CHAPTER TWELVE

Silence!!

Never have I heard a silence as loud as the one that existed between Marcus and I as we sat facing each other at the table. A gentle knock on the door, thankfully, broke us free from the suffocating silence, as we both turned our heads towards the door, expecting the detective to inform us that our time was up, but Robert's not so smiling face greeted our gazes. It was possible that seeing his best friend and roommate locked up was making him more easily irritated and at such, I chose not to take his gestures or reactions to heart.

"You're here." I gave my widest smile, hoping he'd at least return that but he just stared blankly at me, and then at his friend, probably asking him why I was here, again.

Marcus gave him a sort of look that only best friends understood and as a sigh fell from his lips, he turned to me and said, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. What about you?" I hastily replied, afraid he'd change his mind about being nice to me.

"Well, I-"

"Your lawyer is here." The detective who had given us the room announced, arresting the rest of Robert's words, and not giving either of us the time to process what was happening. Marcus and I gave a surprised look at Robert who also had one plastered on his face.

"Who was the lawyer?" and "why was he here?" were questions we didn't even have the time to process as a man in his late forties or early fifties, neatly dressed in an expensive looking suit and well knotted tie stepped into the room, helping himself to a chair. He must have read the unsaid questions in our mind as he cleared his throat to start off with the introductions.

"I am Scott Morrison and I work as one of the attorneys of the Smith's global chain of companies. Today, upon the special request of Mr Jeffery Smith, himself, I'd be your attorney." He said with a tone of confidence and pride, adjusting his tie and placing his briefcase on the table in front of him. "For free." He quickly added before we started working out, in our heads, the maths of paying him his fees.

"Oh!" Was all we could say and I tried my hardest to give Marcus the I know what's happening kinda look but I guess he just have missed that as he continued staying blankly.

"I was sent to process the bail." I could feel Robert shooting stares at me, confused and curious as to exactly what was happening. Although I felt his curious stares, I chose to ignore and kept my gaze on Marcus, whose eyes were on the lawyer.

"If you don't mind, I would like to speak with Mr Marcus alone so as to run over some details of the case." Mr Scott said, not willing to exercise any more patience.

"Can my friend, Robert, stay behind?" I heard Marcus said and my heart immediately sank. Was it just jealousy over the fact that he (Marcus) chose Robert over me? Or -

No, that must be it; jealousy.

"Okay then." He said with a nod.

Well, I found my way out of the room and the trio talked extensively for minutes but due to the nature of the room being soundproof, eavesdropping proved useless.

Eventually, the meeting ended and the trio stepped out into the lobby with Marcus out of handcuffs. A file was handed over to him; a clear way of saying his criminal records were back to being as clean as they initially were.

Additionally, a letter was also handed over to Marcus by the lawyer, inviting him for a job interview at the prestigious Smith and Son Construction Holding, Manhattan. A night that started with the visible potential of being an extremely sad one had somehow turned into one that was suddenly filled with so much happiness and I could feel strongly the joy emitting from both friends.

As the lawyer sped off into the darkness in his seemingly brand new BMW, we stood facing each other, probably saying our last silent goodbye. Without an audible word exchanged between us, Robert turned around and started walking away, maybe giving us the privacy we need to show ourselves how happy we are about the bail.

What was supposed to have been an eventful night ended up rather surprising, with Marcus grabbing my hands, unexpectedly and without warning, kissing it soothingly. He stared up at me as his lips grazed the back of my hand, looking directly into my soul through my eyes and I felt my entire being melt. This, right here, was the man I am truly in love with, and I knew deep down in my soul that I was going to love him till my last breath.

The safety that came with being understood and not being alone is undoubtedly reassuring and so satisfying, and this was no longer about the money or Damien.

I had no idea exactly what was running through Marcus' mind as he led us to the bus station where we both hitched a ride to the Smith's home in Brookhaven. Marcus decided to wait at the cafe for me to have the papers signed and after which we'd go to his apartment. It was a perfectly reasonable plan. I liked the plan, or maybe I just really liked not feeling like a betrayal but all the same, I was excited to have Marcus by my side while we do this.

"You are good, right?" He asked as we got to the front gate and was about ringing the bell. He must have sensed the anxiety I was feeling.

"How are you suddenly fine with all of this?"

"Because I love you and I trust you." He smiled reassuringly, "Moreover, it's not like we were planning on getting married this year. I've decided to take it as us just preparing for our future. We'd save a lot of money and have our best life after the one year, provided you keep our deal."

"What deal?"

"No sex." He said sternly, playfully hitting the tip of my nose.

"No sex." I smiled, reaching for his lips and wrapping them in my mouth as I savored the hot sour-sweet taste his mouth had. His hands had slowly walked its way to my butt cheeks, cupping them in his hands as he pushed my body closer against his, making sure to get every inch of my face with soft tender kisses.

"Is someone there?" A voice suddenly asked from the gate, throwing us both into a state of panic, like two teenagers caught doing something they probably shouldn't .