Turning Back The Clock

“We have plenty of time.”

Alia had touched Paolo’s shoulder with reassurance. She knew everything was going to be okay. She just knew it.

Alia and Paolo were back in the game again.

Being able to take down the Council was a mutual bond the lovers had for a very long time.

Lovers seemed like a lewd term, though.

Personally, Alia preferred the term partners, even though it implied there were business negotiations.

After the aftermath of the Council almost destroying Sicily, they both knew they had to be strategic about leaving both of their respected countries.

While they cared about their cultures, they knew that staying there would increase their death sentences rather than obliterate them completely.

On the surface, Italy and Operainia were at a verge of a war. But there were still allies the two partners could trust: Caleb, Alia’s loyal friend at her side, Massimo, Paolo’s trusted priest and mentor, and surprisingly Bryce.

Alia had had her own skepticisms about Bryce in the past, but time and time again, he had proven his loyalty towards her. She pushed potential romantic feelings towards him aside in order to maintain her bond with her Italian comrade.

“When’s he going to leave the money, amore?”

Alia replied, “He should be able to leave it for us in 20 minutes. Bryce said that he would leave the $100,000 inside of the suitcase, put it on the table near that roadside diner, and then, we would never heard from him again. ”

Paolo gripped the steering wheel tightly. He tried with all of his might to not remember that foul man.

“Paolo…I hate it when you act like this.”

“Alia, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. The pedometer is going almost 70 mph, you look like you’ll fight Bryce the moment you end up seeing him, and your face just screams violence.”

For the past hour and a half, they had both driven past trees, houses, and other roadside diners, which they stopped at to eat, in order to be able to be healthy enough for their arduous missions.

“I’m sorry.” By the time Paolo said those two words, he and Alia were finally at their final diner.

This one was called Hal’s Edible Restaurant. While the diner had an odd name to it, they had both heard that they served some of the greatest pancakes in the state of Arizona.

Alia felt a lump in her throat. Despite the fact that she cared about Bryce, and ended up knowing the real truth on how her parents had died, she felt awful because she felt like she was betraying Paolo again.

“Look at me, honey.”

He looked at her. While there was still sadness in his dark brown eyes, she couldn’t help but notice a flicker of hope in them as well.”

“I know that I’m not always the best at expressing my emotions in a healthy way. Knowing our history, it seems to be a huge factor. But I do know Bryce. He may be part of the Council, but when we were both trapped inside that jail cell, I didn’t see a stranger, an enemy, or even a man I hated with all of my guts. It felt like…I saw a friend.”

Before Paolo could reply, he heard a voice.

“That’s so sweet of you to say, Lexon.”

They both turned around to see Bryce.

“Wow, I had no idea that you were standing behind us this whole time.”

Bryce had blue eyes, a thick beard, and a black T-shirt on. He was a clear contrast to Alia and Paolo’s outfits. Alia had abandoned almost all of her black attire from her days in Operainia. However, she had on an onyx ring that she had told him about to remind her of her past, present, and future, all warped into one intricate string.

He noticed that she fidgeted with it whenever she got a little anxious. He thought it was kind of adorable.

“Good to see you again, Bryce.”

He nodded in agreement.

“You must be the famous Paolo that Alia told me about.”

Paolo pushed aside his jealousy to put on a veiled mask of politeness.

“She mentioned you as well. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They both shook each other’s hands.

Alia clasped her hands together.

“So now that we got those awkward introductions of cringe out of the way, do you think we could take the money now?”

Bryce laughed.

Alia arched an eyebrow. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing’s the matter. I’m just surprised that you were going to think it was going to be that simple to walk away with that amount of money. You don’t remember the agreement that you had sworn to me that night, do you?”

She felt her face warm in embarrassment. She had done what she had promised that night to Bryce in the jail cell. The fact that this memory was popping up again inside of her brain was embarrassing as well.

“No, you’re right. I do remember that night.”

Neither of them noticed that Paolo was confused about all of this.

“What night? What are you two talking about?”

Alia shuffled her feet and took a deep breath.

“The night that you thought that I was missing, I had ended up in jail and Bryce helped me out.

“You won’t ever see me again.”

Bryce was hurt. Things couldn’t end this way. How could someone he had been taught to see as an enemy actually be a really good person? Sure, Alia wasn’t perfect, but she seemed like a loyal friend to be around.

“How can you say that? You can’t deny that we have chemistry.”

He grabbed her face to kiss her again, but she pushed his chest away from him.

“I’m with Paolo. I love him. He respects my decisions.”

“But does he give you that freedom? I know Operainia wasn’t able to give you that option, but I can’t help but feel that he’s—

“Stop! How do you know what I feel and don’t feel? You don’t know the kind of life I’ve had.”

Bryce was shaking his head with a shit-eating grin.

“All I know is what the Council told me. You get attached to people in a hesitant manner. Then, when that crucial moment of any vulnerable natures are expressed towards you, you run away like a coward.”

A quick smack to his face occurred.

“Don’t you EVER say that to me again!”

Alia went to smack him again. Then Bryce kissed her.

She tried to fight it off, but the mixture of Bryce’s cologne and scented body wash took that old habit away. She couldn’t help but moan inside of his kiss. Even when his beard scratched her face up a bit, she thought it was cute.

Bryce was stunned that she kissed him back.

They kissed for about 10 minutes until Bryce pulled him away.

“We can’t do this, Bryce. You know why.”

He did know why. As much as it broke his heart, he wanted to hear Alia say it again. It hurt knowing that he couldn’t get what he wanted, but he respected her too much to force her against her wishes regardless of their complex relationship.

Yet, when he heard that last sentence, he couldn’t help but wonder it was aimed more towards Paolo than himself.

“We were never going to make it.”