I stood in front of her with my prows pinched together. "Margo, what the hell are you talking about?" If she knew about it, then Cel was going to kill me. Even if I didn't tell her. She shook her head slowly as she stared at me.
"Don't lie to my face, Liam. You know she's alive." My insides turned to panic.
"Mar-"
"She was the girl that you slept with yesterday, wasn't she?" I frowned as questions started forming in my head.
Did she see her leaving?
"The Louboutin heels. She wears them." My eyes slightly widened. This... what? How the hell did she figure it out just from the shoes.
"I didn't even recognise the shoes but I swear it wasn't her," she scoffed before rolling her eyes.
"There is no girl in this world that you could sleep with and act chipper and calmer the next morning. You went out for a damn run!" She raised her voice before turning away from me and facing the windows. "No girl could do that apart from her." I knew I couldn't mask my actual feelings that well, but she caught on. How the hell did she realise it this easily? "And you got a text from someone. I knew you tried to hide it but you smiled. That was clearer than the sky that I was right."
"That was just-"
"Stop," she turned around to face me. "Don't make up more lies. I get it. Okay? She didn't want to tell any of us. I'm beginning to think that she didn't want you to know. But..." tears started flooding her eyes. "My best friend. Liam, I wouldn't have done any harm by exposing her. You know that."
"It was what she had wanted. If you were in my shoes, you'd listen to her," I admitted.
"Where did you find her?" I walked over to the couch and sat down. I wasn't going to have that conversation standing up. It would be a long conversation and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to take it. The memories and the pain of her running away from me still lingered.
"I bumped into her near the women's restrooms." Margo walked over to the couch and sat down beside me. "I was so pissed at Guinevere that I couldn't see where I was going until she opened the door and bumped into my chest. I know it'll sound weird but even before I looked down at her something calmed inside me. Maybe it was the scent, maybe something else, I don't know.
"But when her eyes met mine, my life stopped. I recognised her almost immediately and the thing that confirmed it was the rose necklace. You've seen it. She wore the exact same like the one Cel did." I took a deep breath. "Her eyes." I wiped a rolling tear off my cheek. "They were the exact shade of green. Identical."
"You love her." I frowned as a smile crept on my face.
"Took you long enough to realise," she let out a small laugh as I drifted back into the memory. "She ran from me. I went into the bathroom and checked every stall. She must have moved under the stalls so I couldn't reach her. But when I heard the door open, I saw her. She ran out and I followed.
"I don't think I've run this fast in my life, Margo. Ever. Dante and Leo saw me before I ran up the stairs and I guess none of you noticed her."
"I saw a woman running," she placed a hand on my forearm. "It was her?" I nodded.
"She hadn't worn a mask or anything of that sort but I guess her ability to run fast in heels helped her out."
"Yet you followed her."
"I had to. The love of my life was within my radius." She took her hand away from me. "But I had to fucking chase her. She didn't want me to get to her and yet when we reached the river, I stopped. I knew that something more was happening in her than just not wanting to see me. I lost every sense I could but she just looked at me from afar. I dropped down onto the ground and she approached me." The memory of her in my hands came in. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid my eyes on and she was finally back in my arms.
"And I begged her to come here. So after she ran out to Valentina-"
"Wait, she's helping?" I nodded.
"Apparently there's some kind of super-secret mission they're on and they have one last job to do." I smiled. "She was really mad at me. And we got into a fight before we made up last night. I'll probably look like a psychopath but I loved every second of it."
"The fighting?" She asked and I gave her a nod.
"That fire in her was what I loved most about her. But the tears and actual pain she endured was like an actual stab in the chest. Actually even worse."
"Where is she now?"
"Rome. Possibly."
"Do you think it was her? With the note?" I shrugged. The more I thought about it, the more positive I got it was her. But I wouldn't know exactly until she told me the truth that she was so adamant about keeping.
"I think it was. I mean you read the note, you saw the words. The handwriting."
"She was around us this whole time. And we didn't even notice."
"It means that she was in New York when Egon spotted Valentina. Or at least I hope that's the truth." The thought of her being alone infuriated me. She already had to go through hell knows what to get out of Luca or Vlad's hands and then went through more trouble to get to the US. But that leaves a possibility she was in the US all along. I shook my head at that thought.
"This is actually surreal."
"What was strange was that I followed her. I ran after her without doubting if I was actually dreaming."
"I think you had to realise that no one apart from her would run from a man like that. Plus, you did get to see her up close." I nodded.
"She feels bad that I know now."
"How can she not? Her entire family doesn't know and as much as she loves you, we're a big part of her life," Margo said. "But it's not like she intentionally planned to run into you."
"But she did come there to see me," I admitted. Her head turned in my direction as her brows pinched together. "I thought she couldn't have done that but she said she wanted to. I was surprised, to say the least." Margo looked away from me.
"It was hard on her too, no doubt. But she'll come out once she's ready." I nodded. I hoped whatever she had planned would end as soon as possible. I missed her. More than throughout the two months when I had thought she was dead.
Now, I knew she was alive and that I could find her easily but I respected her wishes. Whilst back then, as much as I had hoped for something better, I thought she was dead. I thought there was no way of seeing her again, hence I couldn't find her.
"And we can't pressure her in any way." I looked at her, meeting her eyes. "And I mean that, Liam. Let her take her time."
"It's not like I would tie her up and force her to tell me everything." Her facial features softened as a smile tugged her lips.
"But you've thought of that," she teased before she stood up and walked over to the windows.
"You're not wrong."
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"What was up with Margo?" Alex asked as we stood leaning against the railing of the Eiffel Tower on the third floor. Other guys of ours sat inside, drinking champagne.
"Nothing. Well... Obviously, she was worked up but it was one of those days." One of those days. The simplest and yet most horrible way to lie. Every one of my sad days was now rewritten to be from one of those days. And now so was Margo's. We had to lie to everyone around us in order to keep my love's existence a secret.
"I hate that I can't help her. Even when it all began, she just pushed me away," he admitted. "Not every time but most of it."
"It was hard." My eyes slightly widened. "It still is," I corrected myself, trying to sound calm.
"I just hope she gets on with it. And you too. As much as it is hard," I kept nodding my head when all I could think of was how damn gorgeous Ce was yesterday. It was wrong and yet I wasn't overly guilty. Maybe towards her parents. I knew that she had a good damn reason to hide and even if I didn't agree with her, I trusted her.
"Any news on the woman?" I asked, trying to switch the subjects.
"Not really. I sent them off to you so feel free to check them out but other than that nothing." My phone started to buzz right against my chest. I took it out and my eyes widened from the sight of her contact name. She wasn't even messaging me. She was calling. I looked over at Alex as I turned the screen away from him.
"I need to take this." He nodded without hesitating and kept staring into the far of the panorama of the city. I walked around the corner where I knew none of them could hear me. Unless they were close to me or had inhuman-like hearing abilities. "Love?"
"Hey, I hope I'm not bothering you," I gripped the railing with my free hand as I stared out on the city, seeing the museum far far away. A smile crept on my face.
"I don't think that would ever happen," a light chuckle escaped the other end. "Is everything alright?" I asked, hoping nothing bad had happened.
"I'm alright. Well, kind of." My smile faded slowly. "I need your help." I frowned.
"My help? Like to do something for you?" She sighed, annoyed.
"Yes, Liam, that's how helping works."
"Sorry, I just thought that you'd want to do this on your own."
"Can you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Get to Rome and I'll tell you." There was not a single doubt in my head that I'd agree.
"I'm leaving on Monday. Would that be okay?"
"Yes. I'm assuming my father invited you back here," I frowned.
"How do you-"
"He's a bit more predictable when you get to know him better."
"Does this plan involve your final task? And does it mean I'll get to spend alone time with you?" I smiled as I thought of her.
"Maybe and yes." I could sense the smile on her face.
"Good."
"Ask to stay in my room. It hasn't been touched as far as I know and it's the only place I know a secret access to." I smiled with a frown on my face.
"Sneaky."
"You like it." I was shocked by her remark but it wasn't false.
"You bet." A chill ran down my spine at the sense that someone was right behind me. I turned around but saw no one. I leaned my lower back against the railing as I kept talking. "And when should I expect you so that I can prepare myself so you don't walk in on me naked?" She let out an actual laugh, making me smile. I missed hearing it more than anything in this world.
"I know you'd do it without worrying about me seeing it. You're not insecure about your body nor your dick." I chuckled as an image of her yesterday night made its way to my head. Her pretty mouth wrapped around me as she worked her throat. I quietly groaned as the blood began to rush to my groin.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. "You're not wrong about that, bella."
"Hey, Liam!" I heard Lorenzo shout before he appeared right by the corner of where I stood. "What kind of champagne? White or Rose?" I smiled before answering.
"Rose," he nodded before disappearing into the small bar which we paid to be shut down to spend some time alone.
"Since when do you drink Rose?" Cel asked on the phone. I smiled.
"I already had four glasses of white wine. I need some more flavours."
"Alright, go back to your people, we don't want this to be suspicious."
"Love you, angel."
"Ti amo," I waited until she hung up first because I couldn't force myself to do it. Once the call ended, I collected myself and tried to discard the happiness that was now flowing all over me.
I took a deep breath and walked to where my friends were. Once Aldo wrapped an arm around my shoulders, I smiled looking down at him.
"Already drunk?" I grabbed my glass from the bar and he clinked his glass to mine.
"To my sister." I was taken aback by the toast. Aldo chugged the drink as everyone's eyes looked at me. But I didn't react.
And maybe that was what gave it away.
Because I didn't even look triggered by the mention of her. Instead, I smiled and drank my own drink.
I hoped they saw I started to move on. Maybe I was finally getting used to the fact that I'd never have my love back.
Even if I had just talked to her.
But it wasn't enough to fool them.
And she's going to fucking hate me.
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