Guys Im' really sorry for the absence it will be more explained in detail at the end of today's chapter so please
be patient! Thank you and without further ado...
The dream leaves me confused and dazed that night. I woke up some time around 4 in the morning, too frazzled to find slumber. Instead, I walked to the kitchen, grabbed a small jar of pickles and watched old Grey's Anatomy re-runs I'd recorded.
Half way through, I found myself nearly falling asleep, that is - until my phone rings. I can't help but jump at the sudden noise despite the ever present silence that loomed and lingered in my living room.
I picked it up, and frowned.
From : Demetri
I didn't dare to open my phone, but I dared to question how on Earth his name had gotten in my contacts. How was that possible? I didn't think I'd ever handed it to him to hold or anything. I was always busy at work, and didn't really have the time to be glancing at my phone often. I didn't leave it at his house ever. This only validates that he's a creep of some sort, much to my dismay that that's what everyone has been telling me the whole time. I can only scoff at my ignorance.
Sure when I was nearly flattened by a truck a couple weeks ago, he'd taken me to his loft and offered me both dinner and his number. I'd never added his number, unsure if he'd even be in my life past that point, yet here he was.
I glanced at the phone once more, and felt my stomach drop. What does he even have to say? Maybe I can strategically plan this. Maybe he doesn't have an Iphone so he can't tell if I read it? I'm not sure, but I can't help but acquiesce to my curiosity.
Unlocking the phone, I read his message.
"You've been doing a fantastic job in avoiding me." I scoff to myself once more. Well I was great at avoiding problems, so why not avoid this one? I noticed the message bars were blue, signifying that he did indeed have an iphone. Wonderful. As if to mock me, a 'read' icon appears at the bottom of my text.
I laid the phone back on the shabby couch and continued to watch Lexi Grey perform her first surgery. She was about to remove some sort of tissue when my phone went off once more. Marred by curiosity, I unlocked the phone and read the message.
"Talk to me." Frowning, I turned the phone face down again. Why was I avoiding him again? Because he keeps secrets, he's dangerous, and literally no one has anything good to say about him other than his looks. My self conscious decided to chime in. I shook my head and ignored another couple buzzes.
After the last one, I looked at my phone, but only for the time. I couldn't keep my eyes from wondering to the four messages. My fingers twitched on the screen, wanting to open them, but I had to rely on strong will.
The more I give in to his messages and contact the weaker I begin to feel. I already know I'm independent, why do I need to prove that? Maybe it's because my independence falters every single time I'm around Demetri. Every single time that he's around, his presence forces me to abandon all my independence.
"This silence is deafening." My eyes wonder below to more of the texts.
"Maybe I'll swing by a minute."
"May or may not be getting into my car right now."
"Currently driving over." At the last message, my eyes nearly bugle out of their sockets. I glance at the time. Hell it's 6 now. In the morning. Speaking of mornings; they consist of getting ready, and I am nowhere near presentable.
I pick up the phone and type a fast reply.
"What? No, I'm trying to sleep." Though it's a lie, I don't mind. I open the front camera, only to see some sort of creature with incredibly heavy bags under its eyes and a rats nest of hair. Oh wait, that would be me.
I hear my phone buzz again, and my stomach begins to churn at the thought of him coming here.
"You have 5 mins before I'm here." I drop the phone and run into my bathroom, attempting to fix up my hair. As for the deliciously heavy bags under my sullen eyes, those are just going to have to stay there for the time being. Then I have a thought: what if I just stop trying and remain looking like a creature that just crawled out of a dumpster?
Perhaps this new pursuit could force him to turn tail and run, curiously pondering what the hell he just saw. Maybe then he'll finally leave me alone. However, an irritating feeling down in my stomach tells me that, A. that won't work, and B. I don't want him to see me looking like a troll.
As I'm stuck in a deadlock between caring and giving up, there's a knock on the door. My hair is brushed, but aside from that I still look like a mess what with my fuzzy shorts and over sized sweatshirt with mismatched socks covering my feet. Okay, half and half works too.
I walk out of my bathroom and to the living room. I reach for the front door but hesitate. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that I need to remain strong and independent, no matter how hard he may try and persuade me into forgiving him as though nothing happened. No one uses Venus Skaarsgard; and no one gets away with it.
Soon, he would revel in the idea.
I open the door, and of course there the Devil stands.
"Venus."
His voice is rich and smooth, and forces me to remember why I'm ignoring him. His eyes take in my slapdash appearance, and I can't help but feel my skin crawl a little bit. Of course I'd wanted him to see me strutting down the street with my hair curled, makeup done, with of some sort of glamorous outfit, but that wasn't the case at the moment.
"May I come in?"
I didn't say anything. Could I slam the door in his face? What would happen after? I realized I was taking too long to say anything, so I pushed the door open and allowed him to come in. Why couldn't I have just shut it in his face? I internally groan as he walks in, evaluating my place.
It's not much compared to his fancy home, but I have to keep up my nonchalant facade.
"You've been ignoring me."
He says, back still turned to me.
"I know." It's all I can say.
"I know you're upset with the other night. I don't pretend to be oblivious."
"What are you doing here, Demetri?"
The small talk began to frustrate me faster than I anticipated. I knew he wasn't here to beat around the bush, so why not get it out? Then he could just save both of us the humiliation rather than dragging it out.
He turned around and I took in all his features since I hadn't been able to for the past week. His eyes were solemn and cold and reflected the night before the storm.
"I wanted to explain, and apologize."
"What if I don't want to hear it?" I retorted with the cross of my arms; a sigil of defiance.
"You don't have a choice."
I sighed and sat on my brown couch, waiting for him to speak. I was too tired to argue at this point. He sat across from me on my coffee table with his eyes plastered to the floor. He still hadn't said anything after a couple minutes had passed.
"You know, I could be sleeping right now, so if you have nothing to say-"
He cut me off with a kiss. It was fast, and just a small peck, but enough to make me forget what I was talking about. I pushed him off, irritated.
"News flash! You can't just do that whenever you want when it comes to me," I hissed, wiping off my lips. He sat back and crossed his arms.
"I know. Trust me, I know."
"Do you now? Are you really going to sit here and tell me that shit to my face?"
"Venus you don't understand."
"Then help me out, because I'm really struggling here!"
He got up and let out frustrated groan, pacing back and forth, rubbing his hands on his pants.
"Don't go around thinking I don't want you, because I do. It's not you-"
"Oh it's not me it's you, right?" I hissed, getting right back up and throwing my hands in the air.
"Yes," was all he could manage to say.
"That's not enough and you know that."
"I know, I just have . . . a lot in my life right now. Adding you into the mix is only going to make things harder on you."
"What the hell does that even mean?" I was getting frustrated, yet the more he spoke, the more he was giving me. How long could each of us hold out on each other until the other gave up?
He paused, his pacing coming to a halt. His eyes raced around my apartment, as if the wheels in his head were turning. Finally, he sighed.
"You know I told you I had a brother."
The conversation took a complete turn. What did his brother have to do with this? Maybe I was just a tad closer to getting answers than I had expected.
"Yes, I remember."
"He didn't just die, he was killed."
My heart sank upon hearing that, and I wanted to console him. I could tell he hadn't said the words out loud often, because after he spoke, his eyes widened as if he just now realized what he was saying. I frowned, knowing this could be a very ambiguous topic.
"I'm sorry."
"You got a phone call, do you remember?" He asked, disregarding my words.
"It's hard to forget." I remembered two phone calls, the one from before I met Demetri, and the current one from Tyrese.
"Diego and Wilson had my brother killed that night."
"Wait, that night?" My panic began to spike when I began to think what they could have done to me. I was involved with them, the call from Tyrese validated that much. The fact he was killed so recently made my stomach knot. I then thought about Demetri, was he okay?
"Yes. And now they know who you are, and they know me and have bad blood with my family in case you didn't gather that much."
"Oh my God," I whispered.
"What are they? Are they gangsters?" I asked, not caring how dumb the question could have sounded. He shook his head.
"More like a mafia of sorts. They have access to . . . things . . . that many people don't have access to."
"Why are you telling me this after all this time?"
"Something has happened recently, a girl went missing."
"Taylor? But what does she have to do with any of this?"
"I think they kidnapped her."
I felt my stomach drop and and bile rose in the back of my throat. My throat began to burn and my breathing picked up faster than before. My hands, clammy and numb, began to tremble.
"I didn't want to scare you and I thought I could handle this, but you're apart of this now."
"What? Why? I haven't done anything!"
"Not technically. I can't tell you any more than I have right now. I want to, trust me, but I can't. There are things preventing me from sharing any more information. My main goal is to keep you safe."
"That's a load of bullshit! And why the hell would that be your goal? I barely even know you." I shut my mouth. It was true, I really didn't know this person. All I knew was his brother was killed, and that he can't seem to leave me alone. What am I getting into?
He was about to speak, but held his breath. I was going to scream at him, but there was something going on outside.
"Don't move," He whispered, staring at the door. I followed his gaze, and wondered what he thought he might be hearing.
But I would soon find out.
I glanced at Demetri, who's eyes were plastered on the door.
Who was he? Who was he really?