Eyes So Blue I Drown

22| The Warning Through Time

ARABELLA

"I had to leave that place behind, including you, and come here. I'm not sorry for that..." he says, his voice hardened and looking more frustrated with each second passing by, "I would never apologize for leaving and not telling you all of that"

We are focused on each other, shattering to the ground and ending up being nothing. The earth seems to be utterly still at this moment.

I don't know where my life is taking me anymore.

He doesn't speak anything further, and the hole formed in my soul doesn't allow me to let out any word, either.

He just turns around and exits this room, leaving the sound of his cold steps ringing in my ears.

I was never so unsure about my inclination. I don't know what to feel for him anymore.

He is pushing my sentiments so much that I can't feel anything for him but stirring of revolution between loathe and empathy.

Which one should I let win?

LUCA

I descend downstairs while my thoughts are running wild.

I watch all of them standing there, almost circling the couch, on which only he is seating. As I take my steps closer to them, my mind doesn't seem like focusing.

"Boss" I greet him and sit on the opposite couch, having a face-to-face gesture with him.

Fuck, my mind is rushing with the thoughts of nothing but her.

"Luca" he begins with his old husky voice which always sounds like he has a dry throat.

"I was so caught on the hop for your inconvenience yesterday," he says as a cloud of thick smoke poured in the air from fag he has between two of his fingers.

"I was caught up with some unexpected task."

A short heavy laugh escapes his lips as he picks up the wine glass from the table.

He takes a gulp and tosses me a stare, "I've bought your time and freedom, young man. Don't forget that"

His eyes follow the change in my expression, "I've brought fame and coup at your feet, too, boss. Who knows brushing off the fact that you obviously wouldn't have been able to achieve it all without me may lead you to fall from grace"

He grits his teeth and nods, "You indeed are one of the bests I have, Luca, I can't deny on that"

Bullshit.

Somebody got hit in the guts. I am the only one. There's nobody above me here under his underground workforce.

He clears his throat as he decides to jump on the other topic. "Why did you help the FBI agents?"

I huff, "Couldn't watch the transgress happening. It wasn't related to you at all, s—"

"Everything related to you is related to me, Luca" he cuts me off, "And you aren't a knight who should be fighting against transgressing, you've done it before too but I ignored it. But this time it broke all the limits when you invited the cops here"

I dart at my men standing behind him one by one.

Fantino. Renzo. Julian. And Gabriel who's standing beside Kehlani in front of the other ten people.

Who turned out to be a messenger suddenly?

"The world you're working in doesn't work like this. A small mistake, betrayal, and emergence of any kind of feelings like pity is the beginning of washout which can't be avoided without making them simply leave" he keeps up with his spiel.

"And in my world, there's no exit except separation of body and soul" he finishes off and my gaze becomes dark in his eyes.

"I believe it's witless and laughable thought to consider doing," I speak, "when you know very well that... your ship would sink without the only capable captain present at that time"

He laughs, "I trust you, Luca, I don't think of you as some fool who would take wrong decisions without considering the consequences, so I think it all is fine until it doesn't affect my niches"

We take our next few minutes to discuss what he came here for.

"I'll make sure of that" I say.

He stands up to leave and takes his loden coat Kehlani offered him. He puts on his sunglasses, "You may consider finishing off all the obstacles, but I need it all done" he says.

"Say no more." I say.

His eyes dart up at somewhere behind me and get locked there.

I turn my gaze behind and side-eye up at the glass railing where Arabella is standing, silently observing everything happening here. A disgruntled look is obvious on her face.

I watch him gaping at her. 

For more than five seconds.

I rise from my seat.

He breaks eye contact with her and looks at me.

"Have you hired new workers?" he tosses the cigarette in the wooden ash plate kept on the table and asks.

No way I'm gonna discuss her with him.

"Yeah. In case of emergency"

He again glimpses at her and I glance up there too, watching her staring at me and clutching the handrail tightly.

She flares her nostrils before slamming the handrail abruptly and walking off from there.

~~~

I huff tiredly, staring outside the window with my eyes locked on the sunset view. She shouldn't have done that.

She shouldn't have witnessed that.

I clench my fist in my pockets; she shouldn't have showed up to him.

I hear a knock on the door and turn my head to the side, side-eyeing at Kehlani standing at the door with a cup in her hands.

I turn around, "Come in, Kehlani"

I take the cup of coffee from her she brought for me. I needed it. She raises her finger at me and then hunches her shoulders in, signing me.

I nod and smile at her, agreeing that I'm tired.

She smiles too and signs me to take a nap.

"I wish I could, Kehlani. I'm so busy right now to sleep" I say.

She nods. I'm not sure if she understood.

After she left, I turn around back to the window wall and take a sip, watching a yellow coloured butterfly sitting on it. This little creature is staring at me through the glass.

When my gaze falls down, I see someone standing near the clear pool.

Arabella.