Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Avril's eyes bulged as she stared at Dakar who was calmly driving, his two arms firmly resting on the steering wheel. The wind was teasing his hair and he looked dashing in that position.

“A human city?” she asked, not believing that he was taking her outside of the pack.

“Yes,” was his simple reply.

“I thought...that the humans in Remus were forbidden to step foot outside of it?”

He nodded and placed one hand over his mouth, supporting his face with his thumb which was resting under his chin. He seemed in deep thought or was just concentrating on the drive.

“Then why am I coming out? Are you not breaking the rules?”

“I am.”

Avril bit her lower lip hard in irritation of how he was giving her stern answers as if she was disturbing him. She exhaled and sat back, looking ahead onto the empty road.

“You are not under that rule,” he stated after about two minutes of silence.

“I did not know I was not,” she replied in the tone he had been using to answer her earlier. Dakar smirked and heaved a low sigh.

“I did not let them continue the rest of the rituals on you and your friends.”

“For what reasons? It isn't like you've known us before. Or have you?”

“Even if I have, do you think it would matter to me? You're just a bunch of lowly humans,” Dakar answered and Avril gulped down painfully. What if he remembered her but did not let it matter to him? Could it be that the real him was this cold and wicked, while the Dakar she knew on the island was a different personality? Could it be that this Dakar had gotten rid of her own Dakar? What if he was still under the curse and Dojo had taken most of his personality?

“Why are you taking this lowly human in your car out to a human city? Do you trust this lowly human?” Avril asked in a sassy tone.

Dakar smirked again.

“Yes, I trust this lowly human. She would not run away when she knows the lives of her friends are in my hands. I'll have their hands if you run from me.”

Avril rolled her eyes and placed her hand outside through the window. She let the cool wind hit against her skin as they tore through it.

Dakar on the inside felt sullen. How long was he going to keep acting this way, like he didn't care about her? He wanted a solution, something that would keep her safe from other people and would, at the same time, allow him to be free to be with her as the Dakar she knew. But, Athena said there was none at the moment. That he had to stick to the plan of acting like he did not remember her, in order to keep her safe from people. And in order to safeguard his secret of having a curse breaker on the island. Knowing his people, if this information went out, the bad eggs would stop at nothing to get to him through her. He could not afford to endanger her that way.

”I'm sorry,” he spoke up after his thoughts faded into the background.

“About what?” Avril asked.

“Getting you angry.”

“I'm not angry.”

“Okay. Then I'm sorry for getting you to the point you are now. That scowl won't leave your face.”

Avril realized she had been frowning since so she immediately released her face.

“Much better,” he muttered with a smile. He was looking away from the road for the first time since they began the journey. Avril did not want to look at him for fear of looking into his eyes as he was staring directly at her.

“You are going to get us killed if you keep staring at me like that and not on the road,” she stated as she was looking straight ahead at the road.

“There's no turn ahead for the next ten minutes,” he replied.

“What if you turn the wheel abruptly and the car swerves right off the road?”

“It's on auto drive, and my hands are not on the wheel anymore.”

Avril blinked repeatedly and looked at the wheel that was left alone. Dakar was relaxed on the seat, his hands neatly crossed against his chest. She exhaled and looked up at his face.

“You are funny,” she said with a chuckle.

“How so?” he asked.

“I don't know. But I feel like you are funny. And you don't even have control over it.”

“Fiorella,” he called and Avril felt her head spinning. Her eyes got really drowsy and she blinked hard to keep them open.

“We have about an hour more to reach Milan, you should sleep because I will bore you to death in this car,” she heard him say. She tried to reply, but before she could think up the words, she was already asleep. Dakar smiled and stroked the side of her cheek, just below her ear. She was so beautiful and smooth, that he would not mind staring at her face for eternity. How did she manage to find her way back to him? She always found her way to him whenever he was trapped and at his lowest. His beautiful Avril.

‘I promise you, this time you're not leaving me again. I'll make sure you stay by my side forever, Avril. Just give me a bit more time. I'll figure things out,’ he said to her in his mind, then he stroked her forehead and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek before returning to the wheel.

Thirty minutes later, Avril stirred and woke up from her nap. She blinked her eyes and rubbed them before realizing she was in a moving car.

“Prince Dakar, why did you make me fall asleep? Now my face is ruined,” she complained and yawned, stretching her arms a little. Dakar chuckled deeply and took a turn into a street lined with shops, pubs, restaurants, and convenient stores. They were already in the city but not to where he was taking her.

“You are stubborn, you know. You woke up thirty minutes early,” he replied her. She exhaled and looked outside of the window at the beautiful environment of the city of Milan. The place was all lit up, with people walking up and down, customers entering and leaving restaurants, tourists and locals enjoying the nightlife all alike.

Avril sat up and turned her head in different directions—left, right, front and even backwards. There was just too much to see and she wanted to see it all. The beautiful city was captivating and she fell in love with it immediately. She had come to Milan for the first time with Alejandro but couldn't even stay long enough to view its nightlife.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Dakar asked. He was getting the same sensation off her as the one he got the first day she saw that waterfall back at the island. It made him happy and he tried hard to hide his smile.

“It's so beautiful. I have not been to a city like this before,” she mused and stared at tourists who were taking pictures close to a restaurant situated by the ocean, but separated by a platform created to keep the water at bay. Italy had a lot of restaurants like this as she had heard.

“Want to come out more often with me?”

“Yes, please. Yes.”

Dakar smirked and nodded. He would take her out everyday if she so wished.

Finally, after driving through the city for more than twenty minutes, Dakar seemed to reach where he was taking her. It was a much more quiet area though it had a lot of buildings. Dakar parked his car in front of a building along with the other cars parked there. He got out and Avril was going to come out too but the door wouldn't open. She thought she was doing it wrong and wanted to ask him to just help her and open it when the door open up. She looked ahead and saw Dakar standing there with his hand stretched out.

“Come on,” he encouraged her to take his hand. The ‘brave’ Avril gulped down nervously then took his hand. He helped her step out of the car and walked her a short distance before pressing the car's control to lock it up. They began to walk towards the brightly lit up building with lots of windows from the first floor upwards. Right over the entrance was a large golden sign in curved and curly writing—Adoro Hotel. The golden sign had tiny silver lights dancing around it.

Prince Dakar, still holding her hand led her to the entrance swing doors and they entered. There was a quiet lobby with red carpet spread throughout out. It was a rectangular large lobby, and there was a counter opposite the waiting area. Three staff were behind computers there. One was making a telephone call and had a customer in front of her who seemed to be making a complaint or just needing help. The one in the middle was a man who was typing away on his computer. While the last person, a lady was going through a set of files beside her computer. Dakar walked Avril to this lady and she looked up immediately they approached. She gasped and stood straight, then smiled brightly.

“Mr Remus. A pleasure to have you here again,” she said and he grunted a low sound in his throat.

“I'd like a table for two, please,” he stated.

“Yes, sir,” she replied. Her eyes glanced at Avril and she seemed to gulp before turning to her computer to see if there was a free space for two people. Luckily, there was. So she reserved it immediately then picked up her telephone to call a waiter.

“Please accompany Mr Dakar Remus to the reserved table for two,” she gave the order and dropped the telephone.

“The waiter would be here in a few seconds, sir,” she said with that same smile that Avril was beginning to find weird. It was too bright and her gums were showing above her teeth.

“Thank you,” Dakar replied her curtly. His hand inadvertently moved up Avril's back and held her there, then he turned her left. Through the corner of her eyes, she could see the receptionist gasping silently and staring at them in surprise. Even the other two receptionist seemed to be stealing glances at them too. Avril felt uncomfortable. Did she not fit in with his league or what? But she did turn heads whenever she went out with Alejandro on a formal outing like this.

Thankfully, a male waiter wearing a white dress shirt, a blue bow tie and blue trousers walked through a door opposite them. He smiled as he saw Dakar and approached them.

“Welcome, Mr Remus. Welcome. This way, please,” he gestured towards the door he just left and the two followed him. Immediately they left the counter, Avril began to hear whispers from behind them.

They walked through the door, behind the waiter and entered a magnificent restaurant. It was a medium sized space with yellowish—gold walls, cream coloured curtains having silver designs in them and lovely gold aesthetics such as flowers, vases, sculptures and paintings situated around the room. There were three magnificent, light gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling at three different linear positions, giving the room a bright glow of gold. Classical music was playing in the background and the sound of cutlery hitting against plates added to the cool vibes the restaurant was evolving. The dark brown tables were all round, with one spiral shaped stand holding it from the middle to the floor and standing firmly. Each table had a bouquet of roses—white roses— in a small cream and gold vase. The overall look of the restaurant felt like royalty.

The waiter led them to a table at the center of the room and helped them settle down. He was the one who drew the chair for Avril and she had muttered a small ‘thank you’ to him. Sitting down, Avril glanced around at the people. She saw they were all dressed formally or semi-formally and had an aura of rich attached to them. After the waiter took their orders, he left.

“This place is beautiful. Do you come here often?” Avril asked Dakar, for the sake of starting a conversation. He nodded his head and took out a phone which he placed on the table.

“I wish you could sometimes reply me like a normal human would,” she added surly.

“Am I a normal human?” he asked while staring at her face. Avril's mouth parted as she looked at him with surprise. Then she shook her head and closed her mouth.

“It's okay. Just pretend I didn't say that,” she said, trying to hide her embarrassment by looking around once more.

“I'm sorry, Fiorella. I'm just not...” he trailed off and she looked back at him.

“I'm just not—not human enough to interact like one. I'm something else,” he apologized darkly and shook his head. Before Avril could reply, the waiter returned with two other female waiters who served them their food in golden plates.

What was with this restaurant and gold?

They began to eat in silence, with Dakar stealing glances at Avril now and then.

“I know what you're doing,” she spoke up when she couldn't take it anymore. He laughed and gulped down water.

“Oh really,” he said and she looked at him.

“Don't stare too much. It's not like I'm pretty,” she replied and shrugged.

“You are beautiful, Fiorella,” he drawled and her shoulders dropped.

“One of the prettiest humans I've ever set my eyes on,” he added and it killed her on the inside. She gulped and looked at him.

“Are you getting drunk?”

He laughed and ran a finger through his hair.

“Can this wine get me drunk?” he asked back and smirked.

“Thanks for the compliment then,” she appreciated and resumed eating.

“Do you want to know why those people at the lobby were staring?” he asked and she looked at him again.

“Yes. You must have heard them whispering. Why was that?”

“There have never seen me with a woman before. Not once, ever,” he revealed and Avril furrowed her brows.

“Not once? Like...not even with a female associate?”

“Not once. They thought I was gay. So bringing a woman here is a shock.”