A waitress approached. “Would you like to order, miss?”
“Not yet. He is almost here.”
She nodded politely and walked away. I glanced back at my phone and noticed that the text message hadn’t even been delivered.
He promised he would come. He had to. I turned back to the window, trying to distract myself with the cars outside. The blinking traffic lights and the occasional shout from the street below didn’t help.
I called again, and each time it was a failure. Even so, I waited. Hours bled together. I waited for four hours with no food or drink. Only stubborn hope held me in place. The servers had started to exchange looks. They circled three times, each time I whispered the same lie that he was coming.
The last couple in the room left. I blinked back the tears burning my eyes and typed another message.
“Miss,” a waiter said. “I can bring you a drink.”
I shook my head. “Thirty more minutes. Please.”
His eyes softened with pity, and I hated that look almost as much as the emptiness inside me.
Midnight came, and with it, the last of my hope. He wasn’t coming, and I couldn’t wait anymore. I gathered my things, ignoring the glances from the staff, and walked out. The cold hit me instantly, reminding me that I hadn’t even brought a sweater.
One guard approached. “Would you like me to call for your car?”
Viktor had left. My hands trembled as I fumbled with my phone. Who was I supposed to call? Viktor? Carina? I didn’t know. A tear slipped onto the screen.
The guard stepped closer. “I can call a taxi for you, ma’am.”
“Yes,” I breathed.
Why was this so painful? Why had he stood me up? Did he forget? Or did he choose not to come? Or was he sick? Why tonight?
The guard returned. “The taxi is here, ma’am.”
I lifted my head, and a yellow cab pulled up at the curb. I walked to it and slipped inside. The driver turned and asked,“Where to, miss?”
I almost gave him Rodion’s address. But the word caught in my mouth, and instead I gave him my parents’ address.
The drive home was filled with questions, each heavier than the last. Questions I couldn’t answer. The cab slowed, headlights washing over the familiar gates of our house. The reality was that I wasn’t walking into silence but into a storm of questions from my parents.
“We are here, miss,” the driver said.
“Yes … hm.” My fingers fumbled for the card. Shame curled tight as I realised I was paying with his money after he had made me sit like a fool.
After paying, I stepped out, and the cab drove away, leaving me on the quiet street. My breath shook in the cold air. I wiped my eyes before I pushed the gate open.
Vivo’s barking shattered the stillness, his nails scraping against the door as I walked up the path.
I pressed the bell, and he barked louder, his body thudding against the wood. Growing impatient, I knocked and rang again.
After a few minutes, my mother’s voice came, muffled through the door. “Who is it?”
My throat tightened. “It’s me, Mamma.”
The door unlocked fast, and her voice rose in alarm. “Alessia?”
I stepped inside and into her arms before she could ask more. Vivo jumped up against me, whining, but I clung to my mother, desperate for the warmth.
She pulled back to look at me, her eyes already scanning me from head to toe. “Come in.” She shut the door quickly, as if afraid of the night outside. “What happened? Why are you like this?”
I breathed out, forcing myself to calm down, because I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t say Rodion had made me wait for him. My voice came out low. “Can we talk tomorrow? I’m tired.”