Today marks a significant milestone in my plan, and I can't help but feel excited about it. I mean, everyone is thrilled.
"Get out already!" Leo yells at Niko, who is in the shower.
"Wait, Mr. CEO!" Her voice transcends the shower noise, reaching my ears and everyone else's. Leo frowns, resisting the urge to kick the bathroom door and enter through evasion. Well, he is the last to bathe, and I understand that he hates being the late one among us, even though he was the one offering the girls to bathe first.
"Amy, you look stunning!" Terry comes towards me, my back leaned on our room's door frame, peacefully observing the chaos in the apartment.
"I could say the same about you, Terry." I return his compliment, making him smile.
"Are you ready to go?" He leans on the door frame in front of me, and we both glance at Bianca, who yells about not finding her pants. Her half-naked body strolls to the kitchen, probably wanting to ask Emilio, who usually puts the clothes in the washing machine.
Antonio is half-asleep, avoiding Bianca, who almost bumps into him. He comes into the dressing room, and when he opens the door, I see clothes on the ground. Yup, Bianca's doing.
"I am prepared."
Terry looks at me and pats my shoulder. I wince, and he frowns.
"Still hurts?" He looks concerned, and I know why. "Hurry up and heal so I can take you with my motorcycle. Emilio won't even know." He says excited with a mischievous smile, ready for all sorts of things crossing his mind. But he is not and will never be ready for Emilio's smack.
"Ahh!" Emilio hits him with his cooking tool, and I can't help but burst into laughter.
"You ain't taking her anywhere, boy. Quit dreaming." Emilio frowns, and Terry turns to me as he rubs his head.
"Why didn't you tell me he was behind me?" He whispers.
"It was too late." I smile.
"Come. Let's go to eat. Unlike the other people who aren't yet prepared, you guys need rewards." Emilio turns to leave, and we follow him.
"In half an hour, Nicholas and Fiero will go to fetch us. I can't believe that even after I woke them up at 6, some of them are not yet ready. I mean, I expected Bianca not to be, but Leo, Antonio, Niko, and Julio too? Unacceptable."
Terry and I look at each other and roll our eyes, giggling at Emilio's grumbling , as we follow him. He acts too much like a mom. But if it weren't for him, I think we would have been lost. The boy is a lifesaver.
In the living room, Bianca is still looking for her pants in a pile of clothes on one of the chairs. Terzo is sitting at the table, biting from a croissant and sipping from his coffee. He is as chill as possible. Maybe he got used to the chaos in the end. I feel he lives in a bubble of his own where Carlo doesn't throw knives from behind him to the kitchen wall cabinets, avoiding at a millimeter Terzo's ear.
Terry seems excited to try that too, but Emilio stops him with another wooden spoon hitting his head.
I sigh… Poor Terry. But at the same time, I'm glad he didn't throw any knives, since he isn't really skilled.
Not knowing where to sit myself, I follow Emilio and walk near him so that I can get to eat something while being protected from Carlo's knives. Sitting near Terzo, putting myself in the line of fire, was just not smart at all. My instincts of catching the knife were too automatic to stop myself from doing it. So, I stick to avoiding them.
In the end, after all of us eat and dress, Nicholas takes me, Leo, Niko, Emilio, and Terry to the place where we will become made men. The rest are taken by Fiero. Everyone goes with their leader.
We arrive there at the same time, and as we enter the house, we sit on the couches as Nicholas and Fiero instruct us. Said and done…
The black and white patterns on the floor tiles and everything in this house scream mafia. The red curtains add more to the whole vibe. Though it doesn't bother me.
"How much are we gonna wait?" Bianca asks Emilio, who sits between me and her.
"Just wait. You should learn to wait," Emilio says, annoyed by her childish behavior.
"Damn, we woke up at 6." Niko adds to Bianca's complaint, clearly not in a good mood either. Patience seems to be missing between us. I want this to be done as fast as possible too. But I ain't gonna comment. Emilio has already too many complaints.
"I woke you up at 6, and you slept till 7, Niko." Emilio looks suggestively at her. She sighs while crossing her feet, hitting Leo.
"Move your legs carefully. I am not a brick. Behave like a damn girl. Not like a damn gorilla." He scowls at her, cleaning his pants where she hit him.
"I forgot you are sensible, Mr. CEO." She helps him clean his pants while mocking him. Since she found out that he was the son of a big CEO who died, she's been calling him like this.
"Get your hands off me." He grits his teeth at her, slapping her hand.
"What did I do now?" She slaps his hand back while leaning on the couch with her arms crossed. She never lets him without paying back the same.
"Really nothing…" He glares at her, asserting the same position as her.
"Cut it out, guys, or at least lower the volume." Emilio sighs, observing with a sorrowful gaze, much like a disappointed mother, as the kids he raises continue to let him down.
Terry talks to Antonio about a new piece for his motorcycle, and Terzo offers his thoughts on that.
"Should we go and barge in? Let them know we are ready to cut our veins for the oath?" Carlo's voice makes me look towards him. He sits on our couch between Bianca and Julio.
"Now that you say it…" Bianca takes out her cigarette and glances at Carlo.
"No smoking." Emilio snatches the cigarette and scrutinizes her. "And no barging in." His eyes glance at Carlo too, who sighs bored.
The front door hears opening, and I glance at the intruders. My breath is cut when I see who enters.
Damiano and Rafaele. Holy shit! Don't tell me he will become a made man too? Or is he one?
I stiffen just to see that Damiano drags the boy out. What is happening?
After a few minutes, Rafaele is heading straight towards me and sits in the empty spot next to me at the edge of the couch. Damiano is glaring at him while Nicholas and Fiero are greeting him, and I can only wish that the man doesn't snap at his own brother because of me. At the same time, I hope that Rafaele is not going to tell about my siblings in a loud voice.
As I stay stiff, unaware of what to do to feel more relaxed, Rafaele leans in and whispers into my ear.
"He is whipped for you, girl." His mischievous smile is the same as Damiano's. He turns towards Damiano and smirks without a care.
The shock of his words makes me remain as stiff as I was before. I take my eyes off the boy and glance at Damiano. He is striding towards us, and I wish he won't come. Though I see that he is holding back, his jaw tensed as he follows with dark eyes Rafaele. He won't make a mess.
After he says a few words I don't even hear from my thoughts that make me rush out and vanish from here, sensing the tension and my worry towards Rafaele. I just want to hide in my safe shell that Rafaele and Damiano cracked.
After Rafaele introduces himself, Damiano disappears with him on the stairs to the second level of the house.
I look at Emilio, and he asks if I am fine. I nod shortly and smile. The others observed the looks Damiano gave me and Rafaele, and Bianca already looks at me with a smirk. Terzo seems worried and Niko winks at me.
I sigh and feel a little relieved that they went away. I have to regain my cool.
"Amy, are you really fine?" Emilio is patting my back.
I nod and smile. Just at that moment, the wolf walks down the stairs without Rafaele. I glance, and he is with his eyes on his phone, walking towards the table where Nicholas and Fiero are discussing something.
I follow him with my eyes, and I bite my lips as I try not to glance at him.
The phone is buzzing, and I take it out. When I see that message, I know I can't reply since Terzo didn't teach me that yet. I guess I have to ask him later… or maybe not. I will ask Emilio. I don't want Terzo to see how Emilio added Damiano to the phone. I glance at Damiano when I tuck the phone back in after turning it off.
He frowns, and I am aware that what I do is disrespectful. But I have no choice.
The phone buzzes again, and I frown at his text. I glance at him as I close the phone, unable to do anything else. I bite my lower lip for the thousandth time, and he glares at me.
"I will go to the restroom. Call me if something happens." I whisper towards him, and he nods. I take my leave, and when I arrive in the bath, I just place my hands on the edges of the sink and take a deep breath, exhaling my soul out. Damn, it feels good.
Just when I am composed, ready to not let my guard down, Damiano bangs the door open, and he closes it in a hurry. He glances at me and yanks me towards him. Glad that it's my healthy hand. Maybe he knows which one is my healthy hand. Damn man, I can't even be mad at him!
"Why did you ignore my texts?" I can't help but savor his grumpy expression, although I probably shouldn't.
"I don't know how to type back,"I say thoughtfully, not aiming to rile him up. And honestly, I don't even have a reason to. It's clear he's attempting to keep a straight face while likely finding this amusing. Can't blame the guy. Terzo is probably the one to blame.
"Let me freaking teach you, Amara. It's the 21st century, for heaven's sake!"he says in a caring voice, almost parallel to the words he uses. It's weird that I don't feel any harshness coming from his remark.
His vivid frustration is pretty amusing… almost cute. Ehhh??!! He is making me weird again… darn it. Control yourself!
Just when he grabs my phone, I realize that he will see Emilio's art. And this fits with the frustration I have towards me thinking he was cute for a second.
I glare at him without realizing, and he pulls the phone, trying to take it from my hand. I pull back and continue to glare at him. I am not willing to let him see that since I can already see him smirking. And I hate that even though he looks sexy doing it. Ehhh!??? Again? What the heck is wrong with me?
He takes a step closer, and I can almost touch his chest with my nose. His hand rests on my waist ,dragging me towards him , and I feel my heart rate quickening. His perfume is making me dizzy, and he says, "Give it to me, Amara."
I feel my knees going weak. And not because I feel sick. His raspy yet authoritative voice, using my name, can make me react in a way worse then I imagined … bad for my heart for sure. How can he do this to me?
Lost in him, I weaken my grip on the phone, and he snatches it. I don't even care if he took it or not. His breath on my neck makes me wish he would stay like this for a while. Damn!
He pulls back just when I fight the urge to lean on his chest and arch my back under his touch.
I frown at him, not liking the fact that he makes me feel all these weird things that I never felt before. I feel my cheeks hot, and for my greater good, I better cool myself down fast before he makes fun of me.
He looks at me for a bit, not sure of the meaning of his fired-up eyes. Maybe he was angry? Anyway, he seems busy unlocking my phone, and I close my eyes for a bit, waiting for his reaction.
I open my eyes, locking his, and the smirk that I expect covers his handsome face. His eyes get smaller, and I think that expression is one of my favorites even though it annoys the heck out of me.
After explaining myself in frustration, I bite my lip and brush my hair, trying to not lose my composure. I know I can fetch the phone out of his hands, throw a swear at Emilio and him, and run away. But that's impossible.
I try not to glare, and I regain my serious face under his amused expression.I adjust my hands in my jacket, keeping a determined gaze on him. I refuse to succumb to his control. I can still maintain some level of independence.
He shifts to a serious tone and begins teaching me how to type. I quickly grasp his tips, and he seems pleased. I start responding to his previous text. After a brief exchange about my composure from before -calm or not - he glances at me and imparts some information I probably needed to hear.
"Rafaele will keep his mouth shut." Why did I trust his words so much that I felt relieved the moment he said it? Have I come to trust him in the first place? Maybe yes…
"I owe you again," I admit reluctantly, though I hate the idea of being indebted to him even more. This makes me frown involuntary .
"I got your back. Don't stress. You'll grow old before me."His finger presses over my forehead wrinkles. My frown dissipates.
Damiano's smile makes it easy to believe him, but I know this may not be the case since he is still Marco's son – someone who might come after me after what will happen tonight.
I can't help but look down after his finger no longer presses my forehead, a sign that my frown concerned him a little.
"I don't understand you…" My mouth betrays me, talking before I even have the chance to stop.
"You don't have to." Of course, he is going to remain mysterious. It's not like he is the type to share something he is asked to disclose. He enjoys playing with me, but I think he is reasonable at the same time. Maybe I truly don't have to understand him.
After advising me to leave the bathroom since we've spent enough time there, I stride out, forgetting about my phone that is still in his hands.
He grips my arm as I pass him, our eyes locking. With a serious yet playful expression, he says, "Keep your act together. I want to be the only one to see your blushing face," skillfully sliding my phone into my pocket.
I exit, frustrated that he knows I couldn't keep my composure entirely with him. I mumble, "Damn it." And, I make a mental promise to avoid being alone with him in the same room.
Damn sly fox…