Chapter 1 - The Water on the Concrete
The summer heat radiating off the sidewalk outside L'Aura Nuptials felt like the breath of a furnace. The glass window of the boutique framed three pristine mannequins wrapped in hand-beaded lace, their white trains flowing like frozen waterfalls. Standing on the sun-baked concrete, Julianna adjusted the strap of her cream silk engagement dress.
At her feet sat Samuel. His hands were calloused, stained deep with engine grease and street grime, his faded denim jacket torn at the elbows. He sat on a flattened cardboard box, his parched lips cracked and bleeding slightly in the dry afternoon air.
"Can I have some water to drink?" Samuel asked. His voice was a dry raspy scraped whisper, barely pushing past the roar of passing yellow cabs.
Julianna looked down at him. Her pale blue eyes didn't hold pity; they burned with an intense, calculated disgust. In her right hand, she held a chilled bottle of imported spring water, condensation dripping down the clear plastic.
May you like
Slowly, deliberately, she unscrewed the blue cap. She didn't hand it to him. She tilted her wrist forward, pouring the clear liquid onto the sidewalk six inches from his outstretched hands. The cold water splashed across his dusty boots, disappearing into the porous gray concrete in a matter of seconds.
"You should have thought about water before you ruined the view of my boutique," she murmured, her voice laced with venomous satisfaction.
