Chapter 71: Chapter 71

WRITER'S POV

And just like a miracle, that night, while Avatia tossed and tossed in her sleep, it came flashing through her mind. Everything. From the moment she flew from Ohio to New York, her employment in Adam's, to her losing her job and getting a new one for her very strict boss and meeting Leo. LEO! Ohhh, poor Avatia was already wet from all her perspiration and she was having a restless sleep. The memories kept coming and soon, she wasn't able to breathe again. She tried and tried and finally ended up screaming and abruptly jerking up from her sleep, placing one palm on her forehead and the other on her chest.

Draya who was in the next room in Dreidan's luxurious guest house hurried over to Avatia's room and was shocked to see her best friend in such a panicked state.

Her protective instincts kicked in and she searched the room for any intruder, seeing none, she rushed to Avatia. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Acacia looked at her in the eyes, unable to speak herself.

Draya gently shook Ava. "What's going on? Can you fucking tell me, I'm worried sick already?"

But Avatia burst out crying and hugged her tight.

Draya smoothened her bestfriends hair. "Shhhhh...I'm right here honey." But Draya was not prepared for what she heard next.

"I remember."

Draya pulled back. "Huh?"

Avatia sobbed. "I remember every single thing Draya. I remember what Leo did to me. I begged him to have mercy on me but he didn't. He tried to force himself on me, I don't know if he ...."

Draya quickly shook her head. "No, he didn't. Dresden rescued you."

"Dresden. Where's he? He was always so kind to me and mom never liked him." She kept on crying. "I remember how much hurt he felt when he told me about his ex. He was scared of being lonely again. It was Leo. I remember he said he killed Nevaeh. He killed the innocent girl to get back at Dresden. I need to talk to him now. I need to tell him what I heard. Ohh Draya, I remember everything. "

Draya was speechless. She didn't even know what to say. "Ava, it's still 2 AM. Let's at least wait till dawn."

Ava kept on crying. "What if I forget everything again. What if Leo comes back?" "Leo is dead Ava. And you won't forget anything. We should just be thankful you

finally got your memory." Draya reasoned out. It seemed to calm Avatia down.

Ava nodded.

Draya nodded too. "Good girl. Now you wait here while I go get you some milk. It's gonna calm your horses till dawn, okay?"

******

And so, at the break of dawn, Draya called Dreidan to give him a heads up on everything. They agreed to meet up at Adam's. Avatia was glad she had her memory back even though some were sad. She was happy that she could remember Kenny, Roberto, Cheng the driver, Adam, Grace from Adam's, Anna in Italy, and everyone she'd met in New York. She was ecstatic. She thought of her dear mother. Even though her mother did not want her to come over to New York, she remembered the good times they shared and all the love, and so, she missed her. It was the best decision she made. Coming back to New York because finally, she was able to gain back her memories.

When it was time to meet Dreidan, she was super nervous. How would she tell him that she knew about all that Leo did? As she sat in the café with Draya, she kept bouncing her feet in anticipation of what would happen. The green tea in front of her did not help her nervous system either.

Then they heard the jingly sound of the cafe's bell and Avatia

jumped in fear.

"Girl, you sure you good? You don't need to be so nervous. As I said, I already think Dreidan knows." Draya assured her.

And in no time, the man of the hour appeared. He was right on time. Not even a minute late. Draya and Avatia came earlier so they could have some tea. Avatia reminisced. The guy was always on time back then. He still is. The perfect guy. She blushed at the thought, trying not to stare at his handsome features clad in a well-tailored black suit. Why was he so formal anyway?

"Good morning Draya." He said, then bent down and placed a kiss on Avatia's cheek. "Good morning Princess." He added, then sat close to her.

Avatia and Draya replied but Avatia could not look up. She was a blushing mess and added to that, the guy smelled heavenly. And he had freaking kissable lips. Jeez...when did she start having inappropriate thoughts?

".....right, Avatia?" Draya asked, pulling her out of her small world of thoughts. She looked up as a lost child with red cheeks. "Huh?"

"I was saying you have something to tell Mr. Vaughn here, right?" Acacia nodded. "Good, I'll go over to the school and try to do a few things. When you're done, Mr. Vaughn will let me know." Draya told her, then excused herself.

Dresden turned to Avatia whose head was down. He used his fingers and tilted them in his direction, making her look at him. "What did you want to tell me, baby?"

The guy's aura naturally scared her. Added to that right now was the fact that she was sitting this close to him and now, she was looking into his eyes. "Uhh....umm...I....I..." Oh, the poor girl was a stuttering mess.

"Do I make you uncomfortable, princess?" Dresden asked, trying to read her facial expression.

"Yes! No, I mean no. You don't make me uncomfortable."

He ran his smooth fingers across her face. "Then tell me, Princess. Why did you call me here?" His voice was soft and gentle and encouraging and before Avatia knew, she started talking. She told him she was no longer suffering from amnesia and everything else that she remembered. She felt bad talking about Leo, especially since Dreidan's mood changed and his face became stone cold. She told him everything she could remember and ended up sobbing. Dresden pulled her into his chest, consoling her and smoothing her blonde hair. "Don't cry, baby. It's fine now. The mo'fucker is dead now. And everything is over."

She pulled away and looked at him through her naturally long lashes. "So you're not mad at me?"

He shook his head. "No princess. I'm just glad you're back and you can remember everything. I already knew why Leo did what he did. I just lowkey wish he was still alive so I could kill him all over."

Avatia's eyes widened. "You killed him?" She was already afraid.

Dresden wanted to shoot his head for saying that out loud, but the guy kept calm. "It wasn't intentional. When I came to the warehouse, I realized the bastard had locked you up in a freezer. That guy was a psychopath. I was so furious that I...." He couldn't exactly tell her the way he killed Leo. She'll be scarred for life. So he thought of something else. "I roughly pushed him and he hit his head so hard and died. It was not my intention baby. The police came after and we've settled everything."

The explanation seemed to calm Avatia. "Thank you so much for saving my life."

Dresden shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you for giving me another chance even after endangering your life."

"You're a good man and I know it. I could feel it from the very beginning." Ava told him and this time, she was the one who placed her palms on his cheek. "And I could feel your presence in my heart while I was in Texas."

Dresden felt that same love Nevaeh had shown to him. He felt the love even more at the moment. He knew he had made the right decision by loving this young innocent girl. So without a care in the world that they were in a public place, he leaned a little and kissed her. Kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered. Kissed her like she was the only one that mattered. Kissed her because she was the only woman his broken heart could love. Ohh, he loved the girl so much and he had missed her rosy lips. Reluctantly, he pulled away and looked her in the eye. "I love you, Princess."

"And I love you too, Mr. Black." She said and they both laughed.

"You had to add that annoying 'Mr. Black'?" Dresden asked with a chuckle

Acacia laughed too. "Of course. I mean 'princess' goes well with 'Mr. Black'. Plus you're wearing a black suit right now. You like black."

He smiled. "I love grey and white too."

She feigned surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. If you think I'm lying, let's go on a date and I'll wear grey or white to prove you wrong."

She burst out laughing. "That's an impeccable way of asking me out on a date, you know." She laughed. "But alright, I'll go on this date so I can confirm that you can wear another color of a suit." She said, playing along with a smirk.

I enjoyed the end of this chapter, those two are so good together.

But the sad thing is, we're drawing closer and closer to the end.