Dangerous Love (girl x girl)

Chapter 49

"Right, I said I'd take you to her. Come on, let's just pick up the food the chef heated up. I hope you enjoy soup and pasta too."

"I'm happy with anything," she said almost like she had been rehearsing. I turned to walk to the kitchen with her following me. We picked up the food and went upstairs to my bedroom.

"She stays in your room," Clara observed out loud and I nodded.

"I think that's best for her and me, given the circumstances especially," I found myself saying as I pushed open the door carefully.

Arielle was in the same position I had left her in. She looked up slowly. Her expression didn't change, but she whispered her sister's name quietly.

Clara walked over to sit on the bed and I set the tray on Arielle's lap. "Do you want to be left alone?" I asked her softly, despite it paining me to say.

She turned to look at me with a look in her eyes that reassured me, even just a bit. "Never, but I'd like to talk to Clara for a bit. Maybe just give us 15 minutes."

A relieved smile came over my face and I leaned in to kiss her forehead again. "Take your time, my darling." I straightened myself and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

~~~~

Arielle

My sister and I stared at each other, neither of us speaking for a good minute. She took a deep breath and looked at me with and indecipherable expression before finally speaking. "Tristan bought me some pills to take in an emergency...because he didn't want me getting pregnant..."

Her tone was almost sad when she said this. I continued to watch her in confusion, wondering where this conversation was headed. "I've...been slipping them into your food since-" she cut off, not saying anything more.

I stared with wide eyes. I was certainly grateful that this was one thing that I didn't have to worry about, but I didn't know how to respond. "So...how did you meet Isabelle Versailles?" She said, changing the subject.

It took me a moment to process that she had asked me a question. "I met her at school...and I moved in with her after she caught me breaking into her father's office."

Clara's eyes were wide. "You broke into a gang lord's office."

"I joined what you could say is sort of a vigilante group. They...took an interest in me and promised to help me find you. A few months ago... I finally got a lead that you were still alive and with the Black Phoenix...so I joined to try to find you. I didn't know Tristan Vincenzo was testing me, but he ordered me to break into Mr. Versailles office to find a knife that was taken from him." 

Clara was watching me with a slight expression of disbelief. "I never doubted that you were stubborn, Ari, but I'd thought that everyone had stopped looking by this point," she finally said.

"How could I, Clara? You're my only sister and our family has never been the same. I promised mom I'd bring you back." Then I hesitated. "Do you want to talk to her?"

"Not over a phone call," she immediately said. "Just-just give me a day or so?"

I nodded slowly. Clara looked away from me. I could tell that there were many things going through her mind. "How-how have you been all these years?" I found myself asking in a hushed tone.

Clara picked at the blanket absently. "I was fine...Flynn left me there....found out later that he had made some sort of deal to settle a debt, but then his pathetic ass went and stole from Tristan. He deserved what he got, but I still went to plead his case. I was absorbed and so in love...until Tristan took me away and showed me how much better I deserved."

I didn't know what took me aback more - her comment about Tristan or the nonchalant way in which he spoke. I didn't expect my sister to be exactly the same as I remembered, in spite of everything that she had gone through, but I was still a little shocked.

She looked at me after a moment and her next words took me aback. "You shouldn't have come for me."

"Didn't you want to see our family again? See me?" I said, with a slight hint of desperation, in my tone.

Her eyes immediately softened. "Ari, of course I wanted to see you, but it was such a dangerous situation and you endured so much to find me and...I had accepted my life by now."

We were both silent for a moment, and I tried to process her words. She finally let out a quiet sigh and placed her hand over top of mine. "I turned on your phone in hopes that she would find you you before Tristan realized and she certainly did, even faster than I could have imagined. You're fortunate to have found someone who would move the heavens to save you."

There was silence after that, but I had a feeling that the same thing went through both of our minds. I had Isabelle who fought for me relentlessly and managed to save me before I was too far gone. No one looked hard enough for Clara. I was too young to. I had found her now, but was I too late?

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*edited*

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the break, I've been feeling a bit unwell again. I felt a bit better today so I hope you all enjoy.

Lots of love,
-Cindy