Ruins of Autumn

32• Defeated Wish

    Arjon Kelmendi sighed deeply and looked in the mirror fixed on the door of the black wardrobe, his narrowed brown eyes with the same emotional state of his face, when he read Eltoni's name in the phone call and brushed his black hair that fell on the forehead on the left before he answered.
 
    "Hello?"
 
    "Can you talk now for two seconds?"
 
    "Yes."
 
    "I met Blerim Agolli again," Eltoni said while leaving his restaurant. "Two days ago in New York, he was with that redhead, I told you about, that was with him at the restaurant. I think they're married together because they have wedding rings on their fingers. What should we do?"
 
    "It's obvious what to do, but can we get away with it? To say it's a coincidence..."
 
    "Arjon, no. It's not a coincidence. He is playing." Eltoni expressed his doubt and got into the car. "He has found out that that package has been yours, that Bruno had taken it from your car the day you also took your car to the car wash, and Blerimi's car had happened to be there; he had accidentally put the package, as he himself said, in his car, Blerimi hadn't suspected anything, and the police had arrested him after the random check they did. Now he wants to take revenge."
 
    "OK, get rid of him if you can, or I'm hiring someone else."
 
    "You don't have to. I'll deal with it."
 
    "Fine. Let me know when you're done."
 
    "Wait. What about the woman?" Eltoni referred to Leonora. 
 
••••
    She woke up to Blerimi's soft kisses across her face.
 
    "Happy birthday, my twenty-four-year-old." He took the cake placed on the white bedside table a moment ago with the two lighted candles, numbers two and four, on it for her to blow them out.
 
    "Thank you so much." Leonora happily got up from the bed and made a wish before blowing out the candles.
 
    "The first gift," Blerimi also took a dark red rose left on the bedside table and gave it to her.
 
    "The first?" She looked at him, surprised. "Why, how many are there in total?" she asked excitedly. 
 
    "I thought about three this time since your birthday is on the 3rd," Blerimi explained. "Next year, I'll think of something else creative."
 
    Leonora looked at the rose, her bottom lip bitten by happiness. The first time, she was celebrating her birthday, and the day was off to a great start.
 
    "I brought a rose because I read somewhere that the number one symbol symbolises love at first sight."
 
    His explanation made her smile more and look at the flower with more love.
 
    "I love it," Leonora touched gently its petals.
 
    "What do you want to do today, autumn princess?" He removed some strands of hair from her face.
 
    "I want..." she tilted her gaze diagonally to the left so that she could think, while Blerimi sweetly admired her newly awakened face. "To eat dessert, first and foremost. Except for the cake, I mean. I have stayed all week without eating; to eat today."
 
    "Of course. There is no birthday without your colleagues."
 
    She clapped her hands cheerfully. "Also... I want to have breakfast outside, somewhere by the sea. At lunch, we will return home."
 
    "Great idea. How do you want us to spend the ante meridian?"
 
    "I'm thinking, since I've learned swimming, driving the car, and riding the bike as well, I want to learn skating. You have told me that you know."
 
    "Okay, it's decided, skating." He focused on Leonora's face and the touch of her hands, not to bring to mind anything from the past.
 
    "I'm getting ready, then we'll go out." Leonora got up from the bed and headed for the bathroom, along with the short white sleeveless dress with pink flowers embroidered on the left side of her chest and a thin red belt that she decided to wear that morning. 
 
    She tied her hair in a messy bun, brushed her teeth, and then her face. As soon as she untied her hair again, she heard a light knock on the door.
 
    "Nora."
 
    "Come in," she gave permission to Blerimi, and he opened the door. "I'll comb my hair, and I'll be ready in a second."
 
    "OK," he entered quietly and closed the door behind him.
 
    "Did something happen?" Leonora looked at him vaguely.
 
    "No," Blerimi answered calmly, and he went next to her. 
 
    She unconsciously sank her lower lip between her teeth as she read his fervent gaze and leaned her back against the sink as he brought his chest close to hers.
 
    Blerimi stood motionless for a few moments, listening to her hasty, attractive breathing, and then he kissed her. Her left arm found its way around his neck to bring him closer, and her right hand went to his face. His fingers traced her back, and then he touched her across her chest. They looked into each other's eyes when her husband's right hand reached for her grey pyjamas.
 
    "Hold on to me," he proffered in one breath, and Leonora tightened the black shirt behind his shoulders, while Blerimi held her back with his left hand so that her body wouldn't be pushed behind him, while with his right, he crossed her belly towards its bottom. 
 
    Leonora created more distance between her lips in need of more oxygen to handle all that rush of emotions inside her body. She dug her nails into his shirt as hard as she could, and the euphoric elation kept her whole with each additional kiss he bestowed on her lips and neck.
 
    Blerimi removed his right hand from her, kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes like she did as they both struggled to catch their breath. He lowered his head and smirked when he saw Leonora also smiling with pleasure.
 
    "I'm waiting for you outside," she kissed him and left the toilet. 
 
    After the breakfast went according to plan, they bought two pairs of black skates, and she followed Blerimi with impatient attention while he bought the tickets and told her where the rink was.
 
    Leonora sat down on the wooden bench to put on her skates and stood up.
 
    "But this is very easy," she said enthusiastically while looking at the knives under the shoes on which she was standing.
 
    "It is now because the floor has a special layer so as not to slip. But on tiles, for example, it's very, very difficult to stand."
 
    "Blerim, have you ever tried to skate with your eyes closed?"
 
    "No," he stood up, and they both went towards the runway. "I have thought about it several times, but it seemed impossible. I haven't tried to prove the opposite. I'm not convinced it's worth it."
 
    Leonora stayed behind him so that Blerimi would enter the track first. He instantly kept his balance without any problem as soon as the skates touched the floor, for which they were designed, and he turned to her, who was looking at him in awe of his skill.
 
    "Come," he stretched out his hands, and Leonora squeezed them tightly.
 
    "Don't let me go," she asked while shaking from emotions and fear.
 
    "Of course not." He was surprised about what made her think that he would let her go and fall, but then he remembered her past, and it didn't seem necessary to add anything more. 
 
    She fixed her feet on the ice and allowed the latter to slide her a little on the track.
 
    "All right." Blerimi was keeping her forearms tight so that she felt sure that she wouldn't fall. "The first step is to walk as if you are marching. Put your feet on the track. Like this," he demonstrated to her how she should act.
 
    "Like walking?" she asked in disbelief. "Aren't I going to push my legs, like skaters do on TV?"
 
    "That's the next step. At first, you will march. Then the push comes naturally. Start."
 
    "OK. You keep holding me."
 
    "Yes, only when you tell me, I'll let you go."
 
    "Never," she said with a laugh, and Blerimi smiled determinedly, thinking that he would never let go of her either.
 
    Leonora marched, hands joined with his, along the entire track.
 
    "Very good. Once you get used to it, you can walk without holding on to me. Then you continue to skate," he explained.
 
    "I believe that by my next birthday, I will have learned it."
 
    "Even earlier," he said confidently.
 
    Leonora felt tired after a few minutes and thought that it was enough for that day. She didn't seem to like skating very much, but at least she wouldn't worry that she hadn't tried.
 
    "Can we leave?" she asked reluctantly.
 
    "You didn't like it?" Blerimi chuckled.
 
    "I feel like it's not for me," Leonora remarked.
 
    "Of course. As you wish."
 
    They left the skating rink, and after they bought desserts, they returned home.
 
    The doorbell rang immediately as Blerimi closed the main door of the house.
 
    "I'll check it," he said.
 
    "Okay," Leonora took the desserts to the kitchen, left them on the dining table, and took out two plates, forks, and knives from the shelf.
 
    Blerimi didn't recognise the woman with short black hair up to her neck, a few strands dyed purple, and wearing denim clothes in front of the door of the house, who didn't look more than twenty-one years old and was looking at him as if she had come to remind him of all his secrets.
 
    "Hello, Blerim." She greeted him in English. 
 
    "Who are you?" He looked rigorously at the stranger.
 
    "I'm Diana, Anila Idrizaj's friend."
 
    Her answer sent a chill down Blerimi's spine, and Leonora's hatred for him began to appear on the horizon, predicting how that conversation would end.
 
    He had to keep calm. Maybe Diana didn't know anything about what had happened between him and Anila.
 
    "I mean your ex-girlfriend." Diana kept talking. "You know? The girl that you raped over three years ago? That is who I'm talking about."
 
    Blerimi didn't feel his heart beating, and his lungs had suddenly forgotten how to breathe.
 
    "Would you look at that? Leonora is at home, too. I don't think it's fair to leave her out of this topic. Do you?" she asked ironically.
 
    Blerimi didn't have the strength to turn his head back from where Anila's friend had noticed Leonora getting out of their house to go near them.
 
    "This day just became even more interesting." Diana smirked mischievously.