A Discordant Melody

Four

Four

I was sitting outside on the patio of a café the next morning, going through all of my messages on my phone from my father and pretty much everyone else in my huge family.  But after I listened to all of the threats about what would happen to me when they finally found me, I just turned my phone off again and tucked it back into my bag. 

Again, going along with the whole ‘stalker’ thing, I’d followed closely behind Momma, Molly, and Lee the night before.  I wasn’t going to let myself lose them once more when I’d found them by chance. 

When I did, I found out where they’d been staying and, when they walked inside, figured out why I hadn’t been able to find them at any hotel in Rome.  They were under a fake name.  I found out when I snuck into the hotel and hacked into their system, finding which room they were in after the front desk receptionist greeted them.  Well, at least Momma was.  She was the one who had her name on the room. 

I looked up, shielding my eyes with my hand, and toward the front door of the hotel.  It was a Saturday and I expected them to take a while before they left to go anywhere, if they were going anywhere, that is.  I was prepared to wait there all day just so I could see…

“Well, I thought after you disappeared last night that bumping into you was all just a dream,” someone said from in front of me.

My eyes were immediately met with Lee’s blue ones as he smiled down at me.  My heart immediately started picking up speed as I tried to compose myself. 

“Have you come to knock me down again?” I asked, trying to be funny so that he wouldn’t see my reaction to him. 

“If it’ll get me a name this time, I might just have to,” he grinned.

I couldn’t help it when I smiled back at him.  “I don’t know about that.  Yet, that is.”

“Being sneaky, aren’t we?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  “Or are you just playing around with me?”

I shrugged.  “Well, seeing as I just met you, I don’t think we know each other well enough for me to be ‘sneaky’ or even ‘play around’ with you.”

Lee started nodded, still smiling, as he stepped toward my table.  I would have thought that his smile wouldn’t have stayed in place as long as it has, even though it had only been a few moments.  Because, truthfully, I didn’t expect this reaction when I knew that he liked my mother. 

Kind of twisted, I must admit.

“What are you doing?” I asked, watching as he pulled the chair back and sat down in front of me. 

“Well, you did say that we didn’t know each other,” he said before reaching his hand across the table.  “My name’s Lee Fletcher and it’s wonderful to meet you…”

I stared at his hand for a moment, trying to think of what I needed to do whether it be tell him my name or give him a fake one. 

In result, I kind of combined the two.  I would have had to anyway since I didn’t have a last name. 

“Zoe,” I said, reaching to take his hand in mine.  I had to fight off the feeling in my chest when his skin met mine, that instant jolt that sent my heart soaring.  “Zoe Damon.”

“It’s nice to meet you, mysterious Zoe Damon.”

My lips curled at the sides until a smile broke out.  “I’m hardly mysterious,” I lied.  I even thought of myself as being mysterious sometimes.  I could just imagine what he was thinking about me.