𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐞

61|| Phone Call

Dante // May 26
•••

Two months.

Celeste had been gone for two whole months and hadn't contacted me outside of when she'd texted me she'd arrived safely.

I bought her an apartment in New York – the city she'd chosen for some unknown reason. I also send her a black AmEx cart when I found out she had zero dollars on her name and told her I'd send one of my dogs over to live with her since there was so much rain in her new city – but she'd quickly shot that offer down.

I didn't mind her telling me no, as long as she was talking to me.

I know she'd been engaging in some illegal underground fighting, which was probably her version of taking her mind off of things. I'd send a doctor over to check on her and her bones, because her wrist had still been broken when she started.

Other than that she hadn't been doing much. She barely spend any of my money even though I wrote a note telling her to buy anything she wanted.

Of course I'd done my best to give her the space she needed, but I can't say it hasn't been the hardest thing I've ever done.

The team of bodyguards I'd send after her kept me informed, and even though the updates about her life were the only thing to get me through the days, they made it increasingly harder not to fly to New York and drag her back to where she belongs.

But I knew I needed to be patient or I'd lose her forever, that realization was the reason I'd stepped out of her way that day and that realization had been the only thing keeping me from forcing myself back into her space.

Celeste did stay in touch with Adriana. But my own sister refused to tell me what they'd talk about and she even declined putting a good word in for me – even after I bribed her with money and clothes.

So much for being loyal to your own flesh and blood.

I'd worked the entire day, something that had become a normality the past months, but I can't say I'd been focused for even a minute. And now I'm driving while a terribly loud pop song is blasting through my car.

Adriana reapplies her lip gloss in the passenger seat. She's been humming along the entire drive, not gifting me a moment of peace ever since she'd put her poor excuse of a playlist on.

I park and stop the car abruptly, making her hand flinch and a line of sticky glitter to swipe over her cheek. The music stops just as she turns to me with a death glare.

"You have something on your face," I say.

"I really freaking hate you, you know that?"

I step out of the car as she cleans up.

I'm already nearing the door of Mirabella's ice cream salon when Adriana comes running to me.

She'd gotten her grade list from her school year back, all A's except for science, but like she'd said: that's a stupid subject anyways so it didn't matter.

"Please don't tell me that b-word Sienna is working today."

She gets her answer when we enter and see Sienna chewing her gum while texting on her phone. There were no other customers, because I rented the place out for an hour so Adriana could catch up with Mirabella in peace.

"My sweet children!" Mirabella immediately greets us when we step inside. She reaches for Adriana first, kissing both her cheeks. "How have you been my dear?"

"I'm good," she says with an embarrassed smile. "I got my grade list back yesterday."

Mirabella gasps in excitement and fast-walks to the counter to grab her reading glasses before she inspects the list of grades.