Luka's POV
I hope I haven't hurt her. But does it matter after this anyway?
Fuck.
Is this how the huntsman felt when he led pretty little Snow White into the woods to kill her? But then again he didn't really kill her. And I have to. It was written for me in my script.
Perhaps if we had met as different people...perhaps if the gods hadn't already picked lives for us.
As we walk out into the deserted school, with the sun nearly blinding us... I take a look at how beautiful Khalifa is. The freckles on her cheeks scattered about like constellations. And the baby hair at the back of her neck. The way she hides her smiles and the way she speaks her mind.
Maybe they'll save her from me.
Rafaello must've taken care of her driver. This is it.
I lead her to my motorcycle. She's a gorgeous one that one. Sorry, not Khalifa. I'm talking about my Suzuki Intruder motorcycle this time. Sara left it here immediately I arrived. Pieces of the plan were falling into place. My motorcycle is hard body and black with sexy tight leather. It's comfortable for long distance with a floating digital instrument control. Eco safe with single channel ABS and LED taillamps.
I lean on it and look at Khalifa who hasn't peeled her eyes away from it not once.
'Like it?' I ask.
She looks at me and makes a face of slight satisfaction. 'It's okay.' She shrugs.
'Okay? OK?? You're kidding right? This sweetheart can fly like Pegasus.'
'Alright, alright there cowboy. It is a fine looking bike.' She runs her hand down the smooth leather seat.
'Like I said, I aim to please Miss Washington.'
'I bet you please a lot of girls with this.'
'Yeah.' I say with a simple shrug.
She rolls those river green eyes of hers and pokes my chest mockingly. 'Boys and their toys.'
'This is not a toy.' I say as I help her sit. I give her my helmet and after she wears it I help her buckle it. 'Im sixteen you know, not six . I can buckle my own-'
'Ssh.' I interrupt her and make sure it's on tight. Her Nile green eyes look at me only fleetingly.
'Lets get away from the city.' I say. 'Lemme take you for a ride.'
'My daddy's the senator. He crazy. He doesn't like boys who try to impress his daughter.'
'Oh really?'
'Uh huh.' She says as I sit. 'Plus I need to get home. Hagen will kill me if I get killed.' She jokes. Yeah. Right, I think.
'You'll love it. I promise.' I say as I hold up my pinkie.
She thinks about it for a second and then says, 'If you disrespect this fucking pinkie promise I will see you as one of the guys who never liked chocolate as kids and weren't aloud to watch disney.' She raises her pinkie and before I lock it with hers she says, 'Uh uh uh...cross your heart.' She instructs.
I sigh and make a cross on my heart. 'Cross my messed up heart. I know I'll die or stick my finger in a lemon pie.'
She laughs. 'I have never heard that one before.' We lock our pinkies tight in our newly built trust.
'Alright. Now hold on to my waist.' I command.
She wants to protest but she wraps her arms around my waist. And I can't tell you just how good that fucking feels.
'A little bit tighter, we don't want you falling over and breaking that pretty neck.' I try to sound serious.
'Bro I just met- Aaah!' Before she can finish her sentence I jolt my bike forward. She tightens the grip of her arms and leans her body close to me. I can feel a few loose strands of Khalifa's hair tickle my neck and the fast beating of her heart on my back.
'Alright back there?' I ask above the wind.
'You are such an asshole Lukas King.' She replies.
We ride out of school through the city. The skyscrapers rise and fall past us like the sands of time. The wind stings our skin and races with us. I love riding...it makes me feel...in control. And I don't get to control a lot of things.
I almost feel invincible. The buildings become smaller and farther apart until they melt away into complete nothingness. There're only trees now. Big evergreen trees in the progressing winter. And fading green grass that couldn't be as green as Khalifa's eyes even if they tried.
And the slowly sinking sun is a kaleidoscope of bruise coloured purples, baby pinks and golden yellows. You could paint the world around us and stick it in a rich asshole's house.
I rode here often. Fuck that. I rode here everyday. When the whole house was being toxic. Mum was misunderstanding me, Antonio was being a bitch, Rafaello was bitchin, Sara was acting bitchy and dad just wanted me to be him. I didn't want to be him. Or put bullets in people's bodies.
I wanted to draw. And sketch. And scribble. And shade. I wanted to draw beautiful things like this sunset. Things like Khalifa.
Slowly, she sits up straight and realises the beauty around her. She gasps softly. So softly I almost miss it.
'Kept my promise didn't I?'
'Alas! Mine eyes have been in bondage all these years! Locked away in such sweet sorrow from the beauty that now sits before me.' She quotes from D.G Walker's Captive. She's such a geek. And I guess I am too.
'I'll take that as a yes.' I smile and we drive further, getting drunk on how this rotten planet of ours still hides places of beauty like a virgin hides her body.
I stop the motorcycle by the road and we get off. I help her buckling the helmet again. 'You know you've gotta stop doing that.' She says.
'No I don't. And no I won't.'
We watch the slowly sinking sun. 'If Hagen kills me cause I was here I swear I wont regret it.' She whispers in awe. 'This place is...It's awesome.'
'Oh you're welcome. For a moment there I thought you were talking about me you know...I mean... I am pretty amazing too.' I tease.
She shoves my shoulder with hers. 'Oh please. You ugly duckling. And how dare you take credit for the fucking sunset?'
I wiggle my eyebrows teasingly. 'So you're telling me you don't like all this Ugly duckling?' I say as I gesture at my body in a seductive way.
She brushes some of my hair away from my eyes and looks at me deeply, enjoying the teasing. 'Nuh uh, player.'
I move closer to her. 'You're such a horrible liar. Such a long nosed Pinocchio.' I gently pinch her nose, making her giggle.
If you don't kill the broad we're fucking screwed...
So you want out?...
Washington took a piece of my heart...
Your brother Carlo's dead... Shot...three bullets to the head...
Her names Khalifa Jean Washington...Make sure you kill her.
They all pierce my head at once. More like echoes than thoughts. Overlapping each other before one finishes. Sending warnings and red flags in my head. I feel it now. Just how fucked up this is. Just how fucked up I am. Making her trust me and shit. Just so I can kill her.
But we are Italians. We are bound by duty. We are mafia. We take things personal. This doesn't even involve Khalifa. She was just caught up in the shit. Now I must be the one to do it. I think about multiple possibilities and ways out as the echos don't leave. And the fact is. There are none.
Khalifa notices my slightly troubled expression and smiles with worry as she looks at me and asks, 'Hey there Ugly duckling...you alright?'
I manage to pull a perfectly fake smile. It doesn't fool her but she accepts it. 'Yeah...I...I wanna show you something first. Real quick.'
'Alright.' She says with a shrug.
'Do I have to cross my heart first?' I tease.
'Ha ha very funny.'
And before we enter the woods, I grab my bag. And I can feel the hard body of the gun hit my back as I sling it over my shoulder...
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Meraki... it means to do something with love and soul. To put a piece of yourself inside your work