The Mafia

Nineteen.

Breathe. You can do it Hayden. Shit shit shit. The man with the knife stood and his face dropped. I'm sure my heart dropped as soon as his face did. My mouth couldn't move. I was ultimately stiff. Why was he here? Out of all the damned places. I thought I'd never run into him ever.

I opened my dry mouth and closed it, only to open it again to say, "Adi..?" Pronounced "ahh-dee". His eyes lit up to my remembrance of his name. Then he stepped forward, then a step back when he saw Brooklyn. Hurt tore across his face, but the last little look I saw before he walked away was "we must meet before you leave" kind of thing.

"Umm...okay? How do you know him? Or how does he know you?" Brooklyn managed to say before the rest could. But I only rubbed my palms together with excitement and anxiety.

"Very long story, not for right now," I smiled at him and squeezed his hand in reassurance. He nodded as the rest did, then walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen. The whole room smelled amazingly, and I knew for sure there was a pizza involved. Thank god.

David and Scott kept talking and catching up while Brooklyn sat down with me waiting for dinner as it was already 8:30 pm. I was starving, this was a late dinner for me. But just before we could complain the oven beeped and all the food was ready to eat. I grabbed my plate and filled it with 4 slices of pizza and 2 heaping scoops of slices fruits.

"Your girl sure can eat!" Scott chuckled and filled his plate with steak and salad.

"She sure can. Oh also Hayden I have to talk with the boys really quick. I'll be back in a bit." Brooklyn kissed my forehead then took off with his plate.

I on the other hand went to look for Adi. After searching 3 rooms, I found him in the giant gym room. He smiled when I came in.

"Come on let's go outside. I can't smell your sweat and eat at the same time." I turned around with my plate and led us outside onto a bench next to the neighbor's horses.

"Here, I got you 2 slices of pizza and fruit," I handed him the extra plate I snuck and his share of the meal.

"Thanks Hayden. You didn't have to."

"Oh shut up... I honestly never thought I'd see you again. Not after you took off without any signs or telling me nor your friends and family anything. You completely cut us all off."

He looked nervous, taking a bite and mushing it around before swallowing, "I had to. Everything was too much.. when you left my heart literally broke. My family, god they treated me horribly. Friends? Ya they loved me but I couldn't listen to them when they mentioned you."

"I left because I knew you were unhappy and I couldn't do anything to make you happy...I loved you like no other and it broke my heart as well. I wanted you to have better...then it just went downhill. Guys took advantage of me and I couldn't go to you, because you left. I know your family is a dick and I'm sorry.."

Adi stood up after finishing his other slice and walked to the fence where the horses stood. Petting them and moving their forelock to the side.

"I was happy... I just couldn't show it as much as I would have liked to." His hands were shaking as he pet the horse's neck. I popped a blackberry in my mouth then walked over.

"I shouldn't have left. I guess we both lost ourselves that day."

His eyes turned cold and hurt, and he shuddered away from me. I knew why.

"Adi, you don't have to be afraid. I'm really not scared of you. It was once, only once because everything was crashing down on you and you couldn't say anything to anyone so you broke and you snapped and I don't blame you whatsoever for it. We make fvcking mistakes because we are human. You didn't leave a bruise, you didn't leave a scar. You are okay Adi."

When I looked up from the horse to him, he was frozen, I knew he wanted to cry, he really did. But he had to show that he was tough, tough boy with a broken heart and soul. I met his eyes and my whole body shook as did his. Then he did something I expected.

He kissed me.