She continued “You can feel the terror creeping through your skin, you can see your surroundings darken into an intense grey, you can feel your breath hitching as you struggle to breathe, your blood running cold, your heart almost stopping”
Abigor’s eyes darkened at her observation as he pulled her closer to him. “What is up with her fucked up imagination?” he couldn’t tell, but he could feel.
She was truly a mystery. So beautiful, so powerful.
“Or. . .” she breathed out while smiling softly “You can see a small house with the delicious aroma of home-cooked food, a mother singing happily, a father reading his newspaper while cracking lame jokes” she almost laughed as she continued.
“You can feel the warm feeling of home creeping up your skin, in the security of your abode. Right?” she looked up at him as her dark green eyes peered up at him.
He didn’t know what to think as he heaved out a shaky breath “I still see black”
She laughed and slapped his shoulder lightly “Silly”
She walked away towards another painting, moving on so easily. Leaving the brooding giant standing near the blank painting, his heart pounding with his breathing ragged.
“Weapons don’t feel”
He chose to ignore his father’s words as his heart kept pounding at an abnormal rate. Aria looked over her shoulder and back at him with a confused look as to why he wasn’t coming with her.
“Aren’t you coming?”
He nodded curtly at her question as he forced his legs to move towards her. She started pointing towards the next painting while smiling and telling him something about it. He didn’t listen to a word she said.
He kept staring at her, falling deeper and deeper.
“So you can go on a date with the Mafia boss and I cannot even see the assistant?”
Kahlil whined from the kitchen counter while flipping the omelette as Aria shook her head and sipped her orange juice. It was 7 in the morning and she had just told him about her date with Abigor.
“He wouldn’t have agreed if I said No, Kahlil. I had no choice” she said quietly as her eyes raked over the newspaper.
Two more murders to add to this month’s deaths. This city was truly haunted by the American Mafia, but no one dared to say a word against them. Because they knew that in times of need, they will protect the nation instead of the incompetent police.
Either that or they’d just be killed if they protested.
Kahlil finally turned around and placed his hands on his hips, his eyebrows furrowed “How much more of a hypocrite can you be, sis?”
That line got on her nerves as she gritted her teeth and glared him down “I know what’s good for me”
“So do I!” he retorted back.
“No you don’t!” she shouted back “You are 19, barely an adult. You just got out of an orphanage you don’t know what the world is like!”
“And you do?” he asked smugly.
“YES!” her vision blurred and her eyes burned with incoming tears “and you know that too!”
But she didn’t let the tears fall. She never did.
Kahlil’s tough exterior broke as his eyes softened “I’m sorry” he apologized.
Their relationship has been sour since Abigor and Karl entered their lives but the siblings tried harder than ever to stick to each other.
She stood up and went to him, her hands reached his head and caressed his curly black hair “I’m not stopping you, Kahlil”
His eyes widened at her sentence “W-What do you mean?” he almost stuttered in excitement as Aria gave him a soft smile.
“I’m not stopping you to meet Karl, I just want you to be careful” her soft voice echoed in his mind as a huge grin broke out on his face, he hugged her tightly while muttering various “thank you’s”
She chuckled and hugged him back “Does he treat you right?” she asked as he nodded feverishly.
“He’s the best!” he declared and hugged her tighter “after you of course”
She laughed again and kissed the side of his head affectionately “Aw my cute baby brother”
Their small moment was interrupted by the buzzing of their doorbell as both of them pulled away and frowned. It was only 7 am, no one visited them this early.
“I’ll check it” Kahlil said as Aria nodded and followed behind him towards the door. On the way, she grabbed her pepper spray from her purse and clutched on it tightly.
Better safe than sorry.
Kahlil sighed at his silly paranoid sister and unhooked the chain and opened the door. Their breath hitched as they saw the person standing in front of them.
“What are you doing here this early?” Aria asked, coming forward as she looked at Abigor standing in a simple white t-shirt and dark grey joggers. It was the first time she had seen him in casuals, he looked good.
Who was she kidding? He always looked good.
“I brought cookies” was his reply as he thrusted a paper bag at her.
“What?” she asked confused with an amused look as Kahlil coughed, trying to control his laughter.
“It’s a gift from your new neighbour, hope you’ll make me feel welcomed here” he said with a slight smirk as she gasped in surprise.
“Y-You” Kahlil interjected “n-neighbour?!”
“Y-Yes pretty boy” Abigor mocked as Aria rolled her eyes at him. Abigor looked back at Aria with the same smirk “I just moved in, so won’t you help out your handsome neighbour?”
“What do you want?” she finally asked with a small sigh, moving aside so he could enter. She knew how persistent he was and she didn’t want to waste her energy early in the morning arguing with him.
“I’m hungry” he said as he looked back at Kahlil to see him looking out the door, here and there, searching for something or someone.
“If you’re looking for Karl, he isn’t here” Abigor said as he watched the younger boy’s expression fall. Aria also frowned seeing him disappointed as Abigor heaved out a sigh and shook his head.
“He’s coming to my apartment in a bit, you can go wait there if you want”
Kahlil’s face lit up in happiness as a huge grin stretched his face “Ok!” he ran out, slamming the door behind him.
“Is he really coming?” Aria questioned as Abigor shrugged.
“Nah, just wanted him out of here” he said with a devilish grin.
“Abigor-!”