Kiss me if you dare [ENGLISH]

Chapter 17

Fleur

The fourth bowl of cashew nuts had just run out, and Fleur dug desperately at the bottom for more, even though she knew it was futile. Gabriel had been generous enough to let her stay at his place for the past few days and had bought her everything she wanted. Hunger was palpable and had controlled her behavior for hours on end in the townhouse. It was a way to quell the inner demons, to keep them at bay. Under normal circumstances, she would have felt guilty about eating almost everything she could find in the fridge, but Gabriel had insisted that she help herself. He understood her fear, and there were not enough words to describe how much she appreciated his support.

The shock was still overwhelming, but it seemed that mentioning Mella's name was enough to make Gabriel stop wondering. However, Fleur still wanted to ask him questions, to ask him why he stopped contacting her, withdrew, and how he had hurt himself. But these thoughts occupied such a small space in Fleur's mind that they were almost nonexistent.

The TV screen was twice the size of her own and covered half the living room wall. The news of the murder in Chester had kept her distracted for more than twenty minutes. Deep down, she was aware that these programs were not the most suitable to watch at the moment, but if she didn't get absorbed in violent news, she would automatically think about her father's killer, which was even worse. The constant dread that she could be ambushed at any moment was more disturbing than the risk of the police finding her.

Of course, Fleur hadn't told Gabriel about the murder. Right now, he was the only one she trusted, but some things would probably never come to light.

Gabriel had just seen the end of the news segment and hurried to the remote control to turn it off. "Fleur, you shouldn't be watching that."

She imagined his kind, brown eyes scanning her worriedly, but instead of seeking confirmation, she stared into the screen, which now only reflected her image sitting in the corner of the brown sofa with her knees drawn up to her waist. "The nuts are gone," she said tonelessly.

"I called the police station as you wanted."

The words immediately put Fleur on edge, and she focused all her attention on him. "What did they say?"

He shook his head slowly, and disappointment weighed heavily on her. "No signs of where she might have gone. I gave them the number you were assigned, but it can't be traced. I'm sorry, but she's disappeared."

The little hope that Fleur had clung to sank like a stone, leaving a greater abyss behind than before.

"But they offer protection if you're afraid for your life," he continued, sitting a little way from her.

"No," she replied shortly.

The sound of the front door being unlocked and opened triggered adrenaline in Fleur's body, and she uncontrollably scanned the room with her eyes. Her pulse eventually slowed when Gabriel placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

"It's just Patricia."

She was wearing outerwear when she entered the living room, and the strong scent of perfume hit Fleur's nose. Gabriel complied without objections when she signaled him to follow her into the kitchen. Fleur didn't need to listen to understand what their conversation would be about. Patricia probably hoped that, for once, she could come home from work without seeing Fleur sitting like a ghost on their sofa.

Their voices were low, but Fleur could still detect passive-aggressiveness. She wanted anything but to ruin their relationship, but she didn't know where else to go. If she returned home to her apartment, she wouldn't get a wink of sleep.