FREE NOVEL DRAMA Chapter Being Followed.
Standing outside with Owen's jacket around her shoulder, Leonica sighed out and watched her breath turn visible before it disappeared.
Today had turned out to be much of a success than she had imagined.
She chuckled, To think all her fears was all for nothing.
The feeling of her phone vibrating pulled her away from her thought. She reached the the device in her purse, a thin smile finding it's way onto her lips when she saw it was a message from Gabriel. [Hey, how are you?]
It read.
[I'm fine. Is something the matter?] She replied, waiting only a second for his reply.
[Not at all, just wanted to check up on you. How's your ankle doing?]
Leonica stared at his message for a few seconds and could chuckle. Memory loss sure did a number on him.
The Gabriel she was used to didn't even care when he abandoned her on the road on the day of his grandmother's funeral, but now here he was, asking how her sprained ankle was doing.
Delightful. She could get used to something like this. But not to used too it, after all, she still had to put some distance between both of them, else he'd misunderstand the situation. And that she didn't want. [My Ankle's doing fine, thank you for asking.] She typed her reply and sent it, watching as yet another of his reply came back seconds later.
[That's nice. I have work to get back to, I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.]
She sure would, Leonica thought as she heard the footsteps of Owen approaching.
She shoved her phone into her purse, making a mental note to try and improve the relationship between she and Gabriel as could parents, since he was making several efforts to be a better person. "Done?" She asked as Owen pecked her cheek and took her hand.
"Yes, I've left the message for my father." Owen replied earning a nod from Leonica.
For a few seconds, they both fell into a comfortable silence, walking side by side.
"Well that was a success." Leonica mused, breaking the silence. "A major one, I might add."
Owen hummed, not quite sure what else to say.
His father's approval was something he had always looked forward to getting from the man and now that he had gotten it, he wasn't quite sure how to feel.
Where was excitement that he always imagined? Happiness? Relief?
All those emotions were nowhere to be found, and in their place, was a heavy weight, a sense of disappointment that Owen couldn't understand.
"Owen?" Leonica stared at him with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"
He was. Of course he was, he just couldn't seem to sort out his feelings towards his father.
He didn't hate the man, but he didn't love him either way.
"I am," He answered, smiling reassuringly at his Fiancée. "Just thinking."
"About what?" She asked, her eyes glued to his face as if to pick up the slightest change in his mood.
"My father." He answered truthfully as he opened the door for Leonica to seat in the car, heading over to the drivers seat and slipping in once that was done. "I always wanted his approval, looked forward to it since I was kid, heck I even worked my ass trying to fill in the role of the perfect son. But now that I finally gotten his approval on my engagement, I don't feel anything."
He sighed and turned on the engine, not sparing a glance at Leonica as he said, "It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but I don't feel happy."
"Maybe because deep down, you've already known he'll approve." She answered and Owen glanced at her for a moment, seeing the sincerity in her eyes and nodded. "You said so yourself, he wouldn't date disapprove of me."
Owen chuckled, a small smile gracing his lips. Yeah, that was a more reasonable explanation.
"But even if that's not it," Leonica took his hand, intertwining their fingers. "I'm gonna be here with you all the way, so we take our time figuring it out, together."
Owen looked at her hand, particularly the ring on her finger and nodded. "Together." He echoed and pulled away from the drive way, driving his way back to Leonica's place when he had an idea.
"The night's still young, wouldn't it be a shame to just return home, luce mia." He looked over at Leonica and smirked.
She chuckled. "Where do you have in mind, Owen? I'm already stuffed from all the food Philip your maids served us."
Owen hummed in thought. "How about the theater?"
Where they had their first date? Leonica laughed. She loved the idea, but just as was about to speak up, her eyes caught the car behind them from the rare view mirror.
It had been following them for quite a while, she thought with a frown. Ever since the intersection and until now, there was no way it could be a coincidence.
Without a second to waste, Leonica's mind shifted to Jamil, recalling the spy he had put on her. She should have suspected something from the very start, seeing as he had been quiet for the past few days. "Hey Owen," She called the male's attention just as she looked away from the mirror, not wanting to alert. "Slow down a bit, would ya?"
He did as he was told. "Did I go to fast? Are you feeling nauseous?" He asked, but his question fell on deaf ears and Leonica was to busy watching the car behind them.
She sighed in relief when it drove past them.
"Luce mia, is everything okay?" He asked in concern, noticing the slight shift in her mood.
"Everything's fine." She reassured him, not wanting to cause any more unnecessary worry. After all, the person behind the wheel could have just been an innocent passerby.
"So, are we going to the theater?" Owen asked, the eagerness in his voice making Leonica chuckle.
"Yeah, let's go."
~~
Leonica found herself enjoying the show at the theater more than she had imagined. By the closing scene, she had long forgotten her thought about Jamil, enjoying her evening with Owen instead.
As the curtain's closed and the show
was officially over, both Leonica and
Owen clapped their hands, along with the audience as
a standing et
ovation was given for the actors and
actresses who had given a great performance.
"That was really enjoyable," Leonica smiled, holding onto Owen's arm as they left the building. "Thanks."
Owen mirrored her expression. "I only offer my wife the best." He winked, earning a hearty chuckle from Leonica.
"Wife, oh don't get ahead of yourself, lover boy." She teased and Owen merely laughed.
"Oh I'm not getting ahead of myself, luce mia." He leaned closer to her face, their lips mere inches away as he added. "I'm confident, I know you're going to be mine soon."
His words made her blush, and before she could even retort, Owen pecked her lips and pulled away.
"Now let's go home, shall we?" He pulled open the door for her and headed to the driver's seat.
Just as Leonica was about getting in, she heard the sound of a car engine turning on and for some reason, she turned around and scanned the parking lot full of people.
"Is something wrong, luce mia?" She shook her head at Owen's question and slipped into the car.
"Not at all." She lied, knowing the source of her discomfort.
"Let's get you home."
Leonica nodded, but didn't look away, keeping her gaze fixated on the rear view mirror as Owen drove.
And her assumptions were confirmed when the a similar looking car from earlier, appeared behind them.
"Hey Owen," Leonica called, her voice sounding more serious that it previously did. "Can you drive a little faster? I need to check something."
Owen looked at her weirdly but did as told.
"What do you mean by 'check something'?" He asked. "What exactly are you looking for?"
Leonica didn't answer him, instead keeping her eyes on the rare view mirror and this eventually caught Owen's attention and he too soon noticed the family looking car. "What? Are we being followed?" He questioned.
"I don't know yet." She answered and as Owen sped up a bit, the car behind them sped up as well, confirming their suspicions.
Leonica sighed loudly. "We are." What a great way for Jamil to ruin her night.
"And here I was, tagging tonight as the perfect evening." Owen grumbled underneath his breath as he increased the speed of his car. "Buckle up, Leonica."
She did as told without a y further word, knowing exactly what was coming next. But Owen could see the slight worry that flashed across her face.
He reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
Of course she knew that. It was him she was worried about. He had nothing to do with Jamil's nonsense, yet he was getting dragged into this.
But Leonica didn't say a word, not wanting to distract Owen from his driving.
Her hold on his hand however, did tighten when the car sped up. Luckily the road was free, giving them enough space for a maneuvering advantage. But that wasn't enough to shake whoever was on them, but that also allowed Owen learn one thing.
"They're not chasing after us," He stated. "They haven't for once tried running into us." "So are they tails?" Leonica asked.
"Well, well only find out if we confront them."
Huh? Leonica thought but before she could even put a word in, Owen had suddenly stopped his car, right in the middle of the empty road. The other car following them had to
match fiercely on their break to
avoid a collision.
Realizing that they had been caught, they tried reversing, but much to their dismay, the car had suddenly gone off, perhaps due to the sudden stop causing the battery to shift. Owen saw this as his chance. "Stay here," He instructed, unbuckling his seat belt and stepping out of the car.
Leonica followed suite. "I'm coming with."
Owen didn't object, instead he paid more attention in finding something, anything. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for their follower, he spotted an abandoned pipe and picked it up.
But he made no attempt to swing a throw it, instead, he allowed it drag along the floor as he walked towards the car, knocking on the tinted windows when he was beside it.
"I know you can hear me, so get out before I drag you out."
There was no response and Owen took the pipe in his hands, raising it up but before he could even smash the glass, the door opened.
From behind him, Leonica tilted her head and watched, wanting to see the stupid face of who Jamil had put as a spy on her.
Was a Florence or that other dude that had coke with him, that day? She thought, squinting her eyes.
However, much to her surprise, the person who stepped out was far from the two she had predicted, but equally someone familiar. Billy Cadel, Gabriel's assistant.