CHAPTER FOUR ⇆ ANGELINA
Rowan apparently disappeared after the show four days ago, the moment I stepped a foot outside, he was...boom, gone.
I bet that's one of his methods to make my thoughts revolve around his ass, I put some moisturizer on my face and slowly rub it in, sighing in satisfaction as I stroll out of the bathroom.
Thankfully, Rowan hasn't been involved in my life lately, just my thoughts, Speaking of that, today is gonna be full of distractions since Aurelia and Vera are coming over,
Elias and Silas hopefully will stay out of it cause I'm genuinely not in the mood to put up with their grumpy attitudes,
"Angel, sweetheart." My mother's gentle voice pulls me away from my thoughts and I look at the phone screen again, "Hey." I breathe out, "What were you thinking?" She asks, smiling.
I sigh exaggeratedly and contemplate telling her but I push the thoughts away, "Nothing, how are you doing?" I ask instead and she thins her lips in a line, telling me that she clearly senses my lie.
"I'm okay, How are you?" She repeats, her green eyes filled with worry, and her dark skin shining beneath the sunlight, "I had a show a couple of days ago." She's already aware of that but I'm trying to ditch the topic off the whole 'How are you' stuff.
She smiles proudly, "Oh I know, you looked stunning." She compliments and I can't help the warmth spreading through my body at her words, "I want to tell you something." She adds after a beat and my concern spikes at her tone.
My mother isn't normally a confrontational person, that's why she seems so fucking nervous, "Okay." I let out under my breath, not liking the turn this is taking, she sighs exaggeratedly.
"Your friend—Rowan, he called me." I quite literally choke on my next breath, "He what?" I splutter and she gestures with her hand for me to calm down and I narrow my eyes as I wait for her clarification.
"He told me about the 'deal'" She shocks me even further, I don't really understand if I should've seen this coming or not, Rowan is an unhinged motherfucker but not to—this extent.
Not to tell my mother this especially since he's not sure about her decision, "I'm going to murder him." I don't even realize that I muttered my thoughts away until my mother laughs.
The sound softens my heart but the circumstances aren't on my radar at the moment, I run a hand through my hair, "I said no." I state, "Yes, he told me, I'm not telling you that so that you can change your decision I'm just saying because I feel like that's what you wanted to tell me." She protests softly.
I sigh in defeat, pinching my eyes, "What's the point of him telling you?" I wonder out loud, I normally don't find explanations behind his actions but this is a bit odd, "Maybe so that I can—side with him." She shrugs, smiling lightly as if she's recalling a memory.
My mother loved Rowan, she treated him like a son, he spent most of the time over at our house, his mother neglected him, it hurt him clearly, and neither I nor my mother could swallow that fact down, Subconsciously, we started to form a soft spot toward him.
Not out of pity,
He was a lovely boy, that's actually the only way to put it, the first time we met he comforted me in his arms while we were kids because at the time it was one of my father's episodes where he'd hit and yell at anyone in view.
"Are you?" I ask, ignoring the possibilities rising up my throat, "No." She pauses before replying which spikes my suspicions, "I'm not siding with him or you, okay, it's a weird situation, to be honest." She admits, looking slightly confused.
I don't want to pressure my mom on abandoning her bond with him just cause I hate him, Hate is a big word, I don't hate Rowan, okay, I don't think that'll ever be possible, but I resent his actions, that's a way to put it.
The conversation takes another turn but my mind keeps coming back to Rowan's offer, He won't stop, he'll keep pushing and pushing.
The thing is, I'm sure as fuck that I'll be pushing right back, so this will only end when one of us gives up, and it's not going to be me.
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Just when I'm about to exit my apartment and go for a run, a notification pops up, cutting off my actions, Thankfully, I still have two hours before Aurelia and Vera arrive, I'll run and then shower before they come here.
Rowan: Going for a run?
Jesus Christ, I grit my teeth.
Me: Yes.
I don't bother with hiding that fact since he clearly stalks my fucking daily routine, I bet he's smiling in satisfaction right now.
Rowan: I'm downstairs.
He says ever so casually as if we're a couple going on a run, goddamn it, I don't even bother with replying to him as I jog down the stairs.
Sure enough, Rowan's Red Jeep is right in front of my face, his head tilts ever so casually to the side, brown warm eyes clashing with mine in a wave, bright under the sunlight.
I stand right where I'm, If he expects me to walk over to him, then we have to work things a bit harder, but he looks unimpressed as he exits the car, straightening his compressed black shirt that's hugging his body.
Sure enough, He's lean, but his chest muscles are developed to perfection, adding a lethal edge to his approachable appearance.
He eyes me for a beat, before a playful smile finds its way across his face, "Why are you here?" I ask when he doesn't make a move to utter a single word, I don't have enough time to waste in a staring contest.
"For you." His reply comes instantly and I narrow my eyes in a glare, "I don't want you here." I say harshly, any other person would be hurt...or at least annoyed by my protest, Rowan? Nah, he just smirks further and takes a step towards me.
His tall frame towering over mine, I raise my chin high with pride as I stare into his empty lifeless eyes, Shallow, "I'm here for our deal." He tilts his head to the side, studying my features nonchalantly while the same smile stays plastered on his face.
"There's no deal between us, you offered whatever you had and I said no, the end." I mock, he stares down at me, "Hilarious." He deadpans and I just contemplate leaving him in the streets.
"It's not a joke." I intercept, he arches a brow, "It is actually, our deal isn't over, I told you that this wasn't the final answer, Angelo." I resent the goddamn name with everything in me actually.
"You're such a fucking child, can't handle a rejection?" I let out a bitter laugh, this, whatever this is, it's so fucking unnecessary, if he was just mature enough to accept rejection, live would be fine.
He arches a dry brow and looks down his arrogant nose at me, his smile continues stretching though and it's not genuine, not entirely "I've never been rejected, Lina, a lot would kill to be in your place, I can have a woman dangling over my arm in an hour." He states with credence and pride, shrugging as his lips pull high and mine twist in disgust.
Any other woman would be using him as well so I don't entirely understand his point, but my lips slowly stretch in a rare smirk, his grin wavers for a beat before it stays right back on,
I lean closer to him, "But it's me that you want, Isn't it?" A logical reaction would be ditching him and walking away maybe, not provoking him further,
definitely not.
His eyes sparkle with something entirely new, a challenge, or a surprise I can't really decide, "You have no idea how stunning you look when you're worked up like this." He points out,
"I'm sure I'll look more stunning if I smash my shoes down your dick." The words come out uncontrollably, my mind welcomingly shooting back replies, he arches a brow, "I'm sure you'd love to do a lot of things with my dick while we're on the topic, I'm wounded by the statement." He dramatically exclaims and I blink at him.
Which causes his grin to widen, my fingers itch to wipe it off his face, "Fuck if I care." I repeat dryly and take a step backward, and just when I'm about to start walking in the other direction.
He snatches my hand right back, causing my body to turn, My eyes widen in anger but then my words seem caught in my throat when he steps closer, and then he holds my chin between his index and thumb.
The mere contact of his fingers with my skin causing electricity to course through my body, "You care, Lina, pretending that you don't never suited you, just like pretending that you don't want me, your act is so cheap." When I finally come back to my senses I take another curt step away from him.
Gritting my teeth in disgust, "Wake up, Rowan, you're subconsciously tricking yourself cause accepting that I don't actually care about you will hurt." Just like it did with me.
"You can convince yourself all you want." He smiles further but now it seems as if his mask is slipping, it becomes more pretentious and fake, "But your actions speak louder." He finishes the sentence with a shrug and I embrace myself with a harsh breath.
He's not always this...serious or intense for the matter, I can't put a word to it, he's mostly shallow as I always say, Right now, maybe I underestimated how much his mind works.
Maybe it never shuts down for the matter, because if he notices those little actions that I do while he's drunk and kissing women here and there, laughing his ass off and throwing jokes, then I'm sure as hell that Rowan isn't just doing this for nothing.
He isn't wearing a constant mask for nothing, his previous personality as I call it was similar to this new Rowan, but his words seemed much more meaningful and significant, Right now, the topics he even discusses are just...out of boredom.
A thought pops up in my mind.
Maybe, just maybe this Rowan is still deep inside of him but he needs someone to pull it back up from him.
I shut it off, I was that someone once and I failed, and one thing about me is I don't repeat the same mistake twice.
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