The doors locks could be heard right before it swung open revealing a stunning older woman with a lit cigarette grazing her lips.
"Why aren't you a pretty one," leaning on the edge of the door, the middle-aged woman greeted as she let the smoke evade her mouth, "hello dear, you are.."
"Hi, I'm Robyn-"
"I've heard a lot about you. Come in," turning away, she waved for her to enter while making their way into his familiar living room, "my nephew is having a meeting in his office. He'll be out soon and when he is I'll be out of your hairs."
"Nephew? You must be-"
"His highly disliked aunt, yes I am," putting out her cigarette in an ashtray, she chuckled, "I'm Valentina, Tina for short."
"Pleasure to meet you."
Robyn held out her hand with the cast before awkwardly switching to her left.
They both took a seat on the couch, in the white and black coloured room.
"Your face, your hand, must've been a hard crash huh?" her multicoloured eyes surveyed Robyn's features, making her grow uncomfortable, "Forget that. I've seen his car, I know."
"Mhm, would you excuse me I need to make a quick call," Robyn lied. Patting down her shirt, she stood to her wobbling feet.
"Go right ahead. I'm on the verge of disappearing anyway."
Robyn laughed a little nervously before darting towards the bathroom.
Shutting the door behind her, she placed her Chanel purse on the counter and searched around for her prescribed medication. Her headaches were weaker than the first night, however they were very much still a pain in the ass.
"I want every move tracked! I want him tailed while he's in New York. I want his goons tailed too. Anything out of the ordinary and you give me a call," Dean growled whilst he passed the bathroom, "Damn it! He said he'd be gone after the yacht party."
He startled her with how angry he sounded. She wondered for a brief moment who "he" was. Maybe the person in command of the attack that could've killed them
both.
She shook the thought out at the same time she swallowed her pills.
"He needs to be watched- Ugh.." he cursed before taking a loud breather.
"Kings take it easy man," one said.
"You're barely able to stand straight. We'll take care of things, ight? Worry about taking care of yourself," Kevin affirmed genuinely, "Iris ain't here to bust yo ass and she made me promise to watch over you."
"I'll rest when this is resolved. Oaks can't fuck it up for us. No dirty money here, that's what I promised."
"I got..."
Their voices faded as they furthered down the hallway.
It had been a total of three days since they last saw one another. No contact in between whatsoever. She was nervous no doubt, nonetheless this was the only way of officially discussing everything that her still healing brain could not process.
Taking a breather, she twisted the doorknob and was met with a pair of dreamy dark brown eyes.
She froze.
Her heart racing, palms sweating, and lips quivering during every second they both took to analyze the others injuries.
From her point of view, she could confirm his face had cuts with stitches, he had a brace for his shoulder, and a brace for his knee.
Immediately after hearing the front door slam shut, Dean wasted no time in joining their lips for a timeless, needed kiss.
She hesitated a little before melting into the show of affection with her hand finding his cheek. She moaned into the lip lock when they stumbled into the wall. His tongue traced her bottom lip while his hand moved to the back of her neck.
Breaking away, he pecked her lips one last time, "You scared the living hell out of me Desmond."
Robyn cleared her throat once space was created between their bodies. She could tell he had been worried..likewise.
"We need to talk."
• • •
"Here," after handing her a cold glass of water, he took a seat across of her. Dean was not sure if she was still angered. He was simply happy to see that she was doing better than the last night he saw her. "How's your head?" he questioned once an awkward silence peered through his living room.
"I have a concussion but it'll pass if I follow the 'rules'..what about your shoulder?" she shuddered from being cold as per usual. Anemia was a bitch.
"It was dislocated so I'll be wearing this for awhile," he reached underneath the coffee table before handing her a thin blanket, "you don't have to be shy Ro. I know you're always cold when you're here," he chuckled cutely in which she sent a tiny smile back.
Robyn could not lie. She missed him. Despite her personal feelings, there were things that did not add up neither make sense and she desperately needed for them to do so..things she could not forget.
"Dean."
"Yeah?"
"I need to know..what this is to you? What I am to you?" her breath was shaky already. She toyed with the blankets loose ends.
"You? You're, eh, you are-"
His inability to respond to what she thought was a simple question heated her.
"Am I some sort of joke to you? Someone that helped you keep your dick wet? Do I even mean anything to you at all?"
"What- of course you do Robyn!" he countered at the same time his voice echoed. He could not believe she actually concluded that. "You have no idea how insane I've been acting without knowing if you were alive... The last I saw you, you were in my arms before getting carried into an ambulance."
The imagery was too vivid and fresh in his mind.
"Then why? Why doesn't it feel like it? I feel, I feel like a complete idiot for getting into this with you," he was not going to lie either, that one stung, "you put me in a situation that I nor anyone could control..your past, it just keeps coming back and I know whoever you worked with did this to us..."
With the look in her eyes, nothing he could say to defend himself or explain the true story could change her mind. He knew where she was headed with her speech, in consequence he remained as neutral and straight faced as possible. It was not the first time someone had abandoned him.
Her eyes glossy as ever caused her to blink numerous times, "Baby, I have my families reputation to uphold, people to look out for- family to look out for-" she brought those to light to pose as her excuses in which Dean was not tolerating any further.
"What about me? Don't I have people to protect? Or does that not meet up to the many family members you have that are alive?" he scoffed dryly while pacing to the mini bar, "If you want to leave, do it. Own it. Don't tell me bullshit excuses to aid my ego in any way."
He poured himself some whiskey as she stayed glued to her seat. She was at a loss for words.
"I didn't mean it lik-"
"Besides, I am used to it. People leaving me high and dry, that happens a lot because of my career as a businessman," he shrugged nonchalantly, "though actually loving that person this time is different."
"Don't say that. Don't say that you..love me.." her head shook lightly at the somewhat confession, "and don't say that I'm leaving you!" her voice cracked whilst making hand gestures, one including her finger pointing at him, "What do you want me to do Dean??"
"I want you to own it. I want you to stop running away every time life gets tough! You did it with your ex, your father, who knows who else, and now you're doing it again!"
At this point, they were both shouting. Robyn up on her feet with the blanket at her ankles and Dean gesturing around his half empty glass in his hand, from his limited movements.
"Bullshit! That isn't fair and you know it- I- I'm scared okay! You scare me!" A tear rolled off her pinkish cheek. She brushed it away quickly and roughly before another could fall.
"If I scare you so much, leave," he grumbled before taking a huge sip of his alcoholic beverage.
He did not care anymore. Despite his injuries, his newest club was still set to open next week and this was a waste of his valuable time..now. This was redundant.
She was not accustomed to Dean acting in such way towards her. He was now harsh and unwilling compared to all their previous arguments. Then again, she was tearing both their hearts apart, but this decision is what she felt was right. She was sticking to it.
Hesitantly, she snatched her purse from the couch and stomped right past him to the front door. She deemed it best if they finished things on bad terms, in that case she or he would not go running back to the other.
"It's for the best, this way is the best," she repeated mentally as she hopped into the backseat of her personal driver's car that Marcus hired during the meantime of her recuperation.
Yes, she still had to meet him for work since he had decided some time ago to legitimately only consult their company regarding real estate, but that was it. Hopefully.
"Where to, miss?"
"Home..take me home please James, and could you call Jordan and Harley for me? Tell them to get there as well."
• • •
"Then he told me to leave, so I did," she sighed with her hand supporting her chin as the other followed the colourful, artsy lines along the table. The action was helping as a form of distraction, sort of.
The three gals were huddled into Robyn's kitchen. Harley at the stove, Jordan behind the counter with the cutting board, and Robyn seated since she could not do much. God, what would she do without them?
"Listen, I'm not happy with his sketchy past and how he or whatever his situation is almost had you killed," Jordan waved the sharp knife around, "but I will say that from personal experience, you guys probably just need some space right now. You're being cautions, I get that babe, but everyone has something they're ashamed of, or afraid of admitting to the people they care about."
Knowing Jordan's history with her ex-fiancé, Robyn could understand. It did not change her standpoint, however it did make her willing to hear him out in the future.
"Jo makes a fair point, we all have secrets we wished stayed buried-"
"What secrets you got girl?" Jordan attentively eyed a giggling Harley.
"Don't worry 'bout it!" she shoved her shoulder kiddingly, "Anyway, has he called you since?" Harley asked.
"I'm not quite sure. My doc advised me not to use my phone for the remained of the week, but he most likely didn't and won't..you should've seen the look on his face..."
• • •
Comfortably lounged back in the patio chair, he responded, "Nah, that look on her face..she was disappointed in me," his cigar tainted his lips after dabbing it lightly on the table's side, letting the ashes fall, "she thinks I'm still apart of that shit with Oaks."
"You've told me bits and pieces of the story when you moved out, but did you explain it to her?" Valentina sent away the waiter once he refilled her glass of wine.
Seated outside of the late night restaurant, the cold summer breeze hugged against their skin.
Even though they do not get along very often, she flew in to check up on him. His younger sister could not evade her exams studies, therefore she practically forced their aunt to attend in her place.
"There was no point. It's better this way though, where I know she's out of harms way. She'll hate me, maybe, but I can deal with that." He did not have an appetite whatsoever, nevertheless he had agreed on this dinner so he held his end of the bargain.
With her pocket mirror, she reapplied her lipgloss so effortlessly after finishing her meal, "She must be a special girl for you to care so much. You aren't the type to usually do that, the caring and all."
He shrugged, taking another long drag of the cuban imported cigar.
"Ah, young love. So difficult, so misleading," she swooned before pulling out a lighter and a cigarette from her trench coat. She slowly gawked her head backwards while inhaling it, then exhaling it's cancerous vapour.
When together, smoking away their dilemmas is what they both did best. It ceased their usual arguing and eased their bodies..temporarily...