No Boundaries(70)

Maybe I had been wrong.

I wanted to be.

But I couldn’t be sure. And that terrified me. So I did the only thing I could.

I ran.

I put on the clothes that I'd worn at the diner the day before. Luckily, it wasn’t a real uniform, just a black skirt and white blouse. My boss, as obnoxious as he was, deserved a phone call. I had overslept and missed my shift. I needed to get my job back, mostly I needed time. I had to create a new plan. This one had obviously failed. I fished my cell phone out of my back pocket and called the diner number.

“Jack? It's me, Vienna. Listen, I know I missed my shift today…”

“You don't have a job now because of it.”

“But I need this job. I’m really sorry. I mean it was only this once!”

He didn't even respond, and when I looked down at my phone, I realized he had already hung up.

Shit. That was the only real thing I had left. Everything else was a lie. My whole life here was fake. I lied to Luka when I told him that I was making something out of my life. The truth was, I was barely making it. I hardly had an apartment to go back to. Just some little studio spot that I found on Craigslist. But there were a few things there from my past. Things I needed, pieces of my life that I couldn’t just abandon.

My brain was spinning. I had to leave. I had to get out of this apartment and figure out what I would do next. I needed to call Roberto.

And there was Leah. I had to call her and explain what was going on, that I had lost my job. She had always been there for me.

I grabbed the rest of my things, which wasn’t much, and was about to dial a cab company when I realized I had no idea where I actually was. I opened up the maps app on my phone and was luckily able to figure out the address fairly easily. I called a cab company next, and they told me that it would only be about fifteen minutes before they showed up.

I sat down on the bed, and for the first time since we came in, I actually looked around and took in my surroundings. Luka had captivated all my thoughts from the moment I entered his car.

Luka’s apartment was just one bedroom, but of course, it was lavishly decorated. Exposed brick walls gave it a harshness that fit Luka’s personality, but the oversized bedspread that matched the white curtains were definitely a touch of his mother's style. I wondered if she had redecorated while he was in prison. Everything seemed so clean and put together. I got up from the comfortable bed and headed into the large open area that was the living room and the kitchen.

The kitchen had all stainless steel appliances and white quartz countertops. The floor was white tile to match. I opened up the refrigerator and was not surprised to find it stocked full of food. That was certainly his mother’s doing. I laughed slightly at all of the Tupperware containers filled with what I was sure was amazing, home cooked Italian meals. I grabbed a water bottle and an orange and walked down the steps to the street. I gently pulled at the label on the water bottle while I waited for the cab.

I was leaving the man I potentially loved. But I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to break again. I wouldn’t let someone tear me apart. Not like I had been when my mother died. I could never love anyone like that again. I just wasn’t built that way.

I pulled my phone out and dialed Leah’s number, she would help me, I knew she would. “Leah?” I asked as she answered the call.

“Yes? Vienna, what’s wrong?”

“I need to stay with you for a while, is that okay? I gotta lay low.”

“Of course sweetie, you okay? Did something happen?”

“More like someone.”

“Say no more.”

I knew she would understand. I hung up as the cab arrived and I gave him instructions to my old apartment. It was about a twenty-minute drive from where we were. I gave him some extra cash to keep the tab running.

“I won't be long. And then I need to move on.”

He nodded to me as he lit up a cigarette, hanging his hand out the window. “Fine by me. You’re the one with the money, lady.”

I was. That was a new feeling. The money Luka had left for me would pay my way until I figured out what to do. I remembered having everything as a child, wanting for nothing. My mother and I lived in some big, beautiful home downtown, and we had a driver. But now? I had the keys and the cell phone that were in my hands. My wallet was in my back pocket, and a few mementos of my childhood were sitting in my small studio apartment. Everything else was gone.

As I used the key to unlock the three locks I had on my door, I realized that there would be certain things I would never have to be fearful of again. I would never spend the night alone, wondering if my electric would get turned off. Luka and the family would make sure of that. In that sense, I was finally protected.