Chapter 2 Betrayal
>>Clio
“Clio?!” They both got off of each other, being almost dressed they only had to adjust themselves. Cherelle pulled up her panties and pulled down her skirt while Nolan pulled up his pants and stood up, “Why are you here?” He walked towards me.
“Why?” My brain was still malfunctioning but it wasn’t like I had gone blind. I was just having difficulty grasping what was happening, precisely because I could never have imagined I’d ever come to see a view like this, “Nolan,” I called his name, “Wait…”Time seemed to stand still as I stared in disbelief, my heart sinking with every passing second, “How long?”
“Clio,” Nolan blocked my view, “It isn’t what it looks like.” I raised my head to look at him.
“But,” I pointed at Cherelle, “You were.”
“Clio,” He grabbed my hand and brought it down, “That was nothing,” He continued to block my view.
“I saw,” I told him, “So, you,” A nagging ache settled in my chest, threatening to consume me, “Were you lying to me?” I looked at him, “How did this happen?”
“Look,” He sighed, “This was just a drunken endeavor.”
“Drunken endeavor?” I felt betrayed by his words because there was no smell of alcohol coming from him.
“Clio,” He put his hands on my shoulders, “You know I love you, right?” His words confused me, “Right?” It made my heart squeeze. What kind of question is that to ask in a situation like this?
I nodded at him, “But,” I felt my eyes sting, “You shouldn’t be messing around with someone else…” I know our relationship is a secret from everyone else but still, a secret relationship shouldn’t mean that there should be a third secret thing going on.
Right?
And on top of that, he was having a sexual relationship with her when he didn't even kiss me…
He let out a sigh before placing one of his hands on my face, “Not only are you disguising yourself as a man,” He caressed my cheek, “You're also a defective female.” His words hit me like a truck. It was as if the entire world crumbled around me, “Someone, no one else will love,” Anguish washed over me in waves, mingling with a sense of self-doubt and inadequacy, “No one except me. So, just let this slide,” He nodded at me, “Hmm? Okay?” He whispered to me so that the other person couldn’t hear us.
The raw pain tore through my soul, leaving me vulnerable and exposed, “But,” My voice was trembling, “You already know why I’m like that…” Why was he bringing it up now?
“Clio,” His voice got firmer and I flinched, “Let’s just leave it.” He straightened up, “We should leave now.” He looked back at Cherelle who had tidied herself up, “You should leave too,” He told her and she walked past us. Her eyes were on me as she crossed us.
“Really?” She looked at Nolan, “You’re explaining yourself to a boy?” She scoffed, “What? Are you in some sort of secret relationship with him?”
“We’ll talk later,” He looked at her without an ounce of doubt, then back at me, “I’ll take you back to the dorm Clio.”
I shook my head at him, “I’ll go myself.” I didn’t want to be with him, not right after what I saw. With a deep breath, I turned away from the heartbreaking scene, my tears ready to run down my face at any moment.
“Clio,” Nolan took a step towards me, “I said I’ll take you, it’s raining,” But Cherelle grabbed him.
“Leave him be,” She said, “Drop me home instead.” He yanked his arm away from her, “Clio,” I didn’t look back at him. I was hurt, All the pain, confusion, and betrayal surged forth, eclipsing the residual fear from the alley.
Wait! The alley!!
I stopped in my path and Nolan came over. My face went pale all over again as I realized that the killer might somewhere be around. The memories of the dark back alley came rushing back, haunting my mind with the vivid images of the gruesome act I had witnessed.
“I’ll take you back.” He spoke again while Cherelle glared at us.
“Call me a taxi,” I spoke as my body shivered.
“Clio, you’re trembling.” His eyebrows knitted together, “What’s wrong?” I stared at him wondering how to explain it to him. I looked away after a while with a frown because his betrayal kept reeling in my mind as well. The two things kept intermingling together and I found it difficult to focus.
“Just call me a taxi…” I felt like crying and I was so scared. As I stood in the corridor, all the water dripped off of me forming a pool beneath me.
Nolan sighed, “Fine,” He took out his phone and dialed a number, “But don’t take what happened to heart.” He whispered, “It can happen, consider my feelings too.”
…
What was I supposed to say to him in return? I couldn’t even focus clearly because I had to go back but the Head Hunter was here. Did he see where I went? Did he follow me? Did he see my face?
I gulped
“Nolan,” The more I thought about it, the worse my fears got and it crossed my mind that it was better to tell him.
“Hmm?” He was on the phone, “Yes, five minutes? Sure,” Telling the address to the driver, “Please do,” He then ended the call and looked at me as Cherelle walked over to us. “What is it?”
“I saw a murder…” A violent shiver ran down my spine and in the end, the tears dropped as well. We were in the building but it wasn’t like the sound of rain had completely disappeared. One could hear it in the distance from the closed windows.
“What?” Both Nolan and Cherelle’s faces paled, “Where?” He asked as he stepped closer to me.
“In the back alley of the Cherry Convenience store.” The cold was seeping through my clothes, into my bones, “I saw him,” More tears fell out of my eyes but somewhere inside my heart, I knew I was crying not only because I was afraid but also because the trust I had in Nolan was shattered. I still couldn’t come to accept that he was having sex with Cherelle.
“Saw who?” Nolan grabbed my hands and it felt warm. He had a look of worry etched across his face and I felt so vulnerable.
“The Head Hunter.”
They both stared at me, then exchanged a glance. Cherelle rolled her eyes and looked away, “As if,” She let out a whisper, “He’s not even from here.”
“Clio,” Nolan pulled me closer, “Are you sure you saw him? We live in City D, that’s quite far from City A,”
There was a sting in my heart, “Why do you think I came running back in the heavy rain?” He didn’t believe me, did he?
He didn’t say anything and pulled me into a hug, “Okay, it’s alright.” He patted my back and although I love being near him and I needed his hug a lot at the moment, this was why I ran to his office, but somehow, I didn’t feel safe with him at all.
Nolan got me in the taxi and told the driver where to take me while he and Cherelle waited side by side, I watched them quietly, unable to sound the words if he was really going to drop that woman, even after what they had done. Didn’t he say it was just a drunken endeavor?
…
The car started and they both turned around to make their way to the parking lot of the building and I just clenched my fists and chewed my lower lip while I looked at them walking away through the rearview mirror.
My feeling of jealousy and hurt started to overcome me but right then I noticed a third figure.
!!!
I shot my head around to look out the back window of the car. My heart seemed to stop, freezing in my chest. Terror, like icy tendrils, gripped my entire being, paralyzing me in fear.
There he was, a figure, dressed all in black, in the same clothes I saw the killer wearing in the alley. He was staring directly at me with his face covered, watching me with keen intense cat-like eyes, as if memorizing what I looked like, as the car drifted away from him.