talks over the phone. The sequence of her act does not sink well among the other 4 as they constantly discuss Sarah’s updates among them. On the third day, however, Mike calls, for like the hundredth time– the most overwhelming control freak among them. She'd just press the phone against her ears when he starts exploding on the other end.

“I know you are not in your house. So, stop with this bullshit and tell me where you are?” a cold and demanding tone winch her away from the phone. His bribery paid off it seems.

“Mike, It's ok... I’m fine and–” her sentence cut off.

“Either you tell me where you are or I’ll call your mom” Threats, the final weapon he resorts to, strategically placing her mom as a pawn.

Sarah bit her lips at the thought of discussing THAT NIGHT with her mom. So, without much protest, she gave him her address.

“Pack up your things, we are going home” he hung up after finishing talking or barking, technically.

               The flimsy wooden door of the hotel room raps with firm knocks. He is at her doorstep within 15 minutes, so she guesses he must have been lurking around her house when he called. Slumping her shoulders in a sigh, Sarah opens the door to find this 6 feet man leaning on the door edge, looking straight and sharp into her eye, demanding answers for his unspoken questions. The lecture to follow is an inevitable bonus point.

               Silk black shirt tug slightly over his chest with two top buttons undone, and a black trouser. Truly a god-made craft that could melt any woman. He was particularly famous in school. His family background aided, of course. His father is a millionaire running multiple businesses with Mike being his only son.

               Sarah stares straight into his eyes but within a few seconds, she withdraws her gaze, lets out a long sigh, and embraces the door edge.

 “I’m scared to stay there alone at nights...” a simple confession mumbled to the door, and the door forgave her sin in the name of the Lord.

               Satisfied with her opening up, he straightens his back with a slightly tilted-down head, narrows his eye, thrust his hand into his pocket, and walks calmly into the room. Sarah subconsciously made way for him, sticking like a lizard to a nearby wall. His head follows her bowed ones, till he is too far to keep up. He picks up her bag, packed and ready to go on the bed. Swinging it casually over his shoulder, he pace back to Sarah, held her wrist, practically hiding it inside his palm. With no prior warning whatsoever, he pulls her out and walks straight out of the hotel.

“But I haven’t settle the bills yet” trotting to keep up with him, Sarah coo her concern.

“I already did,” Mike said without even looking back.

‘He is definitely pissed off’    Sarah knows her friend like the back of her hand. Something crazy is probably brewing behind his head.

                Across the road, he open his black convertible BMW’s door with the hand holding the bag and thrust Sarah to sit at the passenger seat before dumping her bag to the back seat. They arrived home in about 10minutes, roaring the car into the front porch. With a push of a button, silence renounces and he stretches out his palm in front of Sarah’s face while still looking dead ahead. Even though she understood his demand, she still hesitates for a moment before giving him the house key. He picks up her bag from the back seat and pulls it to the front, purposely bumping her head in the process.

“Ouch…” Sarah rubs her head but he pretended as if nothing had happened. Still, she knew he did it on purpose.

               The timber door swings open and he walks in, throws the bag over the sofa, grabs a juice box from the fridge, and laid down on the sofa. Sarah watches all his movements attentively from the entrance.

“Lights off please” Mike's deep hoarse voice came to her ears and it dawn on her that he is going to stay here tonight.

‘That’s not a bad idea’  

              She locks the door behind her, turns the lights off, and went up to her room with a gentle smile on her face. Mike smiles to himself too, before crossing his forehead with his arm and phase-out of the world