Recollection

thirty-five | LA

song:  lana del rey - brooklyn baby (dreamy version + slowed )

The angel on my shoulder whispered reason, her voice soft but persistent. You don't have to do this, Chanelle Astoria Morelli. Think it through. Let it go for now. The words tugged at me, promising safety, clarity, a path untainted by reckless decisions. But on the other side, louder and more persuasive, was my devil—Aria Castillo.

Her voice was rich, sultry, full of the same unrelenting confidence that had always drawn me to her. Oh, come on, Chanelle. What's the worst that could happen? You've already gone this far. You're just being dramatic now. Aria Castillo could never be described as anything but a devilish woman, in a good way.

I stared at the laptop screen, my hands hovering over the keyboard. The name Felicity Verano stared back at me like a challenge. It wasn't me—at least, not the version of me I was supposed to be anymore. But tonight, it was a mask I needed.

Using my alias' card to finalize the booking made the stakes feel real. It was reckless, and I knew it. Yet the moment felt charged, electric, as though Aria herself were sitting beside me.

Aria Castillo, my best friend, my chaos incarnate. She had always been the devil on my shoulder, even in life. A true femme fatale, she was danger wrapped in expensive leather and intoxicating perfume. She never said no to a risk, and she never let me say no, either.

Even now, years after her death, I could hear her urging me on. I could almost feel her hand on mine, pushing my fingers to the trackpad. She wouldn't have let me hesitate. She'd have told me to live in the moment, to leap first and figure out how to land later.

My throat tightened as I glanced at the blinking cursor on the screen. The angel tried one last time, her voice faint but insistent. Let it go, Chanelle. You've worked so hard to build this life. Don't throw it away on a man who might not even remember you.

But the devil won. Aria always did.

I exhaled slowly, closed my eyes, and pressed submit.

The screen refreshed, the confirmation appearing in bold, unrelenting letters:

Thank you for booking with us, Felicity Verano! Your ticket to Las Vegas is confirmed.

A cold knot of finality settled in my stomach, tightening as I stared at the words. I'd done it. There was no undoing it now.

That's when the knock came.

I flinched, my heart leaping into my throat as the sound jolted me out of my thoughts. My hands snapped the laptop closed before I even processed the motion.

"Chanelle?" Lia's voice called softly from the other side.

The door creaked open before I could respond, and my cousin stepped into the room, her sharp eyes immediately scanning her surroundings.