Crossing Paths

Truth

My eyelids flutter open when I hear my name being called from beside me.

"Tatum," Lucian gently shakes my shoulder.

I rub my eyes to unblur my vision, "Hmm?"

"I have to go. I'll be gone a couple days for work," Lucian whispers.

I nod at him, "Don't get yourself killed." I smile up at him.

Lucian shakes his head, "Don't say stuff like that, belle."

I watch as he bends over and taps Milo's sleepy head on his cat bed.

"Goodbye, Tate," he says before leaving the door.

"See you soon!" I call out to him.

I roll back over and drift back to sleep. I'm going to be so lonely for the next few days.

---

"Miss?" a voice calls out followed by a light knock.

"Come in," I say, pulling myself up and flattening my hair.

A teen with bright red hair walks in through the door. Her big green eyes search the room and land on Milo. She smiles at him and then walks over to me, and then she sits on the mattress.

"Hi, I'm Rosa. Lucian asked me to keep you company while he's gone for buisness," she gives a warming smile.

"Oh, I'm Tatum," I smile back.

"Are you ready for breakfast? The chef has everything prepared downstairs," Rosa says.

"Yeah, I'll be down in 5. I need to change," I say tugging on Lucian's oversized t-shirt.

She nods and walks out, closing the door gently to make no sound.

After I change into leggings and a red halter top I make my way to the kitche to be met with Rosa stuffing her face with donut holes.

She looks up and powder sugar covers her nose, "Is it good?" I ask.

Rosa nods with her mouth full. I laugh and take a seat next to her. I take a few donut holes from the plate and eat them, these are the best donut holes I've had, and I've had lots of donuts so that's saying a lot.

"These are delicious!" I say to Mae who's cleaning up her cooking supplies.

"Rosa, do you want to watch a movie?"

"Depends, what is it?" Rosa raises a brow.

1 hour and 50 minutes later Rosa and I are talking on the couch after Mean Girls finished.

"So how do you know Lucian?" Rosa asks, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"At the Sicilian ball, he helped me out that night and I ended up passed out on the sofa," I laugh at the memory.

"He helped you?" she giggles, "I don't see him as the helping type."

I smile at her and change the subject, "How do you know Lucian?"

"He's my cousin, Gio and Eleonora are my parents," she says.

"Oh! I met them two nights ago," Thinking of Eleonora I remember she said she would tell me about my mother, but she hasn't contacted me yet.

"What's your accent?" she questions.

I thought my accent had faded over the years, I guess not...

"French, I lived there when I was 9 'till I was 14 with my aunt, but then we moved back here to my father and sibilings," I loved living in France, I was rarely ever with my father and I had a lot of friends from school. When I moved back here I wasn't allowed to go to school according to my father.