One Night Only

Lillie

Despite everything, I don’t want to leave. I have almost a lifetime here. It’s hard to get used to another environment, especially another country.

“Mom, I can’t. You know very well that I have a life here, and it’s not that I wouldn’t leave everything for you, you know I would, but I can’t do it now. I still have a month left to finish the semester. I can’t request a change, they wouldn’t grant it,” I argue quickly. I want her to know why I can’t leave, as it’s not just because of that.

“I know. This will take a little longer. Give yourself time to finish the semester and process the change. I’ve already talked to your sister about it. If I have to leave a little earlier, Lionel…” She casts a quick glance at him. It seems like he’s not there, but he’s still in his place, just silently gazing out the window into infinity. However, when my mother mentions him, he focuses his attention on us. “He said he’ll leave someone in charge to accompany you if it’s necessary for you to stay, which I don’t think will be the case, as I think by then you’ll be ready to go with us.”

Truthfully, I want to wait, so I can spend more time with Dante and then tell him, even though he said he’ll be back in a couple of weeks. That’s when I can tell him. I don’t want him to find out through a call or a message. I’ll wait for him to return.

“Okay,” I reluctantly agree. “I hope it won’t be too difficult for me to find a job there, since they speak another language, but I know English is widely spoken in the world.”

“Don’t worry about that,” the man says. Finally, he speaks after I don’t know how many minutes. “Your sister and you will only focus on what you have to do, studying. That’s all that should matter to you. As for Elena, don’t worry about her, she’ll be with the best specialists at the clinic that is already reserved for her.”

I’m speechless. He asserted that we’ll only study, and even Alexa will do the same. That’s great. Finally, she’ll be able to resume her studies where she left off and thus give my little niece a better life.

“But what about expenses?” I inquire.

“All of that has been taken care of. You just have to focus on your future and the fact that soon Elena will be well and with you by her side.”

“Taken care of? How is all this possible?” I’m confused, I don’t understand anything. I look at Mom. I can’t understand what’s happening and why this man is helping us like this.

“I’ll explain everything to you,” my mother says.

“I’ll leave you alone. I’ll be back later,” Mr. Lionel announces. “With your permission.” Serious, he only nods in our direction.

My mother just looks at him, while I respond the same way he did.

Alone now, my mother explains everything that Mr. Lionel offered as help. Why? Because they had been very good friends in the past. That prompted me to ask if he had known my father. She replied that my dad had already passed away when she met him. I don’t know why she got very nervous when I asked that, but then I forgot about it, as she changed the subject by telling me how she met her friend. It was at the company where she worked for a long time before she got sick. The conversation went on like that and shifted to what might be our new future. She affirmed that perhaps we’ll stay there, because her treatment will take months or even longer, which means I’ll end up graduating from a university in Germany. She also told me to look into and ask about a Medical School and to gather all the information to start the process in time. Then we talked about her chemotherapy and all that. She told me everything will be fine, and that makes me happy, as she won’t let depression invade her again. She’s a woman to admire, my super mom. I hope to be like her someday.

Later, I leave the room to go home. It’s already dark, so it’s night. My sister stayed with mom. They said I should ask for a taxi at reception, as they don’t want me to walk to the subway alone. Truthfully, I don’t want to either. With what happened two nights ago, I don’t feel like walking alone in the streets. Not that I think I’m being hunted, that’s what I think. They must have more important matters than chasing after me. I reach reception and ask the girl to call a taxi for me. She says yes. I thank her for it. While I wait for her to tell me it’s outside, my memories return to him, what we did today in the parking lot and what we did in the showers at his club. I blush, but I smile. I missed his caresses and his lips on mine, or rather I missed him entirely. I’m about to send him a message, but that reminds me of something. I get back to reality. I think about what we didn’t do. We didn’t take precautions. We did it several times without using a condom.

Oh my God, I forgot. Maybe there’s still time.

At this hour, there are no consultations or how to make an appointment with a gynecologist, so that’s out of the question. This can’t wait any longer. The only option left for me is to go to a pharmacy and buy some pills. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. When the taxi arrives, I’ll ask it to stop at one.

As I’m about to try to send Dante another message, someone clears their throat behind me. I turn to see who it is and see one of the men dressed in black who were outside my mother’s room.

“Miss,” he greets, inclining his head.

“Good evening,” I respond. As much as I don’t trust guys like him, I greet out of politeness. I don’t want to be kidnapped again like that time my evil devil took me by force. “What can I do for you?” I try to be friendly.

“The gentleman asked me to take you home.”

“Gentleman?” So they are Dante’s men, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“Well, Dante didn’t tell me anything,” I say more to myself, but he still hears me.

“Excuse me? Dante?” he says confused.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

He doesn’t look much older than me. He seems to be in his thirties, but still looks somewhat attractive; short dark brown military hair, eyes of the same tone, and bronzed skin. He looks Latino. He has a muscular body, not very exaggerated, but you can tell he works out. I can tell he was handsome and very tall like my devil. If I’m tall, next to them I’m a Minion.

“Yes, his boss…”

“Oh, no, maybe you misheard his name. My boss’s name is Lionel Bachman.”

Oh my God, he’s referring to my mother’s friend. I thought he was one of Dante’s men. Why is he so sure of himself? Could he be an important man? Who is he really? How strange. Not even the Devil is followed by so many armed thugs. Well, according to him, he doesn’t need so many men by his side, as he told his friend the other day that he could handle it alone, that he didn’t need surveillance, when those perverted guys at the club incident happened.

“Well, I didn’t ask for his services,” I say, not caring that he was sent by my mother’s friend. “If you’ll excuse me, there’s a taxi waiting outside.”

I don’t know if my taxi is already outside, but I gave him that excuse.

“The gentleman requested it this way,” his seriousness annoys me. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll cancel it now.”

But what?

“What? Of course not,” I approach him when I see him walking towards the reception. “You won’t cancel anything. I’ll go in that taxi, and you, as a good man in black,” I furrow my brow, “will turn around, go back to your boss’s side, and tell him ‘She’s already gone.'” I try to mimic his voice when saying that phrase. “Just like that. If you won’t take any more of my time, now I can go. ” I turn to leave, but he’s faster than me and reaches the reception. Without further ado, he cancels my taxi.

What’s wrong with this guy? Oh, it can’t be. I want to argue with him, yell in his face, but the truth is I don’t feel like it either. I’m very tired, and all I want now is to get home, take a shower, lie down on my comfortable bed, and fall deeply asleep. However, now I’m about to regret not having yelled at him. The corners of his lips lift slightly to show a smile. I didn’t think those types would smile. Although it wasn’t a genuine smile, that was more than enough for my imaginary daggers to glare at him, wanting to shoot him down.

What an irritating man.

Anyway, he got his way, and I had to let him take me to my doorstep.

I feel like I’ve been in this situation before. Something like this happened, but that time I wasn’t carried on the shoulder by a strong and handsome mobster, my Dante.

I even dream of him when I’m awake. Since he entered my life, he’s always on my mind, and since I realized I feel something more for him, stopping hating him, I also realized that I’m madly in love with that demon.

Minutes later, we arrive at my house. The guy, definitely, will accompany me to my door. How annoying, he seems like my nanny. I’ll complain tomorrow.

I close the door in his face without saying anything else and go to my room. Politeness has left me for tonight. I take a relaxing bath for a few long minutes. After putting on my pajamas, I lie down on my bed and cover myself. I grab my phone to check it and notice that I have some missed calls and messages.

The calls were from Alex while I was bathing. Likewise, there’s a message from her.

Did you arrive home already?

I reply quickly.

Yes. I’ll go to sleep now.

Sandy is with the neighbor. She’ll stay there.

They’re just notifications that my sister called me. There are no calls from Dante. Maybe he forgot to send me a message, or rather, he forgot about me.

With that thought, I fall asleep.