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Only one possible reason occurred to her, and it terrified her so much that she didn’t even want to think of it. “Actually,” she heard herself say, “I might just say yes to him now if he asks me out.” That should shake things up, she thought. It should get her out of her funk and make her start living again.
From the other side of the island, where “Bella” was staying, Nik shot up in his bed as Daria’s reply showed up on his screen.
What the fuck? He had thought Grant didn’t stand a chance, but that just showed how little he knew about Daria now. The most time she had spent with the other guy was half an hour outside her little porch, talking about flowers – flowers! He had seen Grant’s face, and Nik was sure as hell the only kind of flower Grant wanted to see and taste was between Daria’s legs.
Fuck him, Nik thought. If Grant thought he could have an easy way getting Daria, no fucking luck. As soon as Daria said goodbye to “Bella,” he showered and changed, intending to leave as soon as possible.
A month ago, Nik had realized that even if his team of investigators hadn’t been able to find a trace of Daria, there was still one thing he could do.
Daria loved her art too much not to do more of it, and he had stalked the Internet until he found several artworks that matched her style. Using Leah’s picture with her permission, he had created “Bella” and emailed the artists, inquiring about lessons.
Daria had been one of the last to reply, but he had known it was her the moment she replied. Too many OMGs, too much optimism – everything that was silly and sweet about her was in her email.
From there, it had only been a matter of hours for Nik’s team to use her I.P. address to figure out where she was. The fact that she was staying in Teleios had stunned him. He also wanted to draw hope from it, but he knew it could also very well be Daria wanting to redo her life and asking for another prince from God, a real one this time.
Don’t answer her prayer, God. It still felt ridiculous to Nik to speak to God directly but if it had worked for Daria, then he knew it could only be true. You already answered her once. No need to do twice the work. Let me handle this for You.
On his way out, he called for his PA. “It’s time,” he said simply.
****
SOMETHING WAS UP, DARIAthought. The air about her was strangely electrifying, but she couldn’t quite put her finger as to why it was. Sure, there was a huge party tonight, but there were always parties in Teleios, and tonight wasn’t anything special.
Making her way to the café, she absently noticed a girl walking while holding her parents’ hands, a balloon tied to her wrist.
Cute panda, she thought when she saw the balloon’s design.
When she reached the café, she greeted the people behind the counter by their names. They had wider-than-usual grins on their faces, but she figured it was probably because more tourists tonight meant more tips for them.
Taking a seat at her usual booth in the back of the café, she noticed the new paper tablemats with interest. Black and white, just like a panda.
When Monica, one of the waitresses, approached her, she asked, “Are you guys redecorating?”
“Sort of,” Monica answered vaguely. “Are you ordering your usual?”
“Mm, maybe something heavier. Grant invited me to the party, and I have a feeling they’re not going to serve real food there.”
Monica laughed. “I believe you.”
She placed her order and after thanking Monica, she turned her attention towards the windows. Since the café had a beachfront location, she was able to enjoy a nice view of the sea.
To her shock, she saw a couple of sailboats with pandas on it.
Just a coincidence, Daria told herself. But unease had stirred inside her. She finished her meal as quickly as she could and, after leaving a tip for Monica, she started making her way back to her room.
She was just going to text Grant and tell him she had an online walk-in and the money would be too good to pass up. He would understand. He was a nice guy.
A boisterous family was heading her way and she stepped aside to let them pass. When they did, she saw pandas printed on the backs of their shirts.
Paling, Daria hurried her steps, feeling like all the pandas were after her.
Just a few feet more, she thought, and she would be in the safety of her room. In her haste, Daria missed seeing the bottle right in front of her. She took one step and almost ended up rolling several feet away. She screamed as she fell, all the while thinking, A bottle? Really, God, a bottle? Just so we can come full circle, you want me to die because of a bottle?
But before her head could hit the sand, someone caught her from behind. The feel of those arms holding her, the heat of his presence, she knew exactly who he was even without seeing him.
He stood there, vibrantly beautiful, powerfully strong, just like how she had seen him the first time. Only now, he wasn’t bare-chested. He had a beige chambray shirt and white pants. He looked like a walking advert for Speedo meets Armani, so perfectly put together it just made her more conscious of how plain she looked. Uncombed hair up in a loose twist, dark circles under her eyes because she never put on make up these days, and a badly crumpled boyfriend shirt that screamed the fact that it was the same thing she had worn to bed last night.
All these thoughts about him and her flashed in her mind in a couple of seconds, and they all made her want to run away.
But what was the point, Daria thought painfully. She had a feeling he would find her. That if he really wanted to, he could and would find her. Like Liam Neeson. She would have laughed at her private joke if she weren’t afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop laughing. Nik Alexandropoulos had 55 billion worth of skills, and he could employ them to find whoever he wanted.
Only...with Daria, Nik wasn’t looking for her because he loved her and wanted to save her.
It was never that.
It would never be like that with Nik.
And she had all four months to accept that.
