*This story is on-going and changes will be made along the way.
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NB! Adult-content | Mature | Romance
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The sound of the soft rain outside brought me out of the land of dreams. My eyes slowly fluttered open and I reached over to Giovanni's side of the bed to find it empty. I stretched my body across the bed and managed to open my eyes up completely. The sleepiness still lingered along with the pleasure from last night. I blushed immediately and a smile spread across my face. After my conversation with Casey, I didn't expect to still be in Giovanni's bed but I quickly realized that there was nowhere else I was meant to be. We were choosing each other now and there was no way that I could not have him in my life. I was so tangled in his web and there was no escaping this. As scared as I was to admit it, I was falling for him. I spent so much time pushing away my feelings for him but they were there the whole time. Being with him was idyllic and there was nothing else that could compare to it.
I wrapped the sheet around my naked body and went to find him. A distant voice hummed in the air and I followed it to the kitchen. Giovanni was leaning against the counter with his bare back to me and was on the phone. I leaned against the wall and waited for him to finish up. I didn't want to interrupt him and I enjoyed the opportunity to soak him in. I would never get tired of looking at him. The tattoos across his body allowed him to be a constant artwork that I had yet to fully appreciate. His back muscles were on full display. If there was one thing about Giovanni, he took care of his body and the sight in front of me right now was one I enjoyed. I loved running my hands over his body, feeling every inch of him. I noticed a few faint scratches on his back and realized that was from me.
Oops.
I couldn't help it - last night was amazing and I didn't realize how deep I dug my nails into his skin until now. He said his last goodbyes on the phone and turned to face me.
"Good morning," he smiled, "I didn't wake you did I?"
I shook my head and walked over to him. He immediately took me into his arms and lifted me onto the counter in front of him. I wrapped my arms around him and he buried his head in my neck. I slowly started to softly scratch the back of his neck - an action I knew he loved.
"Mmm, that's nice," he murmured
"Who was that on the phone?" I asked
"Pedro. My one potential business partner from Valencia. I actually need to speak to you about something,"
He pulled away to face me but still kept his arms wrapped around my body, "I have to head to Valencia early tomorrow. One of the buildings we wanted to look at for the next opening of Mala Mía just became available and this weekend is the only time we can both go and check it out,"
A pang of disappointment flickered inside but only because I didn't want to be without him for the whole weekend.
"Well that's great then," I said, kissing his cheek, "You definitely have to go,"
"I know we had plans to spend the weekend together..." he started to say before I heard my phone ringing from his bedroom
"Do you want to get that?" he asked
I shook my head, "I'll just check it later,"
"Okay well, I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to come with me?"
"To Valencia?"
He nodded, "Yes, why not?"
I smiled and just as I was about to answer him, his phone started to ring. He lifted it off the counter to check it, "It's Reyna,"
Reyna? Now I was confused. He brought it to his ear, "Hola? Si, yes she's here with me. Okay, hold on let me give her the phone,"
I extended my hand out and he passed the phone over to me
"Hi Rey,"
"Isabella, why haven't you been answering your phone?" there was a hint of franticness to her voice on the other side and I was confused by it
"I'm sorry. I was in the kitchen and then I didn'-"
She interrupted me, "Okay it doesn't matter but you need to get a hold of your sister right now,"
"Camila? Why? What's going on?" the concern in my voice was evident and Giovanni began to mirror my previous confusion
She was silent for a moment and it was driving me crazy
"Reyna, what is going on here? You are starting to freak me out,"
"Nate's engaged," she blurted out
I froze
"Wait, what?" I managed to choke
"I'm sorry Izzy but your family found out and they've been trying to get a hold of you but then you didn't answer so they called me and..." she rambled on but I didn't hear a word she said
Nate's engaged? Nate? As in my former ex-boyfriend who broke up with me because he didn't want to settle down? The same man who didn't want to make a serious commitment like getting married was now engaged to someone else?
And my family knows. Oh fuck. My entire cover story was immediately tossed out the window and they knew it. They knew I had been lying to them. I felt sick to my stomach.
"Reyna, I need to go," I said, interrupting whatever she was saying at that moment
"Okay," she murmured softly, "Please let me know what happens,"
We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I was trying to wrap my head around what just happened but I didn't even know where to start. How could Nate be engaged? And to who?
"Isabella, what happened?" Giovanni asked, bringing me out of my own thoughts
I looked up at him and there was concern spread across his face.
"Nate's engaged,"
"Nate?" he was confused, "Wait, as in your ex-boyfriend Nate?"
I nodded
"The one who broke up with you because he didn't want to settle down?"
"That's the one," I murmured, laughing at how ridiculous that statement was now, "The very same Nate who my family thinks I was still with this whole time,"
"Oh fuck," Giovanni breathed,
"Yeah, oh fuck," I repeated
"Well maybe it's a good thing," Giovanni suggested, "They were bound to find out sometime,"
I didn't reply. He was right but it just fast-tracked a situation I didn't want to have to deal with. I jumped off the counter and went back to his bedroom to get my cell phone. As if right on cue, it started ringing again and my sister's name lit up the screen. I took a deep breath in and stared at her name. I did not feel like having to explain myself right now but I also couldn't avoid them forever. I gave in and answered
"Isabella, thank goodness," my sister said, I could hear the irritation in her voice, "Why haven't you been answering your phone?"
"I know you don't care about that Camila," I got straight to the point, "You're obviously calling because of Nate,"
I knew my sister and she didn't have an empathetic bone in her body. She was doing the dirty work for my mother but I had no doubt I would hear it from her too soon. She would never miss an opportunity to remind me what a fuck up my life was in her eyes.
"Are you going to explain yourself?" the words dripped off her tongue, "Was Nate not your boyfriend? We didn't even know you weren't together. If I'm being honest, I had a feeling something wasn't right ever since mother told me you lost your job and you ran off to Barcelona. You were being too closed off abo-"
"Could you stop?" I interrupted her, "Yes, I lost my job. Yes, Nate was my boyfriend. He dumped me months ago but I couldn't exactly tell you guys that could I? Mom already had a lot to say about me quitting my job, how could I possibly share that I was dumped too? The last thing I wanted to do was give you guys even more ammunition to use against me,"
"Isabella," Camila started again but I cut her off
"Who is he engaged to?" I asked
"Christina Michaels,"
I recognized that name from the many society parties my family dragged me to. Her parents owned many properties in London and because she was an only child, she bathed in their lavish lifestyle. I never liked her - right off the bat you could tell how pretentious and spoilt she was. Clearly, Nate thought something different. I couldn't care less about who he was engaged to - it was the fact he was engaged at all that came as a shock to me.
"Hello? Isabella? I just don't understand you. How could you not tell us that you weren't together anymore?" Camila brought me out of my thoughts
"Have you not been listening?" I sighed, "He dumped me, Camila. Nate told me things were getting too serious and he didn't even know if he wanted to get married at all. Kind of ironic now considering he's engaged - clearly, the commitment wasn't the problem,"
I laughed. This was a joke.
"Well, mother is in a state again," Camila fumed, "It's enough now. You've had time now over these last few months to do whatever the hell you've been doing but now you need to sort your life out and she wants you to come home,"
She sounded exactly like my mother, it was eerie.
"I am home," I seethed
"Come on Isabella, be serious now," Camila dismissed me, "You can't be-"
"Camila, stop!" I snapped, "I am not coming home and you can tell Mom and Dad that I am sorry I lied to them but I can't deal with this right now. Don't call me again,"
And with that, I hung up on my sister.
I dropped on the bed and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I was so confused and I didn't know where to begin to try and unpack my thoughts. Everything was unraveling now and what hurt me the most was that my family didn't care one bit about how I was actually doing - they were more concerned with how this was going to impact their image. I scoffed - typical Avery family behaviour. It was disgusting.
"Isabella," Giovanni murmured and peered into the room, "Are you okay?"
I nodded and he came to sit next to me. I unlocked my phone and went straight to my messages from Reyna. There was a screenshot of their engagement announcement on Facebook. There they stood, arm in arm with her left hand extended forward as the main focus of the image. The diamond on her finger was huge - very flashy and obnoxious. That was never Nate's style but then again, I clearly didn't know him as well as I thought I did.
"Does it bother you that he's engaged to someone else?" Giovanni murmured gently
"I honestly don't care that he's engaged to someone else," I admitted, "I'm definitely confused though. Last I knew he wasn't ready for a commitment and didn't even know if he wanted to get married at all but now look. My mother is in a state apparently,"
"But it's not about her,"
"Oh, but it is," I scoffed, "She and my sister couldn't care one bit about how I must be feeling. She's probably more concerned about the mess she has to clean up in their own little society. They have always cared far too much about what other people think,"
This was the first I had even heard of Nate even being in a relationship. I tried to check up on him a few times through social media over the last few months and on his family but there was never anything about him and Christina. How long had they been seeing each other? Half a year and they're engaged? Or was something happening before? I could feel my head about to explode.
"Come to Valencia with me," Giovanni urged gently, "I don't want you to be alone right now,"
Without hesitation, I answered, "What time do we leave?"