Stella (Book One of Dark Souls Series)

Babá al Rum

*~*
aria- the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth
*~*

"I believe you."

I smiled, suddenly feeling accomplished when my friend squeezed my hand and reassured me that I wasn't crazy.

"Great, so what is our next step?"

We looked at Adonis, who was stuffing his face with beignets. "We pretend like we don't know anything," he spoke with a full mouth. Powdered sugar flew out of his mouth as he talked.

"Um, chew, please," Gaia said in disgust.

Sometimes I forget she is a prestigious supermodel. I reminded myself not to eat like that around her.

"Since he was watching us, he heard the entire argument," I said. "Since you called us before I said anything else incriminating, he doesn't know that we know that he knows."

"How did you know there were cameras?" Adonis asked with a tone of suspicion.

"Stefano called me."

"Is he a part of it?" I asked.

"I don't think he would go to the extent of finding my phone number just to tell me to tell you to shut the hell up if he was in on it."

I grinned and winked at Adonis. "Your brother likes me."

"I've been trying to tell you that," he grumbled as he came over to us. He plopped down in between us and leaned his head against the couch. His spirits were down because of all this new information, so I made it my job to take this load off him.

"How about you get some rest, and we figure out what our next steps will be," I proposed a genius idea.

"He's my father," he answered. "He's my responsibility."

"Be like that then," I mumbled, scooting away from him.

"Ladies, ladies," Gaia whined as she stood up.

We looked up at her.

"Let's play 'I Feel.'"

"I don't feel like playing your stupid therapy games," Adonis responded.

"I feel like you should shut the hell up and let your fiancé speak," my friend retorted sassily. "Or is that still off the table?"

Oh, burn. I did not miss the days she talked to me like that.

I felt his eyes on me, but I kept staring straight.

"You told her about that?"

"She didn't need to," Gaia cut in. "That big diamond-cut ring isn't on her finger."

Instead of responding, Adonis gritted his jaw and looked away from me. When she noticed the change in the atmosphere, she sighed.

"Once again, let's play 'I Feel.'"

I smiled at her.

Gaia Moreno was a force of nature. She was a runway star, loud, bold, and unapologetic. I was lucky to have her as a friend. She always had my back and had no problem putting people in their places, which is what she was doing right now. I sat in silence because if I jumped in, she would hush me and say that she could handle Adonis without me. In a way, I looked up to her, which was crazy because she looked up to me.

"I feel confused," she started while inhaling and exhaling like a yoga instructor.

"Why do you feel confused?" I asked in a sickly sweet voice that made her snort her laughter away.