Pirate City

Chapter 18 Reunion

Angel's POV

His plane lands in 3 hours, I'm hoping that giving him my address was the right decision. I'm terrified that Luna will leave me as soon as he gets here. Is that selfish?

******

"Morning," I walked into a clean room, the bed was made and empty. I could tell she'd been awake for a while. Her clothes were folded tightly in the dark wooden drawers, I had passed her room late last night as she was putting her things away. Matt had given her a lot.

I smiled when I saw her walking back from the bathroom attached to the room, dressed in the black pants I had given her and a lacy white brassiere she must have gotten from Matteo. How did he know her size? Even I didn't know that. Her hair was pulled back to reveal the white vine that wrapped her neck.

She slipped a baggy grey hoody over her body, still not noticing me behind her. I hadn't noticed how muscular she had become, but her back looked jacked as she lifted her arms. The hoodie fell to her mid-thighs, covering the bulge in the pocket that held her knife. Her right pocket. The pocket she kept her hand on when she saw me.

Her body tensed, I could see it easily under her baggy clothes.

"You ok?" She relaxed slightly but kept her hand on her pocket.

"Yes." Her eyes scanned my face, trying to make sure I was who she thought, like she didn't recognize me. What about me had changed?

"I've got something for you," I offered, trying to ease the tension. It was awkward and I couldn't figure out why. She nodded hesitantly and followed me out of the room to the kitchen, she'd need to eat before he came.

The awkward feeling cleared as I placed a plate of fruit in front of her, withdrawing the thought that the surprise was a bad idea. If she did decide to leave I wanted her to remember me with good memories.

She drank the mug of bitter coffee I offered, complaining about the harsh taste.

I was happy to see her back to her usual self but I couldn't shake the memory of her in her bedroom with her hand ready on the blade. She had seemed scared. Scared of me.

"So, you have something for me?" Her thick accent came through. God I loved her accent.

"I do," I paused, wondering if there was a way to cancel everything. What if she left? I didn't want her to go.

"Can I ask what it is?" She smiled, tilting her head in playful curiosity.

"You'll see." Shit. What if she leaves?

"Alright," She drank the rest of the coffee left in the porcelain mug, keeping one eye on me to watch for any expression that would give away the surprise. I stood still, letting her eyes wander my face. She'd know soon enough.

"Have you something nice to wear?" I copied her accent, motioning towards the baggy clothes that covered her flawless body. Perhaps it would be better for her to see her family in something a little more respectable. I needed him to see that I took good care of her while he couldn't.

"Are you implying that I'm ill-dressed?" She spoke properly, teasing my sorry attempt at an impersonation.

"Not at all," I fought down a smile, amused by how easily we were entertained.

"I'll see what I can do." She flashed a smile and ducked out of the room. I smiled when I heard her light feet running up the stairs, and winced at the thought that I likely wouldn't hear that sound again.

*******

I took her hand, leading her to wait behind the door. My palms were sweaty. What if she left? What if she misunderstood and thought I meant for her to go?

"Should I be nervous?" I shook my head. "Are we going to stand and look at the door or are we going to go outside?" The chandelier casted rainbows on her tan skin, letting little bands of colour embroider her body. She had changed into shorts and an oversized grey shirt, matching my level of formality.

Her russet hair was pulled back loosely, giving her a neat but casual appearance.

"You'll see." I moved wisps of hair out of her face, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. If only I could have taken a picture of her at that moment, even the most skilled lensman couldn't catch the genuine smile on her face, the glow in her eyes, or how the colourful light hit her skin. I would miss the way she looked at me.

Four loud knocks against the door cut into the long silence.

Everything stopped working. My legs wouldn't move. My vision went white. My breath caught in my throat. She's going to leave. At that moment I regretted everything.

The door opened suddenly, a man with dark grey stubble stepped inside. His eyes went straight to Luna. He didn't look how I had imagined, I would have thought he'd share some of Luna's features. I turned all of my attention to him. His clothes looked stained and old, tears rode up his sleeves and mud caked the tops of his -once black- leather boots. Perhaps the strangest part of his attire was a sturdy wooden cane tipped with brass. He didn't need the cane for support; he stood easily by himself.

He had quite a large build; the buttons at the bottom of his shirt looked close to bursting. I didn't understand why he wasn't moving towards Luna. I didn't understand why Luna wasn't happily running towards him; I had expected a wholesome reunion.

I felt nails dig into my forearm. Hard.

"Angel." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She sounded terrified.

"Hello Luna." His voice sounded threatening. She backed up as he took a step forward, pulling me along with her. Why was she so afraid of him?

Oh Shit.

Hey, a lot is going to happen in the next couple chapters, if abuse is a distressing topic for you I wouldn't recommend reading further. I'm going to vent so things will most likely get pretty bad, thx for reading this far <3