Call Me Vi | ONC 2024 Entry | Novel Expansion Pending

Chapter 11

Sunday morning. Valentine's day. My last day in Asheville before I needed to head back home and to work. Contentment washed over me as I slipped from Violetta's embrace on the bed. It was still early; the sun just started to rise over the tops of the mountains in a beautiful orange blaze.

Barefoot, I took my tablet outside and curled up in the same chair from the night before. I stared at the screen, all of my notes on Vi color-coded in a way that only I could understand. That was the way I liked it. Spencer had no issues with the way I did my work as long as I kept to my deadlines.

I tapped the screen with the stylus I used to write and added one last thing: the best reason I've ever had to take a vacation.

There. Done. All of my notes were ready to be input into the text of an article that would be certain to gain attention and traction from not only our magazine but maybe other news sources as well.

Birds chirped in the trees around me, filling me with a new confidence. There was a way to write this article that would not only please Spencer but also Violetta. I hoped if I went through with this, she'd see it the same way I did.

A notification popped up on my screen, blinking me out of my thoughts.

Remember this? the screen asked, showing me one of the photos synced from my phone from the night before.

I grinned, scrolling through the photos we'd taken when messing around last night. Lots of us posing cheek to cheek, several candids I'd taken of Violetta laughing and twirling around while singing loudly. I swiped again, and the sounds of our impromptu karaoke filled the screen as a video played.

"If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends," Violetta sang off-key, to the tune of 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls, whipping her head around and swinging her hips.

I laughed, the image shaking as I recorded the moment. There was no alcohol needed to see her let loose like this.

She pointed at me, urging me to join in. "Come on, Rea! This one's a classic."

Off-screen I groaned before joining in. "Make it last forever, friendship never ends!"

It was a satisfying moment for us together, this time in the comfort of the hotel room without the threat of paparazzi coming to ruin the fun. It had almost been as good of a night as the one before.

In the video, Violetta's auburn hair was pulled back from her face. Tiny wisps escaped from the braid on the back of her head. I smiled, remembering how we took turns last night styling each other's hair.

My hands flew to my own head. The plait of the braid, although loose, was still there. Twisting and weaving, Violetta had worked magic with her fingers slipping easily through my hair to create a perfect French braid.

I kept the braid in as I got dressed, writing out a quick note to let Violetta know I was just slipping out to get some breakfast before we started our last day together.

Unfortunately, the minute I stepped out of the hotel, it wasn't a flash of sunlight that greeted me.

"Hey look!" a voice called out as blinding light assaulted my eyeballs. "That's Violetta's mystery lover!"

Mystery lover?

On instinct, I threw an arm up to shield my face both from being captured on camera and to keep at least a little of my sight. Colored dots danced in my vision. Is this what Vi dealt with on a daily basis? How the hell did she manage it?

"Hey you!" the same voice yelled after me. "We wanna ask some questions!"

"We have no comment!" a new voice, this one familiar, boomed. "Y'all know your place. Now scat!"