Haunted Devotion

9.

Noise from something being remodeled with a jackhammer, wakes me up instead of a phone call from Yerlin.

I stretched out then yawned making my way to the ruckus only to see contractors adding on to the garden I haven't gone into since my parents died.

"What's going on?" I ask Gerald, shielding my eyes from the sun.

Gerald tried to explain but the noise was too overbearing that I shouted out the words enough for them to stop.

"Nolan, he had these men come over and start fixing up the garden when I told him it wasn't necessary."

Looking for a cigarette, Gerald hands me a box and I hug him for it.

"Thank you," Ready to hug back he stops and pats my back while handing me a light as well.

Putting the cig to my mouth as it's lit, I inhale a few drags then blow some out, shaking my head that Nolan would just all of a sudden send people to fix a garden I almost forgot about over the years. 

"Coffee?" I hollered to Gerald who then nodded, going to get some.

Going back inside after putting out my cigarette, I see food laid out on the counter with Nolan beside it.

"You're starting to piss me off," I say annoyed at his morning gesture and now this.

Smiling, he goes behind me, dipping his finger in whatever creamy substance that was there and has me taste it.

"Is that gelato?" I said having it taste familiar while looking back at him.

"If you never had gelato with truffled waffles smothered with caramel sauce, what have you been eating?" He says wiping my mouth with a napkin but still standing behind me.

I take a fork, digging into the rest, actually enjoying myself.

"Still annoyed with me?" He says cockily while placing his hands on my waist getting ready to hug me but I move.

"Was good, not good enough for you to touch me," The phone goes off now having it be Yerlin, having me answer it.

"Sat–" He cuts me off by having me have Gerald get a car to take me to HQ.

"What the hell?" I hang up the phone and look down as I'm still in the clothes from last night.

Going into my room, I change then head outside to see Gerald already waiting.

Nolan jogged behind then watched as I entered the car without saying goodbye.

****

"Don't you think that was a little extreme on your part? Now there's going to be problems for her."

The woman looks down at the mirror watching Devlin head to HQ to see Yerlin.

"They were enemies before the Relish became one too, just saddens me that they didn't die and stood alive to blame her."

Tsk of the tongue sounds in the air as the unknown voice shares the same disappointment as the woman.

"How long until we can bring her home? Relieve her from her stress there?"

The woman taps the mirror, "She'll be twenty-four on the next moon which is in two months, by then it'll be already set."

Another tsk sound comes from the unknown voice as it says, "You mean when our friend Nolan has her join his side...oh how lovely..."

****

Yerlin comes out of the building with a toothpick in his mouth, stressed more than me.

"The Elrod's filed a complaint to the bureau and now you're under investigation for maybe mishandling a relic to try and take them out."

I laughed loudly as much as what he said sounded ridiculous but he stood with a straight face.

"You know they already have doubts letting you take over, now this?"

Honestly fed up, I shrugged, "Let them do what they need. I'm going to finish Gavin's problem then go on a long vacation. Tell them that."

Yerlin scoffs, "Vacation? They're going to fire you, Devlin."

"What do you expect me to do? I have been carrying this job—this legacy on my back for five years with the success rate that my parents left it with. They want to fire me? Be my guest. We'll see who can juggle half the shit I juggle with on the daily because of them."

Gerald opens the car door but I just walk off needing fresh air, tired of always running home just to be isolated anyways.

Working my way down a hill, I saw a bar lit up with fancy garden lights and loud music playing, sounding like the classic Highway To Hell from AC/DC as I got closer.

I go inside only to be hit with a drunk Linus singing the song on top of the bar counter.

"Goin' down! Party time!" Linus sings out while drinking more.

Taking a seat on a barstool, I ordered a shot of whiskey and grabbed the bowl of peanuts that were there.

Throwing his head back still singing, he catches a glimpse of my face and slides across like a rockstar would on stage.

"I'm on the highway to hell! On the highway to hell! And I'm going downnnnn!"

The bartender hands me the shot of whiskey I ordered but before I could down it, Linus grabs it, drinking it himself.

"Another one please," I tell the bartender while glaring at Linus who is now struggling off the bar top and into a bar stool next to me.

"Didn't take you for a bar girl," He drunkenly says while waving off the people who were cheering him on for his performance.

Ignoring him, I tap on the bar countertop and try to zone his presence out.

"Devlin," He says, turning me around to face him in the chair. 

"What Elrod?" I exhaustingly say.

He yanks me up asking someone to play Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi.

"Tell me you know this song," As the music starts he starts backing up while bobbing his head to the beat, dragging me onto the pool table that was there starting to sing, "She says, "We've gotta hold on to what we've got! It doesn't make a difference if we make it or not," I shook my head then started singing with him, "Whoa, we're halfway there, Whoa oh, livin' on a prayer," Linus nods having me smile as we continue singing the entire song until it ends.

Once it was closing time, Linus couldn't drive, so we took a cab back to my place and the rest of the night was a blur.