Romani Prince

Chapter 23: First Fight

"Luka?"

"Gabriella? Are you alright?"

"Yes! Yes... Are you?"

"Yeah... I've been standing in front of your empty and dark house for hours. I don't recognize this area code. Where are you?" Luka demands with a cool and controlled tone of voice, but he can't hide his anger from me.

Annoyed, myself, I wonder if he realizes that none of this is my fault. But then, I bite my bottom lip because maybe it is.

"I'm using my father's satellite phone. He said that we're somewhere deep in West Virginia and..."

The sharp breath that comes through the phone silences me immediately. We both stay quiet for a long and painful moment.

"What... What's going on, mierea? I don't like the way you sound."

I sigh.

"Luka, I had a long talk with my father and got to really understand my parents' concerns. They want me to stay here at this ranch for a week. Away from everything."

"Okay, tell me where you are." Luka is practically seething on the other end.

"Baby, it really is okay! And I really don't know where I am, yet. I was asleep during the entire drive out here."

"Look around, Gabriella. Find me an address." He is about to lose it. "I'm coming to get you!"

"Luka, stop!"

I can hear his hard breathing.

"It's going to be alright! I want to do this for them! For us!" In my mind, I'm praying that he will understand.

"Gaby..." The pain in his voice is breaking my heart.

"They're opening up. But it's all going so fast that it scares them. They found out about our plans. They read all our messages on my phone."

Luka simply breathes on the other end and I know that he's feeling helpless and scared, himself.

"They just want me to make sure that I know what I really want." I try, again.

"And what do you really want, Gabriella?" Luka barks back.

The obvious note of doubt that I sense in his cold voice hurts me deeply.

"You, Luka! More than anything! But you know that I'm terrified to cause your downfall with your people! You'll lose everything because of me!"

"I'll have you, Gaby! Let me worry about everything else, okay?"

Closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead, I feel so tired.

"Everything that affects you, affects me too. You tell me this all the time." My voice comes out as weak as I feel.

"I can't stand this..." He grunts from the other side. "Tell me there isn't some perfect guy aligned to spend the entire week there, all alone with you?"

I hold my breath... Ohmygod...

Picking up on my silence, Luka curses away from the phone, letting out a burst of additional enraged words that I can only assume to be a variety of curses in Romanes, or in any of the other languages that he speaks.

"He's far from perfect! Too rude and arrogant! I can't stand him! You have nothing to worry about!"

"Oh, yeah?"

And I suddenly realize that we've been screaming at each other, in a way that I never thought could be possible.

"This is obviously your father's last resort and the absolute most radical! He knew that this guy would get on your nerves and that sounds more dangerous than anything! Tell me his name and I'll find you."