He woke up an hour later in a sweaty panic. He felt next to him to make sure she was still there and hadn’t taken the opportunity to escape. He found her still sweetly curled up in peaceful sleep and tried to get up slowly so he didn’t wake her.
It was so stupid of him to fall asleep. Anyone could have found him down there and the boss would end him... literally. He reached into his pocket to make sure the key was still there and turned back to glance at the bed one more time. He saw her sleepily trying to open her eyes and smile the moment she saw him.
*END VINNIE’S POV*
Vinnie: “Hey… go back to sleep. I have to go keep an eye out upstairs for the night guy.”
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You: “There’s someone else here at night?”
Vinnie: “Well, I’m here too, but I have to sleep sometime. There’s a bedroom upstairs and he sleeps during the day and I sleep at night.”
You: “Is that the guy who- who hit me?”
Vinnie: “No no. That guy… he’s taken care of. You’ve never met the night guy because he doesn’t have a key.”
You: “You must be important to the boss if he trusts you with this big of a job. You’re so young, how did you get that high up so fast?”
Vinnie: “My older brother left home at 17 and the only one who’d hire him was the boss. We lost our parents in a crash last year and I did what I had to do.”
You: *in shock* “So your brother got you involved in this when you were my age?”
Vinnie: “Not exactly. He doesn’t even know I’m in town. He came home for the funeral but I lied and said I had friends I wanted to stay with. I resented him for leaving me and I didn’t want his help.”
You: “What changed?”
Vinnie: “I got tired of being homeless and I came here to find my brother and his boss found me first. He found out who my brother was and offered me a job. I took it only under the promise that he’d never tell my brother.”
You: “So you haven’t seen him the whole time you’ve been back?”
Vinnie shook his head no looking down obviously feeling overwhelmed by a heavy weight of remorse and regret.
You: “Things are different now. You’re not a kid anymore. Have you thought about getting out and trying to do something different with your life? I’m sure your brother wou-”
Vinnie: “No! I’m not turning to my brother. He turned his back on me. I understand why he did it. Our dad was a monster, but that’s my past and I’m not going back.”
You: “What about your future… You should run away from all of this life. That’s all I ever wanted. I used to dream about it with Ch-”
You froze as you unlocked another memory and he reached across to pull you into another hug. You looked up at the last moment and connected your lips to his again. Vinnie pulled back again and got up and began pacing around the room, not sure how to handle any of the situation he’d gotten himself into.
You: “What am I doing wrong? Are you just not attracted to me like that? Is that why you keep stopping me?”
Vinnie: *laughing* “What? Are you crazy? You drive me so insane I’m actually contemplating running away with you!”
You: *walking over to him and grasping his hands* “We could you know…”
Vinnie: “We? Are you nuts? My boss would find both of us and that would be that!”
You: “What if I lied to my dad. I could tell him you were the one who rescued me and then he’d have to protect you.”
Vinnie took a deep breath and for a moment it seemed he was considering it.
*VINNIE’S POV*
It was easy to get lost in her ramblings and daydreams. She had the most beautifully hopeful smile and everytime she got excited about anything, his hard exterior melted.
He allowed himself to get lost for a moment. Lost in the maybes and what ifs. Living a quiet life back in his hometown, or really any town but this one. No one knowing their names or where they came from. He envisioned her coming home from college classes at the same time as he was coming home from work. He smiled at the realization that he didn’t even know if she planned to go to college; she just seemed so brilliant he couldn’t imagine her not. Making dinner together every night and waking up in each other’s arms every morning. Someday, maybe having a family. He’d never imagined being a father but that image just came so naturally to him when he thought about a future with her. A father… father… her father. He would never allow it and would search to the heavens for her.
