Page 19 of The Diávolos: Part One
My bathroom is also covered by windows, but I don’t care if anyone can see me. I let my slip dress fall to the floor and head to the shower. Clearing my thoughts is almost impossible these days, but I let the strong pressure of the water hit my skin as I turn my back and close my eyes. I focus on the sting to numb my mind.
Forty minutes later, I’m ready to meet Aria. The yoga studio and café are only a few blocks away, close enough to walk to. It’s a warm and sunny day, so I decide to wear a long, clingy sundress with wedges.
On my way out, I grab my keys, sunglasses, purse, and I make sure that my pocketknife is lodged into one of the slits.Old habits die hard.
Ready to go, I open the door and step out into the sunshine. And that’s when I see it.
A vase of white peonies waiting on my doorstep with a little note.Tomy favorite flower.
At first, I’m confused as to why the delivery person didn’t knock on the door. As I bend down to grab the note, I recognize the messy, cursive writing with gaps between the words and the letters.
Just like your favorite flower,
It will take years before you bloom.
And once you do,
I look forward to a lifetime of you.
My heart skips a beat and I look around, searching for my secret admirer. But he’s already gone. He must’ve been the shadow I noticed earlier. A small part of me is disappointed I missed him. I’m also almost angry he had the audacity to come around while I was defenseless and alone in my home. But the other part of me doesn’t want this to end.
* * *
Aria’s classends right as I arrive at the studio.
I shoot her a quick text to let her know I’m downstairs. She replies a couple minutes later and tells me to wait for her at the café. As I look both ways before crossing the street, my senses go on alert. I slowly turn, expecting to see someone, but I’m met with nothing other than a feeling ofknowing. Ever since I was kidnapped and moved back here, I’ve been on guard. It's as if my vision is sharper, my hearing keener, and my focus intensified.
I always feel like somebody’s watching me and my gut says it’shim.
I shake off the heavy suspicion and continue walking to the coffee shop.
I still remember when Aria used to come to my house with herbabawhen she was little, clinging to his legs and hiding her face. He would bring her over when he had meetings with my father. She was two years younger than me and so shy. I tried playing with her many times, but she never warmed up to me until she was about four years old and started pre-kindergarten. On her first day of school, she saw me in the hallway and her eyes lit up. For the first time ever, she gave me a hug.
I haven’t been able to get rid of her since.
We’ve always had each other’s backs throughout the years. Whether I was mending her broken heart or whether she was comforting me after an argument with mybaba. No matter what, we could count on each other, and I would hurt anyone who hurts her.
I walk into the Black Bean Café, a quaint coffee bar always packed with an eclectic mix of people, with divine cinnamon rolls, lattes, and cheesecakes to die for. My mouth salivates just thinking about it. It’s right next to the town square in the suburbs of the Port of Cebrene, a little area filled with an indie bookstore, small shops, a yoga studio, and a few restaurants.
I don’t have a car, since mybabathinks it’s ‘safer’ for me to be driven whenever I need to go into the city, so it's convenient that this area is within walking distance. It’s got everything I need and the basic bitch in me rejoices at the hipness of this part of town.
Not allowing me to get my driver’s license is just another way for my father to keep a leash tied around my neck. At twenty-three years old, having to still depend on him financially is beyond frustrating. He says it’s not a good look for the daughter of a Godfather of the Night to be amongst theworking people. They might think that we need money, and my father would never risk his reputation. That’s why he never wanted me to continue my education or work. When I moved to Antium, he eventually let me be, probably because I was far enough from home and prying eyes. But there’s something different in the air this time. He’s been extra protective and worried for my safety. I haven’t felt my father’s concern in years. I want to blame Hendrick and his people for the change in his behavior, but there’s something else. I can taste it.
Aria walks into the café moments later with a huge grin on her face, and I know she has already forgiven me for missing class. She immediately prances over to me, swinging her arms side to side.She’s such a dork.
I brace myself for the impact of her small body as she slams into me, giving me the tightest hug. Aria is shorter than me, measuring a whopping five–foot-two, whereas I’m five-foot-six. Her usually wavy long blond hair is slicked into a ponytail, and she is still wearing her workout gear. Her face looks flawless. She doesn’t look like someone who just did an hour of hot yoga.
“I hate how pretty you are,” I murmur as I squeeze her back. She laughs as we let each other go.Gosh, I missed her.Since I got back, she insists that we see each other almost every day to ‘catch up on lost time.’
We talk about my adjustment to life back in Cebrene, my friends back in The Big A, my future plans, and her upcoming marriage. Gianis shows up halfway through our conversation—we’d texted him earlier to come meet us, but he said he had some stuff to sort out first. He sits down with us, and for a moment, it almost feels like old times, when we were younger. We stay at the coffee shop for a while, until Aria looks at the time and realizes she has to meet her father for lunch. We all hug goodbye, and I start dreading the fact that I have to visit mybaba,too.
“An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more.” –Mark Barrowcliffe
Last night, she got dropped off at home by someone who didn’t even wait for her to enter the house before driving off. I initially thought he could be a new boyfriend or a fling, which sparked uncontrollable fury inside me, but she didn’t linger, hurrying to the door without a glance back. When the car passed mine, I was able to get a closer look and recognized the man in the driver’s seat as Gianis Petrakis. Peter Kouvalakis’ most trusted enforcer.
From what I know, regardless of the rumors, there is no relationship between the two. Nonetheless, seeing them so close and comfortable with each other makes me want to chop off his head and bury him where no one will ever find his body.And I know just the place.
I left soon after she went inside, only to return this morning to wait for her to leave so I could follow her. But not before leaving a bouquet of her favorite blooms at her door. Peonies. The beauty of this flower could never compare to hers. I’m dying to know if she’s as soft as its petals. If her smell is sweet and rosy or citrusy and spicy. I want to uncover her like a sprouting peony, expose her many layers, and just like everything I touch, break and sully her until she’s filthy. I’ll burn the whole world down until she’s mine and mine alone.
