Eyes So Blue I Drown

12| Either Way

ARABELLA

"Leah?" her name left my lips as a gasp.

Oh God, I hope she is okay!

I groan, I shouldn't have left her alone. Luca's expression changes at me and I bite my tongue, where the heck she is?!

"Hi!" her voice comes and I sigh a relief.

A few minutes later, Leah finally reached to the car. "I can't believe you decided to be alone at this place" Luca's fist clenches holding the black coat on his lap.

Now he's just in his black, skinny shirt. My eyes dart at his arm, the cloth hugging the muscles there as if one slight pressure applied by his arm would be enough to rip it apart by itself.

Leah lifts her gaze up at him, "I'm sorry, but you weren't answering my calls and you needed the documents urgen-"

"I asked you to wait outside of the building, Leah." Luca interrupts, his voice hardened.

Leah huffs heavily seating beside me and biting back her words.

"You never care for my efforts..." she mumbles to herself in a small voice. Her thumb rubbed her knuckles on her lap abruptly.

"It's ok, Leah, we should not have arrived here to help him in the very first place for his very important documents," I say, looking at her but raising my voice enough to reach everybody's ears around us.

Luca frowns, "I'm worried for her, Bella-"
"You could have talked with her politely. She really wanted to help you. Can't you see she left all her work early in the morning and came here for you, ruining her weekends?" I cut off and scoff.

Suddenly, Fantino joins in the car, too, with a MacBook in his hands, explaining all why this car has still not left its spot.

The ride is silent for the past few minutes. The earlier discussion, indeed, caused Luca and Leah to stare outside the windows quietly.

"Oh come on, you guys are again being those pouting bears" Renzo's voice breaks the silence.

"Not even a week passes by without seeing their straight faces" Fantino chuckles from behind.

The car stops in front of another building and I look outside, watching Gabriel and Julian striding towards the car by crossing the road.

They're wearing casual clothes, though.

"Hey, donna" Julian says and opens the door of my seat whereas Gabriel went to the backseat, to Fantino.

I shift forward to make a room for him. He settles himself beside me and closes the door with a thud, "Done by me, boss" he speaks, looking at Luca's back who is sitting before us.

He's still staring outside, tapping his fingers on the car with his arm resting on the front door quarter of opened window. "Slayed by me" Gabriel's proud voice comes from behind.

I can't believe that now I'm eager to know what work they do.

Luca suddenly takes out his mobile and dials some numbers. "Your work is done. Meet me tomorrow morning" he says and instantly disconnects the call.

I feel a vein in my neck bulge.

I hate it here. I hate how he has made himself a mysterious motherfucker.

Why can't he just open up?

I curse to myself. Who am I now to get bothered by his preferences?

"What are you doing here-" Julian asks, glancing at me almost confused, and shifts his gaze beside me, "Oh, Leah is here, too! Why?"

I look at the rear-view mirror and see Luca already staring at me.

Another opportunity at my feet. I don't break the eye contact, "I came here with Leah to pass your boss some very important documents which were meant to be ripped by his hands urgently" I say and Luca's eyes form up a curve.

Is he smiling at me?

Is he for real?

~~~

For rest of the day, I threw myself into fixing this room by positioning some beautiful plants and settling my stuff properly.

Even though I wanted the empty bathtub kept in the bathroom out of my sight, too, but I found it too much to do in somebody else's house. Not everyone understands my problem with the depths of water. A few feet of deep points don't really bother me, but it's all different when it comes to bathtubs.

Because that thing is where it all started.

I yawn, scrolling my thumb on my mobile, and going through my Instagram feed.

Danica's selfie comes into my view. The way she has positioned her mobile tells the main focus of it was to show her outfit. Wearing mini skirts during winter, because a hoe never gets cold.

I don't know how she is Erin's sister. They both are so opposite. I roll my eyes, that's none of my business. I ignore it and begin to scroll again.

I stop at a picture of Erin posted by Darla on her account.

I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows seeing Erin laying on the bed, sleeping peacefully, with something loaded in his t-shirt forming up a bump. I read the caption-'guess who is pregnant?' I chuckle. Her creative way of announcing the news to the world is making me wheeze.

She is definitely going to get her ass smacked once he is awakened. 

Suddenly, I hear a knock on the door. "It's me, Julian"

I bite my upper lip, why would he come here? "Come in!"

The door gets opened and Julian's eyes get tautened together seeing me, "Why you're sitting on the floor?" he asks.

I roll my eyes, "If you looked carefully, I'm sitting on the carpet. Not the floor"

"Doesn't change the fact that instead of the bed, you're seating down on the floor, or carpet, whatever" he fumbles on his own words and huffs, trying to make the talk clearer, "I'm here to ask if you've any plans for today's evening, or will you just stay here?"

Holy fuck, since when did he start talking this decently? And why would he ask that question?

"Is Luca at home?" I ask.

He nods.

Then I am surely not in the mood to be here. Let me think about where else I can go.

My mind gets alert to the club's name Lucius told me. He often comes there, as told by him. Should I go there? I was thinking about it just a few hours ago, too.

"Should I come tomorrow?" Julian's voice creeps in.

"No," I say and stand up, "I'll be going out"

"Where?"

I scratch the bridge of my nose. Why the fuck would I tell him?

He rolls his eyes, "I asked you so that I could inform boss. Or you can just go there and ask him by yourself"

"Ask what?" I blurt, "For permission to go out?"

He sighs, "Look, it's his house. We all live on the rules he has made, and I'm assuming you know very well how all of us know about the strictness of him upon us when it comes to you. He has informed us that you're not supposed to go outside without asking him first."

I scowl, "Why do you live like you're his puppet? It sounds so pathetic"

He winks, "Doesn't matter much when you get a couple of millions per month"

I'm stunned. That's... reasonable.

"And he's like a brother to me. He's a good responsible man, I don't know why you're so pissed off with him. This job is fun, after all. Not mentioning the power that comes with working with him" he speaks with confidence laced in every word that left his mouth.

What power he's talking about?

"He likes it or not, I'll be leaving either way."