Page 54 of Allure
She threw the blanket off of her, keeping hold of the sketch pad and pencils as she walked toward the door. She opened it, walking into the living room, almost disappointed she didn’t see Asli waiting for her. Her desire to be near him hadn’t lessened in the quiet morning, and that should have concerned her, but she was alone with her thoughts. She didn’t have to hide or pretend or even try to figure things out. There would be time for that when Marco got back.
“Where is my…?” She looked around for her purse and found it on the couch. She rummaged through it, looking for her phone. She held her breath, praying Joel was still leaving her alone. She didn’t want him to intrude on the contented feelings she was wrapped up in.
She let out a laugh when she saw the messages from Katrina and Delilah in their group chat. They both sent a slew of emojis and dirty gifs when she said she was going home with Marco. The last message was in big bold letters, from Kat:
WE’RE HOME (AT D’S) AND WE WANT DEETS ASAP.
Syra’s smile widened as she opened up her music app and pressed play on a playlist she hadn’t listened to in what seemed like a lifetime. It was the one she specifically curated for when she wanted to sketch. She plopped down in front of Marco’s big bay window. Her gaze looked out over the water but immediately ran back to Asli’s window. The night six months ago flashed in her mind and she squirmed. Her heart thundered in her chest, remembering how she watched Asli with another woman while Marco touched her.
That night had been a prelude—a temptation of what she could have. She looked down at the blank sheet as she took out one of the pencils. Her hand shook, her nerves making her unsteady, but she closed her eyes and took several calming breaths. She let the memory of six months ago and the feel of the previous night on her skin take over. She pulled to mind the sounds, the scents, both sandalwood and cinnamon, letting them fill the air around her. She was transported back to those nights, but instead of immersing herself in the memories, she took them in as a spectator.
She felt the pencil hit the sketch paper, and she tried not to think, tried not to worry about the correct lines or what anyone else would think about the piece. She was doing this for her, reconnecting with a part of herself she feared she lost. She wanted to immortalize last night—the men who had brought her pleasure she didn’t think she would ever experience. She let her emotions take over, and her hand became steadier the more she drew. She opened her eyes, a smile teasing her lips at the chaotic mess.
It was rough, and even though she wasn’t done, she could tell this first draft was what she needed. The purging, as she once called it. It was when she metaphorically cut her vein open and poured herself onto the canvas.
She could already see Marco’s and Asli’s features coming to life, and she paused long enough to lightly trace them with her fingers. This sketch would be for her, but she already had a million and one ideas for the artwork for Sirens. For the first time in a long time, she was finally starting to feel like herself and that there might be good things on the horizon for her.
“Welcome back, Syra Gutierrez,” she whispered. “You were missed.”
Marco pulled his hoodie higher up over his head, doing his best to stay out of the news crews’ and anyone’s line of sight. He hadn’t meant to stay down here, but once he got to Industrial City and saw the wreckage, he couldn’t get his feet to move on. There was nothing left of the buildings. The plans he had in place for this strip had quite literally gone up in flames. It wouldn’t have been a total loss except for the glaring hurdles that had been dumped on his lap in addition to this fire.
The body they found in one of the buildings made this look like a cover up, and since his name was on the deed he already knew the cops were going to be looking to him as a suspect, even if he had nothing to do with it. The other problem he was facing was that this wasn’t the only property that had been having problems. Someone had trashed others, nothing as excessive as the fire on Elm and these buildings, but it was going to cost him more to fix or he’d have to lower his price when he sold them.
The icing on the cake?
Someone was siphoning money out of his company and had been for a while. Whoever was behind it had been smart, and honestly, if it wasn’t because Evelyn had looked into something for Sirens, he wasn’t sure it would have been caught before the company went under.
“You got a beautiful woman in your bed, being a complete bed hog, I might add, and you’re out here brooding over something you can’t change.”
Marco felt Asli before he heard him, and he shook his head. He should have known his friend would seek him out. Their connection ran deep enough that Asli would never let him enjoy his pity party for one.
“The same could be said about you.” He turned to see Asli still in the same slacks as the night before, but he wore a hoodie, covering his face too. “You went to the penthouse?” He asked as he gazed back toward the wreckage. Asli was right about one thing; he was focusing on something he couldn’t change. The damage here had been done already, but going home to face his temptation seemed like the harder hurdle.
Last night and the car ride home had been something Marco couldn’t put into words. The way they connected even after the haze of the sex wore off and his mind was filled with the shit going on at Garrison Inc, she’d been his bright spot.
Just like she used to be.
She had tried and succeeded in distracting him until the car ride lulled her to sleep. She had managed to keep his mind off of what he was walking back into, and it worked, but it confused him. He couldn’t understand why it was so easy to fall for her again. Why being near her calmed him and excited him in the same breath. When he carried her up to his home and she curled into his body, murmuring incoherent words in her sleep, it nearly undid him.
It took everything in him to leave her after he peeled her out of her dress and put her in one of his shirts. Seeing her laying in his bed felt right, just like it had six months before. He wanted her there permanently, and maybe that’s why he was still here, still staring at what felt like the beginning of the end for Garrison Inc. This he could reconcile; his feelings for Syra, he wasn’t so sure.
“I checked on her.” Asli’s voice was even. Marco could tell he was watching him, trying to read him in a way that let him see things Marco would rather he didn’t.
“She was out like a light, wrapped up in your sheets, though she talks in her sleep. It’s an incoherent mess of things, but it’s cute.” Asli stepped closer as more people showed up, either to take pictures and post on social media or to get the scoop.
“Why are you here? Actually, no.” Asli shook his head. “I know why you’re here. You’re hiding. What I want to know is, why Evelyn had to be the one to tell me what was going on with Garrison Inc?”
Marco shrugged. “Didn’t want to bother you with this when I wasn’t even sure what this actually was.”
Asli cursed. “You stubborn jackass.” He grabbed Marco by the back of the neck and turned him so they were face to face. “Your burdens are mine and mine are yours. Is that not what we promised each other? This company is as much my baby as it is yours. If something is going on with it, you’re not supposed to spare me from it. We’re a team, remember? It’s always been us against them in every aspect. You know better than to carry something heavy like this alone.”
Marco didn’t respond, he couldn’t. They stood toe to toe letting a heavy silence descend on them as he took in the truth of his words. He wanted to make an excuse that he’d just found out so there was no way he had time to tell Asli what was going on, but it would be a lie. Marco would have tried to hide it for as long as he could, not wanting to bother him with the burden of what felt like another failure coming. This felt like a mistake he needed to fix on his own. It didn’t help that his first business had tanked, and seeing the same small fires that took that business out spark for Garrison Inc, it felt like history was repeating itself. He didn’t want to take his friend down with him if this was the beginning of the end.
“You think it’s happening again. That’s what this is about?” Asli, the ever-perceptive bastard that he was, had read through Marco’s thoughts without him ever having to voice anything.
“You know it’s not, right? You’re older now and have more resources than you did when you were younger.” Asli’s grip on the back of his neck tightened. “Stop borrowing trouble. We will figure this out, not right this second, but this isn’t the beginning of the end.” Asli smirked. “Brooding isn’t a good look for you by the way.”
Marco cursed, pushing him away and fighting a smile. It was instant, a snap of the fingers, and he felt like he was on steadier ground. He looked at his best friend, really looked at the man who had been by his side for what seemed like several lifetimes already. He had no idea where he’d be without him. Asli had been there through every transition in his life—every heartache, every victory, it had always been the two of them. He couldn’t remember a time when they put their heads together that they didn’t come out on top.
