Chapter 19: Frenzy of Bad Decisions

Arabella returned home late that evening, the weight of the day pressing against her shoulders like a lover's lingering touch. She climbed the stairs, her limbs heavy with exhaustion, and slipped into her bedroom, where moonlight spilled through the sheer curtains, casting ghostly patterns on the walls.

She shed her clothes piece by piece, the fabric sliding from her skin in slow whispers before stepping under the warm cascade of her shower. The water sluiced over her body, washing away the evening's events, but not quite the thoughts that clung to her mind. By the time she emerged, wrapped in the soft folds of her silk nightgown, the tension in her muscles had eased, though her mind still whirred.

Collapsing onto her bed, she exhaled, letting herself sink into the mattress, but something tugged at her memory. The goldfish.

With a groan, she pushed herself up and padded toward the glass bowl perched on her dresser. It stood at exactly eleven and a half inches tall—a perfectly round world of its own, the bottom scattered with tiny, colorful pebbles, and a miniature mermaid figurine nestled at the center. The little fish swam in lazy circles, its golden tail flicking like a whisper in the water.

Next to it, her real favorite pet—Jenny, the turtle—peered at her from inside a glass aquarium, decorated with plastic tropical plants. Arabella smiled. Jenny had been a birthday gift from her parents when she turned fifteen, and she had loved her ever since. Once, she had joked about getting Jenny a male companion, but her father had balked, saying, "Jenny is too young to have a boyfriend."

Arabella had laughed at the time. Her father—the eternal protector. Overprotective of her, overprotective of the damn turtle.

The thought of him made her reach for her phone.

She dialed.

"...Mom? It's me."

A gasp on the other end. "Darling! I was starting to worry—you haven't returned any of our calls for weeks!"

Arabella winced. "I know. I'm sorry, I've just been busy."

Her mother, Rachel, sighed dramatically. "Your father's been grumpy all week too. He's convinced Dante—"

"We broke up."

A pause. Then: "Darling, what happened?"

Arabella leaned against her dresser, fingers skimming absentmindedly over the aquarium's glass. "It's a long story. But don't worry—I never loved the guy. Honestly, I kind of used him so Daddy would stop matchmaking."

Rachel clicked her tongue. "Oh, your father figured that out already."

Arabella's brows shot up. "What? How?"

"A parent's intuition."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would we be? Your father is right here beside me—wait—oh dear, he's jumping like a kangaroo." There was laughter in her mother's voice. "You know, he never liked Dante. He used to pray every night for him to go to jail."

Arabella smirked. "Well... he got his wish."

A beat of silence. Then: "Darling, what did you just say?"

"Nothing, Mom. Can I talk to Dad?"

A shuffle, a muffled exchange, and then—

"Baby! My baby!" Ethan's booming voice filled the line.

Arabella rolled her eyes. "Daddy, calm down."

"I miss you! And finally, you dumped that bastard! Never liked his face—too skinny. Too wimpy. My baby deserves better!" Then, in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, "Tell Daddy the truth... are you seeing someone now? Is that why you've been avoiding us?"

Arabella pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, nobody."

"Good. But listen—if any man ever hurts you, just say the word. Daddy will handle it."

A warm chuckle escaped her lips. "I love you, Daddy."

They talked a few more minutes before Arabella hung up, switched off the lamp, and curled into bed.

***

Rafael stepped into Florist Bouquet, the scent of fresh blooms wrapping around him like an embrace. The place was charming, warm—filled with the vibrant chaos of roses, peonies, and tulips in towering glass vases. He had never been here before, never needed to.

Until now.

He scanned the shop and spotted Levi behind the counter, busy wrapping a bouquet for a customer. Rafael strode toward him, but before he could speak, Levi, without even turning around, said, "Busy at the moment. Ask someone else."

Rafael arched a brow. "Excuse me. It's Rafael."

Levi froze mid-wrap. The name took a second to register, and then his head snapped up. He turned, all bright-eyed delight and shameless flirtation.

"Well, well, well—if it isn't Mr. Hot in the house."

Rafael sighed. "Yeah, okay. Listen, what kind of flowers does your friend like?" He hesitated. "Yesterday, I made her mad, so today I—"

"—want to get her something nice to make up for it." Levi batted his lashes. "Ah, you're so sweet."

"Yeah, whatever. You think she likes roses?"

Levi paused. And then, quite suddenly, he remembered Arabella's plan—to make Rafael dump her. The bad-mouthing hadn't worked. Damn. Because here the man was, buying flowers for Miss Two-Nights-a-Week.

Levi tapped his chin, plotting. What would make Rafael completely repulsed by Arabella?

"Hmm..." Levi dragged out the sound. "Well, what does she like?"

Rafael leaned in. "Yeah? What?"

Levi exhaled, shaking his head solemnly. "Nothing. She doesn't like flowers. She doesn't like candy, toys, food, water, clothes—"

Rafael squinted. "Water?"

Levi waved a hand. "I'm telling you this because we're men, and men stick together. So, listen up. She only likes Louis."

Rafael's expression darkened. "What?"

Levi leaned in conspiratorially. "Everything about Louis. She calls me in the middle of the night—"

Rafael's jaw tensed. "She calls you in the middle of the night?"

Levi nodded solemnly, walking over to a table where his employees were trimming stems. He shooed them away with a flick of his wrist, gesturing for Rafael to sit.

Rafael hesitated, but he wanted the full story.

Levi, meanwhile, let out a long, suffering sigh. Shook his head. As if the truth was just too overwhelming to share.

And Rafael?

He was already hanging on every damn word. Rafael's patience snapped like a brittle twig. In a single, swift motion, he reached across the table, fisting Levi's collar in his hands and yanking him forward until their noses were nearly touching.

"Spill it. Now." His voice was low, dangerous—a threat wrapped in quiet fury. "Or so help me, I'll kick your ass so hard, you'll land in next week."

Levi gasped, his fingers scrabbling at Rafael's grip. "O-okay! Okay!" he choked, nodding violently.

After a tense moment, Rafael shoved him back. Levi staggered, coughing as he adjusted his shirt with a dramatic flair. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Yes. In the middle of the night. Just to describe the most incredible—"

He paused, eyes gleaming with devilish glee.

Rafael's stomach dropped. His hands curled into fists. "Incredible?!" he bellowed.

Levi winced. "Uh-huh. She loves how Louis... squeezes her apples and bites her grapes." He gave a wistful sigh. "And last night—" Levi made a show of fanning himself. "Oh, last night. She had a banana split."

Rafael's eye twitched. His pulse roared in his ears. "What the hell is a banana split?!"

Levi flicked his wrist, exasperated. "They did it several times in one night, you fool!"

Rafael swayed slightly, as if the words had physically struck him. His voice dropped into a horrified whisper. "My baby kiwi..."

His mind reeled, his imagination betraying him. In his vision, Arabella sat at a table, eating banana split ice cream with wide, eager eyes, the dessert melting decadently over her tongue, while Louis stood behind her, laughing like a damn hungry wolf.

Levi leaned in, voice dripping with malicious delight. "And there's more."

Rafael's head snapped up. "More?! What the hell!"

Levi feigned sympathy but couldn't help giggling. "Before the banana split happened... Louis had a strawberry kiwi smoothie."

Rafael's breath hitched. "What the hell is that?!"

Levi threw up his hands. "Think for yourself!" He fanned himself dramatically, muttering under his breath, "Damn. Holy banana meet couching carrot for sure."

Rafael's jaw clenched, muscles flexing under his shirt. His whole body shook with fury. Even the table rattled beneath his fists.

"She was sliced, peeled, and eaten alive last night," Levi went on, his voice hushed, almost reverent.

That was it. Rafael's vision blurred with rage.

Levi, sensing he had pushed the storm to its peak, leaned in, his voice dropping into a sinister murmur. "If I were you... I'd dump her. She's rolling in another man's sheets and making a fool out of you. Are you really willing to drink after someone else? Think, Rafael. What kind of man settles for second-hand?"

Silence.

Then Rafael exhaled sharply, his decision made.

"Tell your friend—I don't give a damn— tomorrow morning, 7 AM, I'll be at her house." His voice dripped with fury. "I want my two nights a week."

With that, he rose violently, his chair scraping against the floor, and then—he kicked every chair in his path.

Even Levi's.

Levi yelped as he toppled backward, landing flat on his ass.

Rafael, unhinged and fuming, let out a roar that shook the entire shop. Customers screamed. A woman clutched her pearls. A man dropped his bouquet and bolted for the door.

Total chaos.

And in the middle of it all, Levi lay on the floor, blinking up at the ceiling, his lips twitching.

Well, damn.

That had gone better than expected.

***

Levi lay sprawled on the floor, rubbing his aching backside from where he'd crashed down. Holy hell. What had he done?

The devil had gone mad.

Levi scrambled upright, darting his gaze around the now-empty flower shop. The customers had fled. Even his employees had evaporated the moment Rafael had roared like a man possessed. With a flick of his wrist, Levi locked the doors and flipped the sign to CLOSED.

Then he began pacing. Back and forth. Hands in his hair. What had started as a harmless scheme to help Arabella had spiraled into a catastrophe. The look on Rafael's face?

Oh, Arabella was going to be a smashed kiwi by the end of this weekend.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Levi muttered. He needed to warn her. Now.

He bolted for the door, yanking his keys from his pocket and running full-speed toward his car. "Holy God!" he shouted, for no reason in particular, as he dived into the driver's seat of his ridiculous yellow Beetle Bug.

The moment he turned the ignition, his phone rang.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed at it.

The phone stopped ringing.

Breathing heavily, he grabbed the wheel, floored the gas, and swerved onto the busy Boston streets like he was filming the next Fast & Furious sequel. Horns blared. A cyclist swore at him. Levi didn't care.

He had a kiwi to save.

Meanwhile, at Arabella's house, blissfully unaware of the storm heading her way, she stood in the front yard, watering the garden with a hose. Beside her, Mia prattled on about the past stories her mom told her.

"I remember, twenty-five years ago, mom was attacked right here, on this lawn," Mia mused, hands on her hips.

Arabella perked up. "Attacked? By who? A robber?"

Mia waved a hand. "No, no. It wasn't a robber. It was early morning when this half-naked man came running across the yard wearing nothing but a bunny T-shirt. He knocked mom's over with his..." She paused dramatically, then smirked. "Swinging banana."

Arabella choked. "Mia!"

Mia shrugged. "Twenty-five years ago, mom was young and sexy."

Arabella giggled. "Aunt Tess, were in her forties."

Before Mia could reply, a loud screech filled the air.

Arabella turned just in time to see a yellow Beetle Bug flying into the driveway at an illegal speed. The tires burned rubber as the car skidded to a stop, and then—

BAM.

The driver's door slammed open with a furious kick.

And out spilled Levi.

Literally.

He tumbled to the ground, panting like he'd just sprinted a marathon. His clothes were askew. His hair was a mess. He lay there, staring up at the sky as if the car had driven him instead of the other way around.

Arabella and Mia exchanged looks.

"Levi, get a grip!" Arabella called. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Levi rolled onto his stomach and crawled toward her, wild-eyed.

"Girl! You're in deep shit!" he wheezed.

Mia took one look at his state and muttered, "I'll leave you two to... whatever this is." With that, she retreated into the house, shaking her head.

Levi waited until the door closed, then grabbed Arabella's arms.

"He's coming." His voice was deadly serious. "7 AM. Tomorrow morning."

Arabella froze. "Who's coming?"

Levi shook her. "Rafael!"

Her stomach dropped. "What?! But why?!"

Levi groaned. "Girl, your plan backfired."

Arabella's heart pounded. "What did you tell him this time, Levi?"

Levi looked sheepish. "Don't get mad. I was only trying to help..."

Arabella's eyes narrowed. "Spill it. Now."

Levi sighed, bracing himself. "Okay, okay! Yesterday, because of my banana talk, he walked around in a jockstrap for hours and almost ravaged you in the equipment room, right?"

Arabella's face burned. "YES."

Levi chewed his lip. "Well... I might have told him that last night, you and Louis were making love until his banana split."

Arabella gasped. "Levi!"

Levi held up a hand. "Wait, there's more!"

Arabella stared in horror. "Oh, God."

"I also mentioned Louis enjoyed eating strawberry kiwi smoothies."

Arabella buried her face in her hands. "Levi, why?!"

Levi sighed. "And I may have, um... lectured him about how degrading it is to take secondhand goods."

Arabella snapped her head up. "You told him what?!"

Levi cringed. "And then he lost his mind. He started kicking chairs, tossing customers—well, not literally, but he barked like a damn rabid dog and scared them all out of the shop. He's ON FIRE, girl! I swear, this weekend is gonna be wild for you—"

Arabella whipped around. "Shut up!" But her cheeks flamed as an image of Rafael throwing handcuffs on the bed flashed in her mind.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Girl..."

Arabella groaned. "Levi, next time, please don't help me. You only make things worse."

Levi pouted. "I was trying to be supportive! When I said all those things, I was imagining myself in the scene—not you. So I... might've gone overboard."

Arabella looked like she wanted to strangle him.

Levi blinked. "So... what's plan C?"

Arabella hesitated, then whispered the most ridiculous plan in history.

"We have to drug Louis and put him in bed with me. When Rafael arrives, you bring him into my room—"

Levi sputtered. "GIRL." He threw up his hands. "Are you insane?! If your husband—"

"He's NOT my husband!"

Levi ignored her. "If he's already this jealous, and then he finds you in bed with another man? That's not fuel to the fire, Arabella. That's a whole-ass bomb."

Arabella exhaled. "You're right."

Levi sighed in relief.

"We'll go with Plan A instead."

Levi groaned. "Girl, let's just hope your husband returns your kiwi in one piece after this weekend."

Arabella whirled on him. "Shut up!"