Care to Command

56 Anima Gemella

One last time.

I'll go in there.

I'll face him and potentially fall apart. Standing in that empty, cold space I once fought my way to get in.

Meanwhile he could merely stare at me and all my bricks would crumble down.

I'm so weak. When it comes to him.

I don't know what to expect on the other side. What he'll say. Whether I'll know if he's being honest.

The feeling of disgust and self-hate that clung on my skin last Friday... after I surrendered like that to him... let him talk to me like that and do those things... and then I find out he was doing it while knowing he's about to be my boss. That's not right. It's just not right.

So it sucks, that I'm doing this to myself right now. And yet I can't stop it. A fool.

I turn around to Gia and Shushan one last time across the street. They're being supportive. Gia is wiggling her tongue between two fingers and Shushan is pretending to slice her neck, mouthing 'don't worry' with a serious face. I snort a little, feel less afraid.

I take a deep breath and look at the door. I tell myself that I can do it.

And I do. I push the handle down and quietly step inside.

Immediately my eyes go up and I lose my breath.

Wisteria vines hang from the ceiling, painting the sky with lavender petals. The night is dark and blue and full of fragrance. There's countless of them. It's an upside down garden.

Pendant lights flicker behind them like stars. Some of them drape low and freckle the space with gold. Candlelights cover the white tablecloths, illuminating them like water lilies.

The timber sides are curved with rose vines... or azaleas... I can't tell... but they wrap the space like an enchanting embrace, making you feel like you're in a fairytale.

It's so cheesy but perfect.

There's even a soft piano playing in the background, making me feel like I should've worn a puffy dress. What if we start singing?

Then I see him.

Working behind the kitchen island in a white button down, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, leaned forward and scrubbing something... something that's already spotless.

His eyebrows are knitted as he grips the cloth, angrily dragging it back and forth like it insulted his family.

There's a golden tray next to him that might as well be for royals — this guy went all out —plates and wine glasses are organized on it.

Probably sensing my presence, he looks up, freezes, then jerks his hand and knocks the tray over.

I jump at the violent destruction of glass and porcelain as they shatter into a million pieces, probably destroying Lucas's soul with it.

He curses under his breath, drops the cloth on the mess and steps over.

I suck in a sharp breath as he walks around the island and runs towards me while drying his hands. My heart nearly falls into a cardiac arrest when he stands tall before me.

"Hi..." He chuckles, tossing the towel on the chair beside him.

He drinks me in from head to toe with warmth and fascination. As if lost in the same trance I was in when I first walked in. Except he's a thousands times happier to see me.

"Hi..." I look away.

"Thank you for coming..." He doesn't break his gaze. "Welcome to Lucas and Danny's."