140
It was yet another day, Ioannis had gone to work and Yalda was left alone in the villa. She had stood outside on the balcony for a couple minutes before deciding to stop running from her past completely. It has been so long she spoke to Riley and she knew she must have been worried about her.
She went back inside, dug into her suitcase and found her phone she had tossed aside for so long. She sat cross-legged on the sofa, and stared at the phone for a full minute before finally typing:
Yalda: Hey...
Less than a minute later, the typing dots appeared.
Riley: YALDA?
Yalda’s lips curved into a soft smile. Before she could type anything else, her screen lit up with an incoming video call. Her finger hovered for just a second before she accepted it.
Riley’s face filled the screen, her wild curls were messier than ever, her eyes wide, rimmed with tears.
“Yalda!” Riley nearly shouted. “Are you okay? Oh my God, where the hell have you been? I thought....I thought something had happened to you!”
Yalda’s heart twisted at the sight of her friend’s worry. “I’m okay,” she said softly. “I’m really sorry, Riley. I should have called sooner. I've just been really....”
She didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to phrase it.
“You disappeared!” Riley’s voice cracked. “You were just… gone. Do you know how terrifying that was? I thought—” Her voice broke, and she rubbed at her eyes. “I thought Alexander Monroe had done something to you.”
Yalda’s breath caught. “No,” she said quickly. “No, he didn’t. It wasn’t him.”
Alexander would be er hurt her, not like that. She knew that well enough.
“Then what?” Riley demanded. “Where are you? What happened?”
Yalda looked past the camera for a moment, at the bright sea beyond the villa. “I’m in Greece.”
Riley blinked. “Greece?”
“Yeah. I left New York after everything. I needed to get away.”
Riley sat back on her couch, stunned. “Greece,” she repeated. “You’re just... casually in Greece?”
“It wasn’t casual,” Yalda said quietly. “It was desperate. I just… couldn’t breathe there anymore.”
Riley exhaled. “God, I don’t even know whether to scream or cry. I missed you so much. I’ve been calling your number every day. I even went to Alexander’s building once, thinking maybe you—” she stopped herself, biting her lip. “But I couldn’t find you.”
“I know,” Yalda said, guilt pooling in her chest. “I didn’t mean to shut you out. I just… I broke, Riley. Completely. I needed time. I didn’t trust myself to talk without falling apart.”
A long pause followed. Then Riley softened. “Okay,” she said. “Okay. You’re here now. That’s all I care about. Just don’t vanish like that again. Please.”
“I won’t.”
They sat in a long, comfortable silence, just looking at each other, the distance between them vast but slowly shrinking with every second.
“So,” Riley finally said, narrowing her eyes, “what’s with the glowy skin and breezy linen top? Are you staying in a spa or something?”
Yalda chuckled. “Not a spa, A villa.”
Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Villa? Girl, what kind of secret life are you living over there?”
Yalda hesitated, then sighed. “I met someone.”
Riley’s mouth fell open. “You what?”
“I met someone,” Yalda repeated, a little slower, a little softer.
There was a beat of silence. Then Riley clapped both hands to her cheeks. “Oh my god. Is he Greek? He’s Greek, isn’t he?”
Yalda laughed, warmth blooming in her chest. “He is.”
“Are you kidding me?” Riley gasped. “You ghosted me and flew across the world and now you’re out there falling in love with some Adonis. Girl, you're amazing."
Yalda laughed harder this time, her shoulders relaxing for the first time all day. And when the laughter died, they sat there staring at each other for a moment before Riley spoke again.
"What's he like?" Her tone was more serious now. "Is he kind to you, Yalda? Is he treating you right?"
Yalda smiled though pain stabbed at her heart on recalling how she had cried to Riley about how Alexander had been treating her, about everything. She nodded.
"He is." She answered honestly. And as she blinked a lone tream of tears went streaking down her cheek, she hadn't even known it had been in her eyes. "No one's ever been so kind to me, Riley, no one."
She could see Riley's eyes misting up with tears also, she knew she was happy for her.
"He's thoughtful, he's supportive, he's patient." She explained quietly. "He seems so unreal."
"I'm so glad you're finally with someone that care about you, Yalda." Riley said, offering her a warm smile. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."
Yalda wiped the tears from her cheek before dragging in a deep breath and nodding. Yes, she deserved to be happy.
"You are happy right? You're fine?"
She nodded once more.
"I am. I've never been better."
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