My Beloved

Chapter 11

Rachelle and Pietro kissed furiously in the backseat of the Escalade. The moaning and heavy breathing could be heard throughout the vehicle. Gianni and Luca shook their heads, while Cara Mia and Ava laughed loudly.

This was not the first time they had witnessed their best friend in action, but this was the first time she had met someone that was able to keep up with her. Ava and Cara Mia could see the sparks flying between Rachelle and Pietro from the very beginning. They had met their match and the two girls couldn't wait to rub it in Rachelle's face.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Hanzo." Ava smiled as Luca looked over at her in the passenger seat before looking back to the road. "I did to, il mio amore. I hope your bear can keep you company when I'm not around." She smiled at him and hugged the oversized bear closely. "He's cute and cuddly, but I'd much rather have you."

Luca squeezed her hand and kept his eyes on the road. Parts of him reveled in the way Ava made him feel. She was perfect in every way. However, the sensible parts knew this wouldn't work out. She was pure and light, while he was darkness and danger personified. He couldn't help but be reminded of Hades and Persephone.

He looked in the rearview mirror as Gianni and Cara Mia whispered sweet nothings to one another, while Pietro and Rachelle swallowed each other's faces. They were all asking for trouble and he knew this would all end in disaster. He felt a soft hand on his cheek and instinctively leaned in. "What are you thinking about? Your face is doing that thing again when we're thinking too hard."

He laughed that after a day, Ava was so aware of him and his quirks. "Just thinking how we're going to get Pietro to leave tonight." Ava chuckled. "Oh, that's not happening. Rachelle is insatiable and it seems Pietro is too. They're going to be busy for a while." Luca pulled into their driveway and Pietro and Rachelle were the first ones out and running inside. "I don't even want to deal with those two," Cara Mia groaned as she walked into the house.

"$50 says the walls start shaking in less than 5 minutes," Ava raised an eyebrow to Cara Mia. "$75." They laughed as they began to hear moaning by the stairs. "Come here, I want to show you something," Cara Mia cooed as she led Gianni upstairs. Luca looked at him and shook his head. "You want to watch something?" Ava offered patting the seat beside her on the sectional. "Sure. Let's watch your favorite movie." Ava started at him with a shy smile. "You sure?" He nodded and she pulled up Beauty and the Beast.

Luca chuckled. "This is your favorite movie? Why?" Ava chewed on her lip before answering. "Belle saw past the wounds of the Beast. He was lashing out because he was hurting. But love was strong enough to break through the toughest of barriers. That's an ideology I like to subscribe to." Luca stared at her in awe. She was too good to be true. This was the second time she had described who he was at his core and expressed that he was worth loving anyway.

It's confirmed, she's an actual angel and I don't deserve to be in her presence. He thought adamantly as he continued to stare. "Hey, don't do that. Don't go off into Luca Land. Talk to me. What are you thinking about?" Luca sighed as he placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. He knew this conversation needed to happen.

Deep down he knew he should've ended things before they began. Ava was too pure, too good for someone like him. Luca knew he had needs and those were usually met by fast girls who wanted a taste of an even faster life. Girls like Ava deserved Prince Charming and he was just a beast.

"I'm not good for you, Ava," he confessed. "The work the three of us do...it doesn't allow for relationships. We have to be focused and alert at all times. I know I'm just going to hurt you if we pursue something and that's the last thing I ever want to do."

Ava grabbed Luca's face in her hands and smiled. She took the time to look at him. She looked at his dark cropped hair that seemed to bring out his features. His hazel eyes danced with green specks as he too studied her. His nose was pointy, but not obnoxious, while his full lips made Ava melt. She committed his face to memory and smiled at him.