𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

Natalia wakes up an hour later, waking me up in the process, too. She plays with the hair ties around my wrist as she sings a song under her breath.

There aren't many kids I particularly enjoy being around, but Natalia. . . this little girl stole my heart in the last four hours she's been here. "Can I have water?" She asks, and I nod.

I carry her in my arms, carefully stepping around Alessandro's long legs to get to my kitchen.

I get her a cup of water and ask if she wants any food because she didn't eat most of her pasta. I show her a bunch of snacks I have, but we just got back so my fridge is empty. "Do you want to wait for uncle Alessandro to wake up? Then we can go buy some stuff, all together." She nods her head, and then I pass her an apple juice I think might have been put here by one of my siblings, and I watch her gulp it down.

As she breathes deeply after finishing, I can't help but smile at her.

Natalia is great company. In the last twenty minutes, we've waited for Ale to wake up, and she hasn't stopped talking: she asks me questions, tells me everything there is to know about her and shows interest in the many tattoos splattered across my body.

"What is this?" She points at the outline of Nigeria I have tattooed on my wrist. "That's the place I come from: Nigeria." Technically, my mom's family is from there.

I give her a tour of my more appropriate tattoos and when she asks if she can give me one, I agree and give her a pen. She carefully draws a flower on the top of my shoulder, as I sit on a chair.

I'm so focused on her story that I don't realize someone else is at the door until Alessandro clears his throat and I look at him as he stares at us from his position.

"Look! Zio Sandi, I gave Angela a tattoo," Natalia says excitedly.

As Ale moves behind me, I can't help but look at him. His hair is messy, and his clothes are lightly wrinkled, but he still looks better than any other man I've ever laid eyes on.

"That's so pretty, Natalia," he says.

I let him know that we have to run to the store to fill up my kitchen, and he says it's okay and goes to the living room to grab mine and Natalia's jackets and shoes.

After spending the whole day with us, Natalia's parents come to pick her up. I and Alessandro are lounging on the sofa, exhausted by the last couple of days, and just as peace starts to reign again, my doorbell rings.

I go open it, and it's Derek.

Shit.

"Hey, Derek. Are you okay?" His eyes are slightly red, and he's swaying from side to side a bit. He's definitely tipsy.

"I want you back, Angelica."

"What?" I ask. This is not what I need right now. "I said I want you back. I want more with you." I shake my head. "Derek, I made our relationship status clear, from the beginning. I don't want anything serious."

"Come on, Angie. You've always wanted me. I know you did." He moves closer to me, stepping into my apartment.

"Hey, Angelica, you good?" Alessandro's voice asks, then moments later I can feel his body appear behind me.

"Yes. I'm good, don't worry."

"This is why you don't want me?" As expected Derek isn't happy. "Him? After what I told you. And you?" He turns to Alessandro with a deathly stare, "You're always trying to take what's mine."

"Excuse me? I was never yours-" I barely manage to finish my sentence before Derek pushes me. My back hits the wall, and for a second everyone is stunned - even Derek.

Then, all hell breaks loose. Alessandro throws the first punch. "You son of a bitch!" Another punch is thrown. He now has him pinned against the wall, Derek's body still.

"Alessandro, let him go." I'm not one to forgive easily, especially because my back hurts like a bitch right now, but it's obvious Derek isn't okay. His reaction to getting a little physical with me is proof of it. His face is stripped of colour, as he continues looking at me in disbelief of what he did.

There's a silent apology in his expression, so I move towards the duo, and after Alessandro releases him, I grab Derek's keys. "Walk home. I'll leave your key with reception so you can get your car in the morning. Don't ever come here again, don't look in my direction again and don't even bother thinking about me. What you just did was unacceptable and I don't want this horrible version of you around me."

"I'm sorry, Ang-" As he moves forward to take a step towards me, I move back and Alessandro automatically moves in front of me. When I look at his face, the guilt he shows makes me want to reassure him that I'm okay, but I'm not going to sweep this under a rug. I don't tolerate many things, and uncalled for violence is one of them - no matter how small or big.

He finally leaves, and I walk to the kitchen to grab an ice pack from there. Alessandro is right behind me, asking questions. Are you okay? Why'd you let him go? Call the police. Are you severely hurt? Let me take you to the hospital.

The shove was strong enough that I may need to be worried about the pain, but it also wasn't strong enough to make me worry enough.

I tell him I'm okay and sit back down. The pain shoots across my back, but I power through it. There are studying eyes currently following me around my living room, making me know Alessandro doesn't believe me. At all.

Another filler chapter because I'm trying to set up the story for the next couple of chapters.