Drew turned on the engine of his car and sent a smile to Calla in the passenger seat. He rolled out on the street and drove away from the house she shared with Roman. By the end of the street he turned left instead of right.
"The supermarket is in the other direction," she said.
"I know," he said.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"I'm kidnapping you," he joked.
He turned another corner and she started getting nervous.
"We gotta go back. Roman's gonna find me missing soon, Drew," she said.
"Like I said, I'll take full blame," he said.
"It's not that easy!" She hissed.
He turned into the parking lot of a hotel and turned off the engine. She looked at the building and then turned to look at him.
"What are we doing here?" She asked.
"A friend of mine owns it. Whenever I go back home to visit, he makes sure there's a room for me here if I need to escape the cult, and I need that a lot," he said.
"The cult?" She asked.
"You must have realized by now that we grew up in a cult," he said.
"It's a religion," she said.
"All religions are cults. Just because a religion is worldspread and accepted, doesn't mean it's not a cult. It just means it's a successful one," he said.
She sighed and nodded. She had figured out by now that growing up in Jehovah's Witnesses wasn't a good thing. She wanted out but she had no idea how to.
"Can I show you my life?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You're not the only one having to lie in order to make it through the day around here. The difference between you and I is that I get to leave again," he said.
"Yeah, back to Asia," she sighed.
"There's no Asia," he smirked. "Come inside with me and let me show you my life."
"Okay," she said.
They left his car and walked inside the hotel. He nodded at the man behind the counter and got into the elevator. They rode up to the second floor and walked down the hallway. He unlocked a door and she stepped inside his hotel room. He picked up his laptop that he had left on the bed and sat down. He patted the spot next to him and she sat down next to him.
"This is my life," he said.
He showed her pictures from places she had never seen.
"I never went to Asia. I live in Scotland. My parents moved to USA and joined a cult before I was born. I went back home and found my roots, so to speak," he said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I wanted out of the cult. If they know where I am and how I live a life of sin in their eyes, they would shun me. I don't believe in their magic sky daddy or anything that dusty, old book says," he said.
"I don't believe any of those lies either," she said lowly.
"I don't care about being shunned but that would mean I would never see you again, and I care about you. I keep coming back to make sure you're okay," he said.
She sighed and shook her head. She was not okay but he already knew that.
"You need to let me go, Drew. One day they're gonna catch on and all hell will break loose," she said.
"We've been best friends since childhood. I can't just walk away like that," he said.
He placed his hand on top of hers and caressed it with his thumb.
"Do you remember when we were younger and you had a crush on me?" She asked.
"It wasn't a crush. I was in love with you. There wasn't a thing I wouldn't have done for you," he said.
She hiccupped for breath and her eyes got wet.
"Do you think you could love me like that again?" She asked.
"I never stopped," he said. "Why do you think I keep coming back, Calla? I can't let you go because I love you."
He moved his hand to her cheek and caressed it. Tears started running from her eyes and she did nothing to stop them.
"Talk to me," he said softly.
"That guy I'm in love with," she said.
"You're either gonna break my heart or make me the happiest man on earth with what you'll say next," he said
She moved forward and kissed him. He placed the laptop next to him and wrapped his arms around her. She broke the kiss and smiled at him.
"It's you," she said.
"It better be," he chuckled.
She kissed him again and moved as close to him as she could. He held on tighter to her and enjoyed the feeling of kissing her for a few moments until she broke it again.
"Make love to me," she said.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"I don't care about their world of lies tonight," she smiled through her tears. "I only care about you and me, and I want you to make me forget anything outside of this room exists."