CHAPTER 36
With all her luck pushed to the limits, an accident chose to happen the day she is running late; causing the traffic jam. Every second she peeks at her phone, a little more anxiety grows on her. Her patience run dry, Thea jumped off the jeep and ran as fast as she could thinking how close she is now to the cafe.
The moment she walked up on the back door of the cafe is Darwin met her eyes. As usual, he is silent as ever unless spoken first. He never dared to speak a word at how messy her hair is, her sweat all over her shirt and how quick her chest falls up and down.
"Sorry I'm late, I had it rough last night." Thea spoke to him with her forced smile waiting for him to day a word.
Her eyes went wide when she saw how skeptical Darwin looked at her. *That sounded weird*
"I_I_uh...I mean, I was tired from school tasks last night....I...didn't sleep well."
Darwin shrugged and pulled the garbage bag out of the door. "You're not the only one who had a rough sleep last night."
"What?" Thea whispered to herself. Still puzzled, she made her way to the locker room, where she gasped as soon as she turned the lights on.
"Sir Simon?"
"Uh...Thea." Simon groggily said as he rubbed his eyes, waking up from his nap. His hair looks messy too as well as how his shirt is crumpled as soon as he sat up from the floor where he slept. His whole visuals are far different at how he always looked.
*He always looked so clean, but now he...looks like a.....drunkard.*
"Good morning, sir." Thea greeted as she slightly bowed her head to him. She walked up to her locker, puzzled. Somehow, she thought that it was Dimitri whom Darwin referred to as having a rough sleep. Figuring out how she was with him yesterday, her mind drifted off to him instantly.
"The maids told me__ it was you and Tri who drove me home yesterday. Sorry you had to see that." Simon weakly spoke to her while pulling himself up.
*Tri?___Who....Oh.*
"It's okay, Sir. Might be a bad day for you yesterday__"
"They also told me that he drove you to your school___and Darwin said, he cancelled all of your shift for the day___"
"Sir?" Thea whispered, wondering what and how Simon meant to ask all these. She gasped, realizing how close he was standing behind her as her eyes looked around, only to see that it was only them inside.
"Answer me, Thea. Were you with him yesterday?" He asked while his whole body towered over her.
Staring at his chest so close to her, Thea began to feel the tips of her fingers go numb as she tried to step back but stopped with the cold metal lockers behind her.
"Answer me." Simon whispered looking down on her waiting for her to look up to him.
"Sir___" *he reeks alcohol*
"Yes, she was with me yesterday." A familiar voice echoed in the room, stopping Simon as he tried a step closer to her.
"Sir." Thea whispered under her breath of relief to ever see Dimitri standing on the door facing the two of them. *Never thanked the universe for this guy*
"You look terrible, you should've rested." Dimitri said, with his eyes piercing through Simon.
Simon stepped back at his sight.
"I need to man the cafe____"
"Thea, you're needed in the kitchen."
"Yes Sir." Thea answered, instantly walking away from the scene, with both their eyes following her every move until she's steps away from the room.
The two are left dead silent. "____since I heard you were busy yesterday." Simon continued.
"Yes, I did drive her to school since someone was drunk, that's the least I could do for her and I brought her to Theo's museum after her class. Just in case you wanna know_____" Dimitri calmly stated back to him.
"Why would you do that?" Simon's brows furrowed.
"Because just like you, I was wondering why THAT portrait looks exactly like her." Dimitri sarcastically answered, throwing a hungover drink at Simon.
"Drink that if you want to man the cafe sober. I don't need a drunk man sleeping anywhere."
"What do you think she thinks of that portrait?" Simon asked in his calmer tone, opening the drink.
"She said she was bothered. But seeing how she is right now. I don't think it bothered her that much. Maybe she was just shocked to see her face on an old portrait. That's all." Dimitri monotonously ran through the details to Simon.
"It did look like her, though."
"Yes, it did." Dimitri sighed and lit a stick of smoke. "I did a background check on her last night of course, none. Her lineage doesn't connect to any of that family, the Montecarlos."
"You did?"
"Hmm.."
The two went silent again as he huffed the smoke, waiting for Simon to sobber up.
"Surprisingly, our own Theodore is a distant relative," Dimitri added.
"Sharks! Really? That must be why he's was so absorbed in everything about them!" Simon exclaimed looking so amazed at the idea of the Montecarlos and Theo.
"Yes." Dimitri stared at Simon, who was finishing up the drink.
" Sobber up, I wont be here whole day and might be gone for a few days. I'll be busy on a case," he said as he walked up to Simon and tapped him. But before leaving the room, Dimitri didn't fail to notice Simon wobbling and looking blank.
"I hate seeing you like this." Dimitri told him straight to his face making Simon look at him with this concerned expression.
"I hate being like this myself." Simon chuckled back at him, his voice sounded tired. Far different on how he should be and how he was a few days ago.
Dimitri dropped the cigarette butt and stepped on it. "Don't go back there." He intently told Simon before leaving.
Simon was left, in deafening silence across the locker room that only he could hear was himself sniffling. He fixed himself; wiped his tears, fixed his hair and shirt and wore a smile.
"Good Morning, Sir."