Deep Down (UNEDITED)

Sneaky envelope

                                                                                   AMARA

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP"

Groaning, I woke up to the loud sound of the alarm clock. Why did alarm clocks always have to have such an annoying sound. Against my will I opened my eyes and slapped my hand on the alarm clock so that it stopped making sound.

While yawning I raised myself from the soft cushions and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Slowly I let my feet slide into the wool slippers my mother had bought me and wiggled my toes.

Eventually I decided to get up and staggered towards the curtains. I pulled open the curtains and let in the Greek morning light. I let out a loud sigh when I felt the headache coming up.

Time for coffee I thought.

Already I stumbled through the corridors, like a zombie looking for brains. I decided to have a look at Rosie first. Her room was on the south side of the cottage and had the most beautiful view. I carefully knocked on the door and entered. I hadn't made a step into the room yet or I got a pillow thrown at my face full force

" GO AWAY! LET ME GET SOME MORE SLEEP!" Called Rosaline. Oh yes, I forgot to say that Rosaline had a huge morning mood. In the morning you were never safe from flying pillows.

"Can't you get out of bed for coffee?" She took her head out of the pillow.

"What do you have more?" After all these years I knew how to get her out of bed, food and coffee.

"A blueberry muffin with bacon, does that ring a bell?"

"Add an egg and I'm yours." I laughed, but I regretted it right away. The headache only got worse.

"See you in 15 minutes." I shouted just as I was leaving the room. I continued my trip to the kitchen and started dreaming of coffee.

The burnt smell of coffee filled the kitchen when I poured the coffee into the mugs that Rosaline and I had bought in a souvenir store in a small historic town. I took a big sip of coffee and started making breakfast while singing along with "stiches" of Shawn mendes bumped loudly through the radio.

I grabbed a pan and flipped it into my microphone and started dancing like a hyperactive grasshopper. I pretended to be in X factor and started singing along at the top of my lungs as I shook my head wildly back there.

"YOUUU WATCH ME BLEEEED UNTILL I CAN'T BREATH"

"I'm shaking, falling onto my KNEEESSS!" I literally slipped on my knees and took another deep breath before continuing.

"AND NOW THAT I'M WHITEHOUT YOUR KISSEEAES" I was now waving the pan around like I was killing my imaginary prince.

"I'LL BE NEEDING STITCHES!!"

I now bent forward exaggeratedly and once turned to my imaginary audience and heard clapping. Wait what-? Clapping. I dropped the pan on the floor, which came down with a loud bang, and only now did I see that someone had come in and leaned amused against the wall.

"You really should do something with your dancing talents." A hoarse chuckle sounded from his throat.

"MAX?! Why do you always scare me like that?!" I ran to max, he was the third member of our group of friends and also the last.

Rosaline, me and Max had been friends since the third kindergarten class. Max was the last to join. On the first day of the fourth kindergarten class, he forgot his lunch, he screamed his lungs out. In the end Rosaline and I decided to share our lunch with Max. Since that day we are inseparable.

"What you doing here I thought you were supposed to help with your parents' business?"

Max was going to take over his parents' business sometime this summer. It was a car company, selling used cars.

"The plans have changed a bit, you're talking to the new boss of "Cars&Co". At your service." We both had to laugh at his exaggerated poets tone. I gave Max a big hug. I hadn't seen him for 3 months, I missed him.

"I'm so proud of you, look at you now. You're a proud grown man." That wasn't a lie, Max's dark brown hair was perfect and his blue eyes were shining in the sunlight.

"Yes, stop there you sound almost like my mother" he gave me a crooked smile and looked at me from head to toe.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I looked at him questioningly

"Except you're singing terribly foul not really no." He now turned his head a bit oblique and had a confused look on his face.

"Prettier" that was all he said

"Prettier?" I asked, he sighed and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and took a big bite out of it.

"Mhm, you've become prettier, not much but still enough to notice." He now leaned against the kitchen counter and looked straight at me.

I laughed at his remark and turned back to the breakfast I was preparing.

"That will probably be the Greek sun, but tell me what are you doing here?" I said waving a wooden ladle.

"Can't I bring my two best friends a visit?" I heard the crackling of the apple when he took another bite. "And by the way, I have 3 months of parties to catch up with you guys." I had to laugh, Max always knew how to make him laugh.

"I don't think we'll be partying for the next few days since last night." I had to think about last night again. The mysterious man and the intense kiss. There was a red blush on my cheeks. What? No! That's not true why are you blushing now? said my subconscious voice.

He was like an arrogant Greek God who had fallen from Olympus and was looking for his prey. And smelled like burnt bacon. Wait burnt bacon?

I woke up again from my daydream and saw that I had burned the bacon. What an i***t I am. I had to get it out of my head.

"AMARA"? Were you even listening?"

I put the burnt bacon on the plate "what? Yes of course!"

"So you already know I had a one night stand with Selena Gomez?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I'm all ears." I said in a satisfied tone.

Max started laughing loudly "So you obviously need a hearing aid". Said Max while rubbing my hair. It was something he'd been doing since I was 10 years old and hasn't stopped.

"Not true, I was just a little distracted. Max looked at me questioningly.

"What distracted you, if I may ask." s**t, how do I explain this. Well, I was distracted by a Greek god who kissed me in my drunken mood and then quickly ran away. And his eyes, his golden eyes filled with lust.

"I thought of Rosaline, I just hate that she's forced to marry someone she doesn't know." Okay this wasn't quite a lie because I really did mind, not just mind, but heartbreaking.

Max sighed "Speaking of Rosaline, where is that snoring devil?" I laughed and almost choked on my coffee.

"Third door on the left, try to wake her up. It's as impossible as letting an elephant walk on water." I raised myself on the sink and looked at Max, waiting.

"Wait but you don't know me yet" he went through his hair with his hands once more and then disappeared into the hallway.

I shook my head and continued with breakfast. I took an egg from the fridge and heated the pan. I had just put the egg in the pan or the bell rang. I sighed, who is that again? I went sliding on my slippers to the door. I had just slipped into the entrance hall and the bell rang again. "YESSS, I'M COOOMING!" people and patience, worst combination ever.

I pulled my hair out of my face and opened the door. An Asian man in a suit appeared in front of me, whom I recognized as the bodyguard of Rosaline's father. What was he supposed to do here.

"What can I do for you?" I asked in an irritated tone while shuffling my feet.

"Is Miss Verondale here?" he asked, putting on his sunglasses.

"Yeah, but she can't come right now, she's kind of busy." Busy with Max's attempt to get her out of bed, it made me laugh.

"Can you pass this on to her? It is very important that she gets her hands on this." said the man on a serious tone while sticking out the envelope to me.

"Sure, can I ask what it is?" I had been a curious person since I was a child and couldn't unlearn it.

"No." The bodyguard turned around and walked back to the black SUV he had come with and quickly drove off again.

"Also friendly, what has man nowadays" I muttered.

I closed the door and quickly pushed back to the pan with my egg in it and almost threw the envelope on the table. My omelette was almost burned by that bodyguard. I divided everything nicely on the plates and sat down at the table. 

The envelope was still on the table unopened which annoyed me terribly. Would Rosie mind if I opened the envelope? Wouldn't she? I couldn't hold back anymore and grabbed the envelope. I started to open it carefully after checking again if no one was coming.

The envelope opened surprisingly easily, I pulled out a thin paper that looked like it could cost 100 euros. I folded it open and saw a gracefully written text on it and started to read it.

Dear Miss Verondale,

You and your guests are more than welcome at the Davrov family dinner, we will be more than honored with your arrival and would advise not to miss this opportunity to forge stronger ties. You will be expected around 21:00 punctually and will be picked up by one of our drivers.

We hope to see you soon,

The Davrov family

"What are you holding in your hands there, Amara?" asked Rosaline and Max at the same time.