𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋

𝟗

CHAPTER 9
– DRINKS AND SHADOWS

"I guess one day when I thought you were dead, I was simply rummaging through our old photos when I saw your phone in your hand, the one I gave you, and everything just flashed in front of my eyes in a matter of seconds. I located your phone but I was rather shook you still had it, I was expecting you bought a new one." Mateo explains in one breath, raising his eyes expectantly.

I shake my head side to side, impressed.
"I didn't know you were so intelligent Mateo!" I exclaim, nudging his arm over the table teasingly, making him blush.

The same waitress arrives, interrupting me from telling him what has been killing me for days.
"What would you guys like to drink?" She asks with a small, holding her clipboard and her pen.

"One cocktail please." I ask and Mateo gets the same.

"So anyways," I began nervously while staring at the table.
"I've received a phone call some time ago, and it was Ivy." I say fast with a deep breath and closed eyes.

"What?" Mateo screams loudly with wide eyes. I immediately hush him to calm down, looking around.
"Don't interrupt me. She called saying that she was happy she finally got to call me and that mom wouldn't let her talk to me. But right after she wanted to tell me where she wanted to meet, the phone disconnected. She's still alive, Mateo. And I missed my chance." The last words made my voice break down as I directly earn tears in my eyes. I bite my lip while staring at the floor, waiting for Mateo to get a reaction, but the only thing he did was stare at the table with wide eyes, completely frozen.

"She is.. alive?"

I nod.

"I tried calling her back of course, everyday, but I lost hope. Every single time, it would land to a voicemail of some random hotel lady that lives in Romania."

"Wow." He simply whispers, shook, not knowing what to say.

It was a great interruption from the awkward silence when the cocktails arrived, making us sip our drinks carelessly.

"Well, I'll help you find her. Actually, that's what I came here to tell you, I'm staying with you here. I can't let you alone with that.. freak." He says, obviously talking about Romeo.

"There's no need Mateo. He disappeared some time ago with nothing to tell me where." I let out with rolled eyes.

"See, such a jerk." He exclaims, but he seemed quite happy.

I finish my last sip of my tropical drink and I tell him I need to go to the bathroom.

I enter the beautiful, gold colour place with beautiful lights and fancy mirrors while we could still hear the jazz music perfectly.

I walk til the mirror and I fix my hair with bare wet hands after seeing a small wick sticking out. After some time of popping out some makeup of my bag and applying some on faded places of my face, I couldn't help but notice the dark, shadowy figure in the mirror, standing in the corner of the big bathroom, staring at me. I assumed that it was just a person dressed in black simply standing behind me but I soon started to feel uncomfortable under the silence the person was causing.

Too creeped out to even continue, I put everything back in my bag and exit the room, causing my high heels to make some sounds at every step.

tac, tac, tac

Looking behind me every two seconds stressfully, my breathing gets heavy when I notice the figure following me from afar. I pass a hand through my neck and twist some locks of my hair with my finger, something that I always did since child hood.