Chapter 5: Trapped

Fiona really fucked up. She ends up tired on the sofa, with red welts around her body. She clucked, about to get angry as well as her own unconscious mind. Leonard's memories of carrying her onto the desk, fondling her gently, all that was shattered when she fully regained consciousness. Fiona kicked the coffee table, startling Nia in the pantry.

"What is it, darling…?" said Bi Nia slowly, "still confused about what to write?"

Fiona turned to the woman for a moment, her hands busy slicing onions.

"Nia, did you see the guy who took me last night?"

Nia's forehead wrinkled, "You mean the one who took you until you fell asleep?"

Fiona clucked lazily, "she did it on purpose, Nia! He stalked me from last week when I was drunk at the bar, and just now..." Fiona's throat constricted, she was embarrassed to say it but Nia was waiting for her, "he asked me to return the favor. "

Nia casually smiled, "You're still a virgin right? The guy looks good actually.."

Fiona jumped off the sofa, "So you did see him?"

"Early in the morning, when I wanted to go to the market, he came out of your room wearing a work suit. He smiled at me and said, 'Sorry, Fiona is fast asleep, I'll say goodbye first' and then I said yes. I think he doesn’t want to make it clear to me that you are still a virgin and he didn’t do something way more than you always did."

"Like I always did?"

"Is that your friend?"

"No," Fiona said quickly, she leaned back again.

"Owh. I thought he was friendly and guessed him as your friend. It's not like the guy who used to drive you home last week, I prefer. Just walking around and have no care about you."

Nia got up from the pantry with chocolate milk in her hand and approached the sluggish Fiona.

"Fi, I just want you to be safe. I know that you are depressed about your manuscript, but anyway, don't take foreign boys carelessly again. I was afraid of you. Cause you are just like my own daughter. Don’t hang all around again with strangers, can you?"

Fiona took the glass of milk guiltily. In this house, the one who pays attention to everything Fiona does apart from the surreal paintings is Nia. She is the one who has always taken care of Fiona since childhood. Moved from the orphanage foundation to look after Fiona. Even though this time, Fiona is going on holiday abroad due to a problem with one of her rival writers so far—at least, Jakarta is a temporary place for her to relax. If she stayed in Paris for too long with such unpleasant news swirling around her, Fiona would probably hate herself after a while. And Nia doesn't want Fiona to feel that way. Fiona sighed, looking at Nia apologetically.

"I am sorry."

Nia's hand stroked Fiona's head gently, "Anytime, honey. Anyway, what do you want for lunch? Ah! I just remembered, the guy you stayed in this morning—"

Fiona almost forgot about Kian. She quickly checked her cell phone, but when she reached into her shorts pocket, it was nowhere to be found. In a flash, the memory of Leonard carrying her into the office with her cell phone that fell on the carpet flashed. Fiona's throat constricted, the heat of the chocolate milk flooding her body.

"Fiona?"

Fiona's eyes went to her bedroom door, she immediately jumped off the sofa and went into the room. With Nia's confused look, Fiona hastily contacted Tasya via her laptop, hoping that she would still be in a hurry before Leonard found her cell phone without a password.

*

"Huh? You drop your cell phone in his office now?"

On the video call, Tasya's face, which had thick Asian lines, looked at him in surprise. She was sitting in her study cubicle, her curly hair in a bun. As a manager of a comic company, Tasya's job is to revise the comic artists' drawings. Usually after lunch like this, the girl is busy reading their drawings. But the story Fiona told a few minutes ago gave rise to a feeling of astonishment over and over again.

Fiona let out a long sigh, biting her lip nervously. Her hands are busy operating the cellphone system that can be reached from a connected laptop. While listening to Tasya's nagging, Fiona was busy looking for a way to remotely lock her cell phone.

"You really messed up. Kian's already prepared enough time to ask you out. He's serious, Fi. Well, even though in your eyes a college boy still looks like a child, he's serious about finding a girlfriend."

Fiona wasn't listening. She was busy operating the system on a laptop like an IT person. Even though she doesn't know anything about computer systems. She just burned with nervousness to immediately lock the phone. She didn't want Leonard to find all the rough drafts and important messages from her editor. Could be dangerous. Very dangerous. Her escape plan will mess up.

"Hey, do you hear me?"

The system on the computer blinked once. Fiona manages to organize her phone. And one message made her jump with joy.

"Yes! It worked! I can lock my phone! This way, that perverted boys can't contact me."

From the video call, Tasya sighed.

"Fi, no matter what you have to break up, Leonard is already crazy over you! He stalks you every time at the bar, follows you home to make sure you're still a virgin—I swear. You better hurry up and date Kian so your life will be safe, okay."

It was Fiona's turn to look at her best friend sourly. "Do you really think I am really that cheap? Yes, Kian is still too innocent. Please tell him all about it, and contact me via Hangout. I can't open WhatsApp because my phone is gone."

"You don't plan to take your cell phone from Leonard?"

Fiona didn't answer right away, imagining that she entered the closed office, with all the subconscious that was strongly invited, it was better for Fiona to refuse. She doesn't need the cellphone, all her contacts are still safe on her laptop. Likewise, drafts can be downloaded from Google.

"If you were me, what would you do?"

"Me? If I were you? Of course, from the start, I wasn't going to get drunk and let a guy like Leonard used me. TWICE!"

Fiona scoffed, "You hypocrite. Who's still a virgin in Jakarta after twenty? It's just you, I guess."

The only friend who made Fiona realize the meaning of a virgin was only Tasya. She said, only one thing is valuable to every girl, virginity.

"Thanks. I'm a virgin. I already told Kian and he said after returning from campus he wanted to meet you. What do you want to do with him?"

From next to her desk, Fiona stared at a notebook that was still clean. Nothing has been crossed out yet. It's been two weeks. The editors continue to wait for email replies, but until now Fiona hasn't had anything to write about. Something to tell.

"Where's the campus?"

"I share the location. So you want to meet him?"

Fiona's index finger tapped on the table. Pausing for a glimpse of Leonard this afternoon.

"You heard that my mother wanted to get me with that stupid betrothal, right? I want you to return my favor by becoming my future wife."

Right. Fiona better disappears and hurry up dating. She needed protection from a boy. Tasya was right, she had better move before her steps were locked by the guy who pulled the subconscious of her.

***