Blade

Chapter 60: Men will be men

Sienna

I dial Chiara’s number, biting my lower lip as the ringing tone echoes in my ears.

With each ring that goes unanswered, my heart pounds harder, and a wave of anxiety crashes over me. I can only imagine how shattered she must feel knowing about Manuelle and Camilla.

“Hello,” she finally answers, her cheerful voice filling my ears. I don’t even notice the sigh of relief that slips past my lips.

“Shit. Don’t tell me you just had sex with that freaking devil, bitch.”

I brush a tear from my cheek, feeling overwhelmed just by hearing her voice again. It’s been too long. “No, I didn’t,” I say, rolling my eyes and letting out a small, relieved chuckle.

“Then what got you so worked up, chica?" Her concern grows the longer I stay quiet, caught up in choosing the right words to say.

I expected her voice to be strained from crying, not carrying a hint of excitement, but she seems to be handling things better than I thought.

“Um, how are you feeling?” I whisper, pulling the comforter closer around me and leaning my back against the headboard to settle in.

“I’m good now that I’ve heard from you,” she replies, her words calm even as the distant sound of footsteps and gunfire echoes behind her.

She seems to be at the shooting range.

"I'm so sorry for not calling or texting. I've just been… caught up with a lot of things," I mumble.

"Like having sex with Blade?" Her smirk carries through the phone teasingly. I slam my hand against my forehead, heat rushing to my cheeks.

"Oh, shut up!" I grumble, and her laughter rings in my ears. I swallow hard, forcing myself to focus and remember the real reason I called. "Did you know that Manuelle is dating someone?"

A heavy silence follows.

She doesn't say anything but what assures me that she's still on the line is her soft breath.

"Chiara, I—"

"Nah, it’s okay," she whispers softly. "Manuelle told me. Besides, we tried dating, but it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would."

I can only manage a quiet, "Oh," as the weight of my sudden feelings toward Camilla and Manuelle hits me. I may have overreacted more than a little.

Chiara lets out a small, wistful chuckle. "My feelings for him aren’t completely gone. I still love him, Sienna. I guess he wasn’t really into me the way I thought he was. I’m just happy he found someone he truly loves."

I let out a soft sigh and decide to shift the conversation, hoping to keep her mind from dwelling on it too long.

We chat for another twenty minutes, bouncing between random topics until finally we say our goodbyes and I hang up.

I drop my phone onto the nightstand and stride out of my room, my mind racing as I try to find the right words to say to Camilla.

I wonder what she is feeling right now.