Diavolo

xl

"It came for you this morning." A masculine voice spoke behind me, an arm slung over my shoulder and pulled me to his chest.

He glanced down over my shoulder, silently reading the note and I could see the wheels turning in his head. "He misses you a lot, you know?"

My grip tightened on the card and I inhaled a deep breath. "I didn't tell him to move halfway across the country. He made that decision himself."

"You said you wanted him gone from your life, no? You know he's going to do whatever you want if it makes you happy. He loves you and he's sorry so let him come back home, darling."

I shot him an irritated glare. "You're doing it again, Beast. Stop being a meddler."

He let out a deep chuckle, tightening his grip around my shoulder and smiled. "I fucking swear you two are the most difficult couple ever."

I rolled my eyes at his word and he tugged my braid with a slight pull. "You kept the roses from him. You still love him?"

I didn't answer his question but with an assessing gaze, I knew that he knew my answer. Without a doubt, I was still in love with Silvio Rossi.

Even after I found out all the shitty things he did, I didn't—couldn't fall out of love with him and even after the story of his past, I knew I should run far away from him, close my heart but at the same time I understood.

He'd gone without love for so long and pushed me away in a blinded sense of protecting me because he was terrified of loving me.

The sound of the microwave beeping drew me out of thoughts and I sighed to myself, walking away from Beast and towards the frozen breakfast bowl that'd most likely overheated.

With my back turned to him, I said in a quiet and vulnerable voice. "I have a date tonight."

"Darling." His voice held a note of disappointment and judgement.

"I need to move on, Beast." After the breakup, I'd been crushed emotionally and physically, lost a little bit of weight because I wasn't eating and isolated myself and constantly thought about him.

It took a little while for me to get back on my feet, embrace the person I was now and learn to take care of my body. And now, it was time for me to move on. He was in the past and this was the present.

I had a date with one of the men who worked alongside Desmond and after blowing him off for a couple of weeks now, I decided to give him a try. Only one.

The door to my heart had been closed shut and sewed off because of Silvio but I was slowly extending a hand out to open that door.

I took out the breakfast bowl out of the microwave, shoved a hurried bite into my mouth and slanted a glance towards the clock to avoid Beast's judging stare.

        "I'm not sharing with you." I mumbled between bites of eggs and sausage.

A slow smile crept on his lips and he leaned against the counter with those gleaming blue eyes and I couldn't resist. Those deep blue eyes filled with warmth as we locked gazes.

I exhaled a resigned sigh, shoving the remaining contents of the bowl towards him. "Fine. Have the rest, hungry ass."

A wide, penny-melting smile. "Thanks, darling."

        I rolled my eyes grumbling a whatever, moving towards the door and before I could reach it, I felt the air knocked out of my lungs as a big, muscular body completely towered my back and gripped me into a soft hug.