Bruno
"You are going to behave,right?"Lina asks as soon as I open the car door for her.
"What do you mean by that?"I ask when we are infront of each other.
"That you aren't planning on being an asshole to my parents,"she tells me bluntly.
"Do you seriously have to ask me that?"I ask,looking offended.
She folds her arms before raising an eyebrow at me.
"I'll try my best,okay?"I say,returning her honesty with my own.
The thing is,I can't,in good faith, promise that I won't rub the fact that I had won in her father's face.
Not that it's the reason that I'm here.
It's just a bonus.
"I'm serious,Bruno,"Lina says with a raised voice.
"I am too.I'll be on my best behaviour, "I assure her.
She sighs before nodding,knowing it is the best she can hope to get from me.
"I don't think we will be in there too long anyway,"she says.
The next moment,a mask comes over her face,hiding any feelings or expressions from her.
I resist the urge to smirk.
Without meaning to,she just convinces me further that she is right for me.
"Let's go,"she says before surprising me by grabbing my arm and intertwining our fingers together.
The feeling of our joined hands feels so right and intimate that I mmidiately drop my gaze to look at the joined hands.When I look up,I find Lina looking at it too.
She swallows before saying,"Don't get any ideas,psycho.I'm only doing this for show."
I grin at her.
Sure, she is.
It's obvious that she is just as affected by us touching as I am.
Before I can say anything,Lina walks us towards her parent's porch,hand in hand.
I look at Lina,wondering if she was actually able to do this.
The determination in her face convinces me a little but I will have to see it to believe it.
We stop at the front,where Lina seems to debate between ringing the doorbell or opening the door.
She decides on the latter and walks right in,pulling me with her.
******
Lina
Bruno and I arrive into an empty living room.
"Lina,Is that you?"comes my mom's voice from the kitchen.
"Yes, mom.It's me!And I..I brought a guest with me,"I inform her,wanting to prepare her a bit for the shock she was about to get.
"So you ended up bringing Miles with you after all.Well,good thing I always cook extra food,"she says for Bruno's expression to darken.
Good lord.
"Its not Miles,mom,"I say,quick to correct her.
"Is it Sophie?Sophie is that you?"she asks.
"It's not her either, "I tell her,wishing that she would stop guessing.
"Then who is it?"she asks,coming out of the kitchen with her blonde hair in a pony tail and wearing an apron over her dress along with the world's sunniest smile.
Her blue eyes glance at me before inevitably getting drawn to the tall figure next to me.
My Mom gasps before freezing in her tracks.
"Hello Camella,"Bruno says ,a smile in his voice.
My mother's face pales, looking at Bruno like she is seeing a ghost.
"Mom,you remember Bruno,right?"I say in awkward attempt to break the silence in the room.
After a long moment my mother silently nods.
"It's been a long time.How are you?"Bruno asks when my Mom doesn't say anything.
"I'm...I'm good,t-thanks.How are you?"says my mom politely.
Wether she likes you or not,my mother never ever forgets her manners.
"Me?I'm great,especially now that this beautiful woman is back in my life,"Bruno says,smiling widely.
My Mom's eyes widen as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
I resist the urge urge to gulp after he does this.
Dick!
I should have known that he couldn't be trusted.
Does this man have a sensitive bone in his body?
How could he just drop that major bomb like it was nothing?
I had wanted to lay this on my parents gently.
Shit.
But I am going to have to adress this later because right now we are supposed to be a united front.
My mother's shocked face drops to my hand which is still holding Bruno's.I tense immediately.
When I finally gather the strength to open my mouth and explain,my voice get's cut off by my Father's from the hallway
"Honey,Is Lina here?I thought I heard..."
My father's voice trails away when he takes Bruno and the tense scene in with a glance.
"What is this?"he asks,his eyes glued to Bruno as if he were his child.
"Hi Dad,"I say with an awkward smile.
After what seems like an eternity,he tears away his gaze from Bruno's tense one.
Unfortunately.
"Lina,what is going here?Why did you bring this man here?"my Dad asks, coming to stand in front of us.
One quickly realises how different in nature my parents are.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself,I say.
"Papa,this is the reason why I have come to see you. Actually..."
"I'm her new boyfriend.Well her new old boyfriend"Bruno declares,interrupting me with a sinister smile.
I sigh and close my eyes,wanting to kill him Bruno badly.But since he is the only thing that is standing between Cameron and a grave,I manage to stop myself.
On the bright side,atleast they know and I didn't have to say it.
One could say that Bruno did me a favour.But they would be wrong.
"What did you say!"Asks my Dad in a loud voice.
"Papa,let's sit down and..."
"What did he say,Lina?"my Father repeats with an edge in his voice.
It intimidates me so much that for a second I don't say anything.
"You heard him,Papa,"I tell him with a surprisingly steady voice.
My father shakes his head,as if he also couldn't believe his ears.
"No,it can't be.You are engaged to Miles,"he says,not able to process the news.
"I broke up with him a while ago,"I tell him in a clear voice,bringing him up to speed.
My mother gasps again,shaking her head in disbelief.
"No!No!That can't be true,"he says,shaking his head as well.
"It is true,I'm with Bruno now,"I say for Bruno to smirk at him.
Jerk.
"What are you saying Lina?"my mother asks,looking at me like I'm crazy. "You dumped Miles for this criminal?"
I had never thought that my Mom call someone a criminal to their face.It just goes to show how much she detests Bruno.
"Please don't call him that mom,"I say raising my voice a bit.
United front,remember?
"But that is what he is,Lina.Him and his family,"my father says.
"Everybody is innocent until declared guilty in the court of law.You of all people should know that,papa.Have Bruno and his family ever been declared guilty in any court of law?"I ask him.
I'm now caught in the weirdest situation where I have to defend someone who I know is guilty.
This keeps getting crazier by the minute.
"Bullshit,Everyone knows that him and his family are guilty.They just hide their dirty dealings well."
"But you still aren't proving anything,Mr Rivera,"Bruno remarks with a sly smile.
I do wish that he would just be quiet.
"Rossini,unlike my daughter,I am not naive enough to fall for your lies.And I would prefer if you didn't talk to me,criminal filth!"my Dad says,looking at Bruno like he was actual filth.
But all Bruno does is show him his pearly whites,letting my dad know that he doesn't give a fuck what he thinks of him.
This is one of the times that I wonder if he is human.
Bruno opens his mouth to reply but I cut him off.
"He is not wrong,Papa,"I say folding my arms.
"I can't believe that my own daughter is defending a criminal. I have raised you better than this.I am so dissapointed in you right now,Lina,"he says,breaking my heart.
But I steel myself quickly.I didn't expect anything less than the contempt that he is giving me.
"I understand if that's how you feel but I have already made my decision.I want to ask the you and mom to please accept it,"I say,my voice ,still surprisingly steady.
"We will never accept this,Lina,"says my mother coming to stand infront of me."This is a huge mistake,one I hope that you will realise before this evil man destroys you.You were lucky that God saved you the first time.I don't think he can pull off another miracle,"she says.
I am immediately pissed off that my mother,the woman who raised is me,is calling Bruno's jet accident a miracle.
If anything can be considered miraculous about that accident is that he survived.
"The only one acting evil here is you,mother,"I say,this time meaning every word of what I am saying.
She bristles at the insult but doesn't say anything.Mulling over her words,I think.
"Is he forcing you?"my Dad asks,catching me off guard.