I am a blessed man, just to quickly brag about it. I've always had people swarm me with affection as I was so cute, especially my older sister and my parents. People gave me anything I wanted just for smiling at them. As a result, I was able to live a peaceful life with a perfect family.
I was born with that Italian dream life.
A long time ago, when I was still living in Italy, I was abducted by a neighbor one morning. They had knocked me out with a strong moonshine they brewed and when I had came to, the old man was bowing down in front of me on his hands and knees begging for my forgiveness. I truly had no concept of danger, even as a child, which is why I thought it was just a really fun game when he started to call me a god.
He called me absolutely beautiful as he cried an overwhelming amount of tears. He told me that compared to me, him and the others in the village were like unappealing lumps of meat. He kept repeating how he was honored to his reflection through my "Devine Eyes." He kept telling me they were as big and beautiful as pearls and it made his heart feel as though it was about to burst. He told me how pure I looked and how my skin would glow in the sun everyday. That when I moved around gusts of Devine wind grace his face and it smells absolutely wonderful.
As a stupid ten year old, I asked why he didn't bother to tie me up to make sure I didn't run away. But he simply replied that he didn't dare to bruise my skin or cause me pain, and that I was free to leave as he just wanted to worship me properly just once before he died.
When I looked around his little home, it was filled from the floor to the ceiling with photos of me. Photos I had no idea were being taken and photos that had gone missing from my grandparents photo books. For some reason, it intrigued me how weird this old man really was, so I asked him why he kidnapped me. He simply apologized again and said the photos stopped being enough for him, and he just wanted to worship me from up close. He told me that he knew it was crazy, but he just wanted to feel my presence close to his.
Enough to resort to crime.
Not knowing what else to do, I sat down in a chair in his kitchen, and watched as he got back on his hands and knees and started to pray for about thirty minutes, stopping every few minutes to kiss one of my feet. It was around the hour mark that I asked why he had a big bulge in his pants.
The man turned about as red a tomato and apologized frantically. He started insisting, almost like a chant to convince himself, about how he can't and would never corrupt me or disgrace my body. About how he will never taint me. He went on about he hasn't been able to perform for years until he saw me, but that he will never stain his lord that brought back his vitality. When I asked where he used to perform, he burst into more tears and told me that he was just grateful that an innocent Devine being would give a pathetic old man like him the opportunity to worship them.
After another twenty minutes of praying, he got up and cooked me Mondeghili, telling me that it was the only dish he was able to perfect enough for someone like me. When I told him that it was good, he cried for ten minutes straight while thanking me for my blessings and how he wasn't worthy of my praise.
When I was full, he wrapped up a few Mondeghili for me and took me back down the hill to my grandparents home. After he dropped me off, I told my parents what happened, but I couldn't understand why they completely flipped out because nothing bad happened to me at all. Even my sister, Sofia, who was a year older than me, flipped out when she caught onto what happened.
Three weeks later, our entire life was moved to a shitty town in America. I knew English already, so that wasn't a problem for me. My problem was that I yearned to feel that sense of superiority that old man had given me again. The God complex I had developed from that time had completely taken over my life.
So I used my looks to get ahead, and if I couldn't use my looks, I would manipulate people into doing whatever I wanted. It was easier to do in this country and if anyone tried to cross the line, I was always able to beat them up. It wasn't until after a year into living in America, after a teacher had tried to force himself on me, that I realized what it really was that these "followers" really wanted from me.
That they didn't see me as a God, just a potential screw.
The day I realized it, I was annoyed about it since it had already become too late to change my reputation, so I left school early. As I neared the bus station, I saw him.
I was thirteen years old still on that day. He was sitting on the bench with the most angry look on his face. I couldn't understand what could have made him so upset or how he could express his feelings out in the open like that so easily. I was amazed so I sat next to him and watched. I knew he must've felt or seen me staring him down but he paid no attention to me, and that infuriated me.
After a while of glaring at him, he seemed to genuinely perk up when a black haired kid ran up to him and screamed about how worried he was before dragging him off, not even sparing me a second glance.
I couldn't take my mind off of his upset expression, so I went to that bus stop for five weeks in a row, just to see the same result. Finally, I spoke to him and asked him bluntly if he thought I was pretty. He gave me a look I had never received before. Pure disgust. Even if I had done something unforgivable to someone, I'd never received a hateful look such as the one he gave me.
It was permanently cemented in my mind.
After that, he never came back to that bus stop. I filled up the time I spent thinking about his disinterested face by getting back at anyone and everyone who messed with me, until people at school had no choice but to fear me.
Kind of like a god should be feared.
But before I could erase him completely from my memory, I saw him again. My mother was recovering from an appendix surgery and had asked me to get her some ice. On my way to the ice machine, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him sitting in a hospital bed looking bruised and beaten, with tears steadily streaming down his face.
Strangely, this made me more intrigued with what kind of person someone who didn't worship me could be. I never felt anything when I saw others cry, but I couldn't forget the painful look he had as it had become embedded into my memory for days.
Why was he crying? Why was he hurt? Why are you alone? Aren't you curious about me? Why aren't you infatuated with me as well? Why did you look at me like that? Is it wrong that I got extra curious about you, and I wanted to see you cry again? What broke your heart?
Luckily I found out from a group of girls that I was going to school with his best friend, a recent transfer student named Martin Doolittle. This was a private school, but he had gotten in on a scholarship after leaving his former school. I was annoyed that I'd have to feign interest in a friendship, but was happy to find a link to the arrogant prick.
I did my best to try and befriend Martin, which was very hard to do since I wasn't sure how to actually make friends. I had cornered him and told him that we'd be hanging out from now on, and he just shrugged and went along with it, without showing any interest in me just like his prick friend. When I asked him why, he said that he already went through his pretty boy phase, which made me punch him in the face on reflex.
After icing it, he asked me what I actually wanted from him and that's when I ended up telling him. He told me that his friend wasn't mentally stable right now, so he'll take me to meet him at another time.
This stalling went on for two months. I felt strange, every time he would avoid the topic the pit of my stomach felt like it was shrinking, like I was losing all hope. Being forced to wait like that drove me crazy to the point of having incredibly erotic dreams. I imagined his crying face and big body pushing me down and holding me extremely tight, rubbing all over my body. As he rubbed me, my urges built up and our lips joined together in a hot and sexy exchange.
My first wet dream at seventeen about someone I didn't even know.
It fucking put a knife through my pride. After that dream, I started to cling to Martin and found out more about his friend through him bit by bit just to have some new material. According to him, Vincenzo was extremely popular at school. Everyone loves him and he was good at putting up a facade even though he had neglectful parents who never loved him from the day he was born. He was used a punching bag for his father and an emotional crutch for his mother. His parents sabotaged the friendship he treasured the most in his life by lying to him nonstop. When he had realized his mistake, this Danny kid he was obsessed with had moved on and it completely broke him mentally. It broke him to the point that he tried every underhanded trick he could to get him back. He had a severe case of depression as most of what he does now if reflect on his horrible actions to this Danny character and other people.
All in all, he felt like garbage for almost killing his most cherished person on multiple occasions, and he couldn't move on from that.
The more I heard about the God who fell from the Skies, the more I wanted to meet him officially. In the beginning, I just wanted to see him cry again, but now I just wanted to get his mind off of this Danny guy and see him rise up again.
Finally my chance came in the form of my sister dumping her boyfriend and looking for someone new. As soon as I told Martin about her and showed him a picture, he invited us both over.
I brought the best wine my parents had stored and my newly single sister, and I was finally able to speak to the famed Vincenzo Devellis face to face. He looked like a proud man with a sad and tortured soul. The drunker he got off the wine, the more he told me about the past and how he had basically tortured this Danny kid until near death just because he couldn't let go and didn't want to feel lonely. He told me about how he would do anything to stop feeling like he was the biggest piece of shit on the planet before he started on about atonement.
Long drunken story short, he thought the only way to make it all even, to make the pain go away, was to just die.
It brought up a feeling in me that I couldn't ignore. For some reason, I felt as though I may have stumbled upon a kindred spirit, even though I wasn't lonely myself.
I wasn't very happy that he still liked that person.
I told him in a moment of arrogance that I can make him forget all about Danny and he just told me not to compete because he didn't want to forget him. He just wanted to focus on being a good person. I couldn't understand how he could accomplish that with his self esteem below ground level and no motivation.
I got tired of him confirming that I was insignificant to him, so after another glass of wine, I moved in closer to him and gave him the most helpless look that I could offer him before playing an innocent peck on his cheek and asking him to take care of me.
Vincenzo looked at me for a few seconds before meeting me halfway for a kiss. He promised that he could take care of me if I felt that he was good enough. When I told him that he was more than good enough for me, he scooped me up and brought me right into his room.
Despite being very drunk, he treated me like the most delicate thing on earth as he slowly and gently had his way with me. The experience was made twice as pleasurable by his constant praise and attention to every detail.
I didn't think I could feel anything better than being worshipped, until I experienced my first orgasm. At some point, I decided to become the new person that he liked so much that he couldn't run away. I wanted him to enter a time when thinking about that Danny kid didn't hurt him so much.
So imagine my dissatisfaction when he said he couldn't remember any of what I felt like was the best night of my life. It hurt my pride so much, that I guilted him into a relationship with me and even lied about being in an unrequited love to pull at his heartstrings. Although I hated acting pitiful, it was a useful tool sometimes. To my complete and utter shock, he went along with it and made me a huge breakfast after rubbing ointment onto my sore body without question.
He was hesitant of course, as if he were walking on eggshells, as if he were actually worried about me, but it was immediately amusing the way he kept trying so hard to appease me. I didn't expect him to take something like this so seriously and I was going to tell him that he didn't have to do this....until he kissed me.
The kiss had warmed up my entire body and took me to a blissful place. He even automatically took my side when my sister caught us making out. Hell, he even agreed to my ridiculous request to pick me up from school and call me everyday.
Of course my sister caught onto my game right away, and genuinely warned me to just stop it before it starts. But I let her know that she should mind her own business and just let me play the way that I wanted to play. That me and Vincenzo had some unfinished business and to not get involved with whatever I wanted to do.
Who would've thought that he would really show up at my school on time. Luckily he had zero hopes of contacting me because I didn't give him any of my contact information, so all he could do is wait as long as he could as I watching him from the store across the street. He looked like he was trying very hard to look bored and weary, but it was impossible to not notice the slight grin on his face.
"That's Vincenzo Devellis! From Northskye!" A girl squealed from behind me. "Why's he waiting outside with flowers?"
"Oh he's so hot!" The group of girls behind me gushed over him from the same view as me. The same as them, I could see multiple stop and try to talk to him a bit but he seemed to putting people off. "Who do you think he's waiting for?"
"Let's go find out!" She squealed. I watched the three girls quickly run outside and straight to him, just to walk away incredibly disappointed a few minutes later, making me grateful that I chose to leave school early to witness this train wreck in action.
"Can I get you something to drink while your waitress finishes up with another table?" the hostess came up to my table and asked.
"Two glasses of water, please," I said with a convincing smile not taking my eyes off Vincenzo as he checked his watch.
"Will there be another joining you this afternoon?" the girl asked for clarification.
"Yes, my boyfriend should be here any minute," i confirmed, hoping that she didn't make a humiliating decision by prying.
"Then I'll be sure to have both of your drinks brought out in a jiffy," she said, smiling and turning back to the direction of the kitchen, assumingly to do what she said she would.
I fiddled with my fingers as I watched him wait for me, watching the door and windows of the school for any sign of me. It was still pretty amusing how excited he seemed to get over something so small.
"Hi, there!"
I jumped and trained my eyes to look at the source of the noise. I blushed when I saw that it was just the waiter placing the waters onto opposite sides of the table. The girl smiled as she handed me one of two menus, the other going to rest beside the unclaimed water glass.
"I'm Kaelie! I'll be taking care of you tonight! Here are your waters and your menus, and I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you!" the girl enthusiastically said.
"Thank you," I replied politely.
I looked at her menu for a few minutes, taking my time to read through each and every option. Every once in awhile I looked back to the front door where more and more people gathered, eager to find shelter from the cold air and rain. And outside, I saw Vincenzo straighten up, hope blossoming across his face, only to see a moment later it wasn't who he was looking for and went back to stonefaced.
"Are you ready to order yet, or do you need a few more minutes?" Kaelie said once she'd returned as promised.
I turned to the girl and forced a smile on my face. "Could you give me a few more minutes? I'm sure he'll be here soon. He must have been asked to stay a couple extra minutes at work tonight."
Kaelie's eyes flicked over to the empty side of the booth, and she nodded understandingly. "Of course! I'll be back again soon!"
I looked at the menu items again, reading them extra slowly as if pondering what I wanted to eat, even though i'd already ordered at least half a dozen times in her head. I'll have the Portobello mushroom chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans.
As more time passed and more people filtered in and out of the restaurant, I was shocked to see how dedicated Vincenzo was to waiting for me. His nose was red and really waiting out the rain. It was now more than an hour and a few minutes past our meeting time, and I had received a single text from Martin saying that I'd better be on my way, that I shouldn't play with his friend. I texted back and lied that I had gotten held up but not to worry because I was okay and I was coming.
"Hey, Mister?" Kaelie said from the side of the booth. "Do you want to order yet, or do you need more time?"
I forced her lips not to smile as she smiled and politely requested just a few more minutes. "Winter traffic can get pretty crazy, you know?"
Kaelie bowed her head and walked away again, leaving me alone for the third time. Several pairs of eyes trained themselves onto me as Kaelie left the table again, and when I looked up I was shocked to see that I was being bombarded with unwanted looks of sympathy. Most people turned away, embarrassed to be caught staring, but some, like the woman i was making eye contact with now, gave me a sad smile as if she knew what had happened.
Now aware that it was completely illogical for me to pretend I was still reading the menu—I swore I could recite the entire selection by heart now—I set it down and folded my arms on the table, looking down. I bit my lip and felt a sharp sting as the cut reopened, blood trickling down into my mouth.
I had chewed on this particular spot enough throughout the past six months to know that it hadn't ever completely healed. During every scheme, every antagonistic prank, that lip had been chewed on and mercilessly and left to bleed.
I wasn't sure what I had been expecting thus far by making him wait for me this long; maybe i hadn't been expecting anything at all, and that was why it hurt and confused me so much. Because I knew that he wouldn't have waited almost two hours in the cold for me had he had any pride left, or better things to do.
I could see how he probably imagined this going clear as day—Vincenzo, dressed his fresh from the laundry uniform, running through the front gate of the school and scurrying his way over to me, kissing me quickly before walking me home again. He probably imagined me telling him that he was doing all okay, just because he followed what I was telling him to do. He probably thought we would exchange 'I love you's at the end of our walk.
But there were too many problems.
For one, i wasn't coming. That much was obvious.
But then something strange happened: a hand dropped onto my shoulder and a pair of lips swooped down to peck my cheek. Since Vincenzo was outside, I was forced to rethink who could be there. Startled, i looked up just in time to see a nice looking man flash me a charming smile.
"I'm sorry I'm so late, babe. I would have called you but my phone died before I had the chance. Who would have thought traffic would be so backed up tonight?"
Not knowing what to say, I sat in silence blinking up at the man. He was still smiling, looking at me as if he had known me for years. I knew for a fact that i hadn't seen this person in my entire life—I definitely would have remembered him if I had, if not because of my natural appreciation for good looks then because he was obviously someone who could be devoted.
Is this some kind of joke?
Before I had the chance to say anything, he leaned forward to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear and said just loud enough for me to hear, "My name is Jace. Just go with it. Also, whoever didn't bother to show up is an asshole."
Jace leaned away, and slid into the empty seat across from me all in one swift motion. Still shocked, i stared blankly at the man in front of me. He was dressed in jeans and a simple black tee, his hair windblown as if he'd been running.
My brain was working overtime trying to process what had just happened. Eventually, I put the pieces together and realized that he must have been one of the ones watching me for the past two hours as I made it seem like I'd been stood up, and instead of leaving me to be humiliated and heartbroken, he was taking the role of the standee. And I couldn't have been more grateful and pissed.
Oh, how the tables had turned. Did I look that pathetic. "My date is outside, you don't have to sit here."
"Then why hasn't he come in for two hours? Sounds like a big jerk to me," Jace grinned. Silently, i put my bag back down and looked at the man in front of me—Jace—currently pretending to read the menu. He practically screamed golden spoon: golden hair, golden skin, golden-amber eyes (i'd had no idea that that particular eye color was even possible until now), a golden smile. As I looked closer, she saw different shades of blond on his head—amber, platinum, honey—which, when combined, created the gold effect. But other than amazingly fantastic genetics, there wasn't an explanation for the rest of him. He looked absolutely perfect. Flawless, even.
He couldn't be much older than me, I decided. Probably the same age as Sofia, if not a little older.
Jace looked up from the menu. He smirked as if knowing that my stare wasn't just from shock anymore. The look didn't do anything for me like Vincenzo's. Embarrassed, I quickly looked down just like the others had done when they'd been caught staring at me.
"My date doesn't know that I'm here," I admitted. The man across from me looked absolutely perplexed. "I didn't tell him."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because...." I stopped myself before I could say that I wanted to get back him for ignoring me, but at the same time I wanted him to heal me, and ultimately in the end, he'll be unable to live without me. "Just because, see him right there?"
I pointed at Vincenzo who hadn't moved an inch. By this time, kids had already stopped coming out of school, clubs were over, teachers were gone and security was locking up because there shouldn't be anyone left on campus. He checked his watch quickly before continuing to stare out into the street waiting for me. The lonely look on his face troubled me deeply, and shook my resolve.
"Your boyfriend has been there in the cold for over two hours, are you sure it's ok to just leave him out there? The temperature is supposed to be getting dangerous today," Jace said. "His coat isn't enough to withstand the cold. He could get hospitalized."
Shit. I forgot about the weather advisory this morning that called for rain and cold winds. A light snow had already begun to fall which led bystanders to retreat indoors and away from the environment's harsh winter weather. The cold season was bearing down hard; a front from Canada was coming in, and it would cause temperatures to plummet near zero. The icy sidewalks were littered with slush, and steam rose from the sewer grates.
"Well he could just go inside then!" I rolled my eyes. "I didn't ask him to wait for over two hours!" I'm not sure why I was getting upset, he was the one who decided to stand out in the cold by himself. "When I didn't show up in the first hour, he should've just left."
"If you have a date, why would he just leave?" Jace asked.
He's not leaving because I made him promise to pick me up! But I wasn't expecting him to brave the cold to this extent! "Standing him up is just a taste of his own medicine."
"I'll admit, he does look pretty tortured out there. Has he stood you up before?"
"No."
"Did he piss you off?"
"No. I'm the one who told him to wait for me there," I watched Vincenzo sigh, and shoved one of his hands deep into his coat pockets as he half-mindedly kicked a mound of snow. "I should've been there long ago."
"Are you afraid of going out there?"
"No, I just wonder why he decided to wait for so long in such bad weather," I chuckled. "I think it's quite amusing to watch him."
"So you asked him to wait for you, in this dangerous weather, so you could test his resolve? That's not very nice," Jace asked. Yes, that's exactly it. "If you ask me, his resolve is pretty strong. I would've left by now to warm up, but it looks like he's willing to freeze to death waiting for you."
I choked on my water remembering that he would be the kind of idiot to do something like that without a problem. "Walk me out then." I muttered.
I didn't feel bad, I just wanted to see how he would react to seeing me showing up late with this other guy. If he didn't flip out and give up on me right there, I think I'd lose more respect for him than I already have.
Jace got up and led me outside into the cold. Fuck, I didn't think the temperature had dropped this much. As we approached Vincenzo together, I heard him sneeze and sniffled as he wrapped a scarf around his face. He was shivering nonstop but kept the bouquet of flowers steady in his hand.
Ok, now I feel bad. "Vinny!" I called out.
Vincenzo turned towards me and smiled warmly. "Hey, I didn't have your number but these are for you." His voice sounded raspy already, like his neck was frozen as he held out the flowers.
"How long have you been waiting here?" I snapped.
"About three hours, I rushed over as soon as school ended to pick you up," he said. I reluctantly took the flowers and saw that they were out of season. They must've been incredibly expensive, and this flower shop wrapping came from uptown, meaning he really went out of his his way to make this happen. "My friend helped me plan a date for us after you were out of school, but we missed our reservation."
"Why didn't you wait somewhere warm?" I snapped at him angry that he was taking this so seriously when I obviously wasn't.
"I don't have your number and you asked me to wait for you at school. Martin even said you were coming soon a while ago," Vincenzo explained calmly. He didn't even look upset that he had waited in such bad weather for so long. His face, ears and nose were red and he looked exhausted.
"No! I mean, why wait this long?" I groaned.
"I mean, I made people wait for me like this a while ago and I even stood Danny up in weather worse than this, multiple times," he said. "If anything, I had it coming, right? I'm not upset, I should've gotten your number last night. It's my fault."
I suddenly felt like dog shit! If I treat him like he was nothing, he would just blame himself and he won't argue with me. If he froze or got sick, I'd never be the one at fault for it even if I was my doing. Did this guy only think he deserved the worst?
"What if you had died?" Jace suddenly asked in a concerned manner.
"It's not like it would effect anyone," Vincenzo said as of it were normal. "Is this guy your friend?"
"Um, sure," I shot jace a look that was telling him to leave. Jace seemed to get what I was doing so he just handed me some hand warmers before walking away from us both. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time."
"It's ok, it's not your fault. That happens with friends," he said. I put the hand warmers in his ice cold hands that didn't even have gloves on them. Did he really think this wasn't my fault? Why didn't he question me more about Jace? And just what did he mean by saying his death wouldn't effect anyone? Would it not effect me since I'm the one who put him there? Geez, no wonder Martin and Sofia were desperately urging me not to mess with Vincenzo in my usual manner!
I inserted myself into the life of someone on their last leg. For the first time in my life, playing with someone didn't feel any good. I mean, he even bought me flowers from the other side of town just because I asked him flowers. He waited and would've frozen to death, just because I asked him to pick me up from school. He even got a friend to help him make reservations for a date I didn't even ask for.
"Thanks for showing up, sorry for not getting your number," Vincenzo took a chance to pull me into a hug. I could feel that he was just happy that I showed up and the entire situation felt weird to me.
Why was I so obsessed with trying to see him cry?
"Um, it's fine, just go home," I said feeling a frog in my throat.
"Rocco, it's getting dark outside. You want me to walk you home?"
"No, I'll be fine." I really did want him to walk me home, but I knew I would start crying when I couldn't hold back the guilty feeling much longer, so I decided to start walking home alone.....well partially alone. Vincenzo was trailing behind me to my extreme displeasure. "Why are you following me?!"
"I have to walk this way to go home. I can go the other way if you want me to," he looked away from my cold stare with pure disappointment that wasn't directed towards me. "Never mind, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm sorry."
Vincenzo turned around to walk around the other way. It would take him at least fifteen extra minutes to get home if he went all the way around the block. "Wait!" I didn't have the heart to watch him walk extra time after standing in the cold for three hours straight. He was already sniffling and trying hard enough to keep warm. I'll put my pride aside for him just this once. "Just come over to the apartment!"
We made our way in silence down the street, despite the company, i still didn't like walking through it at night. The street had an uneasy quiet to it when walking through it at night, but honestly Vincenzo being there put me somewhat at ease. I decided to break the silence and strike up a conversation.
"Why are you limping?" I asked.
"I got a cast off my leg some days ago. It just hurts a little bit right now," an injury? Oh right, he was in the hospital not too long ago. I had no idea it was a leg injury.
"How did it happen?"
"I walked into the street and a car hit me, my entire leg was mangled. The doctor said it'll never be the same again but I'm lucky I'm still able to walk."
"Does it ever hurt?"
"When it rains, it hurts terribly. Don't worry though, it's nothing serious," he chuckled awkwardly. How badly did it hurt when he was standing in the rain. I knew my moms surgery scars flared up whenever it rained, and it usually left her bedridden and in agony.
I didn't mean to do that.
"So... uh how are you doing in school?" I asked with a curious smile.
"Well, let's just say it's had a hell of a lot of ups and downs." He sighed.
"How come?"
"Where to start? I go to a school full to the brim with nutcases, narcissistic rich kids and psychotics had every clique after my head, got suspended, got abandoned by my parents, had to fight Martin, then got heartbroken and I had a mental breakdown. I've had a lifetime worth of stuff happen to me this year, it's been nuts. But I guess it's all worked out now, things are better than when they started at least," I realized that he had a tendency to speak with no life in his voice.
It made me just wonder about just how suicidal he actually was.
"Is that Vincenzo?" A woman's voice called out from behind us. Behind us was a pretty looking girl. She'd be prettier if she wore less makeup and of course she couldn't match up to me. Not even in her wildest dream could she compare to me. "I knew it! Are you alone?"
"Obviously not," I piped up.
"Are you with him?" She asked giving me a once over as if she was qualified to judge my beauty.
"Yes." Vincenzo answered.
"Seriously? Why would you hang out with him? Isn't it obvious what kind of person he is? Just like hospice boy! Loose and easy? Come on, Vinny, even sick comedy is still comedy!" She laughed.
That bitch! Who did she think she was to talk to me like that? "I don't see it that way, Minnie."
"So does that mean you're really gay? No fucking way! Are you on a date right now?!" She continued to try to get under his skin but Vincenzo just looked at her in an exhausted manner.
"Stop laughing. We're not doing anything that's your business, Minnie. Stop being a cunt and just be real for once. Does the fact that I'm dating him hurt you or disgust you?"
"It's gross to see you flirt with a guy like this!"
"Like you fucking half the school wasn't disgusting?" Vincenzo countered much to my surprise. This Minnie girl went red in the face as he put on an arrogant face and turn led his nose up at her. "Just stop chasing me around, I have no intention on making a hoe into a housewife. There's zero chance of us reconnecting, so don't make me destroy your senior year, because all I need to go is say one word. Go home."
He put his arm around me and turned us around to continue on to my home. "That was really cool of you, you didn't even give me a chance to argue with her."
"I was told that men shouldn't argue with women, and I'm not in the mood for a back and forth with an ex." Vincenzo admitted.
"How much did you tell her about us?"
"She just overheard me making plans with my friend Sam. I didn't expect her to follow me. Sorry about her," he said.
"Can you stop apologizing? You couldn't help it," and it's making me feel like shit again after an exhilarating little exchange.
When I finally opened the door to the apartment and called out to my mother, she came rushing out to get a good look at Vincenzo.
"You are Vincenzo?" She asked excitedly in her best English before squeezing him into a tight motherly hug. Vincenzo completely went stiff, as if he had never received a hug from anyone in his life. He looked at me for help as my mom literally burst into tears. "Thank you, child, for agree to taking care of my son!"
Sofia must've taken her own measures to make sure I don't do anything too wild by telling mom and dad. "I'm grateful as well," I smiled and hugged Vincenzo from the side, effectively trapping him between my mother and I. What I wasn't expecting was my dad to walk in and silently join the hug from the side since my dad loved group hugs the most.
"We are all grateful for my boy and his partner!" My dad squeezed the three of us. "Rocco, get him some food! Andiamo!"
"Oh i so happy! Rocky finally brought home for me a son-in-law!"
"What? Oh no, I'm his-" Vincenzo was cut off as she was pulled into another crushing hug. My mother kissed his cheeks and his forehead, holding his face in her plump hands.
"Oh, and a pretty one too! You're eyes are bellisima! But you are so thin!" She began poking and prodding Vincenzo, pinching his arms and sides. "Oh this is no good! By tonight, you will be full of more food. Oh, wait! Lorenzo! Lorenzo!" She was now looking over her shoulder for my dad and Vincenzo had a chance to pull out of her arms.
"I didn't bring any gifts, I don't mean to be rude," he offered.
"No problem!" My mother smiled even wider.
"It is so nice to met his boyfriend!" He said gruffly, his arm wrapping around his wife's waist. "I am Lorenzo, Rocco's father. This is my wife, Ariana."
Together, we made our way towards the oversized dining room. Dad and Sofia had already seated themselves, but mom was still placing dishes of food onto the table. Different pastas, salads, and rolls covered the table. I could practically see the drool running down the corner of Vincenzo's mouth as he looked at all the pastas.
"So what are you going to school for, Vincenzo?" Dad asked.
Vincenzo poked around his soup and answered, "I don't know what want to do, though I think I might end up going into astronomy....or I'll probably end up working first."
"Ah, when we are finished with the dinner, Rocco will take you to see....how you say.....il telescopio!" Dad exclaimed. "For ten years, before we leave Italy, I work for Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera in Milan. Is one of the top level research institutes in the world and it is the most ancient scientific institution in Milan."
"Really?" For the first time Vincenzo perked up a bit. I think everyone in the room picked up on it, luckily they said nothing of it and dad just continued to talk to him about space.
Before I knew it, all the food was gone and Vincenzo and I were told to go away by my mother. I took him to the living room to see the telescope dad had set up near the window and watched him carefully set it up where he wanted it.
"Did you like the meal?" I asked.
"Yeah, I liked everything about it, the warm welcome felt really nice though," he said.
"Do you never have moments like this with your own parents?"
"Never, I was a mistake to them since birth," he told me as if it was no big deal. "I don't think I have a single good memory with my mother or father, that's why I moved out. I'm actually really jealous at how nice you have it, Rocco."
"Please, they're so embarrassing," I rolled my eyes.
"How so?"
"Your dad never embarrassed you in public?"
"I was always the embarrassment. It was so bad that my dad felt he had to beat it out of me," Shit, did any good come from his parents. "The best thing they did was ask Dan's dad take care of me, but I messed that up myself as well and embarrassed myself doing that."
"Did any good from your family?"
"My little brother....yeah, that's really it," he said. "He's going to school in Rome and he comes back during break. I'll bring you to meet Giacomo soon."
I'd have to bring him here again, not just because my dad seems to really approve of him, but because maybe he needed a loving family atmosphere. Besides, he didn't look so monotone and some of the light had returned to his eyes.
"Do you hate them?"
"No, hating people just takes up too much energy. It just is what it is and it's on me to move on," he sighed. "Well maybe I hate my mom. She keeps making my life a living hell."
"How so?"
"By meddling in my life to try and control it. She'll lie to me and everyone around me. She's ruined every relationship I've had, even family members I haven't met don't even want me around because of all the lies she told them. Everything I ever had, she made it her mission to ruin it for me forever. I'd like to never see either of them again." Vincenzo said.
I pouted some more, feeling upset that I started to pry into his head. Vincenzo couldn't help but laugh as I began to lose interest in the conversation and gain interest instead in the springy-ness of the couch.
"What are you doing?" Vincenzo asked curiously.
I grinned up at him without answering his question said, "Yes, this will do nicely." Then pulled him down on top of me. I let myself get lost in Vincenzo's lips for just a few moments before he remembered himself.
"C'mon," he said, "We're in your parents' house. We can't...ya know..."
"But I want you to remember it this time!" I whined and sprawled myself out on the couch suggestively. "You know you won't be able to resist this for the time being."
"This is going to be a lot harder than I'd thought. Your parents seem far too....conservative Italian? They may accept you, but I still need to be good for you. Maybe you should reconsider the timing."
"Ugh, you goody two shoes."
"Then let's make a day of it, I'll take you out to enjoy the day and then we could have sex at the end of the day. I'll call in a favor from a friend of mine," Vincenzo smiled.
It sounded nice. "I'll allow it."