Chapter 23
Triana~
My heart felt like it was in my throat, but there was no going back.
I mean, yeah, I always had the option of changing my mind, but now that this opportunity was here, I wasn’t going to pass it up.
So, after locking up my house, turning off all my appliances, and telling Sonia goodbye, I had called a We-Ride, then had asked the driver to drop me off at the laundromat a few blocks away.
I also couldn’t lie and say that a part of me wasn’t wondering if Kairo was going to show up. Even though I’d gotten a text from him only an hour ago, I wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t show up. I’d be hurt, but I wouldn’t be able to blame him. He was risking so much, and I wasn’t ignorant of that.
However, as I waited by the cherry blossom tree, I heard those familiar footsteps of his, and when he appeared from behind the trees, the relief that I felt hit me hard.
I wasn’t going to have to do this alone after all, and I purposely ignored Sonia’s words about letting Kairo off the hook if I really loved him.
“I...I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up,” I admitted. “I...I know that you have a lot more to lose than I do if we get caught.”
“We’re not going to get caught,” he said, and he sounded confident enough that I chose to believe him. “We’ll be fine, Triana.”
Believing in that reassurance, I finally made my way back to the sign, then crossed over into Sterling Acres, and the blood rushing in my ears almost made me lightheaded.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins was unlike anything that I’d ever experienced before, but I imagined that it was only going to get worse the closer that we got to the border.
“Nice disguise,” Kairo quipped when I was finally standing in front of him, and it made me smile, despite my nervousness.
“I figured that wearing a bonnet wouldn’t be too offensive,” I muttered lamely.
“Black women aren’t the only people who wear bonnets, baby,” he said, trying to sound as kind about it as possible, but it still made me feel na?ve.
“I just wanted to hide my straight hair,” I explained.
Instead of addressing that, Kairo reached for my bag as he asked, “Do you have everything that you need?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then let’s go,” he said.
When we finally reached his car, I felt a little better when I noticed that his windows were tinted a bit, and the tint went well with the charcoal color of the vehicle. “What kind of car is this?”
“It’s a BMW M8,” he replied easily, and I could only imagine how much it had cost him.
Once we were settled in the car, ignoring all the fancy gadgets on his dashboard, Kairo pulled out his phone, then pulled up the route that we had agreed upon earlier.
In case the worst happened, we’d chosen the route closest to both region borders, giving me the opportunity to flee back to my side, or to make up some story about how I’d gotten lost. Plus, there was lots of forestry along the two borders, so if nothing else, I could easily find a place to hide momentarily if needed.
“Now, it’s going to take us a couple of days since it’s best that you don’t drive my car,” he said as he navigated the map. “I’ve already scouted a couple of places that we can camp legally, and I can’t see us running into too many issues if we stick to the plan.”
I quickly nodded, not being able to mask my nervousness. “Okay.”
After Kairo put his phone away, then mapped the route on his car’s GPS, he looked over at me. “You can change your mind at any time, Triana. I won’t be upset, and I’m more than willing to figure the rest out later.”
“Thank you, I...I really appreciate that, but I’m not going to change my mind,” I told him. “Even if you hadn’t come into my life, I don’t want to be here anymore, Kairo. I don’t want to live in a country where my choices are so limited.”
“I know, baby,” he said, and though he sounded sincere, now that we were in his car together, it occurred to me that I hadn’t ever asked him how he felt about his life.
Then, uncharitable thoughts began to cross my mind, making Sonia’s words rattle around in my head again.
Why would Kairo have any issues with his life?
His father was the damn Administrator for Sterling Acres, and along with his brothers, he was also just as successful.
So, honestly, why would he want something more?
There wasn’t anything more to want. His life was primed for continued success, and all that was missing was a Christmas-card-perfect family if that’s what he wanted.
“You know, you can also change your mind at any time,” I said, the words hard to get out, but they’d needed to be said. “If at any time you feel like you can’t do this, all you have to do is say so, Kairo. I promise that I won’t hold it against you.”
“While I appreciate that, the one thing that I can’t do is be without you, Triana,” he said, and my eyes immediately filled with tears. “I want to be wherever you are, and I can’t remember a time when I’d ever wanted anything more than I want you.”
“I love you,” I said, meaning every word. “I know it’s crazy, and I know a lot of people would claim that it’s too soon, but I do.”
“Screw what other people think,” he replied. “No one else gets to live our lives, and so, as far as I’m concerned, they can fuck off with their opinions. As long as we’re in this thing together, that’s all that matters. That’s all that matters to me, Triana.”
“Okay,” I said, letting out another heavy sigh. “Okay.”
Nothing more was said as Kairo started the car, and when he finally drove onto a real road with real citizens of Sterling Acres and real consequences, I could feel myself struggling to keep it together.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I had to keep wiping my palms against my jeans.
Paranoia was taking its hold on me, but not enough to change my mind just yet.
Still, I felt as if every car that we passed could see right through me, and I was just waiting for the sounds of sirens to come up behind us.
Nevertheless, even though the scenery wasn’t very different from that of Rancher Hills, I could appreciate how I was viewing other people’s lives for the first time in my life.
I wasn’t surrounded by nothing but Hispanic décor and culture.
I was witnessing something different with each passing mile, and that just solidified my decision to flee to Mexico.
From there, I could go anywhere, and I could even make my way as far as Japan if I wanted to.
Now, that wasn’t to say that it wouldn’t be extremely difficult, but nothing worth trying was easy.
Plus, it tested a person’s convictions to see just how far they were willing to go for what they wanted.
About a couple of hours into our trip, Kairo asked, “How are you holding up? You good?”
I looked over at him, then did my best to give him a convincing smile. While I wasn’t freaking out, I wasn’t sure if I was good. “I’m fine,” I semi-lied.
“When we make camp, I’ll circle back to get us some real food,” he offered. “I’m all for snacks, but they don’t exactly fill a man up.”
“Yeah, okay,” I muttered, a part of me wondering whether he was going to come back, though I knew that thought was ridiculous. Every second that Kairo was in my company, he risked getting arrested, so it was ridiculous to think that he’d desert me.
I knew this.
Another hour later, Kairo finally pulled off the main road and onto a dirt road that led to some camping grounds, and the plan was for me to lay down in the back of the car until he found a secluded enough place for us to lay down for the night.
He was also going to set everything up alone, then smuggle me into the tent, leaving it to look as if he was camping alone.
Luckily, if anyone did come along, who would question Kairo Booker’s word?
His father had such a stellar reputation that I couldn’t see anyone questioning him further.
Yeah, they might wonder what he was doing so far from home, but that could easily be explained away with some fodder about sightseeing or just restless feet.
Another hour later, I was safely tucked away in the tent while Kairo was off getting us some food, and the quietness made it so that I couldn’t escape my thoughts.
It was the unknown that was making me feel both excited and scared.
Once we got into Mexico, it’d be anyone’s guess, and it was hard not to feel anxious about that, despite how determined I was to make a new life.
It was also hard not to think of Tomasco. He was going to be so hurt and worried, and that was quietly tearing me apart. He’d always been a good brother, and I knew that he was going to blame our parents for this, and I could see him cutting them off, the one thing that I hadn’t wanted for him.
There’s nothing stopping you from turning back.
While that was true, if I turned back now, it’d be to telling Kairo goodbye, and I wasn’t sure if I could do that.
There was no future for us in the RNA, and I could only imagine what would happen if I accidentally got pregnant, abstinence being the only true form of birth control.
We’d both end up in prison for daring to love each other, and our mixed child would be displaced, not belonging in Rancher Hills nor Sterling Acres.
Not belonging anywhere while his or her parents rotted in prison.