Dangerously Delicious

16.

Michael

Watching Raizon with Arianna as they both walked leisurely in the garden, tore at my heart further. Conflicting emotions ran through me, not just by Ari's lovestruck gaze upon my 'boss' but his foreign actions towards her. He was smiling. A real smile. Laughing at whatever she was telling him and was just a whole different person.
I've known him to be cold and unfeeling throughout the years and seeing him like this, confuses me.
At that precise moment, I sullenly watched on as he led her to the gazebo and placed her on his lap while she scrolled through her iPad. She loved to read in her spare time and tend to disappear into the book she chose to get lost in. The gazebo had a swing bench, Raizon kicked off against the floor to start the swing as she read.
Jealousy and heart ache surged through me when he acted so out of character and held her so gently as the bench swung. Not wanting to see anymore, I turned away from the library doors and went in search of Stephen. Maybe he can distract me.

Losing Ari was hard enough. Knowing she's happy with someone like Raizon was killing me.
I shouldn't categorized Raizon like that because I am part of the Mafia also. She will still be in danger but does she know the danger of being with him. Any other guy she could have found this 'connection' with but fates led her to a Mafia King.

"I take it you saw something that you wish you didn't."

Guess I found my dear best friend. Apparently I wandered into the sitting room while lost in thought. He was taking in a movie with his leg propped up and and his painkillers next to him.

I didn't reply to his mocking statement but joined him on the sectional.
"It's her choice," was all he said.

"But...." I wanted to list all the shit she can go through but I just couldn't.

"I get it, Michael. I get it but this is her life. Who are we, much less you, to stand in her way of having a love life? Beside you, when was the last time you saw her genuinely happy with someone? Though we never met that lawyer she never gushed  about him or be so distracted that we noticed. Ari is strong. Take a step back. She has moved on with the one person, no man  in their right mind will go against. She will need your support with this," he said calmly.

He was right. He's always right when it comes to Ari. The two were old souls as my family and everyone who knows them, said. They both think things through and always mature about situations.
If I know this about Ari, why can't I simply give her my blessing.
Maybe it's our history. Thoughts of marrying her crashed and burned the moment I saw that dazed look in her eyes. As Stephen said, she has moved on, I think in time I will too but when. Ari has been a part of my life for so long, how do you shift from love of your life to friend?

"Guys! Guys!" The whispered shouts from Hanes had me turning to the entryway of the room. Out of all the cold blooded killers under Raizon's command, this one was the most contradicting. He's always cheerful in a morbid situation and at times clueless but gave  profound advice when warranted.
Right now he was rushing towards us, in full uniform with one of his favorite rifles slung across his back and his phone in his hand.

"What's up?" Stephen asked with a raised eyebrow. He rounded the sectional and showed us the content on his phone when he placed himself between us.

I groaned in exasperation when I saw what it was. Hanes captured their boss in a rare vulnerable moment of kissing Ari on her head, both of them had huge smiles on their faces and to level up the cute factor, Vinny was now on swing with his head against Ray's thigh.

"It's like finding a Hungarian horn-tail dragon in the most unlikely places," he exclaimed giddily.

And he's a big Potterhead.