Clandestine | 18+

46~ Ice Cold Air

Hands on You ~ Ashley Monroe
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"Distraction is only a momentary solution."
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Estelle Adler Camelli

Leaving Blue's, my feet were killing me and my wound was hurting . Arine suggested I took my heels off, but I refused.

Weakness is a disease.

I stopped after two minutes of walking, pressed my back to a wall, and breathed in the cold air while Arine followed me, waiting until I was ready to walk again.

Cold air was like medicine to me. It sharpened my senses, made my body focus on everything else except the problem, slapped me back to life.

Unfortunately, behind Arine I saw Nikolai, who had followed us.

Not allowing myself weakness, especially in front of him and what he represents, I straightened my back.

"Estelle, such a nice surprise." He said, his smile cold, but his eyes were searching every behavior.

"Likewise." I responded, and Arine nodded at him as if to say hello.

He stared at Arine, wondering if he should say what he wanted to. There was a reason he followed me, and I suspected he saw the little flirtation I had going on inside.

"You can express your opinion in front of Arine." I said, my tone sure despite my raised pitch, which was slowly annoying me more day after day.

He didn't show uncertainty, more like as if he was calculating in his mind.

"What was that I saw inside the bar?" He questioned me, his tone almost threatening.

I knew he was asking me before he'd tell Pierce what he saw.

"While waiting for Arine to get the drinks, I purely answered the man that sat in front of me." I briefly responded.

"Did that require kissing him?"

"I did not kiss him, Nikolai. I touched the side of his mouth."

His eyes, surprisingly, felt as if they understood me. He turned a second to Arine, as if to tell her to leave in order to tell me something, but he saw my set expression and didn't.

"You know what you were trying to do, Estelle? Prove to yourself that you don't like him. That you are not affected by him. That you can continue and flirt normally, as you usually would. Well, let me confirm you that, that will not happen. And you are delusional if you think otherwise."

Now it was my turn to block the emotions on my face.

"And why are you telling me this?" I slowly asked him.

"Because I have tried to do the same thing and it hasn't worked. Don't fuck it up." Then he was going to turn and leave, when it seemed as if he had something else to say.

"What?" I questioned him, in an almost demanding tone.

"I know you know more about the underworld than you let on. And I do believe you have an ulterior motive towards him, and I do believe he is aware. And I also do believe because you have this ulterior motive about him, you are trying to your hardest to push him away."

Smart man. I just didn't think he could ever get close to the truth. That I was Clandestine, and I was ordered to kill him.

"Just know, is this motive worth your relationship with him?"

I laughed. A real laugh, which made my wound hurt. I draped an arm around my midsection where it was, and I truly looked at him.

"What relationship, Nikolai? What. Relationship."