Chapter 27:
5th of November, 2020.
"Thank you for meeting me"
The lighting is dim, the air thick with the scent of mountains of food.
The embroidered curtains compliment the classy theme of the restaurant.
Fallon takes hold of her tea handle served from her silver tray. Her eyes explore the gigantic room, the glistening chandeliers matching her gold dress perfectly.
She catches the sight of an old couple eating side by side, one glass of wine each, studiously bent over their meals.
The noise level is low.
Calming.
Her eyes land on Alessio, his callused skin oddly juxtaposing the crispness of his suit.
I see my dirty money has been treating him well, Fallon laughs to herself.
His eyes rest on hers. They share a look.
Beneath his heavily wrinkled lids lies a look that yearns for mischief, for chaos.
He grins from ear to ear. "Of course, Fallon. Thanks for inviting me. Well-" He shrugs. "What are we celebrating?" He takes a look around. "I've never even been to a place this luxurious before- pretty sure we're the only black folk here" He laughs. "Rare you see us livin' this comfy"
Fallon smirks. She leans closer to the table. "Don't thank me, thank Damari" She winks at him. Leaning back against her seat, she raises her wine glass in the air. "To Damari"
Alessio joins in. "To Damari" They click glasses
He takes a sip, dropping the glass on the table. He caresses the thin rim as he speaks. "How is the recovery going? You almost died, Fallon. You're so lucky that your friend Divine- God rest her soul- missed your heart. She could have killed you, nigga. In cold blood"
Fallon grunts. She hates this topic. She shrugs. "My recovery has been fine" She stares into Alessio's eyes. "I just needed to get away, you feel me?" She glances around the room. "To treat myself after what happened" She says.
"The stab was too clean- like I can't get my head around how she was so close to-
"Let's talk about something else, yeh?" Fallon raises her eyebrows, interrupting his speech. "You sound like the police"
Only she knows what really happened.
She knew what she was doing the night of Divine's "sudden" death, when she stabbed herself, purposely pushing the knife precisely by her lower left lung, painting the idea that Divine attempted to stab her in the heart, but missed.
"How's the interrogation going?"
"I can't take it anymore, Alessio" Fallon's eyes burn with irritation. "They've been calling me in almost every day since her death. Like, don't they understand how hard this is for me, having to speak about the way I accidently took the life of my best friend" She wipes her wet tears with the napkin nearly placed on their table.
Alessio takes hold of her hand. "Don't worry, Fallon. You know that I'll always be here for you. We've been friends for too long. You know I'll always have your back"
Fallon begins to smirk from behind her napkin. "Thank you, Alessio"
That's exactly she needed to hear.
YOU ARE READING
The Darkness Within
Mystery / ThrillerIt's late. Very late. Sweat oozes from her skin as she strolls through the dark alleyway. She's weird. Unusual. Traumatised by her husband's death, she struggles to ignore his continuous hammering memories that float through her mind. His smile...
