AN: THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHAPTERS IDK IDK AND PART ONE OF TODAY'S DOUBLE UPDATE (PART 2 IS COMING SOON!!!!)
***********************
This is what the world is for
Making electricity
***********************
HARRY
"Harry, I'm fine." She tells me, rolling her eyes and placing the ice from the machine in the hallway into the bag, and pressing it to her face.
"Ben, you were punched in the face for the first time ever tonight... it had to hurt." I return, desperately trying to get her to let me help.
There wasn't much I could do now either but I felt guilty.
The past seven, well, almost eight days, have been absolute hell. The last time I saw Bentley I was breaking down and knocking her out with chloroform, and now we were in Lake Como... in the same hotel room, and she was sitting across from me on the counter of our bathroom.
The drive up was fast because that's who Bentley Hale was. The fastest girl on earth when behind the wheel. Perfectly reckless... but tense. It took everything in me to tell her to loosen up but even though her grip was firm her energy was carefree and I automatically calmed down.
Seeing her today was like seeing the light for the first time ever. My whole body was buzzing in anticipation that the next time that the door swung open, Bentley fuckin' Hale would be knocking it down and killing everyone right away.
I was a little out of it when I first saw her and couldn't stop myself from embracing her like I never had before, in sheer desperation and complete satisfaction. I could tell she was glad to see me too, especially when she kissed me with a busted lip. Feeling her skin beneath my fingertips reminded me partially of the reason that I didn't let those fucking idiots kill me is because I wanted to feel her again.
Checking into this boutique hotel was painfully awkward too. Bentley and I looked like nomad street fighters from our lack of luggage and how pummeled we were, but thankfully the majority of the injuries on my face weren't as bad after cleaning off the dry blood on me. She kept her hood up and sunglasses on and it was past three in the morning so nobody but the concierge paid much attention.
We had a lot to talk about, that's for sure. Seeing as we won't be in Oakland at least for the next few days, we were putting it off. The plan had changed completely and we discussed it in the car. No more Madrid until I was healed, no more leaving her without warning, no talking about what happened before I left until we were back in California, and I had to call Luna to let her know I was healed, safe, and in hiding until everything blew over.
She was happy to see I got the job done and told me she'd have someone take care of making sure that the people that held me were blocked out from society in general.
Luna had garnered enough power to take down a whole mafia and that alone was proof that she's gotten more dangerous. Bentley is the last name on the hit list and I didn't plan on making it that far down it because why does it even matter if Bentley lives or died if Luna's going international? Shit wasn't adding up as perfectly as before and it was stressing me out even more.
The combination of a beaten Bentley and my boss' suspicious activity is enough to send me plummeting over the edge and-
"Harry, I can take a punch. I'm okay, I promise." She tells me, her deep brown eyes nesting in my soul. "You aren't beat up too bad."
"They stopped beating me when I stopped fighting back... the last time was when they filmed that video you were sent two days ago." I say, and she purses her lip at the thought of it. "I'm sorry you had to see that but I needed you to know that I was in danger and that I hadn't left for that long without coming back."
"I know."
"Do you?"
"You know how?" She says, a playful smirk playing on her features as I nod for her to tell me.
"You left Arlo."
I chuckle at her, unable to hide the smile that graces my face at her accurate assumption. She had gotten out of the shower twenty minutes ago and I had showered right before her. I offered for her to come in with me but she said she needed to call Allergy and let her know she was alive.
"I think I miss that bastard more than I missed you." I tell her, and she scoffs, dry swallowing some painkillers.
"Yeah, right." She inhales, hopping off the counter and keeping the ice pressed to her cheek as she goes into the main room.
I had forgotten that she didn't sleep in the same bed as people, and that she didn't like waking up next to them, so there was one bed and a couch in the spacious room.
The hotel we're staying in isn't far from Villa Balbianello, the place where they filmed Casino Royale, the James Bond film that I love so much. I was overjoyed to see that Ben had seen it because I couldn't wait to take her to visit it tomorrow in the evening.
"What time is it?" She asks, sitting on the bed. I turn the bathroom light off, leaving only the dim lamp on the nightstand on.
"4 AM. You should go to sleep." I sigh. "I'll take the couch, I'll wake up early to do something."
"Maybe... maybe you can share the bed with me?" She asks more than suggests, and the shy look on her face is so unlike her.
"I'm fine with me sleeping on the couch-"
"I'm not."
There she is.
"Do you want me to sleep in the bed with you baby?" I say, slowly walking over to her and watching her eyes follow me, hands still holding the ice to her face. "Answer the question."
"I'd like you to." She affirms. "But... wake up before me... I-I'm not ready for that just yet."
"I have stuff to do in the morning anyway." I wink, sitting in the bed and shifting the covers over until we were both under them. She puts the ice down on the nightstand and turns around to face me.
"What are you doing in the morning?" She asks.
"It's a surprise. We're in one of the most gorgeous places on Earth... I can't wait for you to see it when you wake up." I whisper, feeling her body scoot closer to mine and carefully until her head was on my chest.
"I'm not big on surprises..."
"Sucks for you, because I am." I return, bringing my hand up to the back of her head and softly running my hands through her detangled hair.
"Goodnight Harry." She says in a sleepy voice.
"Goodnight."
************
"Mi serve il trucco per questo tono della pelle." The last place I ever thought I'd be in Italy was a makeup store buying Bentley shit so she could cover up those bruises on her face.
When I woke up this morning I got a better look at her face and thankfully, she didn't bruise too easily. The red had gone down significantly with the ice last night but there were still noticeable bruises that were a deep pink on her lower jaw.
Her not bruising easily was good to know, it made sense as to why she didn't really have marks after I choked her harshly and it meant we could have even more fun without worrying about marking her too badly.
The lady who was assisting me analyzed the only picture I had of Bentley on my phone carefully, digging through all the color matching tags she had in an attempt to find the perfect match. She had brought out some other makeup things because I told her Ben would have to wear full makeup tonight, and the only thing missing was the foundation or concealer or whatever was going to cover her face.
"Questa! Perfetta." The woman says, and hands me the bottle of the corresponding makeup and it's companion that works with it.
"Grazie." I tell her, handing her some bills and waiting for the change.
I had spent the whole morning buying clothing for the both of us, and I knew that when I got back to the hotel Ben would tease me about spending money on her and make another sugar daddy joke but there was absolutely no way I was going to let her walk around Northern Italy in the middle of the summer in black and leather.
We had to blend in.
Plus, all of this cash was taken directly from those mafia motherfuckers last night, so it wasn't even my money. It was already 1 o'clock and Bentley should be up considering I had asked the concierge to send room service up at 12:45 to wake her indirectly.
The walk back to the hotel was quick, even with the bunches of bags that I had, and I made my way up the steps rather than the elevator to give her more time to wake up if she hadn't already. We were in a room on the top floor with a view that overlooked the massive lake. We weren't able to look outside last night because of how dark it was and she hadn't really taken in the surroundings on the drive up.
I had been here once before, when I first started my job as a hitman, and it's easily one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Me being fluent in Italian only made the experience of being here even better, but I was proficient in a multitude of languages, so a lot of my trips were more pleasurable. Being here with Bentley was one of the last things I ever expected to be doing but I was happy. If I didn't think about what awaited us when we returned to Oakland and when Luna started reaching out again, then I could stay like this.
I called Emmy this morning too, apologizing profusely for not calling but she told me she had actually broken her phone, so she wasn't upset. She was doing well, working her internship and asking when I'd be able to come and see her again.
The same excuse came up every single time... maybe during the holidays.
I notice that the room service cart isn't in the hall, so it has to be inside. I open the door carefully, setting the bags down to my right and walking further into the room, smelling the coffee and feeling a cool breeze. The dainty white curtain that covered the balcony was blowing, and I knew that Bentley had to be sitting outside.
I step forward a bit, pulling the curtain to the side and looking at Bentley, sitting on the cushioned furniture of the balcony and staring into the distance. Her breath was balanced and her hair was blowing lightly in the wind, a few loose strands tucked behind her ear, her legs crossed covered each other as she brought the ceramic cup up to her lips and sipped on the cappuccino.
Bentley only drank diet coke and coffee... and I wonder how she'll react when she finds out that diet coke doesn't exist in Italy. Only coca cola lite.
I take another step forward and she turns her face to me, a simple toothless smile on her face. Her bruising wasn't that bad and I was honestly surprised. I felt like I was going to die when I saw her take those blows. I felt so useless strapped to that fucking seat.
"Good morning, sinner." I tell her, sitting on the seat across from her and grabbing one of the pastries on the tray. "How'd you sleep?"
"Surprisingly well... where were you?"
"Did some shopping." I say, pouring myself some of the coffee.
"Did you now? You know, you're a fashion whore."
"I'm very aware... that's why I'm sure you'll love everything I bought you." I say, and she smirks at me. "Go ahead, I know the sugar daddy jokes are coming."
"You can't call me a brat anymore... you have to call me a spoiled brat now." She laughs, standing up and walking towards me.
I uncross my legs, bringing my ankle down from over my knee and making room for her to sit. She sits, and I bring my arm around her waist, keeping my eyes on the deep blue of the lake and colorful buildings.
"What can I say? I like taking care of you." I say simply, and she stays quiet.
"What did you buy?"
"Bought myself some suits, more silk shirts... got you a few dresses-"
"Dresses?"
"Easy access." I tell her, turning my head to wink at her as she swats my shoulder. "You'll need one for tonight."
"What are we doing tonight?" She asks.
"I told you... it's a surprise."
"You're insufferable. Just tell me!" She says, eyebrows raised in a pleading manner but her tone was anything but that.
"Nope. But... if you want, you can go get ready for me and we can go walk around for the next few hours until we have to get ready." I suggest, and she nods.
"Sounds good." She replies, getting up and walking inside. "Harry! How much money did you spend!" She yells, and I laugh to myself before downing what's left of the coffee and walking inside.
"Relax, I used Mario and Luigi's money."
"Harry... this is, fuck this is a lot."
"More to choose from." I shrug. "Now go, get ready. I'm going to change."
It took Ben upwards of 45 minutes to get ready, and I was getting impatient, sitting outside on the bed flipping through Italian channels while she locked herself away in the bathroom.
"Bentley fuckin' Hale! Hurry up!" I say, and I hear a little bit of clatter from inside the bathroom. "Ben? You okay?"
No response.
Fuck.
I stand up quickly, opening the door and raking my eyes from the amount of makeup brushes that had just fallen, to Bentley, who was making the final adjustments to her hair.
"Holy shit." I say, taking in her appearance.
"I look good, don't I?" She says, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
The blue dress on her hugged her curves deliciously and made her skin look tanner than usual. She had successfully covered her bruises and looked absolutely stunning. She was gorgeous with or without them but right now... right now she was something else.
She was electric. If she looked this good right now I couldn't even begin to imagine what she'd look like tonight... fuck everything about her had my skin buzzing and vision so clear in appreciation I felt like I was being electrocuted in the sweetest way possible.
Electric little sinner.
I don't say anything in response before stepping towards her and grabbing her face in my hands, feeling her wince a bit at the pain from me pressing against her sore face but I know she likes the pain the same way I do. I bring her lips to mine, kissing her feverishly, savoring her taste of coffee and that unique sweetness that always lingered around her. "I did a good job picking this one out huh?"
"The dress is ice, I'm even better."
"I can't disagree with that." I laugh. "Can we go now?"
She nods, and we walk out of the bathroom. I grab my phone and she grabs hers, and we walk out of the hotel together, turning the corner and feeling the Italian sun beating down on us.
Everyone around us was dressed in straight designer, and we fit in perfectly. Como is a walking city, especially the area that we're in. There are little shops and bars on every corner, and I knew that Ben couldn't drink right now, especially considering she was taking her medication again.
"Let's go over there." She says, grabbing my biceps and leading us down towards the pier with all the boats docked on it. "I've never been on a boat before." She tells me, her wedge's stomping against the wooden dock.
"I think you'd like it..." I start. "Would you be okay with going on one if you aren't driving?" I ask, referring to her strict policy on always being behind the wheel.
"I think so, I mean, it's different right?"
"Driving a boat isn't different from driving a car, but the feeling is... do you know what I mean?"
"Only one way to find out." She says, walking towards the man cleaning the boat. "Maybe one day."
"I have an idea." I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her with me back towards the hotel, getting the concierge and speaking. "Vorrei noleggiare una barca per un'ora, per favore."
"Are you fluent in Italian?" She asks.
"And a few other languages... full of surprises."
"No way, you're just full of shit." She quips, and I laugh at her.
The concierge and I converse over the request I made for a few seconds before he hands me a key fob with a pamphlet. "Grazie mille." I say, and walk away, Bentley close behind me as we make our way down to the opposite side of the pier we were first on.
"Keep your eyes open for Molo Roma. It's the pier the boat is on." I tell her, and I hear her gasp in excitement before walking ahead of me, leading her own crusade in search of the pier.
"Found it!" She says, and I jog up behind her, opening the gate which leads onto the rest of the dock reserved for the guests of the hotel we were at. "What boat is it?"
"The last one... all the way on the left." I tell her, and she walks towards it, hopping on and sitting in the passenger seat.
This wasn't a car but I had never seen Bentley riding shotgun... it was always me. There was something about this moment that was different... almost an indirect surrender to her fears. I'd be careful driving it around the lake, and unless she specified that she wanted more, then I'd stay slow and steady.
"This is really nice." She exhales, leaning back and watching as I turn the boat on.
The dock attendant comes and helps me untie the boat, and before I know it, we're moving out onto the lake. I constantly turn to look at Ben, and ensure that she's not freaking out or anything but she looks calm and comfortable in the passenger seat as she studies the lake's coast.
"Go faster." she tells me as we reach a distance that's pretty safe to go fast in.
"You sure?"
"100%. Just don't get me wet."
"I get you wet all the time." I joke, and she rolls her eyes at me as I laugh, increasing the speed until the wind was blowing so hard in my face that the salty air made my eyes well up.
I look at Ben, who's got her hands raised up high in the air towards the sun, as if she's trying to hold it in her grasp. Her brown hair is wild and whipping around her as she waves at people on passing boats. Everything moves slower when she smiles the way she is now... it's a new smile, one of freedom and nonchalance.
She always said that she couldn't leave Oakland because she had to take care of the shop of Allergy and Apollo and Dorian... neve herself. She looked like she was finally doing that now, taking care of herself.
It scared me how much she made me feel.
She always scared me in the best way possible.
I flick my eyes back onto the lake ahead of us, and that's when I feel her hands on my wrists.
"Let me drive." She says, and I give her a warning glance. "You said it's like driving... and we both know I'm the better driver." She winks, and I sit on the driver's seat.
"Fine, but I'm staying here." I tell her, and she nods excitedly, standing between my legs and taking full control of the boat, turning us in a circle and leading us in the opposite direction, towards the villas where we'd be tonight.
"Isn't that the one where they filmed Casino Royale at?" She says.
"Yeah, that's it." I say, bringing my hands to the curve of her waist as she slows the boat down a bit.
"What are they setting it up for?" She asks, looking at the amount of people who were putting chairs down, nailing a dancefloor to the grass by the water and arranging a table, big flowers being placed around and candles being set down but not lit.
I smirk as she looks even more at it, knowing exactly what's happening at Villa del Balbianello tonight.
"A wedding." I say plainly, and she turns around to look at me.
"How'd you know that?"
"Because we're crashing it tonight."
************************
AN:
im so attached to them it isn't even fucking funny anymore
part 2 of the update will be up later, we've got some wedding crashers in our midst ;)
I MADE A TWITTER!!!! follow me, my user is rbllstyles !!!! i'll be posting hints, quotes, and other drag/fanfic related content on there so we can talk even more :)
MY USER IS ALSO LINKED ON MY MAIN PAGE HERE ON WATTPAD
love you all, see you soon!
ARABELLA.