𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 | 𝟏𝟖+

Chapter 3

At the fifth floor, the elevator stops, the door opens and a man steps in. I guess he's in his mid-twenties, and when he looks up his grey eyes connect with mine. He smiles politely at me.

"Hello," he greets and wants to press on the button for the tenth floor, but when he sees I'm heading for it, he takes a step back and stands next to me.

"Hi," I mutter shyly and look down at my feet, waiting for the elevator to arrive at my floor. "I've never seen you here before, are you here for an internship?" he asks me and raises an eyebrow. His voice is deep, but not as smooth and velvety as Vincenzo's. Vincenzo is also taller and more matured.

Why are you comparing this guy to Vincenzo? "No, I'm here for my dad. I'm going to lunch with him," I say quietly and look up to him, showing him the bag with lunch. He frowns. "And who is your dad?" he asks me.

"John Robertson," I reply. He looks at me surprised. "Funny, I have to be there too. I have to hand something to your dad, but then I'll be out of your way," he says and winks briefly at me. I feel my stomach drop, but not in a good way. He's kind and stuff, but just not my type.

And because you have a boyfriend. Chris is your type.

We make a bit small talk, and he's actually nice and funny. I learn his name –Nate – and before I know it, we arrive at the tenth floor, and we both make our way out. "Could you uhm... lead me to my dad's office?" I ask with red cheeks. He laughs softly.

"Of course, darling. Come with me," he says and together we start heading in a direction, and he knocks on a big wooden door.

"Come in!" I hear my dad's voice call. I smile to myself and open the door, with Nate right behind me. I freeze when I see Vincenzo sitting at a desk, with my father besides him, and together they're studying something on the computer.

Nate stumbles against me, and they both look up at us.

"Athena, darling! I'm so glad to see you here," dad smiles and stands up, walking towards me. Vincenzo's eyes land on me, and they quickly scan my body before his eyes move to something behind me, and they narrow into slits. 

I realize Nate is still standing behind me, and he's telling something to my dad. I give my dad a hug and he tells me to drop the bag with our lunch on his desk. I walk further into the room and see that Vincenzo is no longer sitting at the desk, but that he's now standing in front of it.

"Vincenzo," I greet him with a polite nod. "Athena," he greets back.

My name sounds so much prettier when he says it. I bet everything sounds prettier when he says it.

I set the bag on the table and stand awkwardly next to him while my dad is having a conversation with Nate. "What were you doing with him?" Vincenzo suddenly asks and turns to me, blocking the view of my dad. He suffocates me with his manly cologne, and I try to inhale without him noticing.

"We ran into each other in the elevator and we found out that we both needed to see my dad," I explain with a shrug. Vincenzo licks his lips and nods.

"Tell me, amore mio, that you don't fall for stupid boys like him," he says and looks at me with those dark, captivating eyes.

I shake my head. "No, I don't fall for men like him," I answer.

"Boy," he corrects. "He's a boy. He's not a man," Vincenzo says with a dark look, and turns back around.

Confused, I look up to him with a frown, but then Nate leaves and dad turns back to me. "Athena, I'm so happy that you are here," dad says with a warm smile and walks over to us. Vincenzo moves away from me, leaving me with some sort of disappointment. "I have to go, there's someone waiting to have lunch with me," he says and walks over to the door.

Who? A woman?

I don't know why I don't like the thought of him meeting up with some other woman. "Sure, enjoy your lunch," dad smiles at him, and Vincenzo says goodbye before he disappears. I take a seat at dad's desk and together we start our lunch. He says his first day was great so far, and he enthusiastically tells me about his very first day working here.

And I enjoy every minute of it. Smiling, I listen and hum once to know that I'm listening. And then our time together is over. Sadly.

"Athena, my break is over. I have to get back to work," dad says with sad eyes. I pout and stand up, walking over to him to give him a hug.

"Do I have to take you home? I'm sure Vincenzo won't mind and..."

"No dad, it's fine. Chris is picking me up," I assure him and kiss him on his cheek. "Alright, tell him I said hi," dad says and pats me on the back.

"I will," I laugh and head out, walking to the elevator and press the button. All the hairs on my body raise, and I just know he's coming. "Athena," he says, causing me to shiver. I turn around and meet his dark eyes.

"Vincenzo," I quietly greet back, and am thankful when the elevator arrives. I step in, and he follows. "Where are you heading to?" he asks.

"To the first floor," I respond. He nods and presses the button for the first floor.

"How was your lunch?" he asks and leans against the wall, casually crossing his legs and arms while he looks at me with that piercing gaze. His presence takes the whole room, leaving no air for me. 

"Good, how was yours?" I ask politely and fiddle with my hands. "Interesting," he says with a mysterious smirk. I clench my jaw and nod. Then there's an awkward silence. What do I say?

Should I just smile politely at him?

With who did he have lunch? Why did he say it was interesting?

Why--

"What is going on in that pretty little head of yours?" he suddenly asks, and I look up, embarrassed. With red cheeks, I clear my throat.

"N-nothing important," I stutter. He stands up, uncrossing his arms and takes a step in my direction. "I don't like being lied to. That makes you a bad girl, and bad girls get punished," he whispers, standing close to me. Too close. I feel the warmth radiating off him, and I enjoy his cologne.

"I'm not lying," I whisper and tilt my head back to look at him in the eyes.

"We will see about that," he says, and right on time, the elevator announces that we're on the first floor. Together we walk out, and head towards the entrance of the building. "Where are you going?" I ask him as I realize that he's walking with me. "I'm walking you out," he says simply. I raise my eyebrows, but decide not to comment on it.

"How are you going home?" he asks as we walk out of the building. I look around, trying to find Chris. "I can take you home if you want..."

"Athena!"

We both turn around, and I see Chris approaching us. With a smile, I walk up to him, and I don't know why I'm hesitant when I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. "Hi," I say in his neck, and he pecks me quickly on the lips.

Faster than usual, I let go of him and turn back to Vincenzo.

"Eh... Chris, this is the man my dad is working with; Vincenzo Amoretto. Vincenzo, this is my boyfriend; Chris," I introduce them to each other awkwardly. Chris takes a step towards him and stretches his hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Amoretto," he says politely and I watch how they shake hands.

"Likewise," Vincenzo says and he lets go of Chris' hand. "I'll leave you two. See you later, Athena," Vincenzo says and turns away, walking away from us without waiting for a response. 

"I didn't know he was Italian," Chris says and wraps an arm around my shoulder, leading us to his car. "Yeah, he is," I mutter and look back at the building, to see Vincenzo standing by the door, his eyes on us.

On me.