Victoria's Secret Angel

Thirtyone

I watch Jasmine play with the green leaves on her plate. She doesn't seem to have an appetite, even though we've had a busy day. 

Tony, Jasmine, and I helped Mia and Sam pack all week and today was the day they moved into their new apartment. We had a blast shopping with them and planning out their new life. But it was really hard at the same time. And I know, in the end, Jasmine isn't happy about this situation one bit. I keep reminding her that it is all for the best and Sam and Mia will take care of each other. Sure, they may be immature at times, but now they are really going to be pulling their life together.

I push the salad dressing towards her and give her a reassuring smile. She gives me a weak smile back and pours a little more dressing on her plate. When she goes back to pushing around her food instead of eating it, I look at Tony with a worried expression. He shakes his head slightly, as if telling me not to stress out about it. She just needs time.

I try and listen to Tony, but I just couldn't handle the silence anymore! "Their new house is really cute, isn't it?" I say, a little rushed to put something out there. Tony sighs, dissatisfied with my lack of effort to handle the silence. 

Jasmine's fork stops moving and she looks up from her plate. "There's no reason to keep worrying, is there? They are adults and it's time for me to let them go," she says, more to herself than to us.

"Exactly!" I exclaim, patting Jasmine's hand. "And it's not like you''ll never see them again. They are not that far away."

Jasmine smiles, showing her straight, white teeth. "Thanks Kendal."

Not even a second later, her phone buzzes. She looks at the screen and her eyes light up. "Thanks for all your support today, guys, I mean it." She ruffles through her purse and pulls out her wallet.

Tony pushes her hand with the wallet down and shakes his head. "It's okay, Jas, I got this one. You go."

Jasmine nods, hugs both of us, and goes on her merry way. 

"What was that?" I ask Tony once Jasmine is gone. 

Tony smirks and leans closer to me. "If I know Jasmine - and I do know her very well - I'd guess it's a man."

I can't fight back the giant smile that takes over my face. "You think so?" I ask excitedly.

Tony nods, "I know so."

***

Dominic pushes the loose hair away from his eyes and groans. "One week..." he murmurs weakly. "You're only giving me one week?"

"Listen, Dom, Marshal has been very lenient these last couple of years, so it's only right for you to repay him with interest. Given your history, I think Marshal is being quite generous. He coulda just knocked ya, but he didn't," the short, chubby man says in a hushed tone and throws his arms out as if there's nothing else he can do. He leans back in his chair, the grey hairs on his chest poking out of the collar of his shirt.

"Charlie, you know how much I owe." Charlie nods. "Well, then you know a week is not enough."

The man shrugs and adjusts his cap. "You're doing pretty well for yourself right now, Dom. We expect you to pay us back with no problem."

With that, the man pulls his heavy set body out of the his chair and gets into the back of a black car. "Same time next week with the money. Don't be late," his voice is low and threatening. Then the car zooms off.

Dominic's brows furrow, and he fights  the urge to kick the table. The people outside the bar are already giving him suspicious looks, whispering about his strange meeting. But the good thing about having these meetings at a bar, everyone in ear shot is too drunk to do anything.