Page 92 of Destined for the Devil
"I like your new haircut." I somehow found the courage to speak. She took away all my strength; all of me turned into incoherent mush beside her.
"Thanks.” She shrugged with a smile. “It was time. To let go of the past, and also, school really drained me this semester. I couldn't keep it in a messy bun anymore." I leaned in, closely watching her reaction, but she didn’t retreat. "How long have you been here?" she asked, choosing to study my hands.
"I arrived yesterday. I'm staying at The Plaza. Grand Penthouse suite. Come visit me." My voice low, I was now close enough to see every one of her beautiful features. Her eyelashes—as long and delicate as ever—didn't dare lift to look at me. Her soft skin was just as sweet as the last time I tasted it, I was sure of it. Her full pink lips were turning redfrom all the times her teeth bit down on them in the last ten minutes.
She. Was. Intoxicating. The effect she was having on me was overwhelming—I was drunk on her.
"Why are you here?" she asked quietly, still looking down.
"I have only one reason to be here." Oh Lord, I was crumbling into pieces, being pulled into her like a magnet.
And yet, I had no idea what she felt.
"Saving me from rapists?" Her somber question died down in the silence of the apartment, and she continued staring down at my hands, refusing to meet my gaze. "Thank you. This could’ve been a very different night…if you didn't show up." She let out a shaky breath, visibly distressed talking about it.
I would always be there for her. No matter what she said to me, no matter how my heart broke at her past words. I’d never let her go.
"You're welcome. You want me to kill him?" I asked and heard my voice come out gentle and caring, like I was asking her if she wanted milk with her coffee. Finally, she shot her gaze up into mine, bewildered. And then that heavenly sound finally broke through our silence—she laughed quietly, shaking her head.
"You really are one of a kind. Just like you said…when I first met you." Her cheeks took on that beautiful pink hue when she remembered our online shopping experience. "But let's not add more sins to your conscience, hm?"
"No sin. That motherfucker deserves to die. He's had his eye on you formonths." But as soon as I said it, I regretted it. Her eyebrows furrowed in contemplation, and her smile faded.
"Why have you been stalking me so diligently?" She hopped off the island and walked to her fridge once more, withdrawing the bottle of white wine. I simply enjoyed her presence. I soaked in her ethereal beauty…the fluid and gentle way she moved. She passed me the bottle, adding with fake defeat. "I don't have a corkscrew."
Our size, age, and personality differences really shined bright in moments like these. I opened it with a key, having done it plenty of times before.
"How do you know how to do all the things?" She inquired while I poured the wine into two water glasses. She looked up at me—so close yet…so out of reach.
"I'm a man. I'm supposed to know how to do everything." I responded without thinking. "Congratulations on your first place. I like it very much. It’s very you," I added with a small smile. She beamed and clinked her glass with mine.
Just like that, we stood in front of each other, drinking wine—silently. For the first time ever, it felt awkward…and I began to get nervous that too much time had passed.
Maybe she got over it. Maybe she had changed. Maybe she had moved on. Maybe I was just a painful memory.
Maybe she didn't love me anymore.
The sushi arrived at that moment, in absolute record speed. Without another word, Isla unpacked it and took a few plates out of the cabinet.
As if in a trance, I watched her move around her kitchen, entrenched in my last thoughts. She ripped open a pack of soy sauce and poured it into a little bowl just as I was about to spiral.
"Are you trying to solve a complicated math equation in your head? It's just sushi. Sit." She smiled politely and pointed to one of the bar stools, pulling me out of my head.
I did as she told me, incredibly scared that this,us…was all over.
"Thanks for saving me from Sam, Roman,” she blurted out again and blushed. "That was very scary,” she almost whispered and sighed, trying to calm down.
"You're welcome." I only responded, not fully present, completelyenraptured in my dark thoughts.
To my great chagrin, we both slowly ate in silence, the awkward atmosphere only growing heavier.
This was not like us at all.
"Roman? How many women have you slept with since we broke up?"
It took me a few seconds to understand her sudden question. The fact that she called it abreak-upliterally stung my whole chest. We weren't broken up. We were just…going through something.
"I haven't touched or looked at a woman since you," I responded without having to think about it, avoiding her gaze. But then I became incredibly suspicious of that question. Was she about to tell me she had a whole-ass boyfriend that I didn't know about?! Instead, she stayed silent and sipped her wine.
