Behind the guarded French doors is a private casino, filled with loud, laughing, drinking gamblers. The room is surrounded with dark tinted windows, there are people outside on the deck dancing, drinking and talking. Some even attempt to catch a glimpse of what's going on in this room, but the tint is too dark. I look up at the ceiling to see a giant, golden compass. The wooden floor we're standing on mirrors the design of this oversized compass. It's exquisite. Starting at a single, tiny point in the middle of the floor, chocolate, sand and tan wooden planks are arranged shooting out from that point, forming a large compass-like circle. The room looks rich.
"Is this casino legal?"
Phoenix squints his eyes giving me a "hush" look.
A staffer in a white tuxedo approaches as we enter the room. "Can I help you, Sir?"
"How much to play?" he asks casually.
"Games start at $1000 and go up from there."
Phoenix whips a roll of bills out of his off-white linen pants. "Here, put me down for thirty."
He says it with such nonchalance, it's a little off-putting. I look at the side of his face.
Who is this guy?
I know I should come to expect it at this point, but it just keeps coming. I've never seen anyone remotely like him in real life.
The staffer takes the cash and comes back with a stack of chips. "Here you go, Sir. Good luck and enjoy."
Phoenix tips him a whole chip.
That's $1000! Mind. Blown.
"We don't need luck. Thank you." My posture straightens as I survey the room, feeling like I can conquer the world.
"I'm gonna follow your lead, Ari. I got a good feeling about you." He stands behind me.
Out the side of my mouth, I whisper, "You're the big risk-taker. I've never gambled before." I look around at all the other gamers.
He rests his hands on my waist as he whispers into my ear, "Perfect. You'll have beginners' luck, then."
"We don't need luck, remember?"
"Right. Well then, win or lose, we always win. Cause we're in this together." Smiling into my ear, he prompts me. "Where to?"
"There." I confidently point to a table. "Win or lose, right?"
"Ah! You wanna play craps? Believe it or not, that's my game. You're already off to a good start."
We walk over to the table and break through the crowd to get to the front.
Phoenix looks at the dealer. "I want in on the next roll."
The dealer nods.
An older gentleman rolls the dice and everyone at the table collectively sighs. He looks at the dealer and runs his hand across his throat, signaling to cut him off. He takes his remaining chips and walks away, leaving an empty space at the head of the table, which Phoenix and I quickly fill. He pulls me in front of him.
The dealer yells, "New shooter."
All eyes are on us, I feel the pressure of the moment. Phoenix hands me the dice.
"We're coming out strong. Try for seven or eleven." He places a few chips on the Pass line.
I'm not sure what that means. I blow on the dice and picture a seven on my roll. I throw the dice against the back of the green table.
The dealer yells, "Seven, winner!" Then he gives Phoenix several chips.
The crowd around the table claps and people begin placing their own bets.
"It's on!" Phoenix's eyes light up.
"OK. What should I throw now?" I ask eagerly.
"Keep the sevens and elevens coming!"
I blow on the dice, imagining three and four dots. I throw the dice hard against the wall of the table. Sure enough, a three and four appear.
You're in the flow.
The crowd erupts into a cheer. The dealer yells, "Seven, again! Winner!" He hands Phoenix more chips. He uses his hook to pull the dice from the other end of the table and stops them in front of me.
Phoenix takes the winnings plus more chips and places his bet. "Go ahead. Roll a seven or eleven again. You can do it."
"I can do this." I picture the number seven, without any particular breakdown. I roll the dice.
Maybe you should've specified it.
The dice bounce off the opposite end of the table. Six is the first one I see.
I need a one, please let the other one be a one. Please. Please. Please. Please.
"Seven, again!" The dealer exclaims. The crowd cheers loudly. I let out a huge sigh.
I rinse and repeat not one, not two, but three more times. What are the chances? Each time Phoenix increases his bet, winning more and more chips. I'm hot right now.
My heart does cartwheels. The stakes are getting higher. This next roll, I want to change things up a bit. I have to. I honestly don't think I can roll another seven in a row. I hope this won't take me out of my flow, but I picture five and six dots. I blow on the dice, imagining eleven, again. Then I let go and throw the die. I close my eyes on this one. Phoenix placed seventy-five chips on the Pass line. Sweat beads on my forehead.
The crowd around the table explodes in a raucous cheer.
Whew!
I open my eyes to Phoenix shaking me and jumping up and down. I've never seen him lose his composure like this, he's usually cool and relaxed about everything. His enthusiasm is infectious. I find myself celebrating right along with him.
"I'm keeping you close to me!" he yells over the loud cheers. "Do it again, Ari baby, do it again!" He places 125 chips on the Pass line this time.
Looking at our stash, there are still a few stacks of chips left. I'm guessing we still have the initial investment plus some.
"Win or lose, we always win cause we're in this together."
"C'mon! One more time," I yell at the dice. "One more time, give me eleven." I picture five and six dots landing together. I feel so good right now, I've got to win. I shake the dice. I blow on the dice. I see it again in my mind, five and six. I let go and throw them again, eyes closed. It seems like forever until I hear the response of the crowd.
What is it? Did I win? Did I lose his money? Say something, goddammit!
A collective, seismic roar floods my senses. I'm floored.
When I open my eyes, I can't believe it. "We won! We won!"
"You're a goddess, Ari. You're so sexy, right now." Phoenix pulls my face to his for a hungry, lip-latching kiss. Then dips me back like we're in the 1950s and brings me upright again.
The crowd cheers and a few people whistle after seeing this.
I'm shaking from head to toe. "Let's get out of here!" I yell into his ear.
"It's cool. I said I'd follow you and I will." He gathers all the chips, placing them into a bucket. He salutes the crowd and dealer. The crowd sighs, but soon someone else steps in our place and the game continues.
"See I told you, you had it in you." He grabs me, picking me off my feet and turning me around and around in his arms. He puts me down, looking at me in awe. "You're incredible." He kisses me again. "Let's cash out."
We take the bucket to the cashier, who then gives us a printout with the amount we've won. The ticket reads $320,000.
"Your money has been multiplied over ten times. Best night ever!"
The cashier loads a metal suitcase with 10k bands of cash. She places all the bills in the case and hands it over.
Phoenix opens it and takes a look. He seems satisfied. He closes the case and we leave the private casino, arm in arm.
"Guess I paid you back for the car, after all."
"You more than paid me back. Some of this is yours."
He picks up his phone. "Hey Leon, meet me on the boat, lower level. I've got something I need you to hold on to."
"Win or lose, right?" I ask with a sly smirk.
"From now on, yes. We always win, cause we're in this together." Arm around my shoulder, Phoenix leans in for a kiss.
Our little adventure is turning out to be not so little after all.
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Present Day
"What I wouldn't give to have a few extra thousand right now."
"I still have a nice chunk of it. Paid off some bills and all my student loans."
Aya's phone rings. "Excuse me." She gets up and walks to the other side of the waiting room.
I'm worried for her. Trying to busy myself, I pick up a magazine and flip through it.
Aya stands in a corner with her back to me. I can't see her face, but her desperate, frantic tone can't be ignored.
". . . listen . . . but we can be a family now . . . . You don't have to go anywhere . . . just stay please." She sniffles. "No — wait . . . listen . . . . I'm — I don't know about this. You do? I can't . . . I don't. I don't know." Her sniffling turns to outright crying. "No, no, no, no. Don't make me . . . . Why? Why do I have to choose? Why?" She stares at the phone for a long time. Now she's calling back. They don't answer. She calls again.
A nurse walks into the waiting room. "Aya Stanton." She looks up from her clipboard.
"Hi. Umm. Can I have a few minutes?" Aya asks.
"Of course. Let the receptionist know when you're ready and I'll come back to get you." The nurse leaves the waiting room.
Aya returns and sits down in the seat next to me. Her eyes are drowning in worry.
I wish there was something I could do for her. It's breaking my heart to watch as she goes through this.
Aya looks at me. "Cat's out the bag. Sorry for the shit show. The shittiest show on earth. I hate this. I wish I didn't exist, right now." She rubs her forehead.
"Aya. Take some time, girl. Think. Really, really think about this. Once you do this. There's no coming back."
"I have! We have! We've fought for months."
"I mean, it kicked!" A small laugh escapes as I remember the joy I experienced when I felt her baby kick.
"He hasn't budged. I'm all over the map. I can't do it on my own. I just can't. The longer I wait, the bigger I get, the older it gets, the closer we get to having it, the more we fight."
"How many months are you?" I ask, trying to remind her of her options.
"I love him. I can't live like this. He's not ready. I can't force him to be." She rubs her temples. "And who am I kidding? I'm not mom material. Look at me! You know what? I'm ready!"
"Aya, don't."
She gets up and walks to the receptionist's window. "I'm ready. Please tell that nice nurse she can come and get me. I'm ready."
The receptionist calls the nurse and she comes out. Just before Aya disappears behind the door, she glances back at me with eyes that seem uncertain of so much.
"Aya! Just take a moment. Please!"
She closes her eyes and turns away.
I feel helpless for her. Here I am, talking about me and my life and she has problems of her own. Serious, real life problems. She's under so much pressure. I can't begin to imagine how horrible it must feel to be in a situation like that. I hope she changes her mind. It's obvious she's not ready for this.
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A/N: Hey Lovers! This is the end of chapter 31. What do you think about what's happening to Aya? Do you think Aria will get to her before it's too late? Please remember to Vote! It helps keep me motivated. Thanks!