Betrothed To The Brotherhood

Runaway

Iris crawled into bed and tried to forget the weirdest twenty-four hours of her life. Despite the conflict she was feeling, she had done what Oakley had suggested and deleted the app on her phone for the college messaging service. Then for at least an hour she’d stared at her laptop and the service from the college which she had used every week for months. The icon showing Jay’s status as offline mocked her. Oakley’s comment about her being in a cage in six months had freaked her out more than a bit.

Despite her contrary assertions with Jay during the coffee date, she really hadn’t dated a whole lot. She had too much therapy left to undergo before she could date seriously, or at least it’s what she’d told herself each time a guy asked her out. Living in a fantasy world where Jay was a kind, gentle college professor who would be sweet to her and would make love to her slowly and gently, had been as close to intercourse as she’d ever been. She had not anticipated he would be bold and brazen and a touch scary when she met him.

The truth was her mother had made her terrified of having casual relationships. The woman had a way of finding everything out and Iris’s very real fear of her mother standing over her while she was in bed with a man in her apartment had been more than enough pressure for abstinence.

She rolled onto her tummy and pulled her pillow to her chest. She thought about the way Jay had looked at her in the coffee shop. He was interested in her, there was no doubt. He truly was good looking, despite the weird attire. She couldn’t deny she felt a strong s****l pull to him. The way he had kissed her back had been panty-melting if she were honest. The way he had also tugged her to his side while he’d been on his call had been sexy as hell. He was strong. Far stronger than she had anticipated.

If anything, it was only the last two minutes of the entire date which had felt off and now as she lay in the quiet of her apartment, she was second-guessing her reaction to him. Had she overreacted to his comments?

She took a deep breath and then she jumped when her phone rang startling her. She grimaced when she saw it was her mother’s number. She contemplated ignoring the call but then figured with her luck, the woman would show up at the door again and her thoughts from moments ago about the woman standing over her while she was in bed rattled through her brain.

“Hi Mom.”

“Iris. Where are you?”

“In bed. It’s midnight. Where do you think I would be?”

“Didn’t you have a date today? Are you having s*x?”

“Oh my god!” she shrieked rolling to a sitting position. “How do you know this s**t?”

“Do not swear at me Iris. I will not tolerate you treating me rudely.”

“You have to stop stalking me, Mom. It’s not healthy for either of us.”

“Stalking. Did you say stalking?”

“Who do you have following me and taking my photos and reporting to you what I’m doing?”

“I only want you to be safe.”

“Why? So, you can beat me to death later?”

“What has gotten into you?”

“I don’t know!” she screamed frustratedly. “All I know is I’m done with today. I’m done with everyone treating me like a child.”

“Iris.”

“No Mom. If you don’t stop with this nonsense, I will run away far further than I am now. I will move to another state, maybe another country.”

“I have your passport.” Her mother reminded her.

“I’m aware,” she groaned and flung herself backwards.

“Who was the boy you dated today? Does he have honor? Who are his parents? Where does he work?”

“Mom, I met him for coffee. It was coffee.”

“You kissed him.”

The violation of her privacy was too much, and she felt the tears streaming down her face.

“Do you deny it, Iris?”

“No. I don’t deny it. I like him. He’s smart and charming.”

“What is his name.”

“Jay.”

“Jay? Is he an artist or a movie star? Is he like Cher or Madonna or Sting? One name?”

“Yes.” She lied to her mother. She was not telling her mother the man was of Asian descent and his last name was Zhao or she’d be on her doorstep demanding to meet the man’s family and planning a wedding. Her mind went to the only Asian boy in her high school and the way their mothers had frequently tried to pair them off, despite the guy being flaming gay.

“You let a boy kiss you and you don’t know his last name?”

“Not a boy. He’s a man.”

“How old is this man of yours?”

“He’s not mine, Mom.”

“Age?”

She mouthed the dirtiest curse word she could think of into the silence of the room and then sighed, “forty-one.”

The scream which erupted from her mother made her whimper. “You cannot date a man my age. It is obscene. How disgraceful.”

“At least I’m in my twenties with this man. Mom, you got pregnant at sixteen by a man who was thirty. Thirty. Dad should have gone to prison for molestation and grooming.” The silence told her she’d gone too far, and she swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry Mom. I shouldn’t have said that.”

She pulled the phone away and noted the call was disconnected. Fear coursed her veins and panic caused her heart to pound thunderously against her ribcage. She was gasping for breath as she hopped out of the bed and stumbled onto the floor. She needed to leave. Her mother had a key to her place, and she was suddenly very aware she lived less than an hour away.

Iris quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and then grabbed her phone, charger and her bank card and raced through her apartment. She shoved her feet into her sneakers, and she unlocked the door and ran down the two flights of stairs as fast as she could. On the street, she looked both ways and considered which way her mother would be coming from and tore in the opposite direction.

She walked until she found an all-night fast-food restaurant. She ordered a soda and a large order of fries and made her way to a corner of the restaurant, keeping her hoodie over her head. She sat there shaking with the appearance of every person walking into the restaurant and it dawned on her she hadn’t walked far enough away from her apartment. She wiped tears off her cheeks and wondered where she could go. If she went home, she had a feeling a broomstick to the back was going to be the least of her worries.

Her phone rang in her hand, and she didn’t recognize the number. She was torn between answering and ignoring it. If it was her dad, perhaps he could rationalize with her mother? Considering how much she’d insulted him, she doubted it.

She answered it on the tenth ring. “Hello?”

“Did you delete your account from the college site?” Jay’s voice came through accusingly.

“How did you get my number?”

“Your application. Why did you delete our conversations?”

She started sobbing at the sound of his voice, “I can’t do this right now.”

“Do what?”

“This. I’m in the middle of s**t and dealing with you isn’t helping.”

“You’re crying. Why?”

“Jay, my mother is on her way to probably murder me for disrespect. I stupidly called my dad the equivalent of a child molester and insulted their marriage. I’m a dead woman walking.” Did he just snicker at her words? Surely not.

“Where are you?”

“Hiding in a fast-food restaurant.”

“You’re a twenty-four-year-old woman.”

“She carries a paddle in her purse, and she isn’t opposed to using my own broom on me. Last night she only smacked me in the head with it. I have a funny feeling I’ll need my mouth wired shut by Monday if I go home.”

“Is your father a violent man?”

“My dad is a saint. He has never even raised his voice at me. My mother is apparently the double of her mother who did all of her talking with fists and sticks, except her mother actually loved her. Mine wants me to marry well, be honorable and stop embarrassing her.”

“I am on an errand for the family business. I will be out of town until Monday. Give me the location of the restaurant you are at, and I’ll have a car pick you up and take you to my place. You can hide out there until you feel it’s safe to return to your home.” He was still chuckling, and she was sure she heard him giggle the words “child molester.”

She paused, “I can’t go in your house if you’re not there.” She was lying. She really wanted to go to his house and see where he lived.

“You can and you should. My family is very wealthy, Iris but we’re also quite private. Nobody will bother you there. The gentleman coming to pick you up will be driving a silver Escalade. His name is Bo. He will take you straight to my place and you will be alone there until I get back.”

She didn’t know what to say but then considered being kept in a cage begging for food might be a hair better than facing her mother.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Good girl. Give me your location. Then when I get back, you and I are going to have a conversation about why you deleted me from your life.”

“Yes sir.” She felt chastised as she defiantly rolled her eyes.

“I’ll see you Monday. Use the condo as if it’s your own. You can use my clothes until we can get some of yours from your place.”

“Thank you, Jay.”

“You’re welcome, Iris. I’ll talk to you soon.”

As she ended the call, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was jumping from the frying pan into the fire.