I followed Zeta up a short flight of stairs that led to a hallway of rooms. Similar to the lower floor, the walls were covered with family photos.
"The guest room is at the end of the hall," Zeta said, leading me into a room with painted pink walls, a white dresser, and a queen-sized bed.
"I love the color. Was this your room? It's so bright and inviting."
"Actually, this was Lina's room. Before she became a complete bitch," Zeta said.
A loud knocking on the bedroom door startled us. "You're needed downstairs, Zeta," Lina said with a blank stare.
"I'll be right back, Viola," Zeta said, quickly running out of the room, feeling embarrassed. Had Lina heard her?
"Maybe I'll help them out, too," I said, walking towards Lina.
"No, stay," Lina said, closing the door.
I swallowed nervously. "I think I'll grab some water downstairs. I forgot to put a water bottle in my purse today."
"Do you typically carry water in your purse?"
"Absolutely," I said. "I don't have a problem carrying a water bottle wherever I go. I have also been carrying an unused diaphragm in my purse for the last nine years."
Lina crossed her arms against her chest. Her blank, emotionless stare was beginning to frighten me. "Viola, I see the way Christos looks at you."
"Who? At me? I'm sure it's nothing. The garbage man gives me the same look whenever I wear my pajamas out to the curb."
Lina took a few steps back and to my relief opened the door slightly. "He's not as strong as he lets on. He's been hurt once before, and I won't let him go through that again."
"I can't imagine what it was like to lose your parents."
"No, not them. I am talking about Helena. She shattered his heart."
I took a second to sift through my thoughts to see if that name rang a bell. "Who?"
"He didn't tell you? Well, ask Christos. It's not my place to tell."
As I watched Lina exit the room, I couldn't help but wonder if she was just messing with me. After all, she seemed like the passive-aggressive type.
I was starting to feel like the world was holding a cigarette up to my lips, pressuring me to do something I didn't desire. The guild was pushing me towards Christos, fate was pushing Christos towards me, and now Lina was inadvertently pushing me towards him by hinting that I should stay away. Forbidden fruit was a bit of a turn-on for a girl like me, and honestly I never really had a taste of it, unless you count that one time I accidently ate a fungus-covered peach.
In an attempt to clear my head, I decided to wander the hallway and poke my head inside rooms. All of the rooms looked fairly dull except for one, which looked like it belonged to a teenage boy who was obsessed with science fiction movies. Movie posters, spanning the last few decades, were plastered on the ceiling. Everything from Alien to Blade Runner. The walls were splattered with newspaper clippings and random memorabilia, and to tie it all together, a giant life-sized Chewbacca guarded the room from the corner.
"I see you found my room," Christos said, popping up behind me.
I turned around gleefully. "Oh my God, you were such a geek, I love it! I was Princess Leia for Halloween last year! I looked amazing, except I couldn't get her infamous hair bun right, so I rolled two mini cinnamon buns into my hair."
"Did that hold?"
"Oh yeah! I mean, I was chased by several wasps at one point in the night, but it all worked out in the end."
Christos laughed. "Well, hate to disappoint you but I am not the same guy I was when I was eighteen."
Tired from standing, I sat down on his queen-sized bed, "Same here. I stopped rolling food into my hair. Well, that's not entirely true; I still curl my hair with bananas."
Christos smiled warmly and sat down next to me, and our thighs touched, sending my heart into a fluttering mess. "I'm glad you're here, Viola."
"Me, too," I replied nervously. The truth was that the more I learned about him, the more I was starting to feel an attraction. Don't get me wrong, I hadn't gotten over Franklin. It was just nice to be in a place where I felt like there was another option.
We sat quietly for a few seconds when suddenly Christos's lips moved towards mine.
Lina's serious tone interrupted the moment. "Dinner is being served downstairs." She gave me a really dirty look before exiting the room, and I was reminded of the time an elderly woman caught me licking Cheese Whiz off my bra in Central Park.
Christos leaped to his feet. "Shall we?" He put out his hand.
"Lead the way," I said.
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