Medici the Magnificent meets Hogwarts. Maria Fiore, adopted friend and sister of the Medicis, must overcome her draw to the enigmatic Francesco Pazzi. Or give in.
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Feeling very lightheaded, I decided to sit the rest of the ball out. Lorenzo and Giuliano joined me after they lost interest in the festivities too.
I pointedly ignored my ex-boyfriend since he was moping about Simonetta. The Beauxbaton beauty only paid attention to her fiance that evening, sparing no flirtatious looks for Giuliano.
Lorenzo had his own issues. "I still don't understand," I huffed to him. "Why are you stringing along Lucrezia if you like Clarice now?"
Lorenzo sighed. "Do I have to explain it?"
"Yes. This isn't like you, Lorenzo."
"Leave him alone," Giuliano snapped. "I'm sick of your nagging."
Against my better judgement, my head whirled and I snapped back at him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. You're always making a fuss over issues that aren't really issues. Things only escalate because you make them problems."
I was greeted by the familiar feeling of blood boiling in my veins. Funny how just a few short months ago this boy could make me weak in the knees with a single kiss, and now the thought of his toxic lips touching mine made me want to hit something. Preferably him.
"I think this is my time to go," Lorenzo said softly as he tried to get up and flee the conversation.
"No, wait." I grabbed his arm, pleading for him to stay. "You're my buffer."
"I'm sorry," he said as he pried my hand off of him. "But you're right. I need to sort things out with Lucrezia and Clarice."
While I was proud of him, I wanted him to stay with me more. Left alone with Giuliano, I had no hope of staying civil.
Giuliano wasted no time speaking his mind like the degenerate he was. "You know, we could still be together if you didn't blow the whole Simonetta thing out of proportion."
I huffed a forced laugh.
"What? You think you can do better than me?"
"Honestly? No," I admitted. "But I at least think I deserve better." The truth burned more than I thought it would. I realized then that I didn't think I would ever have better. Giuliano was my peak relationship. No one had ever made me feel like he could. My emotions were strongest with him. Kissing him had been intense, his touches had been electric, his looks had been fawn-worthy. But I also felt raw jealousy, anger, and annoyance with him. Maybe that would be the closest I would ever get to something real, but I knew now I wanted better, even if that meant sacrificing passion.
Giuliano laughed richly at my declaration. "Good luck with that, Maria. How about we talk again when you realize I was the best you were ever gonna get?"
My hands fisted in the fabric of Bianca's dress. I couldn't take it anymore. And frankly, I missed him. I missed what he could do to me. But I also feared him. I feared what he did to me. And I didn't want that anymore.
"Just- Don't talk to me anymore," I half ordered, half pleaded as I got up and raced out of the room. My traitorous eyes had chosen then of all moments to finally shed a tear over the loss of our relationship. In fact, my eyes decided to shed many tears. I began to sob before I even made it out of the great hall so that my vision blurred and I didn't see who I had accidentally run into.
"I'm sorry," I cried shakily just before dashing out and racing to the nearest empty hallway to sit behind a statue and let myself fall apart.
The sound of footsteps interrupted my pity party. I sniffled and quelled my tears long enough to hold it together till the person passed. Pulling my knees tight against my chest, I sunk back further into the alcove behind the statue to avoid being seen.
But the person had come after me.
Francesco's familiar deep voice said calmly, "Please don't tell me you're crying for him."
I sniffled again. "I'm not. I'm crying for me."
He leaned against the statue, giving me some privacy but still remaining close. "And why are you crying for you?"
"Because." I wiped my eyes. "Because what he said was true. He was the best I was ever gonna get."
After a silent moment that made my heart race, Francesco sighed. "That isn't true, Maria."
My heart thumped.
"That isn't true, and you know it."
He left me then, and my heart raced twice as fast with every step he took. Whatever he meant by telling me I would achieve better, I wasn't sure I was prepared to know.
.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.
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