Capítulo 21: Please Stay With Me
After he met with Tara, Miles continued with his usual daily activities, keeping an eye out for any signs of Derrick and Patrick.
Days passed with no leads, and the mystery of their disappearance gnawed at him. He was determined to find out what had happened to them.
One afternoon, Miles finally managed to get the addresses of both Derrick and Patrick from a fellow football team member.
He decided to visit each of their houses to see if he could uncover any information.
Miles arrived at Patrick's house first. The large property looked eerily empty, almost abandoned. The lawn was a little overgrown, and there were no signs of life inside.
"Strange," Miles muttered to himself as he knocked on the door, waiting for a response that never came. After a few more tries, he gave up and started asking around the neighborhood.
An elderly woman next door noticed Miles and approached him. "Are you looking for the family that used to live here?" she asked.
"Yes, I am," Miles replied. "Do you know what happened to them?"
The woman nodded. "They moved out of the country a few days ago. It was quite sudden. One day they were here, the next they were gone."
Miles frowned. "Did they say where they were going?"
"No, they didn't. It all seemed very impromptu," the woman said, shaking her head. "It was quite a shock to all of us."
Miles thanked her and walked back to his car, deep in thought. The sudden move seemed suspicious, but he needed more information. He decided to visit Derrick's place next.
He soon arrived in a rich neighborhood and headed for the white duplex up ahead.
When he arrived at Derrick's house, he saw Sarah just leaving. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Concerned, Miles approached her.
"Sarah, are you okay?" he asked gently.
Sarah looked up at him, her expression a mix of sadness and frustration. "Miles, it's Derrick. He... he enlisted in the army and left this morning. His parents tried to stop him, but he was hell-bent on leaving."
Miles felt a surge of suspicion. "That's really sudden. Did he say why he was leaving?"
Sarah shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes again. "No, he just said he needed to get away. I don't understand any of this."
Miles put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go somewhere and talk. Maybe we can figure this out together."
They found a quiet café nearby and sat down, Sarah still visibly shaken. Miles ordered them both some tea and waited until she had calmed down a bit before continuing.
"Sarah, did Derrick mention anything unusual recently? Anything that might explain why he suddenly decided to leave?" Miles asked gently.
Sarah thought for a moment, wiping her eyes. "He was acting strange the past few days. He was more on edge, like he was scared of something. But he wouldn't tell me what it was. I thought it was just stress or something."
Miles nodded, his suspicion growing. "Did he have any visitors? Anyone unusual coming around?"
Sarah shook her head. "Not that I noticed. But he did get a few phone calls that seemed to upset him."
"Do you know who called him?" Miles pressed.
"No, he never said. He just looked really worried afterward," Sarah replied, her voice trembling.
Miles squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Thank you for telling me this, Sarah. I know it's hard. I'm sure he had a good reason to leave."
Sarah nodded, her eyes full of gratitude. "Thanks, Miles. It helps to talk about it. I just hope he's okay."
They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping their tea. Miles's mind was racing, trying to piece together the puzzle.
Patrick's family moving out of the country suddenly and Derrick enlisting in the army out of the blue—something didn't add up.
After a while, Sarah looked at him with concern. "Miles, do you think he did something bad and had to run?"
'A woman's Intuition is to be feared... She is practically spot on but even I don't know the full details of why they had to leave. I didn't do anything else after that day.'
Miles hesitated, not wanting to worry her further. "I don't know think so Sarah. Maybe he decided football wasn't for him and went off to pursue a new passion."
Sarah looked down and cleaned her eyes again.
After consoling Sarah, Miles prepared to leave. "Alright, Sarah, take care. If you need anything, just give me a call."
Sarah, still visibly upset, looked at him with pleading eyes. "Miles, please... I don't want to be alone tonight. Can you come back to my apartment with me? I... I just can't handle being by myself right now."
Miles hesitated, his thoughts racing. '
"Pleaseee Miles," She noticed the hesitation and pressed further.
"I'm trying to see if I have things I might need to do..." Miles said with a contemplative expression.
"Just this once please," She voiced once more.
'What about Tara... Hmm, I guess I shouldn't be bothered about that right now.'
He wasn't in a relationship, and he didn't see any harm in helping a friend in need. "Sure, Sarah. I'll come with you."
---
Sarah's apartment was luxurious, far more than Miles expected. "Wow, Sarah, this place is amazing," he said, looking around in awe.
Sarah smiled weakly. "Thanks. My parents wanted me to have a nice place while I'm at college."
She grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the kitchen counter. "I need a drink," she said, opening the bottle.
"Sarah, I don't think that's a good idea," Miles cautioned. "You've had a rough day. Alcohol won't help."
"Just one drink, Miles. Please," she pleaded. "How about a drinking game? It'll take my mind off things."
Miles sighed. "Alright, but if you lose, no more alcohol for the night."
Sarah agreed, and they began the game.
The game was one of questions and answers where the number of shots would be reduced with every failed question.
Miles was more knowledgeable than Sarah so she would occasionally fail questions while he would answer correctly.
As the rounds progressed, Sarah's mood lightened, and she started laughing more. Despite her initial enthusiasm, she eventually lost the game.
"No more drinks, Sarah. A deal's a deal," Miles said, reaching for the bottle.
"No, Miles. Just one more," she protested, trying to hold on to it.
Miles gently but firmly took the bottle from her. "No, Sarah. You promised."
In a sudden move, Sarah grabbed his face and kissed him passionately.
Miles, taken aback, responded for a moment before breaking away. "Sarah, you're drunk. You need to get to bed."
He managed to drag her to her room. After getting her into her pajamas and tucking her in, he turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand.
"Please stay with me, Miles. I don't want to be alone," she whispered, her eyes filled with desperation.
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