"What's this?" I ask him calmly.
"Elle listen"
"I am listening. Tell me right now."
"We met before..before this"
"Clearly" I reply.
"A couple years ago at a bar I owned I was visiting and one of my men told me you were chatting up the bouncer and distracting him. I went out and I saw this line of people and you were standing up front talking to Jim. I was ready to kill you both when I heard a snippet of your conversation..."
*********************************************
"No no she wants to hear it, it doesn't matter if you
act like you love her or whatever that even means, tell her! Every day If you must!"
I pause, I didn't even know Jim had a girlfriend and now this random girl is giving him advice?
It's almost sweet, but not sweet enough.
"Jim, get to fucking work"
"Sorry Jim guess you got the jackass for the boss" the woman retorts.
Jim smiles slightly at thwy, the acting is enough to make me want to put a bullet in his head.
Slight overreaction.
She turns around fully and I open my mouth a bit.
The most beautiful woman I've ever seen looks at me like I've murdered a batch of puppies.
"I am not a-" I begin to protest but she shakes her head and walks inside.
*********************************************
"Why don't I remember any of this?" I ask him.
"You drank a lot that night, I came over to cut you off, we talked you told me the weirdest shit possibly ever" he explains.
*******************************************
"It makes me so upset" she says looking at me with her big beautiful eyes blurred by tears.
"What does my love?" I ask her signalling to the bar tender not to give her anything else.
"The guys who have to clean this place up, what if they're sad they don't get to go to cool clubs like this?" She says sadly.
"Trust me they do go to cool clubs like this" I say smiling a little.
"How do you know?" She asks reaching in her bag and pulling out a card.
"I own the place" I reply to her as she stares at me.
"Cancel her bill Arty" I call out. He nods.
"Covering my bill and owning a nice club doesn't make you any less of a jackass" she says sweetly.
Seriously?
"Hey can I grab your number?" She asks Arty.
In front of me.
In front of ME.
I'm standing right here, doing all the right things and she goes for Arty?
My kind of woman.
"I cant sorry, Ivan will shoot me, gorgeous" Arty says walking into the back.
She swirls around at me and narrows her eyes.
"Ivan, Ivan. Fuck you" she sighs.
Like my mere existence is annoying her.
"Your not at all fazed I could shoot you too?"
"I'm sure you'd miss. And I can fire a gun too asshat"
"Oh really?" I taunt.
"Yes really give me a gun I'll show you"
Cute, but I'm not dumb enough to give her drunk ass a gun.
She takes a dart from the board and before I can stop her throws it at the wall.
She misses, by alot.
"Nice shot" I say rolling my eyes.
"I got what I wanted" she says smiling.
I follow my eyes to see a guys jacket pinned to the wall.
Frowning I look back at her but she's already walking towards him.
Will she seriously take anyone but me?
"Nope" I say grabbing her arm and pulling her back.
She promptly falls over and stays there.
On the floor.
She closes her eyes and I can't help but think she's absolutely beautiful despite her current state.
I want to remember this.
"Hey take a picture of us" I ask this girl, she does.
I keep the photo in my phone and call her a cab.
"Can I get your number?"
"No" she says.
I shake my head at her smiling a bit.
"You can give me a kiss" she offers.
I accept and peck her on the lips.
Although it lasts for mere seconds it's without a doubt the best kiss of my life.
"What's your name?" I ask as she climbs into the cab.
"Elle Winters" she replies.
Mark my words. I will get this girl.
********************************************
I frown at him.
"So- we met when I was off my face drunk and you decided to come wife me up?" I ask Ivan.
He nods slowly.
"Because you had a crush on me" i say softly.
He takes a step forward and nods again.
"And since then you've spent all these years trying to find me?" I whisper.
He's so close to me his breath tickles my cheeks.
I look up at him blinking slowly and watch as he nods again.
I reach my arms up and softly press myself to him, our lips touching briefly.
He deepens the kiss, kissing me softly but enough so that I can't trick myself into this being a dream.
He wraps his arms around my waist and I press myself closer to him, deepening the kiss more.
I hope he can't feel my hands shaking.
I'm terrified.
He pulls away gently and takes my hands from his neck holding them in his looking at me.
"Are you afraid of me, still?" He asks, so quietly like we're sharing a secret.
I nod in response and he smiles softly.
"But in the good way right?" He double checks.
I smile smile at him, "yes"
He wraps his arms around me in an embrace resting his chin on top of my head.
"I knew you'd be worth it" he mutters.
I freeze.
It must have been noticeable because he pulls back his brow furrowed.
I laugh nervously, trying to push the ridiculous thought from my head.
"Er- Ivan if you've been..looking for me this whole time don't you think it's a little weird that my family just happens to declare bankruptcy and your our saviour?"
He looks at me, barely moving, barely breathing.
"Unless it wasn't a coincidence" I say out loud.
I let the accusation hang in the air before twisting the knife deeper.
"Did you..do this?" I ask him.
"Elle..."
"I always thought I'd never heard of the Irish mafia, it's because they don't exist do they?" I ask him.
"No they don't."
"You- you stole millions from my family just in the hopes that my father would come to you for help and you'd get to bargain for me. Don't you see how wrong that is?" I ask him, horror consuming me.
"I did it so we could be together"
"You stole me from my family, You stole our money! You took a gamble what if my father never came to you? We'd be ruined"
"I knew he'd come for me"
"But what if he didn't"
"But he did!"
"but what if he didn't"
"Then you'd be poor, or ruined or whatever" he admits bitterly.
"POOR? THIS ISNT SOME GAME IVAN, MY DAD ISNT A BANKER HE'S IN THE GOD DAMN MAFIA. MONEY IS POWER HERE. AND WITHOUT IT PEOPLE COULD HAVE HURT MY FAMILY, HURT ME!"
"I'd never let anything happen to you" he says reaching out.
I shove him off me.
"Putting my whole family in danger so you could see me again is letting bad things happen to me. It's putting me and my whole family in danger, and it's stupid." I say walking out the room.
"Where are you going?"
"MY ROOM, WHERE ELSE? IM A PRISONER HERE" I scream slamming the door behind me.
I lock the door and start shoving my things in a bag.
I'm not staying here.