The Secret Between Us [BxB]

33: One Night In Sicily

"I remember that night, I never did watch that movie," Thomas interrupted as he stretched the blueprints to the chicken cop over the table on the back porch of the farmhouse. 

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean it," I sighed as I scratched little Houston behind the ear. The puppy seemed content on my lap, sniffing my stomach and licking it every once in a while as if he knew exactly where his soon-to-be best friend was hiding.

I watched Thomas as he studied the blueprint while sipping from a white mug of coffee, his red flannel hugging all the right places and he narrowed his eyes at the coop he was going to build. 

"I loved you...even then," He said with a small pause and my heart falters. 

"Thomas..." I let go of Houston, putting him down on the soft grass where he instantly takes interest in a small monarch butterfly fluttering in front of him. 

"It's fine. I was really stupid back then. I would get these crazy ideas and I was always trying to get your attention. That night I thought since we had a long day and you seemed stressed out, maybe I could do something to help you relax. So I...nevermind, you clearly shot that idea out the window," He says with a hint of sadness in his recollection. 

"My heart was broken...so I broke yours. There's no excuse for that," I stood up, walking over to the table where he put down his mug and wrapped one arm around my waist. 

"Everything happens for a reason Matty," he says as his hand drifts from my hip to the side of my stomach where Jayde was kicking around. 

"God, she's really energetic today huh? Wait until she's here, running around and chasing the poor chickens with Houston," His voice was soft whenever he talked about Jayde and I know he was dying to meet her. We both were. 

"Yeah, it feels like forever until I'm due," I groan and he kisses my cheek.

"We can wait three more months, continue with your story,"  He nudges me with his hip and I sneak a tiny sip of his strong coffee. 

"Fine,"

.

.

.

With a snort, I left Thomas in the kitchen, shoving past him and rushing down the hall to my room where I grabbed my phone and some Euros. Shoving them in my pocket before ruffling my hands through my hair and looking in the mirror. 

My hazel-gray eyes were bloodshot from crying but I swiped the leftover tears away. Was I really that broken and unattractive? 

Memories flooded my brain and I pressed my forehead to the cool glass along with the palm of my hand. Tapping my finger against the full-length mirror to keep me in place as the flashback holds my body hostage. The tapping reminds me its just a dream and it's not really happening as her words come back to haunt me. 

I looked in the mirror and I watched as Ivy dragged her hands across my shoulder with a sly smile. 

"Of course your broken, you disgusting fucktard. I made sure of that," She giggled, covering her mouth as she did so to be polite. 

"Go away, you're not real," I groaned as I smacked my head against the glass but her giggle echoes in my ears. 

"Say that again," 

Her tone of voice freezes my body in place because I knew that tone. I knew what was coming and my body tensed up to prepare for the devastating blows.

But they never come, because it's just another flashback. 

I fucking hate PTSD. 

 The tapping brings me back and I open my eyes, going to my backpack and popping a few anxiety pills. I needed to get out and clear my head. 

She couldn't haunt me out there.

I walked back out of the apartment, thankful that Thomas and the others had gone to sleep since it was late at night. I blended in with the partying drunks that stumbled on the streets and tried to read the signs to get to the coast. I could read and speak fluent Spanish, but quickly learned that Italian and Spanish were two completely different languages related by only one or two words. It's like saying Korean and Japanese are the same or English and Sweedish. 

Some words seem familiar but in the wrong order while others are brand new. 

I decided to just go with the swaying crowds and eventually found myself at the center of the nightlife in a large square. A DJ was performing on a set of Italian rap songs on a stage set up in the middle while crowds of people sang along and danced to the beat. I could feel the bass vibrating against my sneakers and grabbed a drink I had no intentions of actually drinking, just so I could fit in.

Eventually, I got into it and actually started to enjoy myself until I felt a presence behind me. 

"Hey there," I heard a familiar voice in English and felt a hand touch the exposed skin of my lower back. The crowd tightened and he pressed himself against me as I turned my head to match the voice to the name I had in my head.

"Maxx? What are you doing here?" I asked and he laughed heartily in my ear sending small shivers down my spine.

Maxx was the son of the CEO of one of my dad's business partners and we practically grew up together. After we both hit the music scene, we admired one another's music and I was featured on his last album after hitting him up with an old track Thomas and I created. 

But by the looks of it, I'm guessing we're not going to be just business partners after tonight. 

"I'm here on vacation with a few friends," He told me, coming close to my ear so I could hear him over the roar of the crowd.

"But the real question is, what are you doing here all by yourself?" He asked and I shifted a little, turning to face him and wrapping my arms around him as we swayed to the beat.

"What? A guy can't go out and have a little fun?" I asked, my brain was so fucking numb that I just let autopilot take over my system and tonight my auto filter was treading on the flirty side. 

He pulled me so close that our chests were touching and our bodies were intertwined. 

"Not when they're as pretty as you," he said as his lips brushed against mine. 

It wasn't long before we were sucking on each other's faces with my fingers tangled in his curly brown locks and his hands wandering to places they shouldn't be. 

"Want to get out of here?" he whispered in my ear and I gave him the nod as we slowly started to escape the crowd. We were almost out when I heard the voice I feared the most. 

"Matty?" 

I turned on my heel almost immediately and was face to face with my worst enemy for the first time in months.

"Ivy?" 

....to be continued...