The cars drove out of the compound in the direction of the grocery store, and I just trailed behind Zoey as she got the things she needed for the house. After she was done, she passed the bag to two of the men, and they took it from her to put it in the truck.
"Are we going home now?" I asked her, shuffling out a yawn.
"No, we are not; it has not been up to an hour since we got here," she says, taking my hand in hers as she dragged me out of the grocery store to Starbucks, which was next to it. Mateo and two of Sin's men followed us in while the others waited outside guiding the premises. I was already used to them being around me and was almost getting used to the stare.
Zoey dragged us to a seat at the window, where we could see the perfect view of the outside. I took a seat and watched her trail to the counter to order us a drink or something.
I looked around the place, waiting for her to come back. She came back with our drinks and burgers, placing mine in front of me, and I sent her a quick thanks in appreciation as I unwrapped my burger and started eating. I didn't even realize I was this hungry.
"What's up, since we haven't been hanging out for some time?. What have I missed?" Zoey said in a chirping way.
"Well, nothing really."
"Come on, it can't be nothing; I heard about Sin showing you off at the party, that you followed him to," she asked, taking a sip of her drink.
A blush crept up my face—how did she know this? "Yeah, you could say that."
She smiled. "I can see things are going great with him."
"Yeah, it is." I told her, smiling along with her.
"So you aren't mad any more at the fact that he threatened you, kidnapped you, and took away your life."
I looked at her, surprised by her question. I thought she was happy for me. Her face looked like she was , but her tone and her words said otherwise. "I know things between Nikolai and me started off bad, with the kidnapping and everything, but you told me he was a good person, and I believe you. Back then, when you told me, I didn't know if I should trust your words or not, but now I have seen the real Nikolai, and I am happy to be with him. "
"So, what you are saying is that you fell in love with your kidnapper?" she asked again, her voice stern.
"Why do you sound like you aren't happy?" I questioned her, looking sceptically at her and trying to figure out her point.
"Of course I am happy for you," Zoey says, smiling. "I just want to know if what you feel is real or if it's lust. It can be possible that your feelings may be clouded by lust. That's all, Mani; I just don't want you to get hurt." She stretched her hands on the table to grab a hold of mine.
I pulled my hand away, taking a big gulp of my drink, before replying, "It's not lust, Zoey; I think I am mature enough to know if what I feel for him is either love or lust." I told her this, blankly.
"good. Does Sin feel the same way?
Why does it feel like she is interrogating me? She was the one who suggested I go out with her because we hardly spend time together anymore, and here she was interrogating me about my relationship with Sin, trying to pick up one fault or another.
"He hasn't said it yet; none of us have . But we don't need words to tell us how we feel about each other: "My tone raised a little bit; I was getting tired of her negative feelings."
"Okay, I just.." She started off, but I cut her off, tired of hearing anything negative she has to say.
"Can we go?" I asked her, getting up from my seat.
"Oh, but we aren't done eating," she whined.
I rolled my eyes at this: "I lost my appetite and am tired; I just want to rest, so let's go, Zoey." I walked out, not waiting for her, and got into the car. looked out the window to see Zoey typing on her phone before getting into the car, and Mateo drove off back in the direction of the mansion.
"I'm sorry if I pissed you off." Zoey says beside me. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Mani; I consider you my little sister."
I turned to her, giving her a little smile before replying."I understand, but you don't need to worry."
"I know, but I can't help it. I will always look out for you."
"Thanks," I told her, giving her hand a little squeeze before facing the direction of the window.
We were close to the mansion, and I closed my eyes for just a little bit, trying to get rid of the dizziness I was feeling. That was until my eyes shut open at the sound of a gunshot and panic rose through me.
The gunshot continued, followed by the screech of the car. I lurched forward out of the car and placed my hand forward, trying to avoid the heavy impact to my head. I was pulled back by Zoey before I could crash on the car door. I looked in front of me at Mateo, who had an expression on his face that I had never seen. The man beside him in the front seat was not moving and had a bullet in his forehead. I clapped my hands against my lips to stop myself from screaming out loud.
What the hell is going on?