note:
i can't believe i'm halfway done with this! this is the most support i've ever had for my writing, so i really cannot thank you all enough for that. this will be the last part in serafine's POV, then the story will alternate between the two of them every episode until its done. >:)
Episode 10: Opportunity Costs
"Fee."
Serafine was on all fours on her bedroom floor, patting her hand around under the bed for a familiar shoebox.
"What?" she said flatly.
"Didn't you hear what Noah said about that guy? He's dangerous. Like, actually."
Serafine rolled her eyes while her back was turned, locating the box and standing up to set it on her nightstand before unzipping her jeans. She'd never been uncomfortable changing in front of other women, and easily slid her pants down her legs so that her bare thighs were visible.
"Noah needs to stop reading his mother's emails," she responded, pulling down her underwear and changing into a clean pair of boxer shorts from her nightstand drawer before turning to look at her roommate. "Does Mrs. Divello know he still does that? Because I'm pretty sure it's... You know... Illegal."
"You know what else is illegal?" asked Elizabeth, looking slightly away as Serafine pulled off her t-shirt. "Assault."
"So he got into a bar fight or whatever. Sound's about right for him. You've seen his posts," Serafine shrugged dismissively, slipping into an even more ragged-looking t-shirt and grabbing a handful of weed from the shoebox. She edged past her roommate after that, out of her bedroom and toward the welcome sanctuary of the living room balcony.
"Fee,
I'm
obviously
not talking about
that kind
of assault," Elizabeth whisper-shouted, trailing a couple of steps behind her. "I'm talking about ra-"
"Well, I'm just working for him," Serafine cut her off before her roommate could get the word out. "So you can stop freaking out."
"Maybe that's how
you
see it," Elizabeth insisted. "But do you really think he looks at it like that? He's way older than you. It's really not even okay that he asked you. You know that, right?"
Serafine ignored her, crumbling and rolling marijuana between a thin square paper before sparking a lighter. At this, Elizabeth pulled her shirt up over her nose dramatically while she exhaled, blowing a cloud of smoke into the alley.
"It's temporary," Serafine said after a moment. "And it's relevant work experience, meaning Beauregard will count it as extra credit. Which you know I need. The Masters family just owns a lot of art, and he needs some help while he transitions in, or whatever. I don't see why you're making such a big deal about it. We're both adults."
"Don't you think he has other intentions? I mean..." Elizabeth hesitated, seeming to look for the words that would be the most convincing. "Think about it. Why would he ask
you
, if his family is already so well connected? You know? No offense."
"Honestly? I don't think he really knows what he's doing," Serafine said, her face breaking into a small smile as she remembered the day he came wandering into the conservatory building, followed by a laugh as she thought about how Ivan was so easy to convince. From three percent, to six. Flights to Italy, no questions asked, all because he thought she was pretty.
Typical man.
"It's not funny," Elizabeth said seriously.
Serafine stared down the alley, knowing that her roommate was well-intentioned, but the truth was, she didn't fully understand the situation.
Nobody did.
Elizabeth thought she was delivering a warning, a way to keep her out of harm's way, but she didn't realize that line had been crossed a long time ago, and the life-changing amount of money Serafine knew was waiting on the other side made it easy to ignore warnings, no matter who they came from.
Ivan was tolerable, besides, and his initial payment toward a new wardrobe had instilled in her a strange sense of loyalty. Who else in her life was just handing out money like that? No one. Not Noah, Ric, Elizabeth, or any of her supposed friends. There was just him.
He also hadn't left any bruises on her neck this time, so her fear of getting hurt for real was beginning to fade. He was still well-connected, affluent and attractive, which were all traits that in her eyes, made his other behaviors at least partially redeemable.
"Maybe he's just trying to be nice," Serafine offered, but Elizabeth didn't buy this for a second.
"He's
trying
to fuck you," she said irritably.
"Him and every other guy I know," Serafine shrugged, taking some satisfaction in the way her roommate's frown deepened at her nonchalance. "At least he's rich. And he's actually kindof hot. Super fit and tall, you know? I might let him."
"Gross," said Elizabeth, right as Serafine's phone chimed from somewhere in her bedroom, through the open patio door.
They both turned to look at the direction of the sound before looking back at each other.
Elizabeth sighed. "I really think you should reconsider this."
"You can't live your life in fear of men, Liz," said Serafine. "Or you'll never get anywhere."
"Well, I'm
getting
tired. So I'm
going
to bed," her roommate replied with a shake of her head.
"Night," said Serafine, staring at the trash cans in the alley until the joint burned away the paper and she let it go over the railing, watching the ember go from orange to black on the asphalt before receding to her room and closing the door.
On her phone screen, several messages were stacked on top of each other. Emails and texts, which she unlocked to reveal ticket confirmations from O'Hare Airport to a place called Leonardo da Vinci--Fiumicino, in Rome. Business class. A week from today.
For a while, she just stared at the messages. It didn't seem real that this was all happening.
Leonardo da Vinci--Fiumicino
. The words themselves seemed like something out of the museum archives, not like a real place she could -- would -- be going to.
The same rush of exhilaration she'd felt when she first met Ivan returned. She had to admit, he was more attractive because of all these little perks, and it was nice knowing he was following through on what he said he would do. She'd yet to mention the fact that they were going on a trip to Italy together to her roommate, but reasoned she had time still to figure that out. Searching for Ivan's number in her phone, she typed out a message.
thanks for the
She deleted the text and retyped another, feeling the same anxiety about what to say to him stirring even though he wasn't physically in the room.
i got the tickets
Almost immediately, she could see that he was typing a response, and her heart beat idiotically while she waited. Why did she fawn over his attention like this? It was so unlike her, and yet, here she was. Eyes glued to the screen, awaiting his every word.
don't forget to send pics of your little outfits
She pressed her knees together under the sheets and put down her phone. It was crystal clear that Ivan only wanted one thing from her, but at least it was something she could provide. Being pretty and young and innocent-seeming had attracted male attention her entire life, so it wasn't like Elizabeth's warnings were anything groundbreaking. It's just that this time, there was something in it for her that actually seemed worthwhile to pursue, and she felt a growing sense of determination to endure whatever it took to get there.
Nothing in life came for free, after all. She knew from the moment Ivan made her the job offer that there'd be strings attached, but in her mind, it was like an opportunity cost. No different than being enrolled in an expensive art school for a better chance at getting a job after graduation. If it was free, everyone would be doing it, but exclusivity, opportunity, and access always came with a price attached.
One hand gingerly brushed her cheek where Ivan had hit her. It didn't hurt anymore, but she remembered it so vividly, she could replay it in her mind when she closed her eyes.
She'd never been hit like that before. Well... Not since she was a kid. It shocked her more than it hurt, even in the moment, and hours later, it was the sense of confusion and uncertainty that lingered more than the sting.
Everyone was right about him. He had a problem, but he also offered a lot of solutions, and she thought, maybe, some of his kinks were negotiable. If she could just be more vocal about her own boundaries, he would surely see things from her perspective. She'd never been good at speaking up. That was the
real
problem.
There were aspects of him that she still liked. It was just so hard to separate those from the ones she didn't, like when she didn't like an artist personally, but adored their work. The pros and cons of her relationship with Ivan had similar nuance, which she fixated on uncomfortably in the dark for a while before falling asleep without even noticing it happen.
The next morning when Serafine woke up for school, Elizabeth was already gone.
So, we're fighting now,
she thought with a sigh.
"This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything," Serafine mumbled to herself as she walked to the kitchen, automatically putting on coffee. One of the few ingredients they always had around, thanks to their many late nights spent studying the old masters.
They had a class together later today. Drawing 204. But the thought of rehashing the whole Ivan Masters situation made Serafine suddenly dread the idea of going to school at all, so she hung out at the apartment alone for a while instead, relishing the silence.
She stared at her phone while she drank coffee, Ivan's last message sitting prominently at the top of all the others.
don't forget to send pics of your little outfits
