Dusk

Chapter 13 - The symbol

Vanessa's POV

"Do you love him?" he asked, giving me an intrigued look.

"Yes. So much," I replied shyly.

"Don't lose your hope. Maybe there is some solution to handle all your problems, but you haven't known about it yet," he commented firmly.

"I don't know." I heaved a loud sigh.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," he tried to assure me.

"I hope so," I mumbled, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"Well... It was good to talk to you, but I have to go. I have to finish my work here before I go back to my country," he said warmly as he stood up.

"I guessed you don't live here because of your accent," I commented softly, giving him a smile.

"Yes, I am Italian. I live in Sicily," he informed me warmly, resting his hand in his pocket.

"Oh... My boyfriend is Italian as well," I commented, giving him a bright smile.

"What a coincidence! It seems you have a good taste. Italian men are the best." He winked at me playfully. I chuckled, amused. "It was nice to chat with you, signorina." He gave me a charming smile.

"Thank you for your advice. By the way, I am Vanessa." I extended my hand towards him, giving him a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you, Vanessa. My name is Tony." He shook my hand and left after saying a goodbye.

***

When I arrived home and got out of the car, I saw Fred leaning against Jack's car in front of the mansion. I nibbled my lower lip after taking a sip from my coffee which I bought from my favorite coffee shop on the way and decided to approach him. I had to know why he was scared of Rick and where he met my boyfriend.

"Hello," I said as I approached him while he was tapping something on his phone without noticing me.

Fred jumped, scared, hitting my arm, making me spill my coffee on his shirt.

"Shit!" He exclaimed in pain and took off his shirt quickly.

"I am sorry," I said guiltily without knowing how to help him.

"It is fine," he said dryly and wiped the coffee of his chest with his wet shirt, grimacing.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I noticed his tattoo: a skull with angel wings. Rick had a similar tattoo, but he had a crown on top of the skull as well.

Flashback

I was lying on the bed, resting my head on Rick's chest while he was caressing my hair gently.

"When did you get this tattoo?" I asked, running my hand over his tattoo on his arm. It was beautiful. Skull with angel wings and a crown.

"I was sixteen. It was my first tattoo. I looked forward to be sixteen. So I could get this tattoo. My father didn't let me get it before sixteen," he commented nostalgically, looking at his tattoo. He sighed as sadness crossed his features. "But now... I think I shouldn't have been eager to get it. It was the beginning of the darkness."

"Are we still talking about the tattoo? If yes, it seems to me it isn't just an ordinary tattoo." I frowned, leaning on my elbow, looking my boyfriend in the eyes.

"Are we so curious, aren't we?" he commented, amused and tapped on my nose playfully while trying to hide sadness in his eyes. "Come here, kitten," he said, pulling me towards him, and brushed his lips against mine.

The End.

Fred gulped nervously as he noticed me looking at his tattoo and rushed towards the trunk. He got a black shirt out of the trunk and put it on quickly.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance as these secrets made me annoyed and walked towards him.