Submerged

Chapter 3

Alessia

"Merda, I forgot to grab cash." I mutter under my breath in annoyance as the barista blinks at me with tired eyes from behind the counter while I continue to dig through my oversized purse.

I cannot believe there isn't a single stray bill in the depths of this thing. Just my luck.

I huff in surrender, snatching the random items I had unloaded from my bag off the counter and tossing them back into the abyss that is my purse. Hand sanitizer, that Leo says sanitizes nothing, in a cute little penguin case that I bought last Christmas and never changed because penguins are my favorite. Two tubes of lip gloss and a tube of lipstick missing its cap. My phone. A half eaten protein bar. A brand new pack of gum I just got yesterday. And filling the bottom of my purse that I hadn't removed were old receipts, empty wrappers, and who knows what else. But not a single bill.

I guess this is karma for ditching my guard thirty minutes ago. I shut my phone off, sneaked out of the changing room and into the backroom of the boutique we'd been in and left through the employee's exit. I've been wandering around since then, thinking entirely too much and people watching. I decided to stop in for a coffee without thinking much of it only to realize I had no way of paying for it. I have my credit card, which my family pays for, or apple pay which has the same credit card connected to it. Using either would put a big red target on me as soon as I paid and my guard would hunt me down immediately.

I heave a sigh, "I'm sorry, I–" a man stumbles in front of me, barely catching himself on the counter so he doesn't hit the ground.

I take a step back accidentally bumping into the person behind me and immediately apologize.

"Sorry!" The man shouts, fixing his hoodie with frantic fingers. His eyes meet mine for only a second before averting as he fumbles with something in his hand. "I– I'll pay for her coffee." He stutters, smacking the twenty dollar bill down on the counter.

"Oh, sir you don't have to do that." I assure him. "It's really not a big deal. It's just coffee."

As much as I wanted the coffee I can live without it.

He avoids making eye contact with me, his Adam's apple bobbing and hands trembling. "No, I insist."

The barista takes the bill with an eye roll and puts it in the register before counting out his change. In her defense I've been digging in my purse for money for quite some time.

I take the coffee from the counter with a smile pointed at the stranger. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Mhmm." He mutters, eyes focused on the counter as he waits for his change.

The barista hands his change over, he quickly takes it, shoving a tip in the tip jar and flees from the coffee shop without another word.

My brow furrows as I step out of the way for the next customer. That was so weird. With my coffee in hand I exit the shop. I glance to the left, catching the stranger who paid for my coffee just as he rounds the building and disappears down an alley.

I turn the opposite direction, taking a sip of my coffee as I make my way down the sidewalk. That was a weird encounter but it's actually not the first time it's happened to me. I don't usually plan ahead to ditch my guard, it just happens in the moment so sometimes I have cash and sometimes I don't. And on the occasion I don't and don't realize it until I need to pay for something there's always a stranger willing to step in. A bittersweet smile tugs at my lips. I really enjoy living here, it makes me sad I'll have to move in with Dante if I can't get out of this arrangement. Where does he even live?

I continue down the street and slip into a nearby boutique. I obviously won't be buying anything but I enjoy looking and I also don't want to be spotted by my guard if he's searching the streets.