I'll Always Choose You #Watty's2023

13. Nico

I will always chose you

Those five words still rang in my head despite being three days since Gio said them to me. Three days since we shared a kiss. Three days of wondering what that man could possibly see in me. Someone with flaws and scars. Scars that I have littered all over my body from self harming and from Patrick's abuse.

I still woke in the middle of the night screaming and sweating from night terrors that assaulted me almost every night. And every night Gio would burst into my room and hold me whispering reassurances in my ear about me being safe and that everything would be okay. But how can it ever be okay when there are people still out there looking for me because Patrick was a sick man that had sold me off to just about anyone that had money just so he could buy himself alcohol and drugs.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts from my mind and looked at my reflection. Like I said before, I was nothing special. So it confused me when Gio uttered those words to me. I will always chose you. But would he still think the same when he learned I'm a hermaphrodite? Meaning that I was born with female reproductive organs despite being a male?

I jumped at the sound of a knock on my door and walked over to it to see the devil himself standing on the other side of the door. Through the open door came the most expressive eyes, expelling the last of the night's sleepiness from our minds. They were the colour of a clear blue sky through a broken prison wall; the colour of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the colour of a river hurrying to join the great ocean.

His hair, black as midnight was disheveled as if he had ran his fingers through it more times than one. His usually neatly done tie was hanging lose around his neck while his jacket hung over his shocker nada his white button down shirt had the first two button sundown showing off most of his tattoos. One big tattoo stood out the most to me among the cluster. It was so unique that I couldn't take me eyes off of it. It was a tree with its leaves flying yet those same leaves spelt out names, though names I couldn't quite read as his shirt covered them up.

A throat being cleared brought me back to earth and felt my face heat up at the realization that I have been checking Gio's chest for far too long. I cleared my throat and looked back up to him and saw a smirk plastered on his fade making my heart skip a beat.

"Like what you see?" He asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Umm," I stupidly replied making him chuckle.

"Sorry, that was stupid of me to say," he apologized and I bit the inside of my cheek before nodding, "did I interrupt you?"

"No, I was just getting ready to head down to get something to eat,"I replied and he nodded, "um, would you like to join me?"

Blinking he nodded giving me one of his rare smiles. He moved out of the way and letting me go before him and once I had lied my door, we made our way down the hall towards the stairs that wood lead us to the first floor and ultimately to the small dining room where we usually ate when it's just him, Cameron, Vincent, Cordelia and I in the house.

"Do you have any plans for the day?" He asked once we had sat down at the table with Hellen, one of the maids, dishing out our lunch. I shook my head to his question and he nodded.

"Why?" I asked.

"No reason" he answered and I raised a brow at his simple reply but shrugged and dug into my food instead.

*******

"Where are you taking me?"

So apparently there was a reason behind Gio's question earlier during lunch because as soon as we had finished, he had Vincent bring the car around before taking hold of my hand—my heart did another summersault at the feel of his hand on mine yet again for what felt like the millionth time though it had only been a few times—and led me out of the house. There in front of the door stood one of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen in my entire life and I knew it was hella expensive too. I've only ever seen that car on tv it was the new—if I'm not mistaken—Bugatti. It was called La Voiture Noire and it was on of a kind as only one has been built.

"It's a surprise,"he replied as he held the passenger door open for me to get in before closing it and walking around it then climbing into the the driver's seat a moment later.

"I don't like surprises though," I said though secretly liking the idea of him surprising me.

"Well, you're good to like this one I promise," he replied as he turned the engine on making me jump as it roared to life.  He reached out and turned the radio on Intentions by Justin Bieber blasting through the speakers making me raise a brow and look over at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Not my taste, Cordelia on the other I can see her listening to this garbage," he said before changing the station and soon Wicked Games by The Weeknd filled the car as Gio drove towards the gates that would us to the outside world.

Trees zoomed by as Gio sped down the road song after song blasting through the speakers. It wasn't until my favorite song Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles began to play that Gio was pulling to a stop and was about to reach out to turn the song off that I protested.

"We are not going anywhere until this song is over," I said narrowing my eyes and he held his hands up as the song slowly came to and end, "okay, so where are we?"

He raised a brow at my sudden change before shaking his head as he turned the car off along with the song which happened to be another Justin Bieber song and I was glad. Instead of replying to my question, yet again, Gio got out of the car making me huff in irritation before following after him.

"Zoo? You brought me to a Zoo?" I asked surprised as we stood in front of Prospect Park Zoo.

"I remember you telling you how you've never been to a zoo before so I figured why not bring you to one?" He asked with a smile making me look up shocked that he had actually remembered me telling him that even though it had been weeks since he had taken me anywhere since my dance performance two months ago. "I would've brought you sooner but we've both been busy. You with school while I've been busy with my business and the gang."

"You actually remembered" I said making him look down at me and smile again

"Of course I did. I remember everything you've  told me when I took yon to dinner to celebrate your dance performance two months ago," he said scratching the back of his neck and I was actually shocked to see a light shade of pink coat his cheeks, "well, shall we go in?"

I nodded and once again he took my hand in his and led me inside.