The Devil Behind Me(22)

“I want us to get our story straight. On how we met and fell in love,” he said.

“Why don't you just tell everyone you felt like an asshole for treating me like shit in high school and the moment you saw me you fell in love with me?” I mocked.

“Doesn't sound like me, I don't usually apologize,” he smiled. “At least not for the things I'm not sorry for,” he chuckled.

“We’re lying, so what does it matter?” I asked.

“Yes, Addie, we’re lying, but it has to be realistic and me saying sorry isn't.” He reached for his chopsticks and started eating.

“Fine, you come up with something and text it to me,” I bit back and stood up to leave.

“Can’t you just sit and have lunch with me? I'll drive you back,” he said in a hushed voice.

“Daimon, I need to head back now.” I continued to walk away. Drako stood up and whined. Daimon reached up, grabbed my hand, and stopped me. “Please,” he gritted out.

Why the fuck did I relent? I sat back down while Drako came out from underneath the table and sat next to me. Daimon handed me a takeout box.

“Are you ever going to tell me what really happened to you? Why didn't you go to Yale? You were one of the smartest people in school,” he said in passing.

“Like I said before, it's none of your business,” I murmured as I chewed on my orange beef.

“Why don't you tell me why the hell you tortured me all throughout high school?” I stared at him waiting for his answer. All he did was smirk. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m just remembering you in high school,” he continued to smirk.

“Great. So I was a running gag for you,” I muttered angrily, pushing my food around.

“It was fun for me,” he admitted.

“Fun? Fun? Have you any idea how much you tormented me? How much I tried to avoid you?” I fired back. My body was shaking I was so angry. The memories of high school followed me around like a nasty nightmare, plaguing me, invading themselves as I dealt with my life.

“Addie, I wasn't all that bad in high school,” he refuted.

“Are you high on drugs or something? You made my life a living hell!” I attacked.

“Addie, I seem to recall at the grad—”

“Enough! I don’t even want to remember the graduation.” I had completely lost my appetite. I wanted to be away from him. “Look, Daimon, I need to go.” I stood up again and headed to the elevator. Drako was hot on my trail. I heard him whining as the elevator doors closed. He thought high school was fun? I couldn’t believe he'd think what he did to me was fun.

After an hour, I finally made it back to the store. My dad was beat so I sent him home. Those damn drugs his doctor gave him weren’t working. I was starting to lose all hope. My dad had avoided the conversation he knew I was trying to have with him. The diner itself wasn’t just about a way to feed us, it meant more to him. It was his first big adventure, his first real accomplishment. It was the last thing he had which both he and my mother wanted. If I were to even mention selling it, it would devastate him. He knew as well as I did there would be no one who would buy our business, not now. Declaring bankruptcy was admitting both he and my mother failed in their dream. My mom and my father ran away from the village they were born in. They fell in love, went against tradition, and moved here. So to go bankrupt or even to foreclose, Sofia and I both knew it would kill our father. It would be tantamount to taking my mother away from him all over again.

My father knew the restaurant was dying, it’s not like he was a stupid man, but his love for my mother blinded him even now. Not being able to make the restaurant work hurt him more, making his illness far more severe. My father was always a tall, rugged man who worked hard. Now he was a mere shadow of who he had once been. Watching him slowly break down had become another crack in my already broken heart. There was nothing I could do to make it better. Perhaps in the end I was the truest failure. I was the oldest, the strongest, I should have protected them both, but I couldn’t. All I could do was try my hardest to keep the diner afloat.

Thankfully, I had four shifts at the bar this week that meant more money. I texted Elissa and I was happy to know she’d be there. I closed up the restaurant and readied myself to head downtown to work.



The music was at an all-time high as I arrived outside the bar.

“Hey, Pete,” I waved at the bouncer. My first impression of Pete wasn’t the best, the guy treated me like shit the first time I came here, but once I started to speak to him I realized it was his job. Pete was a muscle guy who knew how to pack a punch when needed but was absolutely a huge teddy bear. He was at times naïve and playful.