Garden of Roses ✔️

Chapter 16

Dante

          As she ran out of the kitchen, I returned to my office, feeling like I just got out of hypnosis.

Why did I have to follow her? I should've just left her alone and stayed in my office. But I went after her. I knew that she could find the kitchen on her own. I just had to do it. It was like an impulse.

Of course, I was amused when she dropped her water bottle as soon as she saw me. Her reactions will always be entertaining to me. But it wasn't just that. She was hiding something. I could see it in her ice-blue eyes. She was afraid, although I had no idea what she was afraid of. I haven't pointed a gun at her in over 24 hours. I thought she got the message. I wasn't going to kill her.

Not now anyway.

I couldn't figure out what it was. I tried. I got closer so I could have a better look, and now I wish I hadn't. Her eyes portrayed a hundred different emotions at the same time, and none of them were positive. Fear, confusion, sadness, grief, anger, anxiety. It was all there. All at once.

Her expression gave me a sudden unexplained sharp pain in my chest. She looked lost. Lost somewhere inside herself.

Not long after, I too disappeared in the coldness of her blue irises. And I felt it all. All the emotions that crept inside of her were all too familiar to me. I didn't even know it. I wasn't even aware of them completely until I recognized them in her. It was terrifying and I couldn't look away.

I heard that the eyes were a mirror to the soul. I just couldn't figure out for the life of me, whose soul her eyes were reflecting. Hers on mine? Or was there even a difference?

I knew that she felt the intensity of the moment. This time there was nothing fun about her reaction. It hit her hard and she seemed like someone punched her in the stomach. Thankfully, she was the one to break the eye contact first. I'm not sure if I could've pulled myself out of it on my own.

It was late and my eyes were starting to burn from tiredness and lack of sleep. I rubbed them for a few seconds, trying to get the tiredness out of my system. It was hopeless. I had to go to sleep.

* * *

"Catch!" I exclaim as I throw two sponge balls in different directions. Zeus and Adonis loved to run around the spacious lawn, and I liked my mornings better when I spent them with my dogs than with people.

It's still early, but the air outside is already pretty warm. It's almost summer, and the heat is coming, although it still isn't warm enough for it to be insufferable to spend time outside.

This is my favorite part of the year, late spring and early summer.

I got up pretty early today on purpose. The guys and I had a lot to take care of. The lack of sleep didn't bother me. I was used to it. Plus, a large cup of black coffee in my hand certainly helped.

"Listen, I need to talk to you," I hear Lorenzo's voice from the distance. Soon enough, he appears in my peripheral vision.

"First of all, you don't tell me to listen, I tell you to listen. Second of all, it's way too early for me to listen to your shit."

I am still pissed at him for what he said to Camilla and how he made her feel. On top of that, you could say I wasn't exactly a morning person, and listening to Lorenzo's whining surely wasn't on my bucket list for today.

"Sorry. I just... I don't know when we'll get the next chance to talk privately."

"Well I was hoping for a little privacy right now. That's obviously not happening," I snap at him as he just keeps standing there, not knowing what to say. Although, he's still not going away.