Chapter 75 Eleven Missed Calls

Chapter 75 Eleven Missed Calls
Gianna

“License stays.”

That’s all Roxy says when we walk out and I genuinely could cry from relief on her behalf.

She looks lighter now like someone reached into her chest and removed something heavy that had been sitting there for days.

I’m genuinely happy for her.

I’m also starving and my slides are actively punishing me for this entire morning but that’s a separate issue.

We’re barely outside when her phone goes off. She’s already typing before I can open my mouth.

“Braide?” I ask.

“Sponsor.” She doesn’t look up. “Two minutes.”

I lean against the wall and open my own phone. Tamer’s last message is still there from this morning but I don’t reopen the chat. There’s nothing new to say and besides my brain is already doing enough without adding him to the mix right now.

Dmitry has called Seven times.

I know this but I’m actively choosing not to think about it because thinking about it means thinking about how angry he’s going to be when I make it home tonight and I’ll rather not worsen things for myself right now.

I heard footsteps coming towards me just then, then I looked up into the last face I expected to see right now. Not that I had a long list.

Braide stops walking the second he sees me, the worried expression on his face shifting into something more relaxed.

He’s got a jacket slung over one shoulder and the phone he was actively focusing on, dropped into his pocket in an instant as his eyes moved to me then passed me to the building then back to me.

“Hey.”

I push off the wall. “Okay before anything, I’m sorry about your nose. I know Dmitry is never going to do it himself and you got hurt because you were standing near me so.” I let the rest of my words trail off.

He looks at me with that slow unhurried stare.

“I’m being genuine,” I added after an uncomfortable silence from him.

“I know.” The corner of his mouth slowly moved. “You probably practiced that.”

“I did not practice it.”

“You absolutely did, the pause before sorry gave you away.”

“Braide. I’m serious..”

“Relax darling.” Some of the tension drops out of his shoulders. “I’ve had worse.”

“That’s really not comforting.”

“No but you can make it up to me.”

I raise a brow. “How?”

“You will find out soon.” He teases, winking at me playfully but I can’t help the way my heart flutters at the minor action.

“I have an idea what you’re thinking,” I flirt, eyeing him up and down.

“You keep doing that and I’m sure as hell a broken nose will be the least of my problems.”

“What thing?”

“You know exactly what I mean, darling. I’m cool with you using me to piss Dmitry off.” He says, staring at the edge. I open my mouth to I don’t know maybe tell him I wasn’t using him but he cut me short.

“I’m not someone you practice on, Gia. If this is your way of whiling away time, stop. I’m saying this now to avoid either of us getting hurt.” The words roll off so casually like we’re talking about the goddamn weather.

I close my mouth, there’s nothing to say. Braide, who is no different from the other men in my life confused the fuck out of me. But he manages to stand out more in that aspect.

How did we go from whatever moment we had to this?

Roxy finally comes back, her eyes darting between both of us, she squints at both of us but doesn’t bother to ask the question she’s dying to ask.

“Why are you here?” she didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“You stopped replying.” He said simply . “Thought you pulled a Rhonda.”

Something crosses Roxy’s face in a flash before I could discern whatever it was. “I was handling something.”

“Mm.”

They look at each other for about four seconds without anyone opening saying a word . Then almost simultaneously they both talked.

“Have you heard from her?”

Roxy shakes her head negative.

Braide’s jaw tightens and he looks away toward the road while Roxy folds her arms and bumps my shoulder lightly as we start moving, Braide falling into step behind us.

“Can I ask you something?” Roxy said carefully like she was afraid I would run away.

“Go ahead.”

“What do you actually know about the years Dmitry was gone?”

I glance at her. “The period he ghosted me for five years you mean.”

“Yeah.”

I think about it. “Not much honestly. Family obligations, home duty, that’s what he told me and I stopped pushing after a while.” Something tightens in my chest at the reminder of my heartbreak then.

“Every time I brought it up it became about his sacrifice and I always somehow ended up feeling like the unreasonable one for being hurt by it. So I stopped asking.”

Roxy nodded but Braide said nothing behind us.

“Why are you asking?” I say.

“Because we heard somethings.” She keeps her voice low. “About why he actually left and he didn’t exactly tell you everything.”

“What things,” I ask in a low tone.

She looks briefly at Braide who is studying the road with enormous dedication.

Okay that’s beyond strange.

“Yes he left because his family needed him,” she says. “But there’s a reason why and while I’d love to tell you what I know, it could be just plain rumors and it’s not something I should tell you.”

I nod slowly, trying to mask the panic and anger surging through me. I shut my eyes, not asking and she doesn’t offer to fill me in.

Bloody hell.

I already have doubts brewing in my head about Dmitry’s call to leave, and how he gets all jumpy or agitated whenever his mother calls but I’ve tried to delude myself into believing I do not love him enough to care, and so far it’s been working. Not.

That probably makes me a coward.

I flag a cab and got home as the afternoon is tipping into evening.

A part of me was hoping Dmitry would be anywhere except his own house. While another part of me missed being near him.

Dmitry was in the living room, phone in hand and already dialing my number. He opened the door as soon as I touched the handle.

I catch the relief on his face for half a second before he replaces it with something more composed.

“Eleven missed calls Gianna.”

“I’m sorry my phone was on silent.”

“Silent? You missed my calls, you didn’t text or drop a note. You didn’t inform anybody.” He sets his phone down and looks at me steadily.

“You left without telling anyone and made yourself unreachable for hours. I understand you don’t love the arrangement but while it exists you don’t disappear and make yourself unreachable. That’s not something I’ll negotiate on.”

I hold his gaze while I tried to shift my face into something apologetic

“I’m sorry. I was with Roxy,” I apologized. “She needed a witness for something.”

“Next time tell me and we’ll handle it together. Now take the damn phone out of silent mode.”

I didn’t promise him but I didn’t argue either. I took out the phone from the pocket and disabled the silent mode just as my phone buzzed with a text message from Diane.

“You’re scheduled to have a private video call with Tamer in the next one hour. Confirm availability or I’ll have to cancel it.”