EMARA
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A bored sigh came from me as I stayed perched at a small table in a cafe, two specific sets of eyes watching over me so that I could make it through the day without being trampled by paparazzi. I was drawing in my sketchbook while glancing at my phone for a call from Tristan.
He had been in Rome for almost three days, meaning he was supposed to be coming back today and would be home by around three in the afternoon today. I just needed that phone call.
I jumped when it began to vibrate, immediately putting my pencil down. I grabbed my phone and answered with no glance at the caller ID, pressing the phone to my ear.
"Tristan?"
"God, no," Jake said, making me sigh and close my eyes. "You're still waiting for his call?"
I didn't respond, a frown taking over my features.
"Fucking hell, Emara, if he calls you that he's staying for more meetings I'm moving you to my place." I rolled my eyes at how dramatic Jake was, grabbing my pencil and continuing. "I'm kinda busy doing something-"
"Or someone," I muttered under my breath.
"-So I'll come by later to pick you up. We can go out tonight if that's what you want."
I sighed, tapping my pencil against the sketchbook. I felt like staying in as it continued to rain, reading a book while drinking some tea. I didn't want to go out - ever. Going out to party wasn't a forte I was ever used to despite how much Jake had dragged me out to nightclubs with him.
"You don't want to go out, do you?" Jake asked and I could imagine his eye-roll of how boring I was.
"Not really," I murmured, beginning to add shading into the eye I had just made. "I was hoping you would come over and we could watch some movies, have a few drinks..."
Jake chuckled. "I will get you out of that stupid penthouse, Emara."
"I would like the see you try," I retorted, smiling. I looked at the bodyguard in front of me, frowning as he stood up instead of taking a seat. "Just a moment, Jake - um, Kylar?"
At the sound of his name being called, Kylar looked back at me with a small smile. "Ms. Giovanni. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, actually," I said, using my foot to push the chair across from me out. "You can sit down. You're making me nervous."
Kylar chuckled, shaking his head before taking a seat. "Thank you, Miss."
"I've told you to call me Emara," I said, smiling at him before grabbing the menu I kept with me. "Don't tell Mr. Black I'm doing this, though. You know how seriously he takes everything."
Kylar nodded with another "thank you", going through everything silently. I pulled my attention away from him and put it towards Jake, who let out a loud burp at the exact moment.
"Gross," I said with a chuckle.
"Shut up. I hear Tristan's brother is coming to New York."
"How did you find out?" I asked, my eyebrows pushed together.
"Paparazzi found out about it. It isn't every day you hear something about the mysterious Kade Black, you know. The fact that he's coming to New York is pretty big for all of the gossipers."
"It isn't for anything important, really," I said, shrugging my shoulders while giving the waitress that appeared a warm smile. I mouthed to Kylar that I would pay and he frowned, shaking his head. "All I know is that there's a family reunion of Tristan's parents' house happening tonight and I have to go with Tristan."
"Well, that's what happens when you're dating him, babe."
I grunted, my eyes going back to my sketchbook. "I know that, Jake. They just annoy me with how highly they think of themselves and how lowly they think of me. They have said to Tristan's face in front of me how they didn't want him with a girl that came from no fortune."
Tristan may have started off small before his business became a worldwide sensation but his family was loaded. The Black family was rich, rich as in they owned several hotels in New York, along with a popular casino. When I speak of Tristan saying he had a small garage business before, I mean it as in it was in his large three-door garage, already bringing in thousands of dollars.
I didn't even know he was already making that much money when he explained it to me. I thought he meant a shabby garage like one that Walt Disney started off in.
"Then tell them to stick a dick up their asses," Jake said, making me let out a chuckle. "You're going to be fine tonight, okay? Trust me."
I sighed, nodding my head to myself. He was right. I dealt with his demon parents before; a couple of hours in their house wasn't going to kill me (I think) and I just wanted Tristan to be happy.
"Alright," I mumbled. "I'm going to finish up here and then I'll meet you at my place in an hour and a half."
"Yes, ma'am. Be careful. I don't want you getting trampled by paparazzi before you can even make it to your truck."
I laughed. "That's why I have Kylar. He's my shield."
Jake chuckled with me. "Okay, I'll let you go now. Be safe."
"I will. Bye."
I hung up and the second I put my phone down, it buzzed back to life. Tristan. A wide smile grew on my face and I answered it, pressing the phone to my ear.
"Hey," I said, putting my pencil down again.
"Hey," Tristan greeted, making my smile falter. The way he dragged it out slowly - guiltily - made me realize exactly where this short phonecall was going to go. "Listen, I know I told you that I was going to be back by this afternoon but-"
"Don't tell me," I interrupted, closing my eyes and resting my forehead on my palm. "The meeting hasn't been completely talked through and you need to stay."
"Emara-"
"I'm used to it, honestly," I mumbled, opening my eyes and staring up at the ceiling. I could feel the angry tears coming already and it hasn't even been a minute. "You always make these promises that you always fail to keep and every time it's left with me spending another night alone."
"Baby, please-"
"I hope I didn't take too much time off of your schedule," I said, closing my eyes and swearing to myself at how defeated I sounded. "You fucking know how much I can't stand your parents and you said that you would be here in time so that we can go to that stupid dinner together. I promised that I would go just to make you happy."
"Emara, I'm sorry-"
"Save it, Tristan, because I've heard you say those two words too much." I bit my lip when it began to wobble, along with my voice. "I'm going to go to your parents' dinner because I promised, and I don't want to break my promise to you. Bye."
"Emar-"
I hung up, putting my phone on mute before putting it back in my purse. I knew that by tonight, I would have at least thirty messages from him saying "I'm sorry" and "I know I promised but I swear I'll make it up to you".
He always said that.
"Are you okay, Emara?" Kylar asked me softly, making me open my eyes again.
"No," I mumbled. "I feel like shit. Do you think we can bring your food to-go and you can eat it in the penthouse? I just want to go home."
He silently nodded, pressing his fingers to the earpiece he had, mumbling to the second bodyguard across the diner how we were departing. After getting a take-out box for Kylar's food, I put it in the bag before packing up my things and standing to my feet. I put my shades on, sighing to myself before walking out with both bodyguards on either of my sides.
The second I stepped outside, I was bombarded with questions about my personal life with Tristan, if or when Tristan and I were splitting up, and dozens of other irrelevant questions that I had no patience to deal with. I stayed close to Kylar and Gavin, my second guard, making my way to the black Mercedes waiting for us.
Gavin helped me into the passenger's seat and I closed the door, the voices becoming muffled. Once Kylar was in the driver's seat and Gavin was in the car behind us, he drove into the busy road, heading home.
It was 100-percent sure that I was drinking tonight. Maybe I wasn't going out but Tristan had a large liquor cabinet that I always just so happened to break into whenever he was on his business trips across the world. Drink, eat and blast The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
It had become a routine I became accustomed to as the three years of my relationship with Tristan stretched out. With each passing year, he became busier, having to put more of his time into work rather than us.
Call me childish for not giving him a chance to even speak, it didn't matter. He was going to recite the same words he always did... I was fed up this time. The moment he came home, I was going to have an important discussion with him about something I think he cares about more than his job; our relationship.
"We're here," Kylar said, snapping me out of the daze I was in.
"Thank you, Kylar," I murmured as he helped me out of the car. "Make sure you check in with the security working cameras before you punch into your team's pad."
He silently nodded, closing the door behind me. Throughout the underground parking lot, all you could hear were my heels clicking against the ground until we got to the elevator. Once we got to my floor, I was escorted to the only door on this entire floor that led to the only pad on this entire floor. Mine.
"Make sure you hide the food from the others," I joked with a small smile, handing him the white plastic bag. "Enjoy the rest of your day off, Kylar."
He nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."
I walked inside, closing the door behind me and sighing. The first thing I saw was a vase of red roses that weren't on the island counter when I left. I immediately thought of the housemaid, Sierra, who must have put them in the vase while on her shift here.
I walked to the counter, looking at the small note and scoffing. Of course, Tristan would call somebody to bring flowers. I didn't want his stupid flowers. I wanted him home for once, taking a few days off so that we could finally have time to ourselves without work calling him.
Why didn't he understand that?
I sighed to myself, wandering through the quiet halls of the large pad. Once I got to my bedroom, I went straight for my dresser and took out my Hello Kitty shirt and a pair of shorts. If I was going to be drunk, I was going to be drunk with my favourite shirt.
I slipped my bunny slippers on before trudging out of the room, moving back to the living room and turning on Netflix. As I waited for the show to load up, I grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels' from the liquor cabinet, along with an entire plate of chocolate chip cookies that Sierra always left for me before she left.
I heard the laughter of the show and walked back into the living room, falling back onto the couch and putting the cookies beside me. I sighed to myself, opening the bottle and putting it into a glass.
A knock at the door stopped me before I could take my first sip of the evening, making me huff before I set the glass down. I stood up, pulling up the shirt so it wasn't so much of my busty chest while I walked to the door. They knocked again and I sighed, irritated. I swung the door open with my mouth open to yell but it hung open as I met two bright blue eyes.
In front of me was a man that could be at least six-three or four. His dirty blonde hair was messy and unkempt, a beautifully symmetrical face almost hidden from it. A slight stubble grew along a sharp jawline and I couldn't help but look down, admiring the muscles of his lean body and the way his white shirt fit around his torso like a second skin.
I finally closed my mouth, looking up at his face again to find his eyes doing the same. When our eyes met, I shook my head to get rid of the heat crawling up to my cheeks. And only one sentence fell from my lips once I found the muscles to move my jaw.
"Who the hell are you?"
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