Estelle

17 | Distance

Things are very silent between us. I feel like I am suffocating with him just a seat away but refusing to look at me. Anytime I try to say something, he stays silent. His eyes are void of emotion and whenever I say his name, he stiffens but does not acknowledge me.

The moment we get on his private jet, he opens a laptop and begins typing away. I sit across from him and stare out the window in silence.

As the plane flies through the clouds I see a slice of orange cut into the sky. Black gives way to deep blue which fades to navy blue. A beam of orange shines into the plane and lights our seats up before stopping at the floor in the aisle. Adonis has not moved while he types away on his laptop, clearly focused on whatever he is doing.

The air is stiff and I feel a little sick. Like a part of me is fading and I don't know what to do with myself. He won't look up at me or anywhere other than the screen. It feels like something so important was just ripped away from me and I can't pick up the pieces.

"Adonis?" I whisper but I know he heard me. My voice is soft and strained as it cracks a little on the last syllable. "What are you working on?" I try to make normal conversation, anything to break this silence.

Nothing.

He doesn't hate me, that much is clear. He even told me how he felt when we were kissing. He is refusing to talk to me because he doesn't want to grow closer. He is going to send me away and our last interaction will be like this.

"Please... say something." I choke out.

He stops typing only for a moment, keeping his eyes on the screen, before returning to it. My heart no longer feels like it is shattering. It feels like it is rotting in my chest. Decomposition working its way into my body, making me feel sick and disgusting.

I have grown so attached to him, felt so special with him. The way he is acting is killing me and I am in shock at how much it hurts. I was never able to comprehend how much I love him until now. I never realized it until it is being taken from me.

"Where do you want to live?"

My heart jumps at his voice and I snap my eyes to him. His eyes are still on the computer screen but his hands are still, waiting for my answer but not willing to look at me.

I don't say anything. I don't know what to say. He knows the answer and I don't have it in me to beg again because I know it won't work.

So I say nothing because I have nothing.

"I will send you to Greece and give you enough money so you won't ever have to work again."

I squeeze my hands into fists as any hope that had bloomed dissolves into decay. "I want to stay." I choke out. I know I am being weak but I can't help it.

He pauses typing again and this time looks up to meet my eyes. "I don't want you here." His eyes are emotionless but something is different. Before when they were void of feelings they were also observant with a spark in his gray eyes. The spark is dead, his eyes dull with a hint of deep sadness and regret.

He goes silent and returns to his work for a few minutes before leaving his seat and walking through a curtain into a different room. I am left alone in the room and all warmth seems to leave with him.

The plane lands gracefully and the Italian summer fails to greet me. All I can feel is sadness for this country that I will have to leave soon.

I am walked to a black car but Adonis is nowhere in sight. I ride alone to where I assume will be his home. The car ride isn't very long and before long, we pull up to a large set of gates with stone pillars. After stopping for a moment, the gates open and the car rolls in. The property is very large with a single large home in the center. It is not a lavish mansion and although it is large, it looks older and more humble than some billionaires own these days. The exterior walls are stone, matching the stone on the gates. The roof is slate black.