Emmanuelle
My eyes were glued to the delicious spaghetti that Tia had made, but unfortunately I did not have much of an appetite anymore.
"Finish up Nuelle, you still need to pack." Tia softly said after she looked at the clock.
I responded with a small nod before I got up and went to my room, passing Anthony on the way there. I did not once look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me.
The moment I pushed my bedroom door shut I threw myself on the bed to gather my thoughts, but my mind felt so empty due to all the mixed feelings.
After laying down for a few minutes I got up. I climbed on my chair and pulled down one of the suitcases I had stored away at the top my closet. I then quickly went through my clothes and took a few items from the rack before turning to the ones that were hanging.
What is the weather in Seattle like again?
I chose a few different pieces but not too many, hoping that we would not have to stay for too long. I also decided to change my outfit and put on a mid-thigh flowy dress.
There was hardly any time to fold the clothes, so I basically just stuffed them in the suitcase along with my undergarments and a few beauty products.
"Nuelle?" Tia softly knocked on the door.
I did not answer, so Tia let herself in. She stood in front of the door, watching me as I looked around my room. I looked at my paintings, the art on the wall, my vision board that held my inspirational quotes and random pictures.
Tears prickled my eyes as I took everything in. As much as Tia had tried to console me that everything would be all right, I simply could not take her word for it.
The last time I had to leave a place I called home I was told the same thing. I was told that we would soon return to the place we had left but then eight years passed and we did not once go back. Eventually the place we had moved to became our home and now we were about to leave this one as well.
I inhaled a deep breath before turning to Tia with a sad smile on my face. She reached out to me and pulled me into a hug, once again whispering that everything was going to be all right before Anthony came calling us.
I pushed my suitcase into the hall which he then carried whilst we followed him to the car. He told us to get in whilst he went back into the house for the other suitcases. He quickly returned and as he was locking up the house tears started to roll down my cheeks. Not wanting Tia to see how saddend I was, I quickly wiped them away.
Anthony got into the car and the driver drove off.
We did not live too far from the airport, so it was a quick ride. Anthony and the chauffeur immediately got out of the car when it stopped. I froze.
"Nuelle, you need to get out of the car."
I looked to my right to see Anthony holding the door open for me, his face was straight and his voice was not as friendly as it usually was. I gulped as I got out of the car. He had Tia and I wait with the suitcases as he and the driver exchanged a few words.
"He hasn't told me how long we'll be staying, so just take care of the house. I'll contact you if anything comes up." I heard him say before they parted ways.
Does this man work for them too?
"Let's go." Anthony started walking in front of us. After checking in we boarded the plane since we did not have long before take off. Tia sat next to me whilst Anthony sat across from us.
I did not have any books or anything personal that could keep me busy, so I turned to the screen in front of me. They had Pretty Woman on. I watched the whole movie before clicking on another romcom. One and a half movie in and my eyes started to burn.
I looked to my left, Tia was already asleep. Anthony on the other hand was not. He was constantly shifting in his seat.
I closed my eyes for what seemed like a few minutes before Tia nudged my shoulder.
"Eat something." She said, offering me food. Only then did I realize that I had slept for a few hours straight.
I stretched in my seat before taking a few bites from the chicken wrap that I downed with water. My eyes fell close again after devouring the food.
When Tia woke me up for the second time it was to tell me that we were landing. My body felt like it was broken to pieces.
Not only was I tired, but my mind was troubled as well. One hour later we were making our way out of the airport. Outside we were greeted by a man dressed in all black, it looked like a driver's attire.
"Anthony." He nodded.
Anthony nodded back before turning to us. "You remember Emillio, Tia?"
"Of course, how could I forget." Tia gave him a warm smile which he returned.
"Nuelle?" The man looked at me. "You've grown up beautifully." He said in a respectful manner.
"Thank you." I answered, realizing who he was. He used to be my father's driver, he had also taken me to school a few times.
Emillio helped Anthony with the suitcases whilst Tia and I waited in the car and best believe that the moment they got in and we drove off, my pulse quickened.
After surviving the dead silent drive that felt like it was longer than a lifetime we arrived at the house.
The moment the gates opened I held my breath. My eyes covered each and every detail of the beautiful house.
As much as I loved the cozy place we had in England I never managed to forget this one. I knew the details so well that I even painted it, of course I never showed the painting to Tia or Anthony.
The others had taken good care of the place, it looked like it was just built yesterday. The moment I got out of the car and my feet landed on the ground, it felt as though I was going to fall to my knees.
I took a deep breath and then followed the three people in front of me. Emillio pushed open the tall double doors and waited for us to walk in.
My eyes lowered to the floor, taking in another deep breath I stepped inside the place I once used to ran in. With the first step I took I felt my heart sank to my stomach.
The faster we get this over with. The faster we can go home...
Emillio led us to the living room, as though we did not already know where it was.
"Emi—" a voice called but then abruptly stopped.
I turned around to see her walking down the staircase. For a quick second when our eyes met, she halted and we just stared at each other. Then she slowly continued down. I could not read the emotions on her face. I could not tell if she was happy to see me or not.
She walked closer to me, not paying attention to the people standing behind me. I gulped, I wanted to say something but I could not. Our eyes were locked, my face probably emotionless like hers before her lips curved into a sad smile.
Her eyes became teary as she reached out to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and pulling me into a tight hug. I tried so hard to stay mad.
I wanted to go straight to asking the many questions that I had to live with for those eight years, but I could not. All I wanted to do in this moment was hug my sister.
When we pulled away from one another, we went back to looking each other in the eyes. We both shared a sad smile. She then turned to Tia who was crying more dramatically then us at this point.
She hugged her and then she hugged Anthony. The hug she shared with Anthony was not the same as the one she shared with us. It was not as emotional and dramatic. It looked more like a hug you give to someone you have recently seen, but still missed.
"He's on his way." Emilio said as he looked at both Tia and me.
Anthony still had his right arm around Marissa's waist. Marissa looked up at him which made him peck her forehead before he let go of her.
"Go with Emillio, don't keep Mattia waiting. We'll have enough time to spend together afterwards." She pulled me in for another quick hug.
Emillio and I walked in silence. I could not help but feel emotional about the place. We were walking down the hall I used to play in.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by my own giggles. The giggles I had let out when I was eleven or twelve and was running down the hall with Marissa chasing me. She was the only sibling I actually spent time with back then.
"Here we are." Emillio opened the door to what used to be father's office.
He motioned for me to walk in, telling me to wait in here. I was looking around the room when he closed the door, leaving me alone. The office was too simple for my taste, but I loved it anyways.
My hands traveled all around the mahogany desk, touching everything. I picked up the single framed photo. It was a photo of father. My emotions ran high as I looked at the picture.
"Why are you in here." A husky voice roared behind me, making me shriek.
The person's presence within the room caught me off guard and I immediately put the framed photo back in its place whilst almost knocking down the other objects on the desk. I turned around and my eyes met hazel brown ones.
It was like a complete stare down between his eyes and mine before his trailed down by body. I felt naked though I was dressed and only my limbs were exposed.
I felt embarrassed for some reason and I am quite sure that my cheeks were as red as they could be. The way he slowly dragged his eyes down my figure and drank it in made me nervous and had my heart pounding hard against my chest.
My mouth opened, but no words managed to come out as I was as much confused about his looks as he seemed by mine.
My eyes wandered to his broad shoulders, the black dress shirt that managed to hug his muscles enough to put them on display. His black slacks which fit his lower body just perfectly. His dark hair of which some of the longer strands in front hung down.
I was flabbergasted and that did not even come close to explaining how shocked and taken away I was by the man standing in front of me.
Eight years— they were certainly good to him. He looked very different from the young man that had sent me away. I used to avoid him at all times before I left since it was clear that he despised me. And there was a possibility that the hatred feeling had not disappeared.
He grew into a fine looking man, although he technically already was when I left. He was twenty-four back then. A twenty-four year old scrawny looking tall guy that focused way too much on parties and women.
His eyes met mine again and they delved into mine sending shivers down my body.
The intimidating look in his eyes, his strong posture, the voice he spoke in— he radiated power.
Then reality hit me and I realized that we were staring at each other in complete silence and I had not answered his question as yet.
Just tell him that Emillio brought you here...
"D-Dimitri."I stuttered.