Chapter 20: Twenty

Melina woke up abruptly, even before her phone went off. She looked at the window; it was still dark outside. Taking her hand to her forehead, she groaned with a nasty headache. On the bedside table, her cell buzzed. It was five in the morning and still dark outside. Melina got up and sneaked to the bathroom. She tried to be as quiet as possible, not to wake Henry up.

He was sleeping in the house. Why not? He had a fancy baby monitor with him earlier. If Eve got fussy, she was sure he would get there in minutes. The urge to know how their evening went was eating her up, and she missed her little girl. The house was an old one with only one suite, Henry’s. She had to use the common bathroom, and she didn’t want to bump into him.

Melina went over her morning routine and left the house on her tiptoes, straight to the beach. She needed a peaceful time to put her chaotic mind in order. At those hours, the place was almost deserted. The only ones there were the early birds doing some kind of exercising, like walking, running, or jogging on the shore.

She took her shoes off and walked to a small boulder close to the water. The day promised to be a gorgeous one, so she sat there to watch the sunrise, and every time the waves rolled in and bathed her feet, the cold, salty water brought some relief to her tense body, and the sound of the waves worked their magic, calming her troubled soul.

An hour had passed, and she was so lost in her thoughts, it took her some time to realise Xanthos was calling her from afar. She turned her face to meet his sparkling eyes and a warm smile on his face. It was not a coincidence she met him there. It was part of his morning run routine.

“Hey Mel. Is everything all right? I’ve never seen you here at this hour.” He greeted and sat beside her, circling her shoulders with his arm, bringing her closer to him. It felt good, a friendly warmth for a change.

“I just needed some peace and calm to put my thoughts in order again. I was suffocating.” She gave him a sad smile and looked back at the sea, watching the sunrise. It was so beautiful, all those colors, just like a painter’s palette.

“That thug is giving you a hard time, I see?” It was more of a statement than a question. “Why do you put up with him, Melina? I told you we can fight for Eve and win.”

He had a valid question there. Why? Fear for him to take Eve away from her. Curiosity to see if this time he would honor his words and after two weeks he wouldn’t pursue guardianship. All the mixed feelings he awakened in her since he showed up. The hope that he had nothing to do with the tragedies in her life. But she couldn’t say that to Xanthos. He wouldn’t understand.

“I don’t want to put Eve in the middle of a court, Xan. What are two weeks of suffering compared to all the troubles of a possible process?”

“Do you trust him?” He stared at her with sadness, hoping for an answer that could favor him, but it didn’t come.

“It sounds cliché, but I do.” Life would be much easier if she could fall for him. He was an honorable man, but… then her cell phone buzzed.

Melina looked at it and there was an income message. Her eyes widened, making her blush and her heart speed up in her chest. “Get the hell away from this phony god, or our deal is off!” It read. Melina shut off her cell and looked around. Was he here on the beach? He should be home with Eve, but she didn’t find him anywhere.

“Look, Xan, I have to go. A full day of patients waits for me. Nice talking to you, and don’t worry, everything will be fine.” She kissed his cheek and left. On the way to the clinic, she grabbed a cup of coffee and once there, she slumped in her chair, looking out the window at the sea.

She was being watched. Having Henry on the island was a challenge of sorts. Now he went too far, and if he thought he would scare her and make her do whatever he wanted, he was in for a surprise. She granted him two weeks. Nothing more came with the package.

“You look as if a bus ran over you! Is there something wrong? It’s early and you’re already here. Is Eve okay?”

“Yes, Eve is fine. Don’t worry.” The way she said it didn’t convince Gabriella, who glanced at her in slits.

“I know you, something is definitely wrong, spill it, Melina!” Her friend was hiding something from her. She looked pallid, red-rimmed eyes, and if she knew better, it had to do with Eve’s father. That guy was a bummer!

“He made me a proposal. He won’t pursue guardianship, but he gets to have two full weeks with her without me around.” The horrified look she got from Gabs made her hide her face between her crossed arms on the table.

“He can’t do that! This is cruel to you and Eve!” She blurted out, outraged.

“I know, he’s angry because I separated them, and he wants to get back at me, and the only way is through Evangeline.”

“How did you accept such crap from him!?”

“What are two weeks compared to a lifetime without her, Gabs?” She faced her furious friend.

“Have you told your lawyer about this? That’s not a proposal, it’s a threat, and you fell for it.”

“Gabs, let it be. It’s done.” Melina lost her cool and answered Gabs a little on the harsh side, ending the subject.

Melina loved Gabriella like a sister, but sometimes she got on her nerves. She knew what she was doing. There wasn’t a way out of this situation. Henry could be an entitled Mafia prick, but if he said in two weeks Eve was hers again, she believed it. Deep down he had good in him.

“Fine. Let’s get to work, then. There is no better remedy than work to keep our minds from wandering, right?” Melina stood up and Gabs gave her a hug before pulling her friend from the office.

It seemed God had listened to them, and the day in the clinic was the busiest as she had. She loaded herself in attending to her patients and still found time in her schedule for some spaying. They had a sick stray kitty in the clinic. The poor guy has FeLV, feline leukemia virus, it only affects cats, and messes with their immune systems. The virus spreads through the saliva and waste, or through the womb of an infected mom. That was the case of poor little Chops. Even though all the treatments and enhancing his strength, the little fella seemed to have a forever cold.

He was a tuxedo cat, like Socks, but much more white than black. Besides his troubles, he was playful and funny, a happy kitty. Eve was going to love him, and there was no problem bringing him home since the other two cats were also FeLV positive. They were nice and mellow enough to accept the new friend.

Evening came and Melina was still in the clinic when exhaustion hit her. It was just the first day. But at least she didn’t dwell on the subject too much. Of course, Eve was on her mind all day, and this would be the time she was there with her. A load of wild thoughts flooded her mind. Was she missing her? Would she be crying? Was she giving him a hard time? How was he dealing with Giagiá? She wasn’t that fluent in English, neither was Eve. Evangeline understood everything in English, but talking was another feat. Were they getting together fine? Gosh, so many questions she thought she was going mad.

She glanced at the clock, and she still had time to get back, take a shower, and lock herself in her room. Melina quickened the pace and once in the house, she left her stuff in the bedroom, going straight to the blessed shower; she needed the soothing jet on her body to ease all the strains of the day. She took her time there, enjoying the warm water on her skin, letting her mind wander away, and it settled on Henry for her frustration.

Her body reacted just to the thought of him. A shiver ran down her back and coiled in the pit of her stomach, making her lady parts come alive, missing him. Suddenly goosebumps spread all over her body when she pictured his hands and lips all over her skin, and the warm water was too hot to bear. Melina turned the jets into cold. She needed to assuage the arousal in her body. If she had a mirror in front of her, she knew she’d be flushed fiery scarlet from head to toe, and Henry loved that on her.

“Lord, this isn’t helping!” Frustration beat at her, and she turned off the water. “Enough shower.” She wrapped her head in a towel while drying her body with irritation, then wiggled into her pajama pants and a tank top with little patience, and finally, she left the bathroom to collide into a hard chest. “What are you doing here? Did something happen? Where’s Eve?” Panic swamped her once the shock waned down. He wasn’t supposed to be there already.

“Calm down, she is fine. She’s asleep, Melina.” Her chocolatey eyes were huge on her face, then she breathed and her eyes watered. Lord, he was a jackass. But he had so much fun with Evangeline today! Melina averted her gaze and walked to the kitchen.