Tell Me Ariel, Are You Mine?

Chapter 19 - "She Loves You, Man. Don't Screw It Up."

Please note: a part of this chapter 16 is making full use of its rating but it does NOT leak into 'R' territory (I have PG'd it, its pg13 afterall!). Also, there's a LOT of swearing. If you don't like it, this is the only instance where I'd actually tell you to piss off. You're not reading a U, expect some bad language. 

                 Chapter 19 – "She Loves You, Man. Don't Screw It Up."

Dante allowed me to fall asleep in his arms, and yet I woke without him. He was gone. I threw on the T Shirt he gave me (and yes, it did indeed swamp me), and went walking around his house. I checked his study from just outside the door, he wasn't in there. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen.

When I took a step inside, I sat in his large chair, admired the various books lined immaculately along one whole wall, and touched along the polished but worn wood of the desk. I carefully started peeking through paperwork cast almost frantically on the table, pulling out the draws and checking post-it's. There was one in particular, but it was on his computer screen. A name; Archer and Does. That exclusive club in central where Dante said he first saw me. Could he be there now? And why?

I stormed through his hallway, and towards the back to see Malcolm. He was sitting on a bench along the wall outside the kitchen doors, on the patio. It was cold and I went back to get something to wrap myself in before returning. I opened the door and he turned around.

"Hey." I said.

"Ariel, right?" he twisted, but also said it like he didn't need confirmation.

"Yes. That would be me." I said standing over him.

"You can sit if you want." He said with a coaxing tap on the vacant space next to him. 

I took the seat, paused and then said, "You wouldn't happen to know where Dante is, would you?"

"Why?"

I thought quickly. "He wasn't...we were..." Okay, he doesn't need to know that. "When I woke up he was gone. Just like that."

He nodded slowly but said nothing. 

"Nice night, huh?" I said tentative and tense without a clue how to approach this and darting a quick cautious eye beside me.

He shook his head and grinned. "That's not why you're here."

"Why are you here?"

"I think too much," he said. "Not enough space left for it in my head but a hell of a lot out here." He sighed, staring out. "I'm biding my time actually. Till I can get hold of someone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Business or pleasure?"

"Both. I'll take great pleasure making it my business to tear a fucker up."

For a while I didn't say anything, sitting there in the knowledge of who he was referring to, and what tearing him up could look like. Especially from a guy of Malcolm's frame.

"Dante knows," he said.

I gulped. I played it off. "Oh?" My pitch suddenly high.

"Yeah," Malcolm nodded like plans unfolded in his head.

"Maybe he doesn't. Whoever this person is who did this to you...they're probably no one." I tried my damnest to dismiss it.

Malcolm laughed. "What are you? Naive or optimistic? I'm not the best with either."

"I'm just curious where Dante is. That's all I am to you right now."

"It won't matter," he said, back to his thoughts ahead like they sat on a horizon. "You're not going anywhere to find out. You stay right here until he comes back." He got up.