Page 60 of The Diávolos: Part One
* * *
“So,what are you going to do?” Aria asks me when we’re back in her room a while later.
“I don’t know. I’m scared to be let down. Everyone I’ve loved has either left me or betrayed me,” I state.
“Not everyone. You have me and Gianis.”
Unease spreads in my chest. I haven’t spoken to Gianis in weeks. I’ve been so caught up with Evan that I haven’t been returning his calls. He wasn’t at my father’s the last time I visited. He texted me the following Thursday to ask if I needed a ride to the shooting range, but I didn’t go because I was too focused on Evan’s recovery.
“You’re right. I know I can always count on you both.”
“Speaking of G, I haven’t seen him in a very long time. I’m starting to get worried about him,” Aria expresses.
“Why? What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I overheard mybabatalking to yours on the phone the other day. Apparently, Gianis hasn’t shown up at your father’s place in several days and no one can get a hold of him.”
Crap. That’s not good. When Gianis is internally dealing with something, he withdraws from the world and disappears.
“I know where to find him,” I state.
She looks at me warily. “Be gentle with him, Ang.”
I’m taken aback by her comment. “What do you mean?”
Aria hesitates before she responds. “Haven’t you realized it yet?”
I’m confused as to what we’re talking about here. I shake my head.
“He loves you, Ang. Likelove, love. When you left, it tore him apart, and I was the only one here to pick up the pieces. He would never make you feel guilty for anything, your happiness and safety come first for him. He’s loved you since the first time you kissed as teenagers. I don’t know if he thought he’d get a second chance with you when you moved back, but this isn’t easy for him, Angelica. He knows you better than anyone else, and if you’ve been distant, it’s probably eating him alive,” Aria admits.
I’m suddenly filled with regret and anguish. I’ve always had a feeling that Gianis cared for me as more than a friend, but he was never clear about his feelings or intentions, and I preferred to ignore it because he’sGianis. My best friend in the entire world. I’d die and kill for him without hesitation, and I love him with my entire being, but I never let my feelings pass the friendship threshold. As a teenager, I would have been over the moon at this news. But over the years, I learned that what I felt for him had turned into something more platonic, brotherly.
I have to speak to him.
* * *
An hour later,I get out of Aria’s car in front of The Rig. She agreed to drive me when I told her there’s nowhere else Gianis would be. When he’s upset, he often releases the tension with many, many hours of training.
It takes several seconds for my vision to adjust to the darkness of the gym. It’s quiet, with only a few patrons training on bags. I look for Gianis, but I don’t see him anywhere. I walk farther into the space and see a man on a bench at the far end. As I get closer, I recognize Gianis’ figure. He’s sitting with his elbows resting on his legs, his head lowered between his knees.
“Gianis?”
His head jerks up at the sound of my voice. “Angie.”
I sit next to him. “Aria told me that mybabahasn’t heard from you in days. I knew you’d be here.”
He nods his head a few times and brings it back down between his knees. A drop of sweat drips from his face down to the floor and his body glistens with beads of perspiration. The unevenness of his breath fills the silence between us. He’s been overexerting himself.
“Where have you been, Angie?” he asks, without lifting his head, and I can hear a lace of bitterness in his words.
His question catches me off guard. Not because I think it’s unusual, but because it creates instant guilt. I play with my nails as I try to find the right words to say. I hesitate to tell him that I met someone, not wanting him to ask questions about Evan. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. I would never want to break his heart.
“I saw him leave your house the other night,” Gianis continues, breaking the silence. My breath gets stuck in my chest.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, trying to play dumb.
“I passed by your place on Thursday night, after you told me you didn’t want to go to the shooting range. You know, just to check up on you, because I hadn’t heard from you in a while. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You’ve been…distant,” he explains, his head still lowered. My heart cracks.
