GOD OF DEVOTION

1.

Ariella

I smile at something my friend says, but I don't even hear it. My eyes are focused a few tables away from mine. Remi is having a meeting with his team. It's no coincidence that I planned to come with my friends to the same restaurant as Remi. He has his back towards me as his team members tell him something. To get his schedule for today, I had to bear the unbearable company of none other than Eli "Tyrant" King. He came to my college and asked me everything about Ava for more than an hour. He couldn't ask those things to me on the phone because he wanted to see my expression while I tell him everything so he knows that I wasn't lying.

"Ari! Are you even listening to me?" My friend Emmy snaps her fingers in front of me, pulling my attention from Remi to herself.

"Of course I am." I really am not, because I'd rather stare at Remi's back than listen to her fashion talks.

I stand up from my place and excuse myself to go to the washroom, which luckily is just around Remi's table. Talk about luck.

I make my way to the washroom while staring at Remi's back. Trust me, staring at Remi's back is far better than sky gazing.

A gasp leaves my lips as someone bumps into me from behind, causing me to hit my forehead on Remi's chair. I lose my balance, and I'm about to fall butt-first when two strong arms hold my upper arms and steady me.

I look up to see Remi looking down at me with a scowl on his face. I planned to crash his meeting, of course-that was the sole reason I was here-but I didn't think it would be like this. I thought I'd go and say hi to his team and ask to join them.

"What are you doing here?" Remi asks in his office tone. He is nothing like the fun-loving Remi people know; when he is in his office, he is very serious and always in strict boss mode. It might not sound like the Remi we are used to, but it is what it is.

I point over my shoulder to my friends as they laugh at something. "I was here with my friends."

"Where was your mind while walking?" At your back. I want to say it, but I just lower my gaze to my toes.

"Are you okay?" Oh, wow, finally he realized that I hit my head.

"Yeah, I am fine," I reply with a shrug.

He grabs a tissue from his table and starts removing the blood from my head. I take the tissue from his hands and start doing it myself. The tissue becomes all bloody, so I take another one from his table, but that one also becomes all bloody. All this time, Remi looks at my face. I realize maybe I just didn't graze it but hit it hard. I take one step back and remove Remi's hand from my arms.

I nod at him once and then sidestep to go to the washroom and check my head, which suddenly started hurting as I focused on something other than his hand on my arms. He grabs my wrist and halts my steps. I look up at him.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"To the washroom to wash the blood and maybe check for a first aid box," I answer.

"We need to go to the hospital. You need stitches," he says, taking the tissue from my hands and throwing it in the dustbin, then taking another one and pressing it on my head. My heart flutters at his concern, but I don't let my heart decide for me because that foolish organ would jump from a cliff if he asked.

"I need to go to the hospital; you need to finish your meeting. I don't need you to babysit me." I honestly don't want him to take care of me because he thinks I am not capable of it, but because he wants to. I pull my hand from his grasp and make my way towards the exit. I'll text my friends later to explain why I left suddenly. Blood keeps flowing from my head, and my head spins with every step I take. Ugggghhh, so much to spend some time with Remi.

Black dots start to appear in front of my eyes. Really, am I that weak to start fainting from a simple hit? Fighting my unconsciousness, I reach the exit door and grab it for support before opening it.

As my vision blurs and dark spots dance before my eyes, the door swings open. Before I can register what's happening, I'm lifted off the ground. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my vision, only to find myself cradled in Remi's arms.

"You're not going anywhere alone," he says firmly, his voice a mix of worry and frustration. "Let's get you to the hospital."

I want to protest, to insist that I can manage on my own, but the throbbing in my head and the steady flow of blood make it clear that he's right. I nod weakly, leaning against him as he carries me out of the restaurant.

As we exit, I hear the concerned murmurs of my friends and see them rushing towards us, but Remi waves them off. "I'll take care of her," he assures them.

Once we reach his car, he gently sets me down in the passenger seat and quickly fastens my seatbelt. He gets in the driver's seat, and we speed off towards the hospital.

I try to stay conscious, focusing on the steady rhythm of Remi's voice as he reassures me, but exhaustion and pain begin to take their toll. My eyelids grow heavy, and I finally succumb to the darkness, trusting Remi to keep me safe.

~~~~~~~

My eyes open as something prickles my skin. I turn my head to see what it is, but the movement sends a wave of throbbing pain through my skull, reminding me that I hit my head on Remi's chair. It's all his fault, really. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone there, and that person wouldn't have bumped into me. But deep down, I know it's me who can't stay away from him, despite his constant attempts to push me away.

I lose consciousness again and start to dream about our future together.

In my dream, I see a beautiful house with a spacious yard, complete with a swing and a treehouse where our children are playing. Everyone is there-Mumma, Papa, Uncle Aiden, Aunt Elsa, Aunt Teal, Uncle Ronan, Aunt Kim, Uncle Xan, Uncle Levi, and Aunt Astrid-sitting in a circle and playing truth or dare. Laughter fills the air.

Ava is sitting with Cecily, Glyndon, and Anni, their faces lit up with joy. All the husbands are sulking nearby because their wives are too engrossed in their game to give them any attention. It's a perfect scene, filled with love and happiness, the kind of future I dream about with Remi.

The dream feels so real, so vivid, that I don't want to wake up. But a voice breaks through the haze.

"Ariella, can you hear me?" It's Remi, his voice filled with concern.

I force my eyes open again, this time finding Remi's face hovering above mine. His expression is a mix of worry and relief.

"You're in the hospital," he explains gently. "You fainted, and I brought you here. They had to stitch up your forehead."

I try to sit up, but a sharp pain in my head makes me wince. Remi's hand presses lightly on my shoulder, keeping me down. "Easy, you need to rest."

Despite the pain, I can't help but feel a warmth spread through me at his care. "Thank you," I whisper, my voice weak.

"You scared me," he admits, his eyes locking onto mine. "You need to stop getting hurt just to get my attention."

I smile faintly, the dream still lingering in my mind. "Maybe you need to stop pushing me away."

Remi's expression softens, and for a moment, I see a glimpse of the future I dreamt about. "Maybe you're right," he says quietly.

As I drift back into a restful sleep, I hold onto that hope, the image of our future still vivid in my mind.

********

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ZEY💅💌