Alek

Chapter 44: Mae Kazimi

Mae's dress above <3

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Chapter 44: Mae Kazimi

"What are you going to wear?" Avery asks from where she lies on top of my bed. "Do you want to borrow one of my dresses?"

I shake my head, pulling out a long black dress I remember buying almost a year ago and never wore, fingers feeling its soft silky material.

We'd arrived back at the Russo mansion early in the morning, and Kai, Avery, Rashid and I had managed to kill some time. The clock continues to strike closer and closer to dinner and I still have not managed to choose what I want to wear.

"I like that dress," Kai says. He sits beside Rashid, leaning against the headboard with Avery in the middle on her stomach. "I think it will make you stand out."

Avery snorts, "Ignore him, he has no idea what he's talking about."

"I do too!" Kai sits up, folding his arms. "I have you and Mae you know, I know enough about dresses."

This makes Rashid laugh because we all know if I wore a garbage bag, Kai would say I looked amazing because he's just too nice.

I sigh loudly through my nose, putting it over my chest and looking towards the washroom, "Okay, fine. I'll go change in the washroom, none of you move."

"We're not going anywhere, relax. None of us have anything better to do anyway," Kai mutters.

The moment we had all walked into the Russo mansion, some of the darkness had covered us with its thick blanket. I know all of us fight the darkness, but it sticks to us like glue on our skin.

Rashid makes shooing motions towards the washroom and I head inside, locking the door behind me. I'd showered the moment we'd arrived and my hair is dry now. But I can't help but feel nervous to look Tommasso in the eyes after everything that has happened. Especially when I still haven't completed the task he'd asked me to complete. He knew I was Shadow, and if it got out, not only would I be done for, my family would be targeted. I might be good, but I'm not that good.

"Hurry up!" Rashid calls from outside.

I quickly began to strip, dropping my clothes onto the floor before stepping into the black dress. The dress is long and fits perfectly at the waist, leaving my back exposed. It's much like the one I wore at Diego's cousin's party, but longer and with stripes holding the back together.

"Do you know why Tommasso suddenly wants to call for such a large family dinner?" Avery asks from the other side of the door. "It's so freaking weird."

I hear the bed creak and Rashid replies, "It's not even just family, you know. I mean, Diego is invited. So are you. And a few others I think."

"Alek told me I was allowed to bring someone with me to the dinner," I say, crinkling my nose as I begin to relate to them our entire conversation that we had on our drive back. "He said I could literally pick a random man or woman off the street and bring them with me."

"Well, I'm better than any random man or woman that you'd pick off the street and I think you should let me come with you," Avery says as I open the door. She's picking at her nails, a nervous habit that I've tried to stop her from. "And plus, I'm ten times cooler too."

I've noticed how much the break has helped her.

"That's too dangerous," Kai shakes his head. He wears a red shirt over loose gray pants and looks like he just rolled out of bed. "I should go."

"Heeey," Rashid whines, making a face. "I want free food!"

"Girls allowed only," Avery sticks out her tongue.