Black Lace (Complete)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄

Chapter Thirty-One

I breathed. Slowly: in, one, two, out. Pace and breathe. Calm.

My eyes fixed in on the elevator doors before us, zeroed in on the electronic numbers blaring at the top of the door.

An elevator, Aziel had called it. He'd laughed and shook his head, but I knew part of him was disappointed at how little I knew of the outside world.

The lift pulled to a smooth stop. I stumbled, catching onto Aziel's arm. He led me out as the doors slid open with a hiss.

"Where...are we?" I asked hurriedly, eyes scanning the posh hallway. Greys, beiges, browns. Glass, synthesized wood, marble. It was beautiful in a robotic way.

"Floor thirty. There's a break room here. I'll drop you off there before I head off to my meeting."

Break room? Drop me off?

I felt myself being ushered into a room. Turning to face Aziel, he stood in the doorway of the break room, hand behind his head. He shrugged. I frowned at him.

"What do I even do here?"

"Sit? Wait?" His eyes scanned over the room, momentarily landing on a woman seated at the back. "Maybe make a friend, Romina. It'll do you some good."

A friend?

An unknown feeling blossomed in my chest, not entirely warm nor welcome—it was new, strange. I felt a strong hand nudge me forward.

"She's not going to bite you," Aziel chided. His fingers brushed against my elbow, ghosting me with his touch. I felt the urge to sink back into him: he, safety, repose. But he only pushed me forward.

He glanced down at his watch, furrowing his brows. "I have to go. Have fun, will you?"

"I-what? Who do I—" Before my brain could fully form a sentence, Aziel was gone, broad shoulders maneuvering their way down the hall and back into the elevator. As the doors slid closed, he turned, and I caught the beginning of a wry smile before the metal doors closed him off from him completely.

Ding.

Aziel was gone.

The thought hit me hard. I was...alone. Alone in an unknown city's unknown building's unknown room, all by myself save for a young bald woman at the back, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa like it was her life source. My chest tightened as panic threatened to surge through. My eyes trailed over the young lady's face: her bright eyes, her upturned nose, the ruby red of her cheeks. I felt my brows pulling together as I looked at her beauty, then turned to look at my reflection in the window beside me.

What did Aziel even see in me?

Holding my arm in half hearted solace, I neared the lady at her table. She cast a look my way, smiled, and put her book down. My eyes ran over the cover. Hello, Friday. I'd read that book before. Maybe...maybe she was a stranger, but strangers could still have things in common.

I cleared my throat as I stood there, patting my hands on my pants nervously, staring silently at her expectant face.

"Can I...help you?"

Her accent was strange, off, perhaps. A mixture of british and american and...and what? I knew I looked perplexed. The poor lady shifted in her place.

"You have a good reading choice." As my words left my lips, they were choked and quiet. I felt my hands clasp together and tighten nervously, wringing themselves together. My mind flashed back to when Mother scolded me for leaving red marks on my skin. I pinched myself and let go, silently cursing myself.