Page 34 of The Boss

Jerk.

How many more names could I allow to swell inside my weary brain? Commanding me to stay in my room. Who did he think he was, God?

Not just in stature either.

My temple still ached, no doubt from the level of anger that swirled within me.

Why was happiness fleeting?

Why was the world such a dangerous place?

And why was it that I couldn’t get Dimitrios out of my mind?

The questions would haunt me for days. Weeks. I sat curled up on the bed, the notepad Eleni had brought me untouched. I even had the pen in my hand, trying to find solace in creating something special for my parents. Nothing came to me. Nothing good at least.

I’d learned about the various stages of grief and I was quickly moving into the furious stage.

Angry with God.

Angry with Shane.

Angry with my parents for daring to leave me.

Angry with myself.

And most of all, furious with Dimitrios.

He was so fucking cavalier about what was going on, almost acting as if bloodshed and violence were nothing more than a typical part of the day. Meanwhile, I’d never been faced with anything so horrible in my life. Maybe I had rose-colored glasses on, refusing to acknowledge the reality of the ugly world.

I tossed the pen across the bed, dropping my head into my hands. What the hell was wrong with people?

Maybe it was good I didn’t have time to feel any sorrier for myself than I already was; the light knock on the door interrupted me from wallowing in my pain.

“Yes?” My stomach lurched, the butterflies inside swarming as excitement tore through me. Maybe it was Dimitrios. There I went again, fantasizing about a merciless man.

Eleni opened the door tentatively, peering inside as if I might toss a bomb in her direction. She had her hands loaded with a tray and something draped over her arm.

“I’m sorry to… bother you.” Her lovely face was furrowed with a frown.

“It’s fine. Not like I’m going anywhere.” My stomach flipped in a different way when I gathered a whiff of something that smelled delicious. While the thought of eating in these conditions riled me, my tummy had other ideas in mind. I was famished.

“I brought you something.”

On her tray was something steaming plus a carafe of red wine and a glass. She carefully walked inside, placing the tray on the end of the bed since there wasn’t a table and chairs meant for eating food.

“What did you do?”

She blushed and pulled open the domed lid. “I thought you might be… homesick. I had the chef make you an American pot pie. Chicken. And wine of course. The finest cabernet. Oh, I hope you like red wine.”

It was such a kind gesture, it brought tears to my eyes. She almost seemed as if she would panic from my reaction. “No, I’m fine. This is… amazing.”

Eleni was still clinging onto something. As she placed the items next to the tray of food, another blush formed on her already rosy cheeks. “You have no clothes. Yes?”

“No clothes.” There was no reason to go into why.

“I brought you a few things. Just for now.”

I didn’t think anything could touch me so much, but the effort she’d gone to allowed me to feel a touch of normalcy in a chaotic and disturbing world. “You are so sweet. Thank you so much. I won’t get them dirty.”

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