He was alone today.
Again.
The chair across from him was empty; the sounds of rushing cars, clamoring voices and stampeding footsteps beyond the little fence were his only company.
He looked down at his phone, his fingers gently running over the last message he had sent. "Talk to me, Ira."
He wasn't sure which message number that was; it pained him to realize that he had lost count in the past week, "This is pathetic."
No, what was pathetic was the few words he already typed into the message box, his heavily lidded eyes scanning the screen as his trembling thumb hovered over send button.
"Please, stop ignoring me."
He bit his bottom lip, knotting his brow tightly before he cleared out the message. He set the phone next to his cold cup of tea, his fingers tracing the rim of the porcelain cup. He leaned back, running his fingers through his long bangs, letting the afternoon sun touch his face, his swollen eyes closing as the heated rays caressed his cheeks.
Like soft fingers as they trailed over his partially parted lips, a deep sultry chuckle accompanying that gentle touch, "You look tired, babe. This is why I choose coffee over tea, it's stronger."
He chuckled softly, his lips curling into a smile against her fingertips, "It's too bitter. You'll need to add some sweetness to that."
He could feel her hot breath on his lips, her voice deep and magnetic, "Well then, perhaps a kiss would make it sweet enough."
He opened his eyes, his lips twitching before he grimaced, looking up into the empty sky; clouds slowly covering the warm caress of the sun. He sat upright, staring the empty chair in front of him; an untouched plate holding a chocolate croissant between him and his missing companion. His bottom lip trembled, and he shook his head, ignoring the other customers around him. This was her favorite spot to survey her kingdom, and for the past week, she hasn't been here.
He stood up, his fingers gripping the table, reluctant to leave before he finally let go, turning away from that empty chair, leaving the croissant and tea behind. He picked up his phone and began to walk out the opened wooden door, ignoring several curious glances as well as the barista waving at him. He didn't even stop to chat, his chest feeling tight as his mind was preoccupied with the unpleasant knowledge that she was ignoring him.
As he began to walk, he found himself moving away from the center of the crowded sidewalk, his shoulders tensing slowly until knots started to weigh him down. The noise and lack of open space were closing him in, and he stepped into a graphitized alley between two stores, hiding in the shadows of the walls, fear clawing at the back of his neck. His eyes darted all around, trying to take in every direction as he took short, hard breaths. He waited to feel a gun against his head, to hear the distinctive sound of a trigger being pulled. Maybe the last words he'd hear would be a cliché premortem one-liner like "Dante says hello."
Or perhaps there would be no trigger at all.
Just a guttural growl behind him, before being crushed into the ground, sharp spikes digging and ripping into his skin, his entrails splatter along the street as his bones were pounded into tiny shards.
He gasped, feeling cold sweat down his chin at that vivid image. It was stupid to lunge himself towards that creature. It may have temporarily saved Eva, but it also left them with a giant target on their backs. No corner, rooftop, store, nothing in this town was safe anymore.
This was Dantes' city; Wraths' private hunting grounds.
That monster wanted them dead, and it was only a matter of time before pieces of his body would be scattered across the ocean.
"I'll protect you…"
He felt his shaking slow to a stop as those words echoing in his ears, bubbling from just below the surface of his mind. His shoulders began to relax before he tensed up again, a bitter sigh escaping his lips. "You don't even want me."
His head lifted as he felt his phone jolt and shake in his pocket. He dug into his pocket, swallowing slowly as he lifted the phone to his gaze, his thumb running against the screen. The contact information opened before him, and he grinned, feeling that deep hole in his chest began to fill itself with hope. As he opened the message, that hope bore sweet fruit as he eagerly read the words displayed before him. "When are you free?"
He released a light laugh, his free hand scratching his cheek gently, the tension lifting from his shoulders and loosening from his chest. He took a long breath, finally feeling a sense of calm wash over him as he typed a response, "Anytime you want-"
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