Chapter Eight
Roman:
The evening crawled in slowly as I watched her from the street and occasionally the time while I waited. The way she moved from the window to the register and back again lulled me into her trance. When the time finally came, it was easy to get into her apartment again.
She really needs to be more careful so a creep doesn’t break in.
I slip out from My Little Rabbit's room and through her front door. The calling card accompanied her gift, again, but I can't help myself from thinking about her. I close the front door quietly, thinking about how she must have found the one from last night by the way she picked at her lips in distress today.
As much as I can’t stop imagining about her, I also can't stop thinking about why such a charming little rabbit would volunteer to dive deeper into this underworld. I know it wasn’t that she wanted to be around Stepan, because when I interrupted she sighed with relief in the theater. By the way he talked about her, I knew I had to get to her before he did though, and since he wants me to make the deal, I'll make sure she isn’t taken from anyone but myself. Even if she was trying to sacrifice herself to this world.
Now was the chance to give her that.
I can hear her and Sarah chatting in the Cafe. They are rummaging around as they finish up their closing duties, giving me time to listen to My Sweet Rabbit’s honey voice in the hallway. Her laughter echoes through the quiet Cafe as I pocket the mask into the inner side of my leather jacket.
I walk down the narrow concrete stairs, and out the side door to the alley. The sun starts to set behind me, stretching my shadow to the sidewalk as the breeze slaps the back of my neck.
I slip past the ding of the bell as I situate my black hood over my leather jacket's collar.
“We are clos—Oh,” Sarah pronounces. Ava perks up, straightening her back as her eyes fly to mine and back to Sarah. They are sitting in the dark at one of the tables with little light, shining from a small lamp in the corner.
“I wanted to see if I could catch Ava.” My voice is low as I shoot a coy smile as it plays with the shadows, wrapping around my face at the tasty thought of catching her and taking her as mine.
I move closer to the table, passing the upside down chairs on top the tables from what one does at closing time. She was not the over-confident girl I saw with Stepan. No, she was curling over, timid and pure like someone who was caught. Like prey backing into a corner, unable to determine their next move.
Sarah stares at Ava, waiting for a response. Her eyes stabilize as she slants her chin toward me, like her eyes couldn’t keep up with her movement, “Well…. She is here. But we are closed down for the night,” she replies.
Ava’s mouth parts ever so slightly, like she is surprised about the fact that what she had been waiting for all day, finally showed up, “Oh, today is the day huh? Excited to start,” she responds as her kindness coils outward.
I stand at the table, “I have somewhere to be in a couple of hours, but Ava I could use you for some work tonight.” I take out my watch to check the time, “But we need to go soon. I can’t be late.”
She reaches for her purse from the floor, “Le..let me go grab some things really fast from my apartment and I can meet you out front.” She twists her body, narrowing her eyes, “if that is ok with you?” she snarls slightly and takes Sarah’s hand, pulling her through the swinging double doors to the back.
For someone so eager to make a deal confidently earlier, she seems a little distressed about it, and sassy.
I step out front, enduring the cold evening.
You stupid fucking idiot. You need to stop thinking with your dick.
Whatever she is up to could stop the clock ticking, halting everything to stay the same as it always has, everything I want to destroy including me with it.
But I need to be close to her, even if it is to teach her a lesson about that fucking attitude.