Till Life Do Us Part

Chapter 5

She woke up surprisingly early the next day. By 9:15am and 4 outfits later, she was finally dressed in a pristine long sleeved white dress shirt and maroon suit pants, eating a bowl of cereal in her kitchen. She was agitated and she knew it wasn't only courtesy of the 3 cups of coffee she had had earlier. By 9:30, she was stripping down again and taking up a pair of dark blue jeans and a Lakers sweatshirt. One glance at the mirror and she knew this wasn't the look either. Frustrated, she yanked the clothes off her body and collapsed on her bed, sighing in exhaustion. She couldn't help the slight panic that rose in her chest as she realized she didn't have anything to wear. Or rather, she didn't have anything to wear today. Thoughts zipped through her head aggressively, only making  her panic level rise even further. A dress? Nope. A skirt? No way.  Her former uniform? She realized how stupid the thought was as soon as it came to her.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Why did she care about impressing him? Why did she care about his stupid thoughts? It frustrated her the way she hadn't been able to get him out of her head all through the day before, right till the moment she slept. And he had dutifully popped into her head again today first thing in the morning. Was he really Iago? If he was, was this fate's own way of making her feel better? Because she did not. Or by chance........was this some kind of repetition of history? She shuddered at the thought. No, she couldn't get killed again. And definitely not her Iago either. She mentally cringed at the realization that she just called Tristan her Iago. Or maybe this had nothing to do with her past at all. Just one big coincidence. 

I'm no longer Melaniá, she whispered to herself. Maybe it was high time she stopped worrying about the past after all. She was no longer anything like her past self, so she had no fears of being back stabbed. Maybe she just had to let go of everything Melaniá, this was Danica's own time and she would never be too sure if the past was going to repeat itself. Or not. Better to live to the fullest and hope for the best.....right? she mused. 

But his eyes.

Those eyes told her everything she needed to know, confirmed her doubts and darkest fears. Those were her Iago's eyes, and she knew it deep down, her body only confirmed it too. And he was back in her life.

"My life was already hard as it was without you, asshole" She grimaced and muttered angrily. Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts roam and only when she heard the soft chime of the clock minutes later did she realize it was already 10. And she was late. 

Snapping her eyes open, she sprang up and ran for her former outfit, the shirt and suit pants, and donned them on as fast as she could. In the little moment she had spent with freelancing thoughts, she had concluded on something. She would never really know why fate had brought Iago back into her life, but she, of everyone, had been given a second chance at living. She didn't deserve it but maybe this would be her only chance to live like she didn't before, to right all her wrongs, null her mistakes. Loving Iago had probably been her biggest mistake because unlike tyranny that had been a part of her, she could have avoided it if she had really wanted to. So if she was being blessed with a chance to avoid her mistakes now........Iago or rather, Tristan, wasn't going to be left out. 

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She skidded to a halt in the parking lot and took a minute to compose herself. Pulling down the sun visor, she glanced at her face briefly in the mirror. The little makeup she had applied now seemed so silly. Why had she done this? Taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart, she searched for wipes in her glove compartment and found none. Cursing in frustration, she finally pulled out the sunglasses she had abandoned in the car the previous day and put them on. At least that way he wouldn't be able to notice the extra mascara and eyeliner she had stupidly applied. She yanked a hair band off her wrist and pulled back her blonde mass into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She suddenly wondered again what had gotten into her to let it down. 

She gulped in more mouthfuls of air and finally came out of the car, glancing at her wristwatch. 10:09am. She was never late but her life seemed to be going topsy turvy since Tristan's arrival. Whatever the reason, she definitely didn't like being late. Hopefully he had come late too. But for some weird reason, she knew he'd already be there, waiting.

Iago was never late.

This has nothing to do with Iago!!!, she scolded herself as she marched down into the restaurant. She didn't run, but she did put longer strides into her steps, not wanting to appear too rude. She stepped into the quaint cafe and was hit with the ever welcome scent of coffee and freshly baked treats. She'd come back to that, but for now, she let her gaze scan the room and the moment it collided with Tristan's in the window seat he sat in, her breath was literally stolen away. 

Today, he was dressed in a black tuxedo and his hair was once again pulled into a short ponytail. She had a sudden urge to giggle at their identical hairstyles but she squashed the impulse immediately. Her gaze never left his as she approached him in purposeful strides. He was reclined on the chair and she wondered how he fit. He suddenly seemed so much larger than life itself in that tux. She watched his gaze slide down her body briefly but it was gone so fast before she had a chance to feel sexy. Why the hell was she thinking about looking sexy anyways?

She finally slid into the chair opposite his and flashed a brief smile. He was now leaning forward and the intense way he stared at her threw her off slightly. But she fought the blush that crept up her cheeks and thanked God for a moment that he couldn't see her eyes through the sunglasses. 

"Good morning, Detective". There was something about the way her title rolled off his tongue but she refused to ponder too much on it.

"Morning, Mr. Roden. Sorry I'm late." She gave a stiff, awkward smile, looking every bit unapologetic. That would get him back for throwing her off with that stare.

He c****d his head to the side. "Are you normally in the habit of coming late?"

"I'm not, Mr. Roden. And besides I don't think it matters much now. I'm here, aren't I?" She replied sweetly. 

"Right" He nodded and waved the waitress over distractedly. "Coffee?".

She really didn't think she could handle 4 cups of coffee within 3 hours. "I'll pass, thank you"

"Come on, Detective. You promised, remember?"

"I already had 3 cups" She replied shortly just as the pretty, plus size waitress stopped at their table, smiling sweetly at Tristan.

"One cappuccino and an apple tart, I'll be taking them away". He ordered briskly. "No whipped cream please" He gave her a quick smile and Danica thought the poor girl was going to melt in adoration. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Now that I think of it...." The waitress turned to her with a mildly irritated expression ".....I'll also go for a cappuccino and a croissant". She smiled sweetly at the girl. She nodded briskly and turned to go away, smiling radiantly one more time in Tristan's direction. "Oh....." the girl whipped around in annoyance at the interruption of her grand exit "I like lots of cream in my coffee. And I'll be taking away too". Danica thought she saw the girl roll her eyes as she finally left. Swallowing the urge to snicker, she turned her attention back to Tristan. He was watching her amusingly, a small smile on his lips.

"What was that for?"

She stared blankly at him. "What?"

"With the waitress......" He sounded like he was smothering back laughter. He wasn't succeeding so well.

She rose a shoulder in a small shrug. "I don't like being ignored". That finally got him chuckling. She found she felt a little bit of satisfaction at having made him laugh. What rubbish was she thinking!!!

He finally quieted and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, barely a few inches away from her. She ignored the stupid thrill that slithered down her spine at the intimacy of their position. 

"I hope I'm not taking too much of your time, Detective. You should probably be at work or something".

She didn't understand why she felt so squirmish at his words. Seizing the moment, she leaned back into her seat, her face a mask of calmness and boredom as she glanced around the room. 

"I do have things to do with my time, Mr. Roden" She looked back at him. "But I'm here generously spending 10 minutes with you. I wonder why you haven't gotten to the point yet then."

He stared at her in thought for a few moments and when he finally spoke again, his voice was much softer. That didn't soften the blow of his next words though.

"Why didn't you tell me you lost your job?"

She felt the color drain from her face and her heart rate quickened. She leaned forward till they were back to their former position, their faces barely inches apart. 

"How do you know that?" She whispered aggressively. 

He looked almost ready to roll his eyes and his tone was lacklustre as he spoke. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out, Danica?"

Hearing her name from his mouth nearly sent her convulsing in pleasure. She set her mouth in a hard line. "It remains Detective, Mr. Roden. And of what importance is it to you if I lost my job or not?". 

"Why? Why did you quit?" He whispered.

Oh he even knew she quit. She barked out a  dry laugh and attempted to look down her nose at him as much as she could. "Someone has been conducting a hell of research I see". 

"You were a promising cop, Danica. Even as a novice, you still had that aura around you that only good people radiate. And you proved that by believing in me when no one else did 4 years ago" His whisper was growing more furious with each word. "And you loved your job. So what happened, Detective? What went wrong?"

Her heart was pounding so fast she thought her chest would burst. He believed in her. No this was just one of his ploys to get to her, just like he had centuries ago. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Setting her mouth in a firm line, she tipped her chain haughtily.

"First of all...." Her voice was dead cold "....I am not on first name terms with you, Mr. Roden. A few exchanged words 4 years ago and a coincidental bump in the store yesterday doesn't suddenly make you and I the best of friends." She thought she saw him flinch a little bit. She ignored the tight sensation in her chest that felt like regret. "So address me properly. And don't even begin to imagine that you know anything about me. You don't" She stared him down for a few seconds to let her words sink in before making to rise. "If you have nothing more to say...."

"You are right" His voice was flat. "It was wrong of me to address you like I did, I apologise. And I never pretended to know all about you, Detective. But the little I do know and I'm sure of, I'm not going to apologise for. Not all of us enjoy lying to ourselves after all" She caught the dig in his sentence and made to say something but he quickly added. "Let's start all over again. I wanted to discuss my sister's case with you". 

The waitress came at that moment to drop off their take out packages, flashing another flirtatious smile in Tristan's direction. He paid in cash and Danica didn't even attempt offering to pay half of the bill. $4.66 wouldn't make a hole in his pocket. Pointedly ignoring the scent of the food that teased her nostrils, she eyed him warily and glanced at her watch. "Your 10 minutes start now". She said crossly and folded her arms.

"Thank you" He said dryly. "I would like to reopen my sister's case".

She c****d an eyebrow mockingly. "As you already know I no longer work in the Cold Cases Unit".

"That I do. But I need to find her killer and clear my name, Detective. I need something, anything, that I'll be able to reopen the case with. And that's where I want you to help me".

She stared at him blankly for some time before his meaning hit her. "You want me to run a private investigation for you?" She chuckled mockingly. 

He obviously didn't share the humour as he stared at her dryly. "Not like you have many job options right now anyways".

The laughter died on her lips and she glared at him, highly irritated at the little smile that played on his lips. Tipping her chin defiantly, she said: "No".

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "No?"

She rose up, brushed off invisible lint from her pants and reached for her food. "I won't work for you, Mr. Roden. Have a nice day" She turned to go.

"I'll pay you 8000$ every week for as long as the investigation lasts".

That had her stopping. 8000 dollars!. It was general knowledge that the Rodens were filthy rich, but 8000 dollars a week for an investigation????? She made sure to snap her fallen jaw closed before turning back to him

"This is a bad time for jokes, Mr. Roden"

He looked her squarely in the eye. "Do I look like I'm joking, Detective?"

He didn't. 8000 dollars would go a long way. And weekly!!! She resisted the urge to slink back into her seat and instead, turned back to him fully and eyed him warily.

"Do you think of me as a charity case, Mr. Roden? Because I might have lost my job but I assure you, I don't need your pity".

"I barely have any pity to spare for anyone, Detective. And yeah you are a tough cookie, you definitely don't need my pity".

"Then why? Why me?"

"Because you are a good detective. And you are probably the only one in the whole of Atlanta who thinks I didn't kill my sister".

She took a moment to marvel at the irony of the situation. Centuries ago, he had been the only one who had seen something lovable in her. And now, he was the one clinging on to her validation of many years ago. Fate was indeed, a most comical thing.

"What if I hadn't lost my job? What if you hadn't bumped into me yesterday?".

He hesitated a little before shrugging indifferently. "Then I would have definitely hired another detective. But deep down, I'm sure he would also think I killed my sister too.......so I would have paid him only 5000$". He flashed a wide smile at his joke.

She in turn, felt a silly smile creep into her face and immediately turned away and pretended to glance around the restaurant to prevent him from noticing. 

"So what do you say, Detective?".

She already had her answer. But not wanting to appear too eager, she rearranged her face into a mask of bored contemplation and reached for her take out.

"I'll let you know in two days". She saw the flash of disappointment on his face but decided it was worth it. She wasn't going to let him think her as eager as she really felt. "May I have your business card then?"

"Sure thing". He reached into his expensive wallet and pulled out a black and gold emborsed card. She tried not to marvel at how expensive the card alone looked as he handed it to her. "Please do try to come to a quick decision soon, Detective. I'll be waiting".

"Don't be so damn expectant" She muttered under her breath as she tucked the card into her back pocket but she could tell he heard. Not wanting to be in his presence one moment longer, she nodded grimly and said; "Have a nice day, Mr. Roden" And turned to go.

"Detective?" She turned back to him, mildly irritated. "Don't let your personal feelings get in your way of making the right choices. Regretting isn't a cute process". She stared him down before he finally rose one hand in a salut. "Have a nice day, Detective".

Turning away, she pushed her shades up her face and stalked out of the restaurant, trying not to wince with every step as she felt his eyes boring holes into her back.

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2 days later................

"Rodens Incorporation Limited, Tristan Roden".

His voice was all business and sounded deeper over the phone. Dropping her cup of coffee, she leaned on the kitchen counter and commanded as much authority as she could muster into her voice too.

"I'll take the job" She said shortly.

There was brief silence on the line as he registered who the caller was.

"Detective Parish!!! I've been quite expectant of your call......against your advice" He sounded kind of glad to hear from her......or was she imagining it? Either ways, she didn't like the warm sensation that the thought created in her. 

"Well I've called now" She reached for her coffee but decided she didn't even want it anymore. She suspected it had something to do with the stupid sensation that grew in her chest. "I'd like to start as soon as possible".

"Of course. Please do come over to Rodens. That way I'll be able to tell you all I know and hand over the necessary files to you".

His office???? She wasn't sure how wise being in a room alone with him was......for her.

"Your office?" She asked warily.

There was a brief pause. "I'm at work, Detective. And my office will offer as much privacy as needed". Ooh lah lah, privacy??? Her heart quickened at his words. "This investigation.......it's kind of confidential. At least till I find what I'm looking for".

"Which is?"

She heard the sound of a door opening from his end and then faint voices in conversation. It sounded like Tristan had his hand over the receiver as he gave instructions briskly. The conversation was short and in no time, Danica heard the door click shut again. His voice was a notch lower when he spoke.

"Evidence, anything at all. Just enough for me to reopen the case".

She nodded slowly and walked over to the living room to glance at the clock. "I'll be there in an hour".

"See you in an hour, Detective". And the line went dead. The i***t had hung up on her. 

She glared at the phone and slammed it down, turning to grab her cup with the remnant dregs of coffee and washing them down the drain. As she watched the last of the black trail of caffeine slink down, she wondered why she bore the little seed of disappointment at the fact that the call hadn't lasted longer.