48. Delilah
Chapter forty-eight
Delilah
W aking up next to Archer made me forget why I was here in the first place. It made me forget that my biological parents wanted nothing to do with me when I was younger. It made me forget that Michael was never in my life, and that for some reason, he felt it was right for him to come back now. It made me forget that I had felt unwanted at some point in my life. But it didn’t make me forget the people who did love me.
Bribri and Killy—no, they could never be forgettable. They were my parents, and they had made me feel loved and appreciated since day one, and not even Michael could take that feeling away from me.
I felt Archer turn me over, and I traced his face as I grinned. I placed a kiss on his chin, and he was silent as he rubbed my waist.
“Thank you for taking me in last night,” I said softly, and he nodded.
“I have to be there for you, Princess… always. Just like you are for me.”
I nodded my head, and he was silent for a moment.
“You want to talk about it, baby?” he asked.
I gulped softly as I slowly remembered every detail from yesterday. Every tear I shed, every word I said… everything.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from crying,” I muttered softly to him, and he shook his head.
“You know I don’t care about that. If you feel like crying, then that’s what you need to do. Don’t hold anything back, Princess.”
I sighed heavily, and he rubbed my back soothingly as if to let me know it was okay… that I would be okay.
“Michael and Marissa... their names don’t sound like anything to me. I have no love for them, no desire to build a connection with them; they’re just empty to me. But when I saw him yesterday, I realized how empty I was because of it, and even though it was only a small void in me because of them, it felt large and so overbearing, like it would overtake me. And I know I shouldn’t give them any emotion, but I can’t help but feel absolute hatred for what they put me through, for what they put my mother through… No eighteen-year-old is ready for a premature baby, and no eighteen-year-old should have to spend their next eighteen years raising their sister’s child. And yet she did it—wonderfully at that, with the help of my father. With no complaints towards me, no regrets… She’s my everything, and those people deserve to rot in hell for everything they’ve done to us,” I said, doing my best to hold in my tears.
Archer listened patiently as he ran his fingers through my hair. He wiped away a few of the fallen tears and stared deeply into my eyes. I could feel that he wanted to say something, but he looked conflicted.
He finally placed a kiss on my forehead and sighed.
“I know you know this, but I’ll say it again...they don’t deserve you. You have every reason to feel the way you do… but I don’t want them to take anything else away from you, whether it be your happiness or tears.”
I smiled at him sadly as he rolled us over and placed another kiss on my neck.
“Let’s stay in bed… I know a few ways I could cheer you up,” he muttered.
I rolled my eyes. “So your father can ask where you and I are?” I asked, and he shrugged.
“He’ll be fine… we’re just taking the day off.”
“Fine, but just because I want to go back to sleep.”
He sighed heavily and shook his head as he whispered in my ear.
“You’re no fun.”
Waking up once again, I saw that only two hours had passed, and it was now ten AM. Archer wasn’t in the room, but I could hear the small symphony of a piano being played in the next room. I got out of bed to brush my teeth and do my business before stepping out of his room, but not before wrapping my shoulders with one of his throw blankets. I walked into the living room slowly as he continued playing softly.
He stared blankly as he continued playing, and I placed the blanket on the couch, slowly wrapping my arms around his shoulders from behind him. He stopped playing, and I rested my head on his chin.
“My mother… left my father and I when I was a baby,” he muttered as he stared intensely at the wall as if he was trying to block out the hurt. “She was a one-night stand, and eventually, she and my father agreed to stay together for me... but that didn’t end well. She ended up leaving her first and only child... and sadly, when my father tried to reach out to her, she was dead. Sometimes it makes you wonder if you’re the one who ruined it all… if you should take the blame for someone not wanting you.”
I slowly intertwined my hand in his as I listened.
“My father met Vivienne before I was born, and they had Stephan. Being the smart and independent woman she is, Vivienne decided to leave my father and take Stephan with her. A few years after my mother passed away, my father found Vivienne once again, and for better or for worse… she couldn’t get away from him because he simply wouldn’t allow it. So now we’re one big happy family —minus Stephan, who thinks I’m the favorite, which is partially true,” Archer muttered, looking over and winking at me.
I giggled as I rolled my eyes, and he slowly directed me to sit beside him.
“My point is, Princess, it may be upsetting now, but it’s not your fault, no matter how much you think it is. I’ve been in your position of guilt and fear of those who were supposed to be with us, but I promise you, it’ll get better,” he muttered, and I nodded as I laid my head on his shoulder, silently thanking him.
“Can I ask you something?” I muttered after a moment, and he nodded as he looked over to me. “…Is that my name at the top of that music sheet?” I asked him, giggling as I tried to lighten the mood.
He ripped it off of the stand. He stood up and walked away as I pouted.
“You’re no fun,” I muttered.
He gave me another look before shaking his head, chuckling as he walked into the other room. I chased after him, and just as I was going to jump on his back, he coincidentally picked something up off of the ground. My now miscalculated jump sent me over him and onto the bed. I huffed heavily, and he climbed onto the bed as he tilted his head.
“I’m no fun?” he asked me, and I knew I was in trouble just by his tone.
Before I could sit up, he grabbed my ankle and pulled me over to him quickly, causing me to let out a gasp. Trailing his fingers up and down my thigh, he tilted his head.
“I have a game we can play,” he murmured as he eyed me up and down, and his hands played with the hem of my shirt. He kissed my neck, and I bit my lip to contain myself.
I raised my hands to his hair, but he abruptly pulled away.
“It’s just too bad I’m no fun...” he whispered, and I grabbed a pillow from behind me and threw it at him. He chuckled, and I turned away from him, glaring.
“You’re mean,” I muttered, and he placed a few kisses on my face as I did my best to ignore him, but ultimately couldn’t as my lips felt like pulling into a smile.
Omniscient
Kimiko walked into her office before she set her books on her desk. She walked into the supply closet and wondered where Avery may have been, but didn’t worry much as she knew his class had only ended a few minutes ago. Finding the copy document she needed, she walked back out of the closet only to flinch, noticing Luca now sitting in her chair. He propped his feet up on her desk, and his hands were folded across his lap.
“Hello... tiger ,” he said with a smile.
Kimiko’s blood began to boil as he mocked her.
Luca pouted as he tilted his head. “Oh, I guess you can only tolerate it from a certain person. Not that I care.”
She placed the papers on the desk and pushed Luca’s feet off of it. “Get out of my office,” she said.
He sighed. “I’m bored, Kim-Kim. Delilah and Archer have switched to online classes, the dean is starting to ignore me, and I’m also beginning to feel unwelcomed by you.”
Kimiko restrained herself as she felt the urge to bash his head into her desk.
“Luca. Get out,” she said again.
He stood up slowly. “Kimiko, I don’t think you know how much of a shitshow your family is.”
“I’m well aware of what I have to deal with. You just need to know when to stay out of other people’s lives. News flash, if everything around you seems miserable, chances are that you’re the problem.”
He chuckled as he approached her slowly. She stood her ground as she crossed her arms and he shrugged.
“Just because I’m bored, tiger, doesn’t mean I haven’t been having my type of fun.”
“Don’t call me that, and I honestly could care less about what you’ve been doing in your spare time.”
“You should start caring soon, being as though I’m ever so close to breaking apart your family—but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He winked at her.
She pointed to the door. “Out before I call security.”
He rolled his eyes. “I came to talk to you, Kimiko, get your opinion on a few things… maybe even convince you to listen to a few of my suggestions for the students.” He approached her more, and soon, he towered over her.
“And you think I’d actually consider them?” she asked, unfazed by him.
Luca’s jaw clenched slightly. “Oh, I know you will consider them… Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he whispered with a sinister look in his eyes.
Before Kimiko could respond, she heard a voice. “That... is definitely not what she said,” Sterling said, referring to Kimiko, as he entered the room.
Luca sighed, took a step back, and eyed Sterling.
“Interestingly enough, I oddly expected you to do better. I mean, Reynolds. Seriously? That’s a downgrade, even for you, Kimiko.”
Sterling chuckled humorlessly. “I take it you think being with you isn’t... I’d undoubtedly beg to differ. I mean… imagine spending every hour of every day being someone decent people everywhere would despise. That’s not much of an upgrade, pal.”
Kimiko felt the urge to laugh but stayed silent. Luca chuckled humorlessly as he looked between the both of them. Sterling approached him slowly and tilted his head.
“I sure hope I made you feel welcome . Now, I’ll give you a few words that I really think you should consider . Get the hell out of the president’s office,” Sterling seethed.
Luca sighed, giving Kimiko one last glance before walking out of the room and slamming the door in the process.
Sterling looked over the door, and as if in an instant, his tough demeanor softened, and he looked over to Kimiko in slight worry.
“Did I do good? Did I?” he asked her.
She smiled softly as she walked over to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Yes, you did.”
Sterling smiled slyly as he caught her waist in his arm before she could walk away.
“Tiger, tell me you’re not trying to get frisky with me in your office again …”
Kimiko blushed profusely and pushed him away as he laughed. “It was a small kiss, for goodness sake!” she exclaimed and grabbed the ruler on her desk to throw at him.
He grabbed her wrist before she could and stared down at her as the ruler fell from her hand. She gulped softly as he leaned in closer to her.
“Sterling, go away,” she muttered, and he sighed.
“What happened to the tiger who found my jokes all too funny the last time we were together in this office?” he teased.
She rolled her eyes as she pulled her hand from his grasp and crossed her arms. “She died when you decided to be cocky.”
He chuckled once again and slowly wrapped his hands around her waist.
She sighed as she brought her hands around his neck. “You know, most of the time, if you arrogant, egotistical guys asked nicely instead of being idiots, maybe we girls wouldn’t have a problem with saying yes to a first date, much less to a guy begging for you to be his girlfriend after knowing him for one week.”
“Which you still have yet to officially say yes to,” he said with a pout.
She shrugged. “And that’s because I don’t have a set answer. Maybe you have to change my mind,” she muttered, tilting her head and holding back her smile.
Sterling leaned down slowly to kiss her when they heard a voice.
“Should I step out for now, Miss? I don’t want to overstep any boundaries,” Avery muttered as he stood at the entrance of the room, catching them together for the third time now.
Sterling pulled away from Kimiko and smiled as she held her temples. “Big Aves, come on in. I was just going to say goodbye to our lovely president—” he began.
Kimiko cut him off. “Then say goodbye and leave,” she snapped.
Sterling smirked as he leaned into her ear and whispered, “Such a big attitude for a small tiger.”
She grinned and looked up at him and shrugged. “And I’m sure you’d love to do something about it, but the door is calling your name, not me.”
He bit his lip slyly and winked.
“You will be soon,” he whispered, causing Kimiko’s eyes to widen, and he chuckled as he passed Avery, who seemed all too embarrassed.
Kimiko glared at Avery as if to tell him to “never speak of this again,” and he quickly caught onto her signal as he entered the office to get to work.
Meanwhile, Luca walked along the sidewalk as he passed the academy’s buildings. He had left the high school and university sectors, and slowly, he was entering the middle school section, but he hadn’t noticed, too busy caught up in his thoughts.
After a moment, his phone rang, and he picked it up.
“Stephan, what now? Tell me you haven’t driven Michael insane yet,” he muttered.
Stephan spoke in a panic. “What about me?! I don’t want to be in the same apartment as him!! What if Eugene finds him?!”
Luca sighed heavily. God, it’s like taking care of a toddler.
“Will you shut your fucking mouth for just one second?” he seethed into the phone, and he could only roll his eyes as Stephan continued:
“He’s going to kill me. I don’t want to die yet!”
“When are you going to stop with the hysterics? All you need to worry about is being quiet. Everything will work itself out. Don’t tell anyone he’s there and keep to yourself. You’re starting to annoy me… Have you showered recently, by the way?” Luca asked him genuinely, but he didn’t care for the answer as he noticed someone sitting on the bench.
A young girl. She looked to be hiding behind her long hair innocently, but Luca noticed something was off. She gazed up slowly and made eye contact with him.
Her heart dropped as he ended the phone call and approached her slowly.
“Hello, Ivory ,” he muttered, and she bit her lip as she anxiously gazed over to the street to see if George had arrived. After glancing in the same direction, Luca bent down to her level and tilted his head. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were listening to the conversation I was having, but I must’ve been mistaken, right?” he asked her, and she said nothing.
Gently, he placed a finger on her jaw, causing her to freeze. Slowly, he turned her head toward him and immediately noticed the fear in her eyes that held unshed tears.
“...I don’t like little girls playing detective. So, I’d suggest whatever little ideas you have floating around in your mind be erased immediately. No connecting any dots—because if I have to erase any loose ends that may lead something back to me, just remember I have a few people who simply have nothing to lose.”
Standing to his full height, he sighed. If he weren’t careful, he’d lose this entire ordeal before it even began.
George had finally arrived, and without saying a word, Ivory rushed into the car and slammed the door shut.
Considering this crisis averted, Luca walked away as the car drove off, not knowing that Jin had been listening in the entire time through Ivory’s earphones.