Christmas Shadows: A Mafia Love Story

16 | Simply Friends

❦ 𝐆 𝐈 𝐀 𝐍 𝐍 𝐀 ❦

"You don't have to sneak out. You can stay if you want," I tell Dominic, surprising myself with my response.

"Won't they mind?" He whispers, making me hold back a laugh.

"No, I'm sure it'll be fine. We can just tell them we're friends. That's what we are, right?" I question, uncertain about the nature of our relationship.

"Um yeah. We're friends," he says, sounding unsure. I try to ignore it and head to my door, glancing back at him before slowly opening it.

I find my brother James and his wife Elora flirting in my living room, and I look at them in adoration, wondering when it will be my turn.

"Hey, Gia!" Elora says, running to me when she notices me. She embraces me, and I hug her back with a huge grin on my face.

When she pulls back, I admire her beautiful brown skin glowing under the light. "You're looking good, girl."

"What? Have you seen yourself?" She asks, spinning me around.

"Thank you, Lora," I respond before glancing at my kitchen, which I can see from where I'm standing. My mom is busy preparing things, as always.

"Who is this?" Elora asks, making me turn to find Dominic standing awkwardly in my small apartment.

"That's my friend, Dominic," I tell her, a peculiar feeling in my stomach every time I say it which I choose to ignore.

"Ou kwè ou te kite avèl?" My mom asks, making everyone turn to look at her. (I thought you broke up with him?)

"I did, Manman. We're just friends now," I try to explain as I push a strand of my dark curly hair away from my face.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Charles," Dominic greets her warmly.

"Hello, Dominic," my mother responds, with a genuine smile.

"I'll be done in a second. Are you staying?" she asks him, and Dominic nods. Then she returns to the kitchen.

"James!" I say when I realize I haven't spoken to my brother yet tonight.

"Gia," my brother says as he comes closer to hug me.

"How's my baby sister?" James asks.

"I'm okay. School's beating my ass, but I'm trying," I sigh, tired of feeling like I'm not doing enough even when I'm doing my best. I don't even know what I'm doing sometimes. I guess that's the life of a college student.

"Gianna Marie Charles! Why are you cursing in this house? Did you forget I was here?" My mom asks from the kitchen.

"S-sorry, Ma," I respond, as I look away from her in embarrassment.

"Anyways, this is my friend Dominic." I turn to face Dominic, introducing him to my older brother.

"Dominic, this is my brother James," I say, watching as the two men shake hands. Then they quietly decide to watch basketball.

Elora approaches me with a grin on her face. "What?" I ask.

"You don't think I see how he looks at you? That man is in love with you," she whispers to me as I watch the two men playfully argue about the match they're watching.

"What? No!" I respond defensively, and she raises an eyebrow.

"Alright, fine, girl. You don't have to spill the tea," she raises her hands playfully.

"There's nothing to tell. We're just friends," I insist, trying my best to convince myself that this is our reality now.

"For now," she mumbles before my mother calls all of us to the dining room. I watch how lively my apartment looks for the first time in years, making me smile to myself.

We sit at the table and close our eyes as my brother says a prayer, then we start to eat.

"When are you finally going to give me a grandchild, James? I'm not getting any younger," my mom says, sounding tired of waiting.

I look at my brother, who is looking at his wife, speechless, making me chuckle.

"Manman, leave them alone," I tell her, and she shrugs.

"We're trying to enjoy our marriage for now, Ms. Charles," Elora says to my mom, her voice soft.

"Alright then," my mom sighs.

I look at Dominic, realizing he's been quiet for quite some time now. "You okay?" I whisper, giving him a gentle smile.

"I'm fine," he smiles back. We look at each other and get lost in each other as we usually do.

"I've never seen my daughter look so happy with someone before. Are you sure you two are just friends?" My mom asks, squinting her eyes, and I look away for a second.

"Yes, Mama," I say, as I turn to look at Dominic to find a shy smile he's giving her, making me giggle.

"We're just friends," Dominic responds , but his words don't sound believable, making me furrow my brows slightly.

After we're done eating, my mom decides to go rest since she's tired. Dominic, my brother, his wife, and I all decide to do game night.

"Is that a deer?" My brother asks, confused, as his wife tries to draw what looks like a cat, making me laugh hysterically as the timer runs out.

His wife looks at him in disappointment. "It's a cat," she tells him.

"How are you two winning? You aren't even a couple," Elora asks, looking at the two of us. I shrug, and Dominic laughs.

"Okay, my turn!" I say excitedly as I get up to check the card for what I'm drawing. It says, 'alien on vacation,' making me roll my eyes.

How the hell?

I start to draw it and try my best even though I'm not good at drawing.

"Are those aliens?" Dominic asks once I'm done. He tilts his head slightly, trying to get a better look. I nod slightly in response.

"Yeah, but they're...?" I say, trying to prompt him to finish it.

"Uh-" he stammers, and I encourage him as I trace the marker on the board, pointing at the beach, the coconut, and the beautiful sky-everything I could think of.

"Alien on vacation?" he asks, making me hug him when I realize we're definitely going to win. His arms wrap around mine, and I'm reluctant to pull away. I do so when I realize we're not acting like friends. I cough, trying to forget about what just happened as I look at anything but him.

"Okay, my turn." James says as he gets up to check the next card, but a phone rings, making us look around the room to check if it's ours.

"Sorry, it's mine," Dominic says, making us nod our heads. He takes the phone call, and he nods here and there before saying, "I'll be there in a minute."

"Are you okay?" I ask when I see the worried look on his face. He gestures for me to come over to him so we could have a private conversation, and I do so.

"Emma was able to get the sample we needed for the DNA test. We just need to compare it against mine," he mutters, and I nod.

"Alright."

"I'll call you when I get a result."

"Okay, be safe." I say as I watch him grab his jacket to leave.