Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel)

by Light

  “You weren’t kidding, were you?” Dallas breathed.

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Rome said. “Is there anyone else who goes to this school or lives in this town that’s related to one of those families?” Dallas seemed to be thinking about it.

  “Yeah, there’s Logan. He’s a Scott. Real piece of work, that one. Maybe he’s cursed to be an asshole?” Dallas laughed. “Oh, and I think there’s some kid named…” He snapped his fingers repeatedly. “God, it’s right on the tip of my tongue. It’s weird, like… I think it starts with an M?” Several minutes passed before Dallas gave up trying to remember. “Anyways, he’s a Porter. Why? What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know. I just think it’s a little interesting that there is a descendant from each family in this school, right now, all at the same time.”

  “You’re forgetting Graham,” Dallas said. “That family’s been gone for centuries. That sort of puts a big hole in your theory.”

  Rome glanced over at Kaleb, nodding at him and raising his eyebrows. “Gone, or just relocated?” he whispered.

  “Say you are right, what do you suppose we do?” Kaleb said.

  “Maybe we can do some séance type thing and trap him?”

  “This isn’t Ghostbusters,” Dallas scoffed. “And witches don’t do séances. Not anymore. Not since black magic and necromancy were banned like a million years ago. Why don’t we just focus on averting one disaster at a time and keep Christian away from Aria? After that, we can go from there.”

  Chapter 24

  La Lune was more than a five star restaurant. Not only was it the nicest food establishment in Redwood Bay, it was one of the top ten in the entire state. The dining hall was massive, the tables and chairs antique, and the ceilings were painted like a chapel straight out of Italy. Short of jackets, the waiters were dressed in tuxedos, each one complete with a bow tie. The dinnerware was even made of the finest china and silver. It was the kind of place world renowned chefs would sit down to eat at. They even offered wine tastings, and had an entire cellar filled with rare and expensive selections. Of course it was Friday night, and La Lune was both packed and understaffed.

  “Good evening,” the hostess greeted. “Do you have a reservation?”

  “Reed, table for two,” Christian smiled. To his surprise, he wasn’t checking her out. He was too enthused about Ariahna’s arm locked around his. She was dressed in a strapless light-blue dress that hugged her body perfectly and cascaded all the way to the floor.

  “You look gorgeous,” he whispered.

  “Your name is not on the list,” the hostess informed him.

  Christian faltered for a moment before distracting her with a charming smile. He brushed his fingers over the top of the guest list, releasing a little magic as he did. “Look again. I do believe we should be right on top.” Ariahna nudged him with her elbow and he smiled back at her. He wasn’t supposed to have had to do that. Dallas had told him he’d make sure he was on the list. Clearly he was going to have to talk to him about that one. Then again, he had been acting strange the last day and a half.

  The hostess found his name and had one of the staff members lead them back to a romantic little table. Christian pulled out Aria’s seat for her, helping her scoot in.

  “I’ve never actually worn a suit before,” he mumbled. He was messing with his tie, nervously adjusting his attire before taking his seat. “Hopefully I don’t look too ridiculous.”

  “No, not at all,” she assured him. “You look handsome.”

  They smiled at one another before looking over their menus.

  “Have you ever eaten here before?” Christian asked.

  Aria nodded.

  “Is there anything you recommend?” He didn’t want to admit it, but he couldn’t actually read the menu. Everything was in Italian, which was something else Dallas had conveniently forgotten to mention. This was all starting to seem a little suspicious. Then again, Christian should have known something was up the minute Dallas offered to give him back the extra set of keys to the BMW.

  “Well,” she said slowly, looking over the selections, “what do you like? I can help you pick something, if you want.”

  “I don’t know. I tend to stay away from anything too heavy.”

  “Alright, no sausage then,” she laughed.

  “Um, yeah. You know, why don’t you just order for me?”

  “Are you sure? What if I order something you don’t like?”

  “No, it’ll be fun,” he smiled. “Surprise me.”

  Ariahna looked over the menu with a newfound anxiety. Under the rare circumstance that her father hadn’t ordered for them both, she usually just ordered soup and salad. Ordering for another person was making the whole process seem intimidating, though. Before she’d had a chance to make a selection their waiter walked over and set two glasses of water on the table. Aria turned to smile graciously up at their server for the evening, and felt her jaw drop when she saw who was staring back.

  It was Rome.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “Um… working?” he said with a shrug.

  Technically, he was a stand-in. His usual work went on behind the scenes, back in the kitchen, helping to prep food and clean dishes. This had not been part of the hair-brained scheme Dallas had concocted, either. In fact, it was going to make carrying out that plan a real pain.

  Oh hell no, Christian thought, flagging down another server. A pretty blonde girl in matching slacks and a white blouse hurried over to their table.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked.

  Rome’s eyes caught on her nametag – Autumn. At least now he knew who had sent him those flowers. He didn’t think she went to Vardel. It was possible he was just incredibly oblivious though, because he’d been working here for months, and he didn’t even know this girl’s name.

  “Yes,” Christian said, smiling charmingly. “I don’t mean to be a nuisance, but I’d prefer another server. This guy’s making my date uncomfortable,” he said. He could feel Rome glaring at him.

  “Oh, no,” Autumn said, smiling brightly. “Rome’s an excellent employee.” She touched his arm gently as he turned to look at her hand on his bicep. “I would accommodate your request, but we’re a little understaffed tonight. I’m sorry. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “What about you?” Christian said. “Why can’t you be our server?”

  “It’s fine,” Aria said quickly. “We don’t need another server.” Regardless of the fact that she was out on a date with Christian, she didn’t like the way this girl was touching Rome. And she definitely did not like the idea of Christian smiling and flirting with her the entire night.

  “So, are you two ready to order, or should I come back?”

  “I think we’re ready,” she grinned. She turned that smile to Autumn, wondering when she planned to leave. The girl startled as though realizing she was just standing there staring before shuffling hurriedly off.

  “Um, okay,” Rome said, pulling out a small pad of paper.

  Aria smiled at him gently. “Rome, you don’t have to be so nervous.”

  Right, he thought, because there was nothing to be nervous about. He was only waiting to take her order while she was on a date with another guy. There was just something deflating about knowing he could never take her to a place like this. He felt like a complete idiot now for offering to take her to that all-night diner. Ariahna was the kind of girl who you took out to fancy restaurants in expensive clothes to show off. And Rome, he was just always going to be the guy washing the dishes and pouring the wine. It was becoming very clear to him why she was going out with Christian instead of him.

  “I think we’ll start with the Bruschetta,” she said, “and then I will have the Zuppa di Pesce, and… he’ll have the Capesante alla Veneziana.”

  “Wow,” Rome smiled. “Do you actually speak Italian?”

  “No,” she laughed. “My father ju
st practically lives here.”

  “So he’s got a house,” Rome said, ticking each item off on a finger, “an apartment in town, and he lives at the restaurant?”

  Ariahna giggled.

  Christian was trying to set Rome on fire with his eyes.

  “What did you want to drink?” he asked. He knelt down beside the table, whispering to Aria. “I can get you a little wine, if you’d like.”

  “Really?” Christian said sharply. “Maybe I should talk to your manager.”

  “Shit,” Ariahna hissed. She grabbed the menu off the table, holding it up in front of her face and peeking out from behind it. “Oh my god, this is not happening…”

  “What’s wrong?” Rome asked.

  “Hey, I’m her date,” Christian snapped. He turned to look at her, his face a mask of concern. “What’s wrong?”

  “My father’s here,” she squeaked.

  Christian spun around in his seat, trying to find someone who looked like they could be her father. The truth was he had no clue what the guy looked like.

  “Don’t look!”

  “Which one is he?” he asked.

  “The last table… over there,” she said, gesturing with her eyes.

  Christian squinted at the table she’d indicated, looking between the two men seated there. Neither of them looked like they were related to her.

  “Is he the tall scary one, or the short fat one?”

  “I’m guessing the tall scary one,” Rome said, patting Christian on the shoulder. “Enjoy your date.” It would be a miracle if he got out of this alive. Brother or not, Rome wasn’t sure he cared at this point.

  “Of course he couldn’t be the short fat one,” Christian muttered.

  “Shhh!” she whispered harshly. “He’ll hear you.”

  Rome leaned over so that his face was hidden behind her menu. “Do you want me to sneak you out the back?”

  “No,” Christian said. “That won’t be necessary.” He glanced around the busy dining hall before snapping his fingers under the table. Her bright red hair changed to a rich brown. “He won’t even recognize you, I promise. And if he does, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Rome stood up slowly, narrowing his eyes at Christian’s specific choice of words. What did he mean by that? he wondered. Christian seemed more worried about Ariahna being seen by her father than himself. Something about that didn’t sit right with him.

  “Are you sure?” he asked softly.

  She set her menu down and nodded at him. “Yes,” she answered, keeping her eyes locked on the table. “And I’ll take that wine,” she decided, “if you can get it.”

  Rome nodded and hurried off just as his manager started staring.

  Christian let out a heavy breath. He felt like he just couldn’t catch a break. Their first date had ended in violence, their second was a complete disaster, and now people were popping up all over the place to ruin their third. Call him paranoid, but it felt like some force was working to keep them apart.

  “This is going well,” he joked.

  Aria laughed softly. “Welcome to life,” she said, “where there’s always something to get in the way of your happiness, and people that want to see you fail.” She shifted in her chair, uncertain how to phrase her question. “I think you were confused when you made that promise. If my father sees us, you’re the one who should be scared, not me.”

  She looked up at him cautiously, gauging his reaction.

  “Are you sure about that?” Christian mumbled. She wouldn’t meet his eyes after that. He waited for a server to pass before speaking again. “I saw your wrist, after your father left. He sounded… angry.”

  Ariahna smiled back at him, feigning ignorance. Her jaw was trembling and her hands were clutched tightly in her lap. “Do you want to know what I ordered for you?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “…Sure.”

  “Venetian-style scallops. They’re lightly breaded and seasoned, and so tender your mouth is going to water. Trust me, it’s delicious.”

  “It sounds delicious,” he agreed. “I’m glad I let you order. In all honesty, I had no idea what anything on that menu was. I don’t know Italian.”

  “But you picked the restaurant,” she said in amusement. “Have you never been here before?” He shook his head no and she smiled at him. “We didn’t have to go somewhere so nice. I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “I think that you’re the kind of girl who deserves the best. Besides, I had to compete with all of the other dates you’ve been on. I can’t be shown up. I have a delicate ego.”

  “Other dates?” she smiled. “That’s kind of you.”

  “Are you trying to tell me no one’s ever asked you out before?” he asked, tipping his head. “I honestly don’t believe that’s true.”

  Rome smacked an Italian soda down in front of Christian. His expression was sullen. He slipped the wine glass delicately onto the table beside Ariahna. “It isn’t true,” he mumbled as he walked away.

  Aria exhaled. “I’ve never been out on a date,” she answered. “Not with anyone other than you, I mean. My father is fairly good at scaring people away. To this day, Dallas still won’t tell me what he said to him.”

  “Yeah,” he said, staring up at the ceiling, “I get the impression Dallas likes you. I’ve never seen him act so… anti-Dallas over a girl.”

  Ariahna laughed under her breath in embarrassment. “Isn’t it funny how we’re talking about everyone but us on this date?” she commented.

  “Uh… you could ask me a question?”

  “Okay,” she smiled. “Do you have any scary parents I should know about?” Christian seemed to shut down at her question. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong? You know what, forget I said anything. What’s your favorite subject?”

  He smiled guiltily. “Alchemy,” he said. “What about you?”

  “The same,” she smiled. “We have a whole lab at home. I’m the only one who uses it, though. It makes me wonder if my family stored boxes in there before I was born.”

  “So do you live close to town?”

  “Well, that’s a matter of perspective. We live out in the country, a couple hours away from Redwood Bay. Closer than a lot of students, I’d imagine. What about you? Where did you grow up?”

  Christian was remembering why he never went on actual dates.

  “I moved around a lot,” he said evasively.

  Aria looked down at her water glass. She hadn’t even touched the wine Rome had brought out yet. She raised it to her lips to get a little liquid courage before continuing with what she’d planned to say. “When I agreed to go on this date with you, you said you wanted to show me something real,” she said. “So far, you’ve been a bit dodgy. The point of this is to get to know each other. I want to know who you are, Christian – the real you.”

  He took a deep breath. “What if underneath it all, there isn’t much to tell? What if the real me is someone you don’t even want to know?”

  “You need to leave that to me to decide. And the truth is, neither of us will ever know if we could have been something, even friends, if we aren’t willing to open up. Take a chance. You might be surprised.”

  Christian looked back at her uncertainly. “…I like to dance. No one knows that,” he said. “Not even Dallas.” She seemed a little unimpressed by what he’d decided to share. She might not have been if she only knew how intimate of a detail that was to him. “I was given up at birth, okay? The truth is, I don’t even know who I am.”

  Aria was speechless. That wasn’t the type of dinner conversation she’d had in mind. Rome walked over and set their appetizer down between the two of them. She was staring at Christian, and Christian was looking at the food like it was speaking to him.

  “Everything okay over here?” Rome asked timidly.

  “Can you just butt out?” Christian said. “Or do you need a play-by-play of our damn date? We’re fine. You brought us our bread shit, now go the fuck away.”<
br />
  “Fuck,” Rome mumbled. “Sorry I asked.”

  Ariahna watched Rome walk away, spotting Autumn stop him to whisper something in his ear. He laughed and Aria was now fantasizing about slapping another girl in the face for the first time in her life. She turned back to Christian, who looked like he was trying to bite a hole through his lip.

  “That was a big thing for you to share with me,” she said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Not really. There’s not much to say.”

  She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “This isn’t really going very well, is it?” she mumbled. “I’m sorry. You can leave if you want.”

  “No,” he said softly. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave. I told you that because I was afraid that if I didn’t, you would walk out.”

  “I wasn’t trying to pressure you. I’m sorry if I made it seem that way.”

  “It wasn’t like that. I just… those are the only two things I have that are completely my own. The good and the bad, essentially,” he said. “I should have just said I was a dancing orphan. At least that would have sounded a lot funnier.”

  A scene from Annie popped into Aria’s head as she smiled at him.

  “We should go dancing sometime. I’d like to see you dance.” She picked up a piece of the Bruschetta for lack of anything to do with her hands and took a nervous nibble. “This is good, you should try some.”

  “I don’t exactly do the kind of dancing you can do with others. Not un-choreographed, anyways,” he said, taking a bite. It was good.

  “What kind of dancing do you do?”

  “Maybe I’ll have to show you sometime,” Christian smirked. “What about you? Any embarrassing hobbies you’d like to share with the class?”

  “You’re not really going to tell the class, are you?” she smiled.

  “Not as long as you don’t.”

  “I like to sing, I guess.”

  “Right, you were auditioning for the music group. How did that go? Other than being almost crushed to death, I mean.”