Last Violent Call

by Chloe Gong

Mai. The easiest combination of “Cai” and “Montagov,”

AHHHHHHH

Juliette wanted to be a Montagov; Roma insisted there was too much baggage attached. In her head, she still liked the sound of Juliette Montagova, because that was his name, and that was all that mattered.

TO FRACA

Yulun’s fiancée looked just like Alisa, Roma’s little sister.

TÁ DOENDO MUITO

“ ‘I didn’t realize you had such big feet’?” Roma mimicked. “Dorogaya, I’m shocked and disappointed.” “At my terrible housekeeping?” “No, that you have such poor observation skills.” He grabbed her by the waist suddenly and threw her over his shoulder. All of Juliette’s loose hair fell into her eyes as she turned upside down with a squeal, clutching onto the hem of Roma’s shirt for some semblance of balance while he walked them into the bedroom. “I guess I’ll just have to show you again so you are certain next time.”

QUE SAFADOS

I took your shirt hostage. The ransom is three kisses. Pay up or the whole wardrobe gets it. ♥ J

cachorra😭😭😭😭

Science could tell him that the ground was below his feet and the sky was above his head and the early light of day was upon his back. Roma wouldn’t listen. To him, Juliette was the sun.

o ultimo romântico

She was made for him, and he for her;

Indeed, he used to make himself a thorn in Juliette’s side frequently, if only because the city had forced them apart and it was better to get her hatred than nothing at all. These days, though he didn’t need to resort to being a menace anymore, he still liked rolling onto her side of the bed when she was ignoring him for a book and receiving the honor of being smacked away with her pillow.

☹️🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Rosalind had been one of her best friends. As angry as Juliette was at the time, the years had mellowed her out, had meant she missed Rosalind more than she blamed her for making a mistake. Still, a long time had passed. She had no way of knowing who her cousin had become, working as a national assassin. What her cousin had been made into by Lourens’s hand.

Roma reached up to remove her hands, tucking them together to preserve the warmth she had stolen. “You can have my neck later when we’re not committing crime.” “Promise?” “Have I ever broken a promise?” Before Juliette could say a thing, Roma spun her around, walking them forward. “No—don’t answer that. Rhetorical question.” “I was about to start listing every occurrence.” “That was the old me. I’m a changed man. No more broken promises or lies.” Juliette snorted. “Did you not lie to me last week about how much that giant bouquet of flowers cost?” “That was for your own good, because you loved them.”

TO MT MAL

“Are you… braiding my hair?” “Yes,” Roma answered plainly. “I’m forcing you to hold still. It also keeps getting in your eyes.”

“You’re allowed to cry,” he said, his eyes still closed, voice husky and scratchy. “I cry all the time.” “That you do.”

MEU HOMEM

“You won’t ever lose me,” Roma murmured in the present. “You made me do a pinkie promise, remember?” “Actually,” Juliette corrected, “I was promising you, but you never promised me.”

“And I love you, to have and to hold as my unlawfully wedded wife, until the universe itself goes poof.” Juliette’s lip twitched. “Stop changing your vows. Your first ones were better.” “It’s late, lǎopó. I need functioning thought to be eloquent.”

“That’s ridiculous—I would never kick him onto the sofa,” Juliette replied. “If he ever angers me, a better punishment would be for him to continue sleeping next to me, feeling the power of my wrath.”

KKKKKKKK DIABA

It was hard to believe the same Lourens who hated birds and liked jazz music could be that callous. That he might create an instruction like this.

For her, a scar here and there was a rare occasion nowadays, and more likely to be the result of her getting too overzealous with her cooking. The only person in the world who might be protected forever from scars was Rosalind—immortal, unaging Rosalind—but even she was carrying terrible ones from the past.

He dropped his pen, grabbed her wrists, and pulled her onto his lap, his attention fixed on her properly now.

eita como é gostoso

“That was a mild disagreement and some cajoling on my end at best.” He craned his head back, giving her a short kiss. “But I will let you say so if it pleases you.” Roma hurried off. “Stop pleasing me so much!” Juliette yelled after him. “I can’t help it, you’re the love of my life!” Roma shouted back.

pai & mae 😣💝

Juliette was busy burying her face in the flowers, inhaling the sweet scent.

juliette apaixonada vc eh iconica

“Are we really going to do this?” Juliette whispered. “Are we going to risk it?” “I am with you if you want to, and I am with you if you cannot.”

“Platform number one,” Benedikt reminded. “You’re my only number one,” Marshall replied, somewhat nonsensically.

“I beg of you,” Benedikt said, starting his climb up the steps, careful to hold the handrail so he wouldn’t slip on the ice-cold metal. “Stop flirting with me while we’re on an important mission.”

“Can’t I? You don’t look like a married man. Seems like delicious low-hanging fruit to me.”

“I thought you were my roommate.” “We can’t be roommates who kiss?”

😁😁😁😁😁

Roma or Juliette usually had set times that they called so that they wouldn’t be missed—and Marshall and Juliette certainly hated missing their gossiping sessions—so the telephone ringing with an unscheduled call from Zhouzhuang was unexpected.

pipipipiiii😭😭😭

“Come on, solnishko.”

sunshine 😭

“He’s dead!” she cried. “There’s a murderer on board!”

“This feels very nostalgic,” he said. “We used to look at so many dead bodies together.”

Let me love you, he mouthed. Arrested for public obscenity, Benedikt mouthed back in warning.

There had been so many times in their childhood when he had wanted to do this. When his palms had practically stung in his craving for touch while knowing he had to rein back, knowing he couldn’t risk crossing the line. Instead of stealing a kiss, he had gotten by with playful punching. Instead of touching Benedikt’s hair when it shone painfully bright under the morning sun, he had leaped at his best friend, demanding to be carried on his back. Marshall Seo had grown up playing himself off as a joke; it was always easier to pretend that he didn’t really mean something, to shrug a matter off and feign carelessness.

LINDOS 😭😭😭

“Yes, nae sarang?” “When would I ever hit you erotically?” “It doesn’t sound that great to me either. Pretend I never gossiped about your cousin like this if he asks, but on the phone last month, Juliette said he was really into—”

ROMA MONTAGOV WHAT A MAN THAT YOU ARE

“I love you, okay? I am never, ever leaving. I will tell you however many times you need to hear it. Just tell me when you need to hear it.” Benedikt’s breath caught in his throat. “I know. I do know.” He paused. Backtracked. “And by that, I meant to say I love you too.”

💙

“You know,” Marshall went on when Benedikt stayed silent, his attention drifting back to his packing, “you and Yeva kind of look alike in certain lights.”

We met this girl who resembled Alisa to an eerie degree. Roma’s voice echoed over from a few months ago, the phone signal staticky. I figure it was the universe telling me I needed to help her.

“Milyena,” Benedikt said simply. “We were probably killing people before you were born. We are well and truly the wrong people to expect some moral compass from.”

“We are so good at this. I think we should start a detective agency.” “Absolutely not.” “A missing persons agency, perhaps. I am not picky.” “Mars! Focus!” With a howl that resembled a battle cry, Marshall ran for the station, a bundle of delight wrapped in a coat. “We would be unstoppable!”

lindossss

So long as he had Marshall by his side, the two of them could face whatever was thrown their way. Together, they were already unstoppable.

verdade