Dangerous Love (girl x girl)

Chapter 37

Arielle

I tried my best to stay out of the way for the next couple of days at the estate. Isabelle had reassured me several times that her father wasn't angry with me, but I still wanted to stay under the radar. I barely left the room, and Isabelle had taken to bringing me food instead of trying to convince me to join her downstairs for meals. The night before the meeting that Isabelle was scheduled to have with the Black Phoenix member, I was especially restless.

I had laid awake in the bed for nearly an hour. Eventually I decided to go get some water or warm milk from the kitchen. I was careful not to wake Isabelle in the process when I snuck out of bed. The lights in the hallways were on as per usual. It was completely silent and I assumed everyone was asleep already as I tiptoed downstairs.

Once in the kitchen, I opened the fridge and reached for the milk when I heard someone clearing their throat. I jumped in shock and accidentally dropped the carton of milk. Isabelle's father quickly hurried over to me and picked the carton up, setting it on the counter before silently grabbing a cloth to clean up the mess.

I stood next to him, still frozen. I had obviously been avoiding him for days and I didn't know why he was down here right now. The fact that he wasn't saying a word did nothing to soothe my anxiety. Once he finished cleaning up, he stood up and tossed the cloth in the sink.

I gathered my courage and spoke in a shaky whisper. "I-I'm sorry."

He studied me for a few seconds. "Insomnia?" He spoke in a rather heavy accent.

I nodded slowly. He turned and walked over to the other counter. Then he picked up a packet of some powder and started pouring it into a mug. "When my Isabelle was younger, she would always come downstairs at night so I would make her hot chocolate, even in the summertime." I stayed silent as he reminisced. I wondered why he was telling me this until he started steaming milk and pouring it into the mug. Then he reached into the fridge and added some whipped cream on top before sliding it over to me.

My eyes widened in shock and I stared at him wordlessly for a second before mumbling a "thank you". I hesitantly reached for the cup and brought it to my lips for a sip. It sent warmth through my body. Dominic gestured to the kitchen table. "Take a seat."

I felt as though I couldn't refuse as I walked over to sit down. He came over to sit across from me. I wondered again why he was awake at this time, but I felt like I couldn't ask. "I trust my Isabelle," he started, "and she has never lied to me before this." I froze again. "You are clearly very important to her."

We made brief eye contact and I didn't know how to respond for a moment again. Finally, I spoke. "She is very important to me as well." I spoke in a small voice. "I am very grateful for her."

Dominic clasped his hands together and leaned forwards on the table. "Tell me about yourself, Mademoiselle Reagan." This reminded me of how Isabelle frequently called me Miss Reagan. Like father, like daughter, I supposed.

"Well, I'm a student at the university that Isabelle teaches at. I'm hoping to study law in the future and-"

"Tell me about you as a person." I stopped talking. This felt like one of the "meet the parents" interviews, but I was utterly unprepared and I didn't even have Isabelle to turn to. "You need not hide the truth. I am a man of my word, and what you share with me will stay private, as long as you show me the same loyalty."

I nodded quickly, knowing that he meant beyond this conversation. Then I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "My name is Arielle Rebecca Reagan...I'm 18 years old. I'm the youngest in my family and I have an older sister."