Eternal Echoes

22

The peaceful quiet of the night was shattered by a sudden, sharp knock on the door, startling all three of them awake. Alessandro stirred first, his protective instincts kicking in instantly. Isabella blinked groggily, rubbing her eyes as Aria groaned in protest, her body still heavy with exhaustion.

"Who the hell could that be?" Isabella muttered, sitting up as Alessandro swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Aria frowned, her brow furrowing as she tried to shake off the fog of sleep. "I swear, if it's someone selling insurance at this hour..." she grumbled under her breath, though a flicker of unease crept in the pit of her stomach.

Alessandro grabbed a pair of loose sweatpants from the chair beside the bed and slipped them on, motioning for Isabella and Aria to stay behind. "I'll handle it."

But Aria had a growing suspicion as the knocking became more insistent—loud and deliberate. She sat up fully, heart racing, and grabbed Alessandro's arm just as he was about to open the door. "Wait, I think... I know who it is."

Before he could respond, Aria hurried toward the front door, dragging a blanket around her shoulders as Alessandro followed with a raised brow. Isabella, curious and now wide awake, trailed close behind them.

Aria swung the door open—and there they were. Andreas, her old mentor and dominant from back home, stood tall in the doorway, his stormy gray eyes locked on her, arms folded in stern disapproval. Next to him was Mia, his submissive and Aria's best friend, looking equally unimpressed but with a hint of affection shining through her soft brown eyes.

"Well, well, well." Andreas arched a brow, his deep voice sharp with irritation. "Care to explain why the hell we haven't heard from you in a month?"

Aria's stomach dropped. "Andreas—"

"Don't you 'Andreas' me," he cut her off, stepping inside without an invitation. Mia followed with a small wave to Aria, though her expression was more amused than angry.

"We were worried, Aria," Mia added softly, though there was a playful glint in her eyes. "So worried that we flew all the way here to see what happened to you."

Aria winced. "I— I meant to message you both, I swear. Things have just been... complicated."

Andreas wasn't having it. He stepped closer, towering over Aria with the same commanding presence that once made her melt at a single glance. "Complicated? That's not an excuse to disappear off the radar without a word. Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is? I taught you better than this."

Alessandro, who had been standing silently at Aria's side, crossed his arms and gave Andreas a measured look. "You flew halfway across the world just to scold her?"

Andreas's gaze flicked to Alessandro, cool and assessing. "And who might you be?"

Alessandro's smile was slow and dangerous. "I'm the one she's been with."

"And I'm his wife and aria's girlfriends ," Isabella chimed in from behind Alessandro, her arms draped over his shoulders as she leaned forward to look at their unexpected visitors. "Nice to meet you."

Mia's eyes lit up with surprise and curiosity. "So... you're all together?" she asked with a grin, her gaze flicking between the three of them. "This is... intriguing."

Andreas gave a low huff, rubbing his hand over his face in frustration. "Aria, for the love of— I don't care what kind of setup you have. What I care about is you going dark on us without any explanation."

Aria shifted uncomfortably, guilt settling heavy in her chest. "I know, Andreas. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

Mia gave Aria a small, reassuring nudge with her elbow. "We're not mad, babe. Just worried. You could've at least sent a meme or something."