The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

I was exhausted.

I pulled over in the driveway of my apartment and turned off the engine, grabbed the grocery bags in the backseat and my handbag, stepping out of the car. Genevieve let me off work early today. According to her, there wasn’t much to do.

With the rate at which I had been getting a pass from her recently, if I were paid in dollars for it, I would be a millionaire by now. She keeps surprising me, and well, not like I was complaining. Truth be told, I needed to rest. It’s been a rough couple of weeks.

I couldn’t have been more glad of the kind of friends I surrounded myself with. They are the best friends a girl could wish for. I finally summoned up the courage to talk to my mom about the whole thing, and I couldn’t have done it without their help. She was so hurt that I had been covering up for him. Dad wasn’t left out either. His anger was unquenchable when he realized how he had been hurting me both physically and emotionally.

If anything, I was glad about the way the whole thing ended. Although, it doesn’t make it hurt any less. The pains were still there. A whole lot. I was glad I was starting to live for myself. Glad I saw the bright side of things and how my friends have been the best emotional support in the past weeks. They were the only thing holding me back from depression, and right now, all that mattered to me was getting my life back on track. The life he took from me, getting it back and making good use of it. Being intentional about my happiness and putting myself first. I was tired of being treated like shit.

I smiled to myself, and spun on my heels, ascending the small stairs on the porch. I took out my keys from my bag and inserted them into the keyhole, stepping into my house. I made to lock the door, peering outside in the process. And almost as if my eyes were playing dirty tricks on me, I caught sight of a figure in black on the other side of the quiet road.

What?

The grocery bag in my hands dropped to the floor, and I squatted to pick it up. By the time I got back up, I stared at where I had seen the figure in black but nothing was there. The person was gone. Or maybe he was never there. I was very exhausted, and I had been a little dizzy throughout today. I furrowed my brows at the spot and sighed before locking my door.

I switched the lights on, and the once-dark living room was illuminated. I walked over to the kitchen counter and set the bags on it, advancing towards the fridge to get myself some water. I took out a bottle and poured some into a glass, taking a large gulp. My eyes dropped to my open windows, and it felt like someone moved past the white curtains. I dropped the glass on the counter and strutted to the windows in my heels, slamming the windows close.

“What’s going on with me?” I mused, exhaling. My eyes examined the living room, carefully, looking for anything that was out of place. Anything that could prove I wasn’t going insane but I found none. It was all just in my head. I was starting to hallucinate.

“Great, I’m going insane,” I nodded to myself and picked up my bag from the table, heading into my room. I was too tired to fix myself dinner, so I just took a warm bath and kept myself busy with some wine, while going through the work I brought home. After a while, I noticed I was dozing off, and then I shut my system down before going to bed. “Wake up, sleepyhead! Up! Up! Up!” Dawn’s overly chirpy voice flowed into my ears, as though she was singing. I could hear Ivana’s excited giggles. I hissed, mumbling profanities under my breath and pulling the covers over my head. I needed every ounce of sleep I could get. I was so tired.

“Go away,” I mumbled, sleepily. I barely slept for a few more seconds, when the covers were yanked off my body, leaving me in my flimsy nightwear.

“Dawn!” I shrieked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

“Trust me, Ash. You don’t want to miss out on what we are about to tell you,” Ivana uttered, giddy with excitement like she couldn’t wait to spill what was going on. I yawned, struggling to keep my eyes open, while I cupped my cheeks with my palms.

“What?” I muttered, drowsily.

“WE ARE GOING TO MALDIVES!!!!” The duo yelled in unison. I nodded off, falling back onto the bed and pulling the covers over my body.

“Didn’t you hear us?” Ivana queried.

“Ashley! M-A-L-D-I-V-E-S. Come on!” Dawn wailed, spelling it out boldly for me.

“I don’t__” I paused, pushing the white covers off my body. I sat up, peering at the duo, who stared back at me with bewilderment plastered all over their faces.

“Are you two kidding?” I asked, dumbly.

“No!” They shouted, impatiently.

“Wait,” I cleared my throat, sitting up.

“Are we going to Maldives?” I asked, and they bobbed their heads in response, eager for me to say something, other than how I had been acting as though my brain was going through a momentary shutdown.

“Yes,” they groaned.

I blinked.

“We are going to the fucking Maldives!! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! We are going to the Maldives. Fuck me!” I screamed, rising to my feet and jumping up and down my bed like a little kid. The girls giggled, with contagious smiles on their faces as they nudged each other.

“Oh my God, how did you guys come up with this? Omg, I have always wanted to go to the Maldives. It’s been on my bucket list for a while now.” I prattled on, not stopping to catch my breath.

“Yes, we know and we decided a girls’ getaway was going to be therapeutic for you. We just want you to be fine.” Ivana smiled, and Dawn nodded in agreement, intertwining their hands. I felt the corners of my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

“You guys…” I croaked, throwing myself in her arms and sobbing loudly.

“Aww, it’s okay, honey,” Dawn said softly, rubbing my back.

“Wait, what about Genevieve? Oh crap, she’s not going to allow me to leave…I didn’t…I didn’t inform her. Shit!” I cussed, raking my hands through my hair. The duo shared a knowing look and I furrowed my brows at them in confusion.

“What?” I pressed.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Well,” Ivana drew her words, grinning.

“You have Dawn to thank for that.” She chuckled. My face broke into a smile, and I squealed, smacking a loud kiss on Dawn’s cheek.

“You could say I spoke to her. She couldn’t resist my charm, you know. She attested to the fact that you have been a little withdrawn at work and decided if it makes you get your head back in the game, why not?” She flipped her hair, sassily.

I didn’t get a chance to dwell on how strange that was. I was too happy to care. I just wanted to get the hell out of this place and breathe in some fresh air.

“Let’s go to Maldives, bitches!” Dawn yelled and we squealed.