Fallen by Aria Glazki

Author:Aria Glazki
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: love story, retelling, tragic romance, tragic love, la traviata
Publisher: Aria Glazki

~*~

Alone in my apartment, I don’t have to pretend. The coughing, the mucus, the treatments, the pills. The pain. No one’s around to stare worriedly or talk about me in hushed tones, as if my condition is a secret I don’t know. No one’s there to care that without expertly applied makeup, I actually look sick. Last night took a lot out of me, I guess.

But the photos on my stream are filled with color and grins, and hefty speculation fills the comments. Definitely a successful night.

Grayson pops up on my screen, with two painted women on either side and a full glass of wine lifted toward the camera—a great image of Bacchus for the night. I could call him, but he’d want to go out, or drink, and probably both. Not that I blame him, of course. Doing what you want with your time is the prerogative of the shamelessly wealthy.

As if to underscore the point, a selfie of Finley, Prue, and a couple others pops up with a chime. Come out of hiding and join us!! the caption reads. I toss the phone away, and it bounces softly on the bed. Like always, the blank ceiling offers no comfort. Maybe I should have it painted. There’s no shortage of talented starving artists in New York who could use a temporary patron.

But that does nothing to help me today. The blend of boredom and exhaustion is no less annoying despite its familiarity. Blindly, I pull open the top drawer of my bedside table, fumbling around inside until my fingers snag the rubber edge of my tablet cover. Later, maybe I’ll make it out to the living room and the pricey flat screen, but this will have to do for now. Pulling my eyes open, I flip off the cover and tap the first audiobook on my list.

But as the narrator starts speaking, the voice I hear is Adrian’s. I feel the strength of his hold as he carries me to bed, sets me down ever so gently.

Every man I’ve been with since I came to New York has cared for me, of course, providing me with anything a girl could want. They’ve held me, too, as we found pleasure in each other’s arms.

Adrian’s embrace is different, somehow. Giving, undemanding—unlike his declarations.

Let me show you what it’s like to be cherished.

Reciprocity is a requirement of love, but of companionship?

These times alone I save as a break from the everyday opulence of my life. A life to which Adrian is the perfect antithesis.

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