Sinbound (18+) | ✓

27 | take care

27 | take care

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"So, you're just going to ignore me the entire time, princesa?"

"I'm not ignoring you." I grumble as I throw another dress into my suitcase.

I lied.

While I might not be verbally ignoring him, I haven't looked at him since I let him into my hotel room. Matter of fact, I don't even know why I let him in in the first place.

And it's not like I'm pissed at him, I'm pissed at this entire situation and Roxanne and her stupid ultimatum and me and my stupidity in not reporting anything to her earlier.

I should've been more vigilant.

But I wasn't — and now here we are.

Matteo kisses his teeth as he stares me down from his spot on my bed. "Then why haven't you looked at me the entire time I've been here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my head.

"I'll take care of you, you know."

I'm immediately defensive as he says those words. I don't mean to be but it's been a long weekend and I stayed up all night last night, trying to think of what could've happened in the morning. Now that I know, the paranoia and frustration was messing with my mind. "What? What makes you think I need to be taken care of? Are you suggesting I quit my job?"

"No, Monique. That's all up to you. I just wanted you to know that no matter what you choose, I'll always take care of you in some way or another." He says, tone lowering to one so soothing, I have to take a break from throwing things in my bag and rest my hands on the knees I'm sitting on.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Okay.

"I'm sorry for being so defensive, Teo. I'm just —"

I don't have to say much else for him to understand, "I know. It's okay."

A pregnant pause passes between us.

"You never told me."

Finally sparing him a glance, I see that he raises a brow, "Never told you what?"

"What you wanted to tell me last night."

He blinks and bites his bottom lip, "Come here." He helps me straddle his lap before kissing me cheek softly then my temple then my forehead then the tip of my nose then my patiently awaiting lips. "I..."

His pause makes me stare wondrously, anxiety about to make me bounce off the walls, "Matteo, please."

"I can't go back with you, amor. At least, not yet." Teo sighs and leans back slightly, "You need time to yourself, Mo, to make your decision, and you know which one you need to make."

My brows furrow and I immediately know he's not taking about him and I know he's trying to deflect from what we were talking about last night too, "What the hell are you talking about? You want me to choose my job?"

His grip loosens around my arms as he stares at me, "You've spent eight years of your life there, bebita. You've spent three weeks here. Am I worth you leaving a place you know and love?"

"This is a place I know and love!" I exclaim in frustration watching as he sighs in thought, "The three weeks I've been here, I've smiled and laughed more than I have in years! You did that for me and now you're telling me I should go back to a woman who's giving me ultimatums and would probably hate me after this? No! She doesn't have the right to tell me who I can and can't date."

"Monique..."

"No!" I remove myself from his lap and begin to unpack my clothes, "I'm staying here and Roxanne can kiss my ass."

He joins me in standing and grabs my hand that was slamming drawers open, "Monique, amor, breathe..."

His words make me pause in my actions to breathe. I can just hear her in my head.

If you end the relationship.

"I don't want to let you go, Matteo." I say when I meet his eyes, "You mean too damn much to me for me to just go back."

He nods and huffs, "I don't want to let you go either, MI amor, but you have to. At least to think about it, at least to make a final decision."

"Why can't I think about it here?" I scoff, knowing good and well that if I do, I probably won't want to go back to America, period.

He smiles, knocking me from my annoyance for a moment, "You know why."

"No," I say, innocently, "I don't. Please, feel free to enlighten me." He chuckles, making me swoon before sweeping me up in his arms. He rests me on the bed and lays beside me, pulling me into his arms. I sigh in content, "I have to repack."

"I know." He says.

I turn my head to look at him, taking in every feature that I've fallen in love with since the day we met. I bite my lip to hold in the gasp that threatens to escape me at the revelation.

I love him.

But I can't say it out loud yet. Not until I've made my decision. Instead, I settle for, "I don't want to pack."

He holds me as he kisses me and I have to hold back tears of sadness.

"I know."

omg i tried to make the dialogue kinda chick-lit type dialogue and i **think** it worked

how y'all doing, by the way?