Hopefully, in time, she will come to see that.
I still believe I made the right choice.
***
Over the next three days, I hardly see her at all. The house is too quiet. No feisty little black kitten is giving me hell every day. There is no huffing and groaning because I’m keeping her locked up. And there are so few arguments between us. Nothing. Silence.
Deafening, heavy kind of silence.
It’s strange to miss someone when all you really did before was fight with them.
And it’s even more strange for me to miss a woman. I like my space, my privacy, my time alone. I don’t think about women outside the occasional hook-up when I feel the need. One night. Gone in the morning. Not another thought toward the person.
With Athena, though, despite never hooking up, I miss her.
The house is far too quiet.
It’s late.
From the living room sofa, I can see soft snow falling in the dark blue evening light. The sky is almost glowing from it.
A massive fire rages in the fireplace. I threw a few more logs on, and they’ve all caught and are flaming nicely. Orange light licks at the walls, teasing a flickering pattern of warmth over all the surfaces in the room.
Sitting quietly, I sip a glass of whiskey. I’m thinking about her again. I have plenty of other things that should be occupying my thoughts. Work. Clients. Shipments. But it’s her that my mind always drifts to.
I haven’t seen Athena all day. Her bedroom door was closed when I left and closed when I got home. I’ve heard her moving about. Sometimes soft music plays from her room. But all in all, she is elusive.
It bothers me that I miss her because I don’t understand it. Or is it because I can’t control it? Or her. I’m more accustomed to telling people what I want and then getting it.
With her, things aren’t like that. She’s a wild card. Forcing her to obey me is tempting, but it’ll get me nowhere in the end.
Besides, the idea of forcing her to obey me always ends up in mischievous, delightful images in my head.Oh, I would love to force her to obey me.
“Adrian?”
Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts in surprise.
I almost spill my drink, turning around to face her. “Athena,” I say with no hiding the excitement in my voice.
“Can we talk?” she asks, walking into the living room. “Oh, it’s lovely and warm in here.” She sat quietly, thinking out loud.
“Come sit with me. Do you want a blanket or some coffee? Maybe a drink?” I hold up my whiskey.
She shakes her head. “No, thank you, nothing. I just want to talk.”
“Alright. Well, I’m listening.” I gesture toward the sofa. She sits in the chair closest to the fire and curls her legs beneath her on the massive sofa.
I remain quiet. When she’s ready, she can say what she wants to say. But in the silence, my eyes are roaming her. I love the way the light plays across her face. It darkens her eyes but also makes them glimmer with life. Her chocolate-brown hair has an auburn glow, and her skin is already turning rosy in the heat.
She bites at her lower lip, her full lip dragging against her teeth as she tries to figure out what she wants to say and how she wants to say it.
Finally, Athena lets out a sigh and nods.
“I want more evidence,” she says, lifting her face to look at me.
“Of…” Of course, I assume she’s talking about her father’s activities, but I’d rather hear her say it. She needs to be clear here. I already forced her to witness the truth last time. This time, I’d prefer for her to ask me for it.
“I want more evidence regarding what type of person you say my father is. I’ve been thinking and thinking, and even though I saw him there… maybe he got pushed into this. Maybe someone else forced him to do things…” Her voice trails off asthough she’s already fully aware that no one was pulling the strings on him. He was there by choice. Laughing. Having a good time. Sharing a drink with so-called friends.
