Chapter 10

10 - Apollo Castiello

I feel better when you're around.

- One Day

I stayed up all night, as I had predicted, sleep refusing to find me, leaving me at the mercy of my own thoughts. The heat I felt in my body was intense, as if I were burning with fever, though the icy cold of the European dawn was enough to freeze anyone else. The combination of the external cold and the internal fire left me restless, tossing and turning, trying to find a position that would bring me some comfort.

When morning finally came, the contrast was evident. The sun shone high and strong in the blue sky, melting the snow that had accumulated overnight, but the cold still lingered, reminding me that the European winter, even with the presence of the sun, did not give up so easily. I stood for a moment, staring out the window at the world outside, trying to force my mind to focus on the simple fact that the snow was melting. I desperately wanted this to be what held my attention, to distract me from the turmoil that had formed within me.

But the truth was, no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts always returned to the same place, or rather, to the same person: Mia. Throughout the entire night, she invaded my mind, taking over every thought, every moment of silence. And as much as I wanted to push these memories away, it was as if Mia were an emotional quicksand, pulling me back every time I tried to break free.

"Don't do this," I heard my brain scolding me as my fingers already moved toward the phone. There was an internal battle going on, between the part of me that knew it was better to let all this go and the part that simply couldn't ignore it. With a heavy sigh, I ignored all my rational senses and searched through my contacts. I knew it was a foolish attempt, but part of me hoped that, somehow, she had saved her number in my phone when she took it.

I went contact by contact, my heart racing slightly with each name that passed. But, as expected, her name wasn't there. Damn! Of course, it wouldn't be. Mia was married and wouldn't put her number in the phone of a guy she barely knew. Reality hit me hard, and frustration grew within me. She was unreachable, and I knew it. Still, I couldn't avoid the wave of disappointment that washed over me.

I huffed, frustrated, and kicked my shoes on the floor before finally putting them on. I needed a distraction, something to pull me out of that spiral of thoughts that only seemed to deepen. I grabbed the phone again, this time with a different purpose, and sent a message to my only friend. I needed to see her, I needed someone to help me get Mia out of my mind, even if only for a brief moment.

When I came downstairs, my father was in the living room, sitting on the couch with reading glasses on his eyes.

"Apollo?" I heard his voice calling me as I walked in circles looking for my car keys. "Apollo!" My father called me in a deep voice again.

"Dad," I finally replied and forced myself to breathe again.

"You're euphoric." He observed me. "What happened?"

Nothing. Nothing had happened and nothing was going to happen.

"Dad, have you seen my car keys?" I asked, still looking around.

My father raised an eyebrow and shook his head, smiling.

"Raise your left hand." He exhaled and smiled, returning to his reading.

And then, miraculously, the car keys appeared in my hand.

"I'm going to see Kay." I announced and bent down to kiss his hair. "I'll be back soon, I... I need to..."

"I know." My father interrupted me. "And I remember the last time I saw you like this. Be careful, Apollo." His voice was serious.

"No way."

I got in the car, and in less than five minutes, I arrived at my friend's workplace. She was attending a table when I sat down at one of those small, hidden tables in the café. Moments later, she abandoned her bartender outfit and sat across from me.

"I know that look." Was the first thing she said before sitting down and snatching my phone from my hands. "I have a bunch of questions for you, but I think you need to talk first."

I huffed, rubbed my hands over my face, and stared into Kay's blue eye.

"I need to have sex." It was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

My friend stifled a laugh and nodded slightly.

"Go on!"

"I'm serious." I messed up my hair. "I can't stop thinking about a woman, so I need to get her out of my mind. I need to have sex." I felt like garbage confessing that out loud.

Kay flashed a huge smile, and my head was too full to care.

“And why do you think that’ll go away if you stick your dick in just anyone? I drummed my fingers on the table. Huffed. Covered my face.

"Because that's how it works." I replied, with no intelligent answer. "It doesn't make any sense, Kay."

"If you keep drumming on this table, I'm going to flip it over your head." She warned. "You really do need to have sex." She agreed with me. "However..." her phone started to ring. "This just keeps getting better." She talked to herself before answering the phone.

“Hi, Lauren... - She spoke cheerfully.

I remained restless, unable to be rational. Damn, I was really euphoric.

"Oh, my shift just ended, but I'm still at the café." Kay resumed talking on the phone. "Oh, come on! I'm waiting for you at one of the back tables." And she hung up.

Kay smiled and clapped her hands, celebrating something I didn't know.

"What happened?" I wanted to know. "Who was it?"

Kay threw herself back in the chair and ordered a bottle of wine from another waitress friend of hers.

"You were talking to me." She raised an eyebrow. "About your sexual abstinence."

I huffed. My fingers started drumming on the table again instantly.

"Kay? Damn, I forgot to tell you." I was still uncomfortable, but I didn't want to think about it anymore, about... Her. "New Scene called me yesterday. They want me for the lead role in their new movie."

"Oh my God!" Her eyes widened. "My God, Apollo! That's it!"

Happiness and pride seemed to radiate from her as she hugged me.

"Kayla?" A soft and deep voice called my friend.

Kay pulled away from me, and that voice...

"Apollo!"

"Mia!"

My heart skipped a beat. My eyes faltered. My mouth went dry.

She was even more beautiful in the daylight. The sunlight that reflected through the window shone on her skin, and she seemed to glow. Her hair was down and fell over her shoulders. She wore a simple tight dress in gray and black checkered tones. She took off her coat while her eyes were still locked on mine.

And all that restlessness vanished. My breathing returned to normal, my fingers stilled. Her scent lingered in my mind.

"Since when do you two know each other?" It was Kay's amused voice that snapped me out of the trance those eyes had put me in.

Mia exhaled and sat down beside us.

"I ask you the same thing." Mia spoke to Kay.

I was still surprised by her arrival, I was still admiring her.

"Okay." Kay resumed the conversation. "I met Apollo here at the café many years ago, our parents were friends since we were kids." She explained, looking at Mia and then at me. "I met Lauren at my sister's high school graduation."

Mia and I remained silent, but Kay raised an eyebrow, wanting an explanation.

"I met Apollo yesterday." Mia's voice was low, almost shy. "We're going to be acting together."

"Yeah." I agreed.

Kay was smiling, as if she had expected this.

"I want to see this catch fire." She smiled and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Mia grabbed her by the arm.

Kay let her blue hair loose and lifted her chin, forcing a sham seriousness.

"I'm off to do community service." She shrugged. "Take care, Lauren. And Apollo, give up on that thing. You're screwed." Kay smiled and left.

Mia kept watching our friend disappear through the café doors.

"I don't think she realized I came here to talk to her." Mia made a playful face and looked back at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Her voice was suspicious.

I turned my eyes away, smiling when I realized I was still staring at her.

"You're just really beautiful." I finally said.

Mia opened her mouth, blinked rapidly, and shook her head slightly.

"Uh, where's Kayla?" The waitress who Kay had asked for wine stopped next to us.

Then, before I could say anything, Mia took the glass of wine off that tray and downed it in one gulp.

The waitress smiled and walked away instantly.

I watched Mia's skin take on a rosy hue, and I smiled to myself.

"What were you saying?" She wanted to know, but without looking at me.

I felt like the luckiest guy in the world knowing I caused those reactions in her. I felt happy knowing I wasn't the only one feeling vulnerable.

"Nothing, Hudson," I finally replied, watching her expression shift into irritation. Her jaw tensed on the left side. Her lips thinned into a tight line, and the little dimple above her eyebrow appeared.

"Apollo, my social name is Mia Lauren," she said, looking at me with those big blue eyes. "So, I would really appreciate it if you ignored my married name."

Then, the smile I had been trying to suppress, the one I was fighting, broke through. I loved knowing that she avoided Bradley’s name. I loved knowing that she was sitting at a diner table with me.

"God, you’re annoying." Mia rolled her eyes as I continued to smile, and she made a move to grab her bag and coat.

"Wait." I grabbed her hand.

Mia’s eyes immediately dropped to where my hand held hers. I noticed her breath catch, and I realized I was having trouble breathing, too. Her body was warm.

"Listen, Mia." I said her name, and her expression softened. "I’m going to annoy you a lot more. You’ll have to get used to it. But I promise I won’t hurt you." I spoke quickly because I saw her eyes widen.

Strangely, I saw something sparkle in her eyes. Actually, her eyes seemed to shine all the time.

"Okay." She relented. "But I hope you know this could have consequences." Mia smiled mysteriously.

Every part of my body burned at that moment.

"You have no idea how well I handle consequences," I said quietly, smiling slightly.

Mia’s face turned red, and then she noticed I was still holding her hand.

"Right." She pulled away, a little flustered.

And in that instant, I had never been more eager for the consequences that were bound to come.

From the sweetest to the harshest consequence, I was ready to face it.