Submitting to Mafia-8

Ever since that day, Lauren could not take the risk of letting Elysia go home alone. Before Elysia's working hours could end, she would go to her clinic and wait until she wrapped up the day and then they would walk home together.

 "Lauren, something happened at the clinic today.'' Elysia suddenly broke the silence.

Lauren's heart thumped badly against her chest. ''What?'' She hid the nervousness as she asked.

''There is a man. I saved his life almost 2 months back.'' She started. Actually, she did not tell her friends about Sebastian before because she did not have the chance.

"He came to the clinic today and he asked me out for dinner. He wants to treat me as compensation." This is all she could make out of his offer.

''Really?" Lauren raised an eyebrow. She was sure that Elysia had refused his offer. She is currently going through trauma. She can't even make eye contact with anyone. Let alone going on a date. "What did you tell him?"

She exhaled loudly in the air, "I said, yes.''

"WHAT!" Lauren's shocked voice rang in the air.

''I know." She trembled from inside, "I messed up and I am regretting it badly. What should I do? How should I say no to him?" She literally pleaded.

"Do you trust him?" Her question made Elysia's eyes wide open.

'Do I trust him?' She thought and touched her earlobe. It is her habit. Whenever she is agitated, she touches her ears.

"I have no idea.... not the slightest bit.'' She was confused, "But now when I think about him, I was alone with him in the clinic and not once... not even once I had any bad thoughts.'' She was surprised by her own thoughts.

"Then he must make you feel secure. Grab him Elysia. You need to move on in your life and if someone's here to make you feel this way, don't let this chance go away." They were at the door of the apartment. Lauren tapped in the password.

"I am not sure. What if he gets to know what happened to me? He will loath me and I can't bear a heart break at the moment." She plopped on the couch and massaged her temples, "these men and their ways of thinking, I can't handle them."

"Oh gosh, why are you thinking so much? It's just a date and nothing serious happens the first time. He is not going to make commitments with you. Go out and try to spend some time with him and if this will work out well, if he will have sincere feelings for you.... he will embrace all of your scars, all of your traumas. Go with the flow." Lauren gave her genuine advice.

And like always, Elysia was getting light-hearted after having a conversation with her. After a month, she finally smiled, "Thank you." Her voice was more like a whisper.

"Shut up. There is no thank you in friends." She paused, "Why don't you help me cook meatball pasta instead?" She wriggled her eyebrows.

Elysia's smile turned deeper. "Sure. Just give me 10 minutes."

She hurriedly went to her room and stepped under the shower. The dark eyes of Sebastian, his calming Italian accent, those plump lips and the tattooed hands.... they all flushed in her head.

"What the hell!!" She murmured as her own thoughts scared the hell out of her.

She rinsed the soap and changed into comfortable clothing. Lauren was also done freshening up so they cooked together.

Tylor Swift's 'Blank Space' was beaming through the speakers.

~Nice to meet you, where have you been?

I could show you incredible things

Magic, madness, heaven, sin

Saw you there and I thought

Oh, my God, look at that face!

You look like my next mistake

Love's a game, wanna play?~

Elysia felt like the song was just portraying her feelings. 'Is it too early to move on? Is it okay for me to think about some man?' She was scared of her own heart.

That thunderous night, she still hasn't forgotten it. She has thought about Sebastian and his wounds every night. She was also curious to see him again, but the tragedy made her put a barrier around herself and now, she did not know if she should take this chance or not?

'Maybe I should just go with the flow. Just like Lauren said.''

They were soon done cooking and had the meatball pasta for dinner.

Even all the exhaustion from the day wasn't enough to make her sleep. She is scared of even sleeping now.

She has been getting help from the sleeping pills but they still fail to make her feel completely at rest as she cannot let her guard down.

At that moment, the message notification on her mobile grabbed her attention.

Unknown: Sebastian here. Can you tell me your address? I will come to pick you up at 7 in the evening.

Her heart did the somersault.

He knew her address but he did not want to scare her. This little pretense was necessary.

Elysia: *Typed her address*

His reply came almost instantly.

Sebastian: Great. See you tomorrow.

Elysia: Good night.

Being an introvert, it hasn't been easier for her to communicate with others. But she can be herself through the phone.

At the other end, Sebastian sat on the rocking chair. A cigarette in between his fingers while, on the other hand, he was holding the mobile. The little conversation which he had with her was shining on the screen. He can't even count how many times he read it.

There was nothing special about it. But his heart was making it special for him.

He took a deep drag of the cigarette and made the rings with the smoke. They soon dissolved in the air.

Sebastian finally put the phone away and grabbed the glass containing whisky from the table and started sipping on the cold liquid.

'If it was some other night, I would be banging on some girl. But you Elysia, you make me desperate for you. I am dying to see you again, I am dying to talk to you and touch your scar on the face.' His grip on the glass tightened. He was holding it so hard that the fragile glass broke in his hand. Some pieces of glass were dug into his skin but he did not care.

Daisy started to bark. His dark eyes snapped at the little dog. "Come here." He commanded and, just like an obedient dog, she came and sat right in between his legs and started to wiggle her tail.

It was fortunate that no pieces of glass fell on that spot.

"I never had the spot for pets-" he started and ran his fingers with his good hand in the thick fur of Daisy, "But you connect me to her. You are special," he announced.

Maybe Daisy understood his words, that is why she started to rub her face on his thigh.

"Even you understand me." A dangerous smile crept onto his lips. "Will she forgive me? Will she understand that I never wanted such a thing to happen to her?"

"No, she shouldn't forgive me." He sighed as he had given up.

Daisy barked. She did not agree with him. She wanted Elysia to forgive him and submit herself to him.

"Forget it. You aren't going to make it any better." He let out a shaky breath and got up. Daisy followed him around.

A servant came to clean the study while he laid on his back on the bed and Daisy stood by his side for a while.

He looked defeated, but the thought of seeing her tomorrow was making him excited all over again.