*Lucia*
The ride to the mall with Rave was exhilarating. He didn’t complain that I was a distraction. I knew I was, as he often turned to hold my eyes before looking ahead. Once, a car honked behind us when we stopped before a traffic light and remained laughing over our jokes even when the light turned green.
The mall was just like I had imagined. There were a lot of people walking up and down. Soft music was played. I saw a few people moving their heads in rhythm. I walked closely behind Rave. I had to look for the perfect time to slip away from him. I felt sorry for him a bit. It was okay to feel guilty towards him. He was the only one who treated me differently, but then, I had to do what I should. I’ll spare him when I do come back to get my revenge.
I tried to keep up with his fast pace. Wondering why he was in such a hurry.
He seemed to have a particular shop in mind. When we stepped inside, he turned to look at me. I smiled when our eyes met. He wanted to buy a wristwatch. He had told me about it. It was a limited edition, which was out a month before. One of the salesgirls walked towards us. Her shoes clicked softly on the floor as she took one step after the other. She wore a black skirt that ended a few inches before her knees and a white bottom-down shirt perfectly tucked into the skirt. It was the same as what every other sales girl was wearing.
There were two to three people in this store. They browsed through the items with a salesgirl beside them, trying to sell their best products. “Welcome, sir,” the sales girl said. She seems to be familiar with Rave. “What do you have for me today?” Rave asked as if he didn’t have anything in mind. He began walking in with the girl behind him.
He stopped at the side to look at the neatly arranged wristwatches and necklaces. “These are the best right now. They are …” the voice soon died out in my ear as my eyes wandered around. I looked around the shop. They sold only jewelry. It seems the shop was mainly for VIP customers. I could count the number of times I had been to the mall on one hand. I never had the opportunity, or should I say resources.
Jason was rich, but he wasn’t given the freedom to buy whatever he liked. I had been to the mall with Sarah twice. Sarah was his best friend Steve’s sister. I pushed the thoughts of them away from my mind. I had to think of a way to escape Rave’s grip. “I’ll take this,” Rave said. My eyes came to settle on his broad back. In features, he was almost like his cousin, handsome, with thick bodies. He said something to the sales girl, and she blushed, looking down at the floor.
I scoffed. I thought she was being silly. “This is okay, right?” Rave turned to ask me with a golden Rolex wristwatch in his hand. I quickly replaced the little smirk on my face with a smile. I nodded, and he gave the wristwatch to the girl to pack. The girl hurried away and came back after a while. Handing the packed wristwatch to him. He smiled at her, and she bowed and said something about seeing him next time. I couldn’t hear the other thing she said as the two customers at the side who were arguing over a necklace argued.
We walked out of the mall. “Are we done?” I asked him, hoping to hear him say he had other things he wanted to buy. He raised the pack with a small smile adorning his lips, “I think I am,” he said before it went down. My eyes lingered on the golden chain he wore around his neck. It moved to the left and right with each step he took.
I paused. I took a deep breath. I had to escape before we returned to the car; he stopped on his track after taking a few steps and noticing I was not beside him. He turned; I wished I had turned and hid while he walked, “what’s wrong?” He asked.
I bit my bottom lips, thinking of something as fast as I could. I held my stomach. “I’m pressed. I want to use the restroom,” my face contoured in discomfort, trying to leave no trace of doubt in his mind. “Come with me,” he said and walked forward. I walked in a diagonal position, holding my stomach with my hands.
He showed me the restroom, and I walked inside.”I’ll be waiting for you here,” he said as I closed the door. I nodded and shut the door. I rest my back on the wall. Why was he waiting outside? How would I escape without his notice? I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of breath.
I stayed inside the restroom for a while. There was a woman inside. My eyes were trained on her as she washed her hands before applying lipstick to her already-painted lips. She blended them and stared at her reflection before picking up the pink handbag on the side and walking away, swaying her hips from side to side.
I saw Rave standing at the side with his hands folded on his chest. I smiled at him when he walked out, and he returned it. We began walking with him in front of him.
“You aren’t going to buy anything for me?” I asked him, pouting.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that,” he said, and I shrugged slightly. “What do you want to buy? Anything in mind?” He asked, and I nodded, pointing to a shop at the side.
They sold clothes. I would buy time to think of something better. “Alright. Let’s get you something,” he said, his lips pulling to the side. “You should at least wear something different,” he said.
“You want me to dress up and stay in the room all day? Isn’t that hilarious?” I laughed at the end a little. He gave me a look that could be interpreted as ‘it doesn’t matter.’ We were about to step in, but I held him back. My hands are holding his leather jacket. He turned to look at me. My eyes rested on his chest. The bottoms on his white shirt were opened, and the head of a snake tattoo peeped out. He raised his brows. I let go of his jacket and stretched my hands. “At least give me some cash. I want to pay by myself,” I said to him. He squinted his eyes as if he was processing what I just said.
“Fine,” he dipped his hands into his pocket and gave me three thousand dollars. I muttered a thank you and walked into the shop as if I owned everything. He stood at my back. I walked to the section which had only black clothes. “I thought girls preferred pink,” he said. I turned briefly to hold his gaze, then turned to the clothes. “Not every girl does. For a girl like me, pink is a pain to the eyes,” I said. He nodded. I wasn’t sure he perfectly understood or held what I said, but I wasn’t going to continue. I had to act fast rather than indulge in idle conversation.
I turned down a sales girl who volunteered to help me. I didn’t want anyone in my space. I needed to concentrate. She walked to stand beside the two other girls who walked in. I picked a few clothes. Two black trousers, one black shirt, a black leather jacket, a face cap, and hand gloves. “One would think you are about to go on a mission,” I heard Rave’s husky voice close to my ear. I felt shivers run through my spine. I thought I had been discovered momentarily, only for him to giggle like a fool. I giggled with him and walked to the counter to pay for the clothes I picked.
“You are not going to try them? What if they don’t fit?” He asked. I shook my head.
“You don’t have to worry about that. All you need to do right now is pay so we can return home. I am already hungry,” I said.
“I thought you were paying?” He asks, pointing a finger at the bills I hold. I shook my head. “I changed my mind,” I said. He didn’t ask further questions or make further statements and paid. The clothes were packed, and we walked out. We had barely taken ten steps when his phone rang.
“I’ll be back,” he said, walking to the side.
This was the moment I had been waiting for. He moved forward and stopped. It seems he was having a very serious conversation as he kept walking and moving his hands. I wasted no more seconds. I turned and tiptoed to the restroom. I kept looking back to ensure he didn’t turn around and catch me walking away.
I entered one of the cubicles and quickly changed my clothes. Though the clothes were feminine, they were big and could perfectly hide my figure. I packed my hair to the back and held it with a band before wearing the cap over it. I placed the clothes I changed into a waste bucket at the side. There were three women inside washing their hands. I pulled the cap down to cover half of my face. I placed Bruno’s card and the cash I had collected from Rave inside my pocket. I stood before the mirror for a while, staring at myself. I received weird looks from the lady close to me, but I could care less.
I walked to the door. I pushed it open and was about to step out. Before I could step out. I saw Rave walking in the direction of the restroom. He stopped to talk to a lady who was about to walk past him. He looked uneasy. He had finally noticed my disappearance. I locked the door behind me and placed my hands on my chest. That was close.
I knew I had to leave the mall. They wouldn’t mind closing all exits to prevent me from leaving. I stepped away from the door when a lady walked out. I took a quick peep before the door closed. Rave was no longer in view. I stepped out quickly.
I walked as fast as I could. Careful not to look suspicious. I looked around, careful not to bump into Rave.
As I walked forward, I saw Rave walking towards me. His eyes wandered across the mall. I turned around quickly. I bit my lower lips. What should I do? Rave kept getting closer with each step. I took a deep breath and turned. I would walk past him and change my walking style. I’ll tell him it was a prank if I get caught, but I hoped I didn’t get caught. I successfully walked past him. He didn’t know it was me. He was too busy looking around to notice me walk past him.
I walked out of the mall. I hailed a cab-half walking and running towards it.
When I stepped in, the driver gave me a weird look. “Where, miss?” He finally asked. His hair was gray in the middle, and his eyes were baggy as if he hadn’t gotten enough sleep in days. “to the farthest hotel,” I said. I looked behind to see if Rave had come out, but he had not. “You can leave now,” I reminded him to start going. He ignited his engine and began to drive.
I’ll find my way from there. For now, I have to go far away. Somewhere they would never think of. “That would be “Kings Hotel,” he said, holding my eyes through the rear mirror. “It’s on the city’s outskirts and quite expensive,” he said.
I nodded. I had enough money on me, and the distance was just right. Fine, King’s Hotel it was then.