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39.
"I am about to leave the hospital. The doctor discharged me, and I feel a hundred times better now."
"How will you get back?"
"Dimitri offered to take me home. He should be here any minute."
"Okay. We are settling into a hotel for the night. We will get some rest and be home early tomorrow morning."
"That's good. It's not always safe to drive at night. Is Carol asleep already?"
"No, she is in the shower."
"How was your trip?"
"Fine. Great, actually. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Right now, I am crashing for the night."
"I'll let you sleep. Take care of yourself."
"And you. Don't rush into anything. Eat something filling and take any drugs you have been asked to take. Try to get some sleep as well."
"I will. I will. I love you."
"And I love you too. See you tomorrow."
Ayesha sunk down to the sofa, leaning over to knot the lace of her sneakers. She pulled the tilt chords on the blinds and
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An Unroyal Alliance 40.
Dimitri walked up to the front door of his house, staring down at the wrapped package sitting at the foot of the door. The box was covered with brown paper. A rose made from a gold ribbon was plastered on top. Confused, he looked around the compound, wondering how long it had been there and who put it there. When he left for the hospital earlier, there had been nothing.He picked the card, tucked into the ribbon, first and read the message."Dimitri. Thanks for inviting me to the party last weekend. I had a lot of fun." He sighed, looking down at the box. "Sofia."Dimitri took the box inside and placed it on the coffee table. Diligently, he ripped away the ribbon before tearing the wrapping away. Inside was a wooden docking station made of dark, burnished wood. His initials were carved into the bottom and traced with golden paint. He turned the package around, looking it over.Sofia was one to show her gratitude with gifts. When they were kids, she'd buy them icecreams or tickets to t
An Unroyal Alliance 41.
Dimitri turned in bed, half asleep. He listened for the sound of the doorbell. It came again, and he groaned, muttering in frustration as he snuggled his head deeper into the pillow and tried to block out the rest of the awakening day. It had been a long night at the office, signing documents, revising contracts and scheduling meetings. He intended to sleep into the morning until he was sufficiently rested, but whoever was at the door had other plans. The ringing stopped. Two rings and everything fell silent. Ordinarily, he would have continued sleeping, but he groggily sat up, looking at the clock and searching for his phone. If anyone of his family was at the door, they would have called when he didn’t answer after the third ring. When nothing happened, he sluggishly dragged himself out of bed and into the living room. Still hazy from his interrupted sleep, Dimitri padded to the door. He looked at the security monitor but only saw a woven basket filled with clear p
An Unroyal Alliance 42.
Ayesha smiled as she walked up to the sliding door that led to the swimming pool. The entire setup was inviting. The rippling water reflecting the sun's rays across the surface gave it the appearance of a sparkling gem.“Did you design this too?”“No. No. I am not that talented yet.” He joked, leaning his weight on the frame of the door. “I just chose what design I thought would best fit my backyard and allowed the men to do theirwork.”“Did you also design your apartment when you lived there?” She asked with interest, turning away from the pole and resting on the door frame too.“I did, but unlike with this place, I didn’t have much experience and made many mistakes.”“With?”“Colour. Furniture. You name it. I painted the walls one colour and later on it didn’t match some of my furniture. I learnt from my mistakes and grew my own taste fr
An Unroyal Alliance 43.
Sofia watched the young woman walk away, the skin of her palm biting into the leather of the steering wheel as she squeezed it hard. She had driven over to surprise Dimitri. She planned to run into him as he left for work, so she parked her car and waited, prepared to bite the bullet and invite him out for coffee. He insisted they could be friends, and she was ready to use her cards and sort things out. Little by little, like before, they would become closer again.Her plans and excuses went out the window when she looked through the gate to see him saying goodbye to her. She didn’t simply kiss him on the cheek, she hugged him, and he smiled at her with warmth. The same warmth she noted in his tone months ago when he spoke about helping her at the hospital.&n
An Unroyal Alliance 44.
Ayesha strutted out of the store with the bags of clothes she’d purchased swinging at her side. It had been a while since she bought something for herself, and since she didn’t have classes or work in the morning, she decided to use the car for a drive around. She dropped the bags in the back of the car and got in, ready to return to the apartment.As she crossed the street to get to her car, her eyes fell on a familiar face sitting across the street from where she parked. He sat under one of the large, bright blue patio umbrellas stalking out of the centre of the elegant, polished deck tables. It always seemed easy to pick him out in a crowded space. Once her eyes caught a glimpse of him, he became all she saw.Maybe it was a rouge crush, and she was allowing it to blossom even when she convinced herself she was cutting it down. She didn't want to start anything with someone who still loved someone else. But the uncertainty of that fact kept feeding her wi
An Unroyal Alliance 45.
Early in the morning, Dimitri was finishing his hike for the day when he walked out of the forest and noticed Ayesha sitting by the waterfront. Unlike the last time he had seen her in that exact spot, she had come prepared with a blanket and a lunch box. Casually dressed in dark leggings and a large navy blue t-shirt with a wide enough neck that one side hung off her shoulders.She appeared to be enjoying the day. Her hair was down, her hands stretched behind her, and her neck craned towards the sky as she relished the little sunlight that warmed her skin. Her legs were crossed at the ankles. She had taken her shoes off, so he noticed when she wiggled her toes through the socks.“Hey.”“Hey, right back. How are you?”“Fine, thanks. You?”“Spectacular. Are you finishing up on your hike?” He nodded, and she tapped an empty space on the blanket. “Want to join me?”“Sure.” H
An Unroyal Alliance 46.
"Any better?" Dimitri asked as he turned the car on and allowed the heaters to blast through the vents."Yeah. Either that or I am past the point of feeling anything different."Ayesha shivered violently. She had taken her shoes and socks off, unable to bear them on her feet for a second longer. Dimitri allowed the car to run for some time, using the heat from the air conditioner to make their situation more bearable, but it didn’t change much. They had been sitting there for so long, and nothing had changed.The storm raged around them. The streams of raindrops were so thick Ayesha could clearly see the insides of the car when she looked out the window. She saw Dimitri from the window. He was digging into the back seat, leaning over the console and grunting from discomfort.“Ayesha.”“Yeah.”“Take this.” He handed her a towel and then reached for a jacket and shorts. “Change into that.”
An Unroyal Alliance 47.
“Come on up.”“No, I can’t. I might be all smiles, but I need to get warm.”“I bet. Which is what I am inviting you in for.” She looked out the windshield to the street. “It’s still raining quite heavily. I’ll wash and dry your clothes. You can change into them and enjoy a hot cup of tea. Don’t be so hard-headed. You’ve been shivering so hard your teeth are about to chatter out of your head.”He had no blanket in the car, and aside from the heater, there was nothing else he could use to get warm. The offering was tempting. He wouldn't deny that he dreaded having to sit through the traffic of cars in his still-drying clothes."I don't want to inconvenience your roommate."“Then you have nothing to worry about. He is spending the week at his girlfriend's place. Come in.” She pleaded, and this time he relented."Fine, but I have to find a better place to p
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