RAGE: Consume Me || BWWM

10

After talking to Amira, Rowan ordered her some food and told her to sit in his room while he finished tattooing his client. Her presence distracted him, but only because he wanted to make sure she was alright. Rowan would look up every once in a while, seeing Amira staring off into space. Once the food came, Amira turned her gaze to the television and ate quietly.

Rowan sighed in relief when his client left. He then cleaned up his station and debated rescheduling his last appointment.

"No, don't cancel. I don't mind sitting here until you're done. Plus, your client is already here, waiting on you."

"But I can't focus, Amira."

"Then I'll go sit outside, or I'll just go home. I won't let you reschedule for me."

It took a bit of convincing, but Rowan kept his last appointment. He tried to keep his eyes glued on his client, but his gaze constantly fluttered to Amira, which made her regret coming to his shop. She felt bad about being his distraction, so she left the room altogether. But unfortunately, that only made things worse. Rowan knew she was hurting, and not being able to see her was starting to grate on him.

He was never one to lose focus for any reason, but Amira was different. Her well-being took precedence over practically anything. And Rowan knew Amira needed him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled so far to see him.

Making a quick decision, Rowan decided to halt his session, apologizing to his client for his unprofessionalism. He then rescheduled his client for another day, even offering to compensate them for their time. Rowan assured his client it wouldn't happen again, but his client was very understanding. They knew the kind of artist Rowan was, so they understood the minor inconvenience. Unexpected things happen all the time—it's life.

Rowan then started searching for Amira, spending a few minutes calling her name. He soon spotted her leaving the restroom, blotting her face. Rowan noted how her eyes were now puffier than before.

"Amira?" She jumped despite how softly he spoke.

"You've finished already?"

"No, I rescheduled."

"Why?" She fanned her face as another tear escaped. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." Rowan escorted her back into his room. He then sat down on his leather couch and pulled Amira onto his lap, listening as she began to speak.

"I know I need to suck it up, but the initial shock of what happened hasn't worn off. I'll get over it soon." She tried to reassure him.

"I just feel bad for Camila, which hurts because I didn't want to cut her off. I truly didn't, but I had to." Amira tried to convince herself she did the right thing. "I'm glad I put my foot down, but I just hope she doesn't spiral more out of control."

Amira then decided to go home with Rowan, spending the night at his house. She had clothes, but she didn't have her phone or purse. For that reason, she told Rowan to wake her up extra early so she could go home and retrieve those items before work.
.....

The next day...

Amira had just got off work when she received a text from an unknown number. She was about to delete the message when she saw the name, Eliza.

"Oh, give me a break," she huffed as she clicked on the message. She then read the long paragraph: Eliza was basically begging and pleading for Amira's help. She didn't know how to approach Rowan, and she was wondering if Amira could help her reason with him.

Amira didn't respond—she couldn't—so she deleted the message and pretended she never saw it.

That method worked for a little bit, but Eliza ended up calling Amira a few days later—when she was with Rowan. Amira quickly shuffled into his closet, quiet as she held her phone to his face. Rowan squinted at the brightness but just stared at the screen.