Isolation: Book 2 of The Quarantine Series Read online

  We will get there eventually.

  Raven stares ahead, then moves her gaze from the table back to me. Without saying another word, she walks towards the table.

  As soon as the shock wears off from her sudden movement, I follow to pull out her chair and watch in shock as Raven settles in.

  Just like that.

  No arguments.

  She said she wants peace, and she is making a peace offering.

  Walking around the table, I sit down across from her. She starts opening the boxes of desserts to sort through them as if we did not just discuss life-altering plans.

  CHAPTER 4

  -----------

  Raven

  It’s only a little past dawn. I kept having nightmares that kept me up.

  Since I couldn’t sleep, I am trying to be productive by making breakfast for the family. It’s a difficult feat considering my limited expertise in the kitchen.

  Ever since Tessa receded, Mia and Uncle Reese have been a little withdrawn, staying more or less out of sight. The members outside of the family feel uncomfortable with the on-goings of the private family matters and have been keeping to themselves as well.

  I am hoping that this breakfast will allow everyone to come back together.

  Scrounging through the kitchen, I find bread, fruits, yogurt, and cereal. I am hoping it’s enough to feed ten people. As I am working on setting up the table, I find Alexa charging towards me with Milo’s other business partners in tow.

  “Hi, Ms. Parisian fancy pants!”

  “Good Morning,” I give Alexa a genuine smile. “How are you?”

  “Jaci has finally finished unpacking,” she smiles back.

  Milo’s business partners, Brandon, Jaci, and Alexa, recently moved into the split-level.

  With everything going on, their office is shut down. Without their in-house staff, they have to be all hands on deck and work around the clock.

  It’s difficult to do so without being physically together. Milo already uses the split-level as his home office. It’s also set up as its own private apartment.

  Those three practically lived in the split-level back in the day. I used to be close to all of them, and they are close to the whole family. All in all, it made sense for them to move in.

  “Hey, girl, hey,” Jaci sings.

  “Rave,” Brandon is the next to come up. “Are you feeling any better today?”

  “I am healing,” I give all of them a reassuring smile.

  Alexa nods. “You must still be so freaked out from the fall."

  "Rave, you have to be more careful girl," Jaci chimes in. "You could have died.”

  I shake my head at them. “You guys are being so dramatic. I am perfectly fine.”

  We are still in mid-conversation when I see Milo coming towards us. He looks freshly showered, in blue jeans and a white shirt today. It's another one of his casual but expensive ensembles.

  I watch Alexa checking Milo out from the corner of her eye. I don’t blame the girl. That seems to be a normal reaction where Milo is concerned.

  His physical attributes have always been hard to deny. At twenty-five, he looks more of a walking sex god than he did at twenty-one. People still turn to stare at him whenever he walks into a room. His tall, sculpted body has a commanding presence, especially with girls.

  “Good morning,” Alexa is the first to greet Milo.

  He gives her a curt nod.

  “Morning, Rave,” Milo gives me a peck on the cheek, like the ones we used to share back in the day. His body language is also friendly, which is promising.

  Since our heavy conversation at Milo’s condo yesterday, things have been… civil. We caught up on each other’s lives.

  Milo has not acted on his impulses or his out of control libido. He has been diligent about not touching me. Those efforts have sparked tranquility between us.

  “Morning,” I respond back as Milo turns to acknowledge his business partners.

  “So, Rave,” Jaci drawls, turning the attention back to me. “What’s on your agenda now that you are back in New York?”

  “Nothing much. I have been doing an internship for a family friend, Karen.”

  “Karen?” Brandon frowns. “I didn't know that. Isn’t Karen like a bloodhound? I heard she doesn’t pay interns.”

  Milo gives me a pointed look at that comment. I sigh. It’s a moot point.

  “I know,” I surrender with one hand up. “But I just wanted the experience.”

  “Why?” Alexa tilts her face. “You are fucking brilliant. You were what, sixteen or seventeen when your first dress was featured in a Paris fashion runway?”

  “I was seventeen,” I admit. “But that only happened because the lead designer birthed me,” I point at my mother, whose silhouette is barely visible from where we are standing. It looks like she is browsing through the magazine collection.

  “That’s not why,” Milo chimes in. “Theressa would not have featured a dress on her first show unless she knew it was going to hit it out of the park. It was simply that good,” he shrugs.

  Brandon takes me in a one handed-hug.

  “God, Rave, you haven’t changed. You are brilliant, dude. Stop working for that vampire Karen before she sucks out your soul. Start your own line.”

  “I might do that one day,” I smile politely at Brandon but silently beg him to let go.

  I don’t have to look up to feel Milo’s raging eyes on us. His lighthearted mood is shifting.

  He already admitted to being possessive like a psycho, or in his case, possessive like a socio, if that’s even a word.

  We need peace in this house, and I have no interest in encouraging chaos with everything else that's going on right now.

  As if on cue, Milo speaks, “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll help you bring things to the table.”

  With a hand on my lower back, he nudges me to the side, so Brandon’s arm falls off my shoulders. He is so smooth during the whole transaction that no one notices the quick movement.

  “You know, Brandon is right.” Alexa follows us to the kitchen. “You should start your own business. You can sell custom clothing. I have friends who shell out hundreds of dollars for custom-made outfits.”

  “You should totally look into this, Rave.” I turn to find Brandon also walking into the kitchen with us. “Plus, this one,” he points his thumb at Alexa, “has bougie friends with a lot of money to spare. I am sure she can give you some intros.”

  “I’ll do more than that,” Alexa huffs. “I’ll front you the money if you ever want to start your own business. I know how talented you are, Raven. Do you remember the dress you made for me to wear at my Dad’s fiftieth birthday? I ended up selling it for two hundred dollars.”

  “Wow, I don’t know what to say.” I am truly baffled. First by her sudden offer and also because of the subsequent information.

  I was only sixteen when Alexa begged me to make her a custom-made dress for her father’s party. It wasn’t even that fancy of a dress.

  “Girl,” she gives me an exasperated expression. “You have no idea how good you are. You can probably make ten to twelve dresses a month and pull six thousand dollars. Hell, I can link you up with my girls who like custom clothes. Actually, you should start a Shopify site.”

  “Whoa! Hold up sparky,” I put up a hand. “You are going a million miles an hour. Where is all of this coming from?”

  “Sorry,” Alexa laughs. “It’s the entrepreneurs in us. We can’t help ourselves. We hate watching talent be stifled by working for someone else.”

  “Alexa,” I laugh, “talented people work for you. Are your talented staff being stifled?”

  “Yes,” all three of them reply in unison.

  “You guys are ridiculous.” I shake my head.

  I laugh alongside them as they tell me more stories from their work. All four of them work a lot, and their business has grown exponentially.

  Milo and his business partners created a finance app. The app rounds up your change if you link it to your charge card, allowing you to have an automatic savings account. They even work with investment bankers now, so the change can be invested in stocks.

  While the rest of them stay rooted in New York, Milo travels to various cities to promote the app.

  Despite the easy exchange between us, I can’t help but notice Brandon’s continuous flirtatious ways.

  Ever since Brandon moved in, he has been overly friendly. He keeps throwing an arm around my shoulders, along with the occasional finger pokes.

  When I knew him last, he never showed the slightest bit of interest in me. I don’t think that has changed.

  Normally, I wouldn’t care to reflect on Brandon's intentions, but his actions are causing friction. Milo’s glare is steadfast on Brandon.

  Milo twice removes Brandon’s hand from my arm. He does it casually, without missing a beat.

  Brandon keeps pretending not to notice these jabs and continues on the same course.

  Brandon is a tall, good looking man who is a charmer with the ladies. I doubt he is as oblivious as he is letting on. It seems apparent that he is trying to rile Milo up.

  Whatever his reasons might be to do so, it doesn’t act as an obstruction in getting reacquainted with old friends. Ever since they have moved in, my bond with them has been rekindled.

  When I finally notice the remaining Sinclair clan congregating downstairs, I grab the fruit tray and make my way back to the dining room.

  I have already done the plate setting, but I realize how many things I have missed as Milo wordlessly brings random items from the kitchen to complete the set-up, such as water jugs, juice, and butter.

  Teamwork, I hear someone giggle from behind. It’s probably my mother.

  Everyone has been sidetracked ever since Tessa’s situation. The controversial topic of Milo and I have been swept under the rug.

  While my father still has his concerns, I can tell that my mother is beyond thrilled. She loves Milo.

  I take the seat next to Mia, who is absentmindedly poking at her yogurt with a spoon.

  “Good morning,” I kiss her on the cheek. “How are you today, baby girl?”

  Mia just gives me a tight smile and mumbles something unintelligible. She has been feeling down for the last few days.

  I keep my eyes on Mia, but from the corner of my eye, I watch Milo walking towards the empty chair on the other side of me right as Brandon plops down on the chair, halting Milo in his tracks.

  “Hi, Rave!” I don’t miss the delight in Brandon’s voice or the shit-eating grin plastered on his face. “Hi, Mia,” he tilts his head towards Mia. “Did you finish your college applications?”

  “Not yet,” Mia sighs.

  “Do you need help?”

  Our chitchat is cut short by a chair that’s dropped in the empty space between Brandon and I.

  Milo plops down on it and casually drags the placemat that’s holding Brandon’s place setting, till the plate and glassware are in front of him.

  You can almost smell the male testosterone in the air.

  Luckily, our parents don’t notice the silent drama, and despite the random odd vibe, the boys let go of their ego battle once our parents settle into their seats.

  However, two people notice the odd exchange. I watch Alexa look between Milo and I. Mia simply looks frozen and stares blankly at Milo.

  -----------

  “We are going for a walk.”

  I look up from my design book to find Milo at my doorway.

  When I don’t immediately answer, Milo follows it up with, “Let’s go.”

  After breakfast today, I found a box of my favorite chocolates on my side table, along with a note asking about my plans for the day.

  In typical Milo fashion, he didn’t wait for my answer. Instead, he interrupted me without so much as a hello and then barked an order at me.

  Did I always let him walk all over me like this?

  Goddamnit. I did.

  I used to follow him around like his lost puppy, doing his bidding. Later, I was too scared to ever voice an opinion. But now things can be different.

  “Hello, Raven. How are you? Would you like to go for a walk?” I reword his previous comment to show him how he should have phrased it.

  Milo grins at my attempt. “Hello, Raven,” he says with a crooked, smile.

  “Oh, hello, Milo. I didn’t see you there,” I play along.

  “How are you this fine afternoon?” He mimics my tone.

  “I am excellent. Thank you for asking. How are you?”

  “I am fine too. Pray tell, would you be ever so kind as to escort me on a walk around this beautiful city?” Milo is wearing a cocky smirk, very much enjoying his own sarcastic spin.

  “Why?”

  “Because I enjoy your company. And now that you have had time to think about our conversation, I am hoping we can work on that camaraderie thing we had discussed.”

  “The last time I agreed to go somewhere with you, you lied about our destination. You took me to your condo under the pretense of going to the pharmacy,” I point out his deception.

  “I didn’t lie. I added a detour to our outing. But I promise there will be no detours this time. We are going for a walk, that’s it.” Milo casually gives me a scout’s honor sign, but his muscles are tense. He is masking his nerves and holding his breath while waiting for a response.

  I sigh and stand up. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

  -----------

  We walk silently till we come to a standstill at the entrance of a park. The park is eerily quiet and devoid of people.

  “Do you think your handicapped leg can handle a short hike?” Milo teases.

  “I think so,” I look down at my leg. I have been limping around on my leg for days. The healing process has been frustratingly slow. My dad told me to slowly increase my stamina, but only after I have felt rested enough. “I should be fine.”

  “After you, then. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

  We walk along a steep path between large trees and shrubs, till we come to an overlook point. It’s not very high up but it has the perfect view of the city.

  “Wow,” I fail to keep the mesmerization out of my voice.

  This view is a grand reminder of beautiful New York. It’s breathtaking. I turn to find Milo watching me instead of the view.

  “This is beautiful,” I offer as we both sit on a nearby bench.

  “I stumbled upon it once by accident. I thought you might like it.”

  I nod for Milo even though I am still staring ahead, transfixed by the sight. It seems unreal, like a dream.

  I feel like my lack of sleep is fucking with me. I dig my nails into my palm and watch for the nail marks to try to wake myself up. I look up to find Milo watching me.

  “What happened to you that other night? You completely spaced out,” Milo says abruptly, his eyes are still on the angry red marks on my palm.

  Ah, the night of the incident as Milo fondly refers to it. I have an inkling that I freaked him out that night.

  I didn’t mean to, but I am not going to complain if that’s the reason why there is finally peace between us.

  “Pass.” I don’t see the point in rehashing a horrifying moment.

  “This is not a pass or play game.”

  I sigh. “Then why don’t you start with an easier question and work your way up?”

  “Fine. Why didn’t you think I would find out that you moved back to New York?”

  I turn to look at Milo. He had that one stored and ready to go.

  “Because I was discreet.” I shrug. “Other than people at work, only Mia and Reid knew that I moved back. I asked them not to say anything. I stayed away from social media. Plus, Mia told me you barely come back to New York, and you are too busy to answer calls. You haven’t spoken to the family in months. I assumed you wouldn’t find out about my move for a while.”

  “You are a smart girl,” Milo grins, almost as if he is proud of my calculative moves.

  “How did you find out that I moved back?” I ask a question of my own.

  “From family members.”

  “And how did you find out about how Reid felt about me?”

  “From family members,” Milo states again.

  I roll my eyes at the predictability. “The cycle continues.”

  “Reid was acting weird. I kind of pried it out of Mia to find out why.”

  “So,” I look at Milo nervously, hoping for an honest answer, “you didn’t speak to Reid the day you and I saw each other for the first time? Did you know what time our parents were coming home that day when they caught us together?”