Chapter 30: Chapter 30

ANNA

We arrive at a small café. Roland seems distracted.

“So, Annabeth, tell me about yourself.” He orders coffee and my favorite cake, Black Forest.

“Well, for starters, this is my favorite dessert.” I flash him a sweet smile.

“Oh, I pegged you for a sweet tooth.” He seems charming and kind. “And you like coffee—that’s your second cup.”

I nod. “I love coffee.”

He shifts in his seat like he’s remembering something.

~I hope it’s not a sad memory.~

“Annabeth, there is something I would like to ask you. It’s going to sound crazy and you might not talk to me afterward, but I need to.”

I frown at him.

“Well…may I ask for just one kiss?”

I burst out into laughter.

“You have to be joking, right?”

He tilts his head to one side. “On the contrary, I’m serious.”

I shake my head. “Wait, so you thought I would just jump up and kiss you? I don’t go around kissing strangers. Sorry to disappoint.”

He narrows his eyes at my sarcastic manner.

“Oh, flower, we are not strangers,” he says in a husky voice.

~Why do I believe him? But it’s not like I’m going to kiss him.~

I change the subject and start to ask him a few questions about himself.

Lunch was great, weird question aside. I had a good time. When I get back to the hospital, Ray is waiting in the reception area for me.

“So?” she asks, and hooks in my arm.

“Well, he’s nice.”

She lifts one eyebrow at me.

“Nice? Is that it? Is that all I get?”

I smile at her and leave to do my rounds.

“This conversation is not over, little missy!” she calls after me

I turn and stick my tongue out at her.

The rest of the day flies by; nothing out of the ordinary happens. When I get to the locker room, Ray has already left.

~She must have been in a rush—she didn’t even close her locker. I swear, if her head wasn’t attached to her body she’d lose it.~

Damitry is waiting outside the hospital. He looks worried and sad.

“Anna!” He rushes to my side and pulls me to his chest. “I’m so sorry about last night. I didn’t mean what I said. Can you maybe look past it and we can move on together?”

He puts me at arm’s length and scans me.

~He sounds sincere, but…I’m not sure if I want to move on with him.~

“Damitry, what you said last night was true. You are not one to wait around and I’m not sure about my feelings for you. I can’t keep you on a leash, it’s not fair.”

“I can’t accept that Anna, I do love you with all my heart and soul.” He tilts my head up to his and whispers, “You’re the only one for me, Anna.”

His eyes are sparkling. He looks so sexy and I’m hypnotized by him. He gently starts to kiss me.

“I love you and only you.”

He grabs me around my waist, pulling me to him and we lock into a kiss. He deepens the kiss. I’m lost in him, my head is spinning, but…~I like his lips on mine, but there is just no spark.~

Someone is standing behind me and clearing his throat.

Damitry pulls away from me and in seconds his whole expression changes. He is angry, and his jaw is clenched.

~Roland?~

“Brother.” Damitry narrows his eyes at him.

“Damitry.” Roland looks at me and smiles.

A blush creeps up my face as the realization hits me.

~Wait, did he just say “brother?”~

“Uh, is this your brother?” I look up at Damitry, he nods his head not taking his eyes off Roland.

“Yes. Roland, this is—”

Roland cuts him off. “We already met. Nice to see you again, Annabeth.” He smiles, and there is an edge to it I can’t quite read.

“Well, it would seem I interrupted you, but I need a quick word with my baby brother.”

Damitry doesn’t seem happy to see him. “What do you want?” he asks, suddenly furious.

“Can we discuss it in private?” Roland sounds calm and in control.

“Yeah, whatever. See you, baby.” Damitry gives me a peck on my mouth and strolls away with Roland.

~I wonder what that was all about.~

~I’m so tired. An early night will be nice.~

I go back to the apartment, shower, order Chinese for dinner and devour it, and go straight to bed. It isn’t long before I doze off into a nice long sleep.

***

I wake up at three in the morning.

“Ugh.” I grab my sheet and pull it over my head. I’m still tired.

~Just five more minutes~.

My phone buzzes on the bedside table. I sigh and pick it up. There are three messages from Damitry.

DAMITRY

Anna, can we continue our conversation?

DAMITRY

Please answer me

DAMITRY

Sorry about my brother’s rudeness

~Roland wasn’t rude. I feel like Damitry is the rude one. I don’t have much to say to him.~

I shake my head.

~I have to tell him it’s over between us. It won’t be easy; he clearly still has feelings for me.~

Somehow, I manage to fall back asleep.

***

The next day promises to be busy. Ray and I are going to start shopping for her wedding, and I still have to plan her bachelorette party.

I had been thinking of asking Damitry if we would do it at his club, but given that I am planning to dump him, I’m not sure if he will do anything for me.

~I hate planning events.~

Ray is waiting in the kitchen when I come down for breakfast.

“Okay, so we have cake tasting, shoe shopping, and wine tasting—oh, yes, and before I forget, you need to help me with the seating arrangements.”

Ray is all over the place. The wedding is three months away, and with work and everything that needs to be done, I have no idea how she will be able to cope with it all.

“Ray, don’t worry. Deep breaths.”

She sighs.

“With Jordan tied up at work, I need to plan most of the wedding on my own. It’s not easy.” She falls to the couch. “Thanks for all your help, Anna.”

I flash her a bright smile and sit down next to her. “It ~is~ my responsibility as maid of honor.”

“Yes, but for everything else, you’ve always been there for me and I feel like, after everything you’ve been through, it’s selfish of me to think about my happy day and I barely spend time with you. I suck at being a friend.”

I start to giggle and hug her. “You’re a great friend and will make a beautiful bride—and then maybe next year, an awesome mother.

“I’m so happy for you, Ray. You deserve all the happiness in the world. I’m just glad to be a part of it.” We get all emotional and tears of joy run down our cheeks.

It’s a wonderful day. We make all our stops and taste plenty of cake and wine. My stomach hurts after all the sweetness. Ray has one too many glasses of wine and gets a bit tipsy.

We make it back home safely, and I’m helping her up the stairs when reality hits me.

~Ray will be moving out soon, and her room will be empty. Maybe I should look for a new roommate or just move to a smaller place. I didn’t really think about it until now.~

As I leave Ray’s room after tucking her in, my phone buzzes. It’s Damitry.

“Hi.”

“Hey, Anna. Can we talk in person?”

“Yes.” I can hear music playing in the background.

“I’ll be there in a sec.”

“No, wait I’ll come to you. Where are you?”

“At my club.”

“Okay, see you in a few.” I end the call.

~Okay, now I will need to tell him it is over.~

I go downstairs and grab my keys.

***

Damitry is waiting for me outside the club.

“Anna.” He pulls me in for a hug.

“Hi.” I can see something is up; he seems uncertain. “What do you want to talk about? You sounded serious.”

He shakes his head and holds me at arm’s length.

“Did you think about our conversation?”

I played the conversation over in my head. “Yes, I did.”

He frowns. “And?”

“Damitry, I just don’t think it will work.”

His expression changes from serious to heartbreak. He bows his head in defeat and shuts his eyes.

“If that is how you feel, then okay. I just want you to be happy, even if it is not with me. But Anna, please stay away from Roland. He is bad news, okay?”

He opens his eyes and our gazes meet. He looks frustrated.

I nod my head in response.

“Would you like to have a drink?” he asks, with a ghost of his smirk.

“Please, no. I think I’ve had enough for today. I’m just going to head home and sleep.”

He chuckles at me and gently kisses my forehead. “Okay, then. Good night, Anna.” He holds me in his arms for a while before letting me go.

“Good night, Damitry.”

***

The next morning when I come downstairs, Ray is sitting at the kitchen table.

“You look like shit.” I chuckle at her.

“Ugh, I feel like it too. How much did I drink yesterday?” She lays her head on her arms.

“You tasted all the wine there was. Full glasses, not just sips.” I start to make us some coffee.

“My head is pounding. Stupid wine tasting.”

“So, what is on the agenda today?” I place a cup in front of her.

She looks up and smiles. “Thanks. Um, dress fitting, and then we didn’t get to the seating arrangement yesterday.”

I take a sip of my coffee. “We can do that now if you like?”

She nods. “Yes, let’s just get it over with.”

A faint smile creeps up my face.

~Bridezilla, here she comes.~

I don’t tell Ray about Damitry.

~She has a lot going on now and is already stressed out. She knows we broke up, and that’s all there is to it.~

Seating arrangements done, we go dress shopping for the bridesmaids. I try on a dozen different dresses before she finally picks one we both like.

***

The next morning, Ray is busy packing.

“Hey, slept well?”

She spins around. “Yeah, I did. I’ll be leaving soon. I’m going to my parents’ house—my mom needs me to fit my dress.”

“I know, you told me yesterday. Ray, are you okay?” I go to her and sit on her bed.

“Yeah, just a bit nervous.” She sits next to me. “Planning a wedding is a lot of work.”

I hug her. “Yes, it is, but most of the stuff is done.”

“Will you be okay on your own?” She sounds concerned.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. Now get going. I need to go to work.” I stand and stroll out of her room. She finishes her packing, and we say goodbye and go our separate ways.

When I get to work, Roland is sitting outside the hospital.

“Hi, Annabeth.”

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“My friend got hurt, so I brought her here.”

I frown at him. “Your friend?”

He nods and smiles. “Yes, but it’s nice to see you.”

~I wonder why Damitry warned me about him. He seems harmless.~

“Well, I need to get to work, so goodbye.” I turn and go in.

He jumps up from the bench. “Annabeth, wait. Can I take you out after work?”

I face him again and narrow my eyes, trying to sum him up.

~I have no reason to reject him.~

“Okay, but it’s not a date.”

He smiles and nods, “Oh no, for sure, not a date. I’ll pick you up here?”

“Okay, see you then.” I walk inside with a smirk on my face.

~I’ll see him after work. Why am I so excited about that?~