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“I’m sorry,” I repeat, “I really am.” I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I said these three words, I’m sorry, but they never sounded so real as they do now. If only I could turn time back.
“Don’t,” he says, turning his body to me. Don’t say you’re sorry! You lied to me! I trusted you! My imagination starts putting words into his mouth, a deep-seated fear making my fingers shake. “Don’t say you’re sorry, Destiny,” he tells me, just like I imagined, and I feel my fears creeping into the real world. But then he continues to speak. “It’s not your fault. It’s all on him, that fucking prick.”
He gets up from the couch and I just look in silence as he walks toward the kitchen counter and grabs a bottle of aged whisky sitting there. He uncorks the bottle and fills two glasses with the amber liquid.
Throwing his head back, he drinks one of the glasses in one single gulp and then refills it. Only then does he come back to the couch, pushing one of the glasses into my hand.
“Lester has been trying to close down Python since the moment it opened its doors. I just never thought he’d go this far,” he says to me.
I’m quiet, letting him continue.
I mean, a part of me is wanting to hear this, you know?
Whatever secret Austin has, whatever drama he’s got with NYPD, it just fucked up my club.
So yeah, I may be sorry, but I’m also going to need answers. If not now, then soon.
“You see, Destiny,” Austin says as he turns to me, a serious look on his face and I can tell I might just be getting those answers now. “Python is much more than just a bar or a strip club. We do something important there, and I guess we ended up being more than a nuisance to Lester and his cronies.”
My mind is buzzing with questions, but I can’t press Austin any further, not now. I want to.
God damn, I so want to.
But I can tell now isn’t the best time.
But soon, like I said, I’m going to need to know.
For now, I can trust him.
Still, I can’t help but wonder about the we he keeps talking about.
And what exactly is going on at Python?
Is he talking about his haven for women philosophy, or is it something more than just that? Either way, it doesn’t matter. Because I trust him and, whatever the conflict is between him and Lester, it won’t change a thing.
I trust Austin’s judgment more than anything right now, and I won’t let all the things Lester told me about him cloud my mind. That bastard tried to poison me with lies, but that stops now.
“Austin, I…” I start saying, but I stop, not finding the right words. I sided with Lester, and I worked with him to spy on Python and Austin… And, God, that’s making me feel horrible. He presses one finger over my lips and hushes me with a smile.
“You don’t need to say anything,” he whispers, smiling gently. Leaning into me, he brushes his lips tenderly against my own. “I promise you: we’re going to get through this. We’ll find a way.”
As I look into his eyes, I find all my fears fading away as if they were being carried by the wind. I believe him. I believe him in a way I’ve never believed anyone before.
Austin is going to make it all right, I just know it.
How?
Because I love him.
Yeah, you heard me. You know, in case you didn’t hear me before.
Destiny Renee is in love with Austin “Python” Price.
I nod at him, a shy smile creeping on my lips. “We’ll get through this,” I repeat, belief turning into certainty.
Yes, we’re going to get through this.
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