Celia

28 A New Arrangement

Gio

Once again, I act brave and hide in the garage for hours on end.

She probably thinks I'm bipolar. But being around her is starting to drive me crazy.

I'm losing my control. And if I let myself lose it, I might get too addicted to stop.

I might push her against every wall inside that house. Do a million things to make her scream. Leave my hand marks all over her so she remembers who owns her every time she looks in the mirror.

My mouth gets dry just from thinking about it. I need to stay away from her.

She's emotionally unstable. The last thing I want is for her to worry that our relationship and her living here are connected. Whether we get involved or not, I want her to live here. I need that to be clear.

I'm also scared of Ari thinking of her as a mother figure. I don't want her heart to get broken in case Celia wakes up one day and realizes she can do better things with her life.

It's just not worth it. If I have to choose between what I want and what Celia and Ari need, the answer is simple and this animalistic need simmers down.

So I go back to the house around 10 PM.

Celia is sitting on the dining chair with her laptop. Freshly showered, hair wet. Cross-legged with dark red leggings on and an off-the-shoulder white sweater.

"Oh, you're back," she looks up. "Can we talk?"

"About?"

"Stuff..." she mumbles, eyes a bit wide. Is she scared? Her face seems pale and sunken.

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah?" Her breaths get shallow when she lies. It's like she feels too guilty.

I walk to the kitchen and open the fridge that's, what do you know, fucking full. "Come here for a second."

She shuffles beside me. "What?"

I scan the leftovers, wondering what she'd like. That beef stew is pretty good. Plus it's nutritous.

"Let's heat this up and eat it together," I point my chin at the glass container.

"You're hungry?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"Look at me," she says and I turn to her. Her eyes search around my face, a small smirk stretches on her lips. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"You get this dull, guilty look on your face when you lie," she chuckles. "Like you're scared of moving your muscles."

I furrow my brows. "No, I don't."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, looking off to the side. God, she's beautiful.

"Anyway, Gio, can we talk?" she smiles at me. "I don't need you to be my grandma. I'll eat if I'm hungry."

I pace towards her, backing her against the counter. She holds the edges and looks up at me. I slide the basket of fruits beside her.