Black Widow | 18+

32 | To Athens

Artemisia 

I woke up to my phone blaring, and it wasn't my alarm. I was up early everyday, but now I was waking up at 5 am as a result of an unknown number calling me incessantly. 

Begrudgingly I answered the call, and the silence that lingered between the caller and I told me that I was going to have to say the first word. 

"Who is this?" I sighed, sitting up against the headboard 

"Arté," the deep voice rasped, and my body tensed. 

Of course, I couldn't see one without the other. I couldn't speak to Leandro without eventually having to speak to Anton, it was impossible.

"Anton," I sighed, "what is it?"

"What is it?" He asked dryly, "are you seriously asking me that question?" 

I stayed silent, he had a point, it wasn't like us all meeting again was a normal thing. 

"I don't know what you want me to say," I murmured 

"I want to know why." He replied, so casual and unbothered in his response, "I want to know why you left and why it took you five years to show your face again."

"I told you why in that letter," I replied quietly, and he hummed disapprovingly, "what difference would me saying it to your face make?" 

"Probably just because I fucking love you, and you sending me a letter four years ago doesn't really help me. Did you ever even think of that?"

I shut my eyes and took a long, slow breath in, hating that this was the way I had to start my morning, it felt like I was back in my past. "Where are you?" I murmured 

"New York," he replied, and I realised it would only have just gone ten pm there. "You've been seeing Carina this whole time?"

"She's my best friend Anton," I replied and I was greeted with silence, "what do you want from me? You're in New York, I'm in Athens, I don't know what I can do." 

"I needed to hear your voice Arté, this is the first time we've spoken in five years." He reminded me, I hadn't even thought of that. 

I chuckled, "Things don't change then,"

"What? The fact that we challenge each other?" he replied, and I could sense a smile coming to his lips on the other end of the phone. 

"Yeah, this conversation kind of makes it seem like the last time we spoke was yesterday." I mused and listened as Anton let out a laugh on the other end of the phone. 

"I've missed you Arté," he sighed

"I've missed you too," I replied gently

"I want to see you," he returned

"Well, I'm in Athens," I sighed, "I have Jacob and Alvaro coming tomorrow to see Rico." 

"He looks like you," Anton said gently 

"I think he looks like Leandro," I chuckled, "who appears to be a good friend to you now. How the fuck did that happen?" 

"I don't really know to be honest," Anton mused, "we just realised that things had become more about you than anything else. It was the best option to split the territory and work together." 

I bit my lip, relieved to hear that they both ended up thinking the same as me. It hurt though because I had seen both of them run themselves into the ground amidst all the tension and the animosity, and at no point did I ever believe I was worth it.