15 | Things You Do For Love
1 Month Later.
I tried keeping my hormones in check as I watched her jump up in the air, her toned legs slamming hard against the punching bag. Those sharp brown eyes were focused over the object like it was her sworn enemy. Sweat ran down her slender neck as she continued with her punches, making me gulp.
"You're staring." She stated, taking off her red punching gloves. Her eyes never bothered looking at me.
"Fight me." I blocked her way out of the basement gym, finally causing her to look up at me.
"I'm done for the day." She shoved my arm, desperately wanting to go away from me.
"I'm challenging you." I yelled, my voice echoing in the silent lobby.
It didn't stop her from walking away to the elevator like I didn't exist. That's how it has been for the past month. I rarely even saw her despite of being in the same house and workplace.
"Vittoria!" My hands gripped her fingers as she called the elevator. "I'm not done talking."
"I don't want to talk, Rafael."
"No. You don't get to make all the decisions. Listen Vittoria, your brothers barely allow me to even see you. Now when I have this little time with you, let me just be with you, please." I hooked my arm around her waist. It's been a month since I held her.
"That's exactly what we shouldn't be doing." Her tiny palms placed on my chest created a barrier between us once again. "I've tried very hard to make this distance work. I've told you a million times before. You and I can't happen. I can't do that."
The soft ping of the elevator brought me out of the daze of her hypnotizing eyes. Then all of a sudden my hands felt cold without her in my arms. The doors opened, she stepped in and they closed back, taking her away from me.
She held my gaze until the metal doors devoided me of her sight which reminded me of her fist day at work. Only this time she didn't have her middle finger flipped at me.
I was left standing out there alone, blankly staring at the closed doors of the elevator. The fear was slowly creeping back.
The fear of losing her.
She was trying to do what's right.
My definition of right was something else.
Was that the problem?
Or was our love the problem?
•••••
The sound of something toppling disrupted the surprisingly silent house. I didn't have to look back to know who it was.
"What did you break this time, Toby?"
"Nothing!" He smiled up at me sheepishly from downstairs while Allegra shook her head, picked up the show piece and putting it back neatly where it belonged.
Thankfully she agreed to join us back. We got a lot many links from her information merged with our own. However, they didn't do us any good.
Oliver and I even paid a visit to the safe house in Naples only to find it demolished already. There wasn't a single soul there.
About the mining company, we were slowly creeping inside it. We had the controlling stake. But how that shady company functioned was still something we needed to get accustomed to.
A familiar citrus fragrance invaded my nostrils, making me turn back to the source of it. I found myself get miraculously destressed and a smile stretched over my face.
I hid myself behind a pillar and pulled her into me, pressing my hand over her mouth to suppress her screams. "It's me, senori- ah, fuck!"
A sharp throb lanced through my ribs where her elbows crashed mercilessly. Why did I forget she knows how to get out such situations now.
"Stop it, Rafael." She glared.
"But I'm missing you." I grumbled.
"This isn't funny." She turned around to leave but I wasn't letting her have it this time like in the morning.
"Don't you miss me, senorita?" I held her tight, ignoring the little slaps on my chest.
Cute!
"We see each other everyday." She rolled her whiskey colored eyes, making me crave a glass, no, many glasses of it.
"I saw you after four days straight."
"Rafael, let go." She seethed.
"The fuck is going on over here?" Mason's enraged voice boomed in the hallway.
I swear I could kill someone right now. Most probably him.
They don't even let me spend two minutes alone with her. This is starting to get on my nerves now.
Vittoria used the distraction to her advantage and walked away without sparing anyone of us a glance.
"Don't you understand, she doesn't want to be anywhere near you?" The ultra protective brother spat.
"No! You don't want her to be anywhere near me. There's a difference." I retorted.
"Keep fooling yourself, Grayson. She's clearly moving on. You should do that too." He lightly tapped my shoulder and began walking away.
Calm down, Rafael.
You can't kill him.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to solve this once and for all. The problem isn't Vittoria. It's her brothers. I'll have to first make things right with them.
"Mason." I called him at a distance.
"What?" He half turned back with a bored look that he had mastered to piss me off.
Patience. Just a little patience.
"Can I talk to you fora minute?"
"No." He replied bluntly and continued walking away.
This guy!
"It's a request. Please."
The guards stationed at the hallway snapped their heads at me in shock. Yeah, yeah, what Rafael Grayson step over his ego.
"The things you do for love." I mouthed and they nodded, giving me sympathetic looks.
"Fine." Mason did his classic eye roll and followed me into my room.
"Want something to drink?" I offered.
"Just get to the point."
This was so not going to be easy.
"I want to try and make things okay between us. We don't have to hate each other, Mason." I plopped down on the armchair.
"Not gonna happen. Can I leave now?" He scrunched his face, playing with his earring.
"Mason." I huffed, exasperated. "I'm trying, alright. At least think about Vittoria. You think it's easy for her to see the two of us always wanting to kill each other?"
He leaned against the wall with crossed arms, assessing me intently. His light brown eyes moved up and down at me as if scrutinizing my soul.
"So now you're gonna play this card huh?"
"I love her, Mason. I really, like really love your sister. Can't you see that?" I got up, anxiously striding over to him.
He closed his eyes in frustration. "Have you ever heard about toxic relationships, Rafael?"
A sudden rage filled up my chest. My love for her was the purest thing in my life. The nerve of him to call it toxic.
"Do you ever see her happy around you? There's always some or the other reason why you upset her. And let me tell you something, Rafael. I'm sick of seeing her like that. Her life was not easy. She has suffered enough. Please spare her now. I'm requesting you."
What is he saying? No! He's lying. Please tell him to shut up.
"I- I promise I'll keep her safe. Trust me, Mason. I'll protect her from this entire world." I said, not even trying to conceal my desperation.
"But how will you protect her from yourself?"
His words sent me physically staggering backwards, hitting the armchair.
"Don't give me that look, Rafael. All these people might forgive you, even Vittoria. But I won't be able to forget what you did to her until the day I die." He yelled, slamming the wall.
I had no option but to listen to him with my head hung in shame. No matter what I do, my sins will always be held against me. I can't even blame him here. I only have myself to blame.
"She was begging you, Rafael. My sister was begging for your mercy. The girl you claimed to love so much was literally begging you but you couldn't hear her cries." His brittle voice eventually broke and he flumped down on the couch in defeat.
"I'm sorry I'm not as forgiving as her. You won't ever understand my pain because you don't have a sister. Scratch that, she's as good as my daughter. All I can see you is as the monster who broke Vittoria."
"Please shut up, Mason."
"Why, you can't hear it? It's gonna stay with you forever. You can't run away from it." His teary eyes snapped up in me and all I saw was pure hatred.
"I need one more chance, one last chance." I tried and tried and tried.
He matters to her. And so, his assent for me matters to me.
"And it doesn't end there. You say you love her but we all know you were just using her. You wanted someone to pass your time until you get Camila back."
That triggered something. My actions became mechanized. My hand raised up high in the air and plummeted down on his face. "Don't you dare insult my love, you get that?"
He clutched his jaw but didn't make an attempt to attack back in any way. "You knew she was catching feelings for you but you didn't stop it despite of knowing very well that she would be the one hurting in the end."
"Because I was afraid of her leaving." I yelled, confessing my fear.
"What's going on in here?" Oliver dashed in, glaring at both of us.
"I'm telling you right on your face." Mason stepped forward, staring straight into my eyes. "She never knows what's good for her. I won't let you be anywhere be her, she likes it or not."
I opened my mouth to speak but shut it when I saw her standing at the door with helpess brown eyes streaming tears while staring at us with a defeated look.
"Vittoria." I whispered, taking a step in her direction but she stepped back, stretching her arm in front of her as if creating a barrier. The brothers too, were standing there in silence.
"I don't think anyone of you have the right to make decisions for her. It's her life, she alone gets to decide who she wants and what she does." Liam voiced, making his presence known. He turned toward her with a sad smile, wiping her tears away.
"Yeah, we all know what happens when she takes decisions for herself. You forgot what happened when she decided for herself that she'll escape and for some reason she thought Luca would help her." Mason screamed, his temper now directed at her.
"She isn't the same person anymore." Liam held her hand, confidently fighting Mason. "Don't you see you all are suffocating her? Stop telling her what to do for god's sake!"
"Fine! Tell me Vittoria, me as well as them. Look right into my eyes and say that you don't love me. Say that you don't want to be with me." I stood between her and Liam, tearing their hands apart.
When I said I'd fight against the entire world for her, I fucking meant it.
"Our love is wrong." She said with utmost difficulty, her gaze riveted at the wall.
"You heard that. Now get done with this." Oliver snarled.
I once again tried speaking and once again Liam beat me to it. "No, she believes that because you have manipulated her into believing it." He pointed an accusing finger at Oliver.
I didn't miss the small gesture where her hand instinctively curled around Liam's arm.
"So what do you want me to do? What shall I answer to Camila?" He yelled back.
"Are you sure she's even coming back?" Mason commented but we ignored him.
"Are you fooling yourself, Oliver? He doesn't love Camila." Liam yelled.
"He didn't love her before as well."
"Well, he didn't love someone else before as well. Jeez! What's wrong with all of you?" He shook his head in disbelief.
Is he... Is he rooting for me and Vittoria? I'm going to lose my mind.
"I'm so done with this." Vittoria gritted her teeth and stomped away with Liam on her trail.
"Vittoria! Stop! Please!" I called her out.
She didn't. It was like I was invisible, like I didn't matter to her.
For the second time today, I just watched her leave me alone, wishing I had her in my arms with her head pressed against my heart.
Maybe Mason is right. She has moved on.
Mabye she has slipped away from my reach.
Maybe I should stop fighting for her.
Maybe she doesn't want me anymore.
Rafael: Vote if you want Vittoria to come back to me.