My Christmas List: December 20th
Let me stay here in Italy instead of going back to Chicago.
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"So this was your room?" I asked, looking around the large room that had ample light flowing in from the tall rectangular windows. The large bed was made with white linen, the tan walls were clean and bare, and the view of the faraway city lingered like some stoic background beyond the windows of her room. "I couldn't even imagine waking up here."
Armani slid her dress off, changing into a white t-shirt and matching white shorts, "Me either honestly. At times it feels like the life I lived here was never even real—like it was all a dream." I looked over to her with a solemn expression, but she only shrugged and handed me a pile of clothes. "If you want to help make breakfast then you'll want to change into something more comfortable."
I looked down at the pile of clothes, "What does helping with breakfast entail exactly?"
Armani smirked, "Oh you'll see."
When she said you'll see, I expected to be making biscuits from scratch covered in flour—or maybe even eating pasta for breakfast since that could've been a stereotype.
Instead, we were outside, grabbing eggs from the hen house and picking fresh fruit from the ground and all the trees.
It was... refreshing?
I had never done anything like it.
"What is it?" I said, feeling Armani's eyes on me as I picked the apples from the tree.
Armani shrugged, smiling slightly as her eyes squinted beneath the harsh sun. "I like you like this."
I laughed, throwing the apple into the woven basket that was sitting on the ground. "You like me like this?"
Armani hummed, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind. "The countryside looks so good on you—I almost want to stay here with you and never go back to Chicago."
I couldn't help but smile, leaning into her embrace. "I wouldn't mind staying here with you—in fact, I would go anywhere with you."
"Yeah?" Armani said, pressing gentle kisses to the side of my neck. "It sounds to me like I have you wrapped around my finger."
I laughed, "Oh really?" I said, feeling the need to challenge her even though she was fully correct. "Because I'd say the same about you."
Armani's kisses grew slower and more sensual, easily making my body grow hot with need. I will never understand how she can bring this side out of me in a matter of seconds.
A whimper vibrated in the back of my throat when Armani nibbled slightly on the skin of my neck, gripping me closer to her. "I could take you right here, and you'd let me," she murmured, her warm breath fanning across my ear. "I'd say that means I have you wrapped around my finger better than you do me."
I couldn't help but smile slightly, knowing I suddenly had a point to prove.
When I pulled away from Armani's grip and turned to her with a playful smile, she raised a brow, challenging my next motives.
"If you aren't wrapped around my finger then you won't chase me... and perhaps—" I twirled my long black hair around my finger, "—you won't get to take me right here," I said, quoting her words, which made a small smirk tug on her lips. I backed away on my heel as she took a few steps toward me, "I guess it's up to you."
I giggle left my lips when I took off running, noticing Armani taking off behind me. She was quick, and her legs were much longer than mine, so I knew who was going to win this battle. Honestly, it was just a point I had to prove, especially since I'd love for her to catch me.
My giggles turned into laughs as Armani caught up with me, which forced me to run faster through the green fields of grass.
I somehow knew this would be a beautiful core memory—running around like kids with Armani through the countryside of her childhood home. I'll relive this moment until the day I die.
A squeal escaped my lips when I felt Armani's hands firmly grip my waist, pulling me into her before she flipped me around to face her.
Her dark eyes peered down into mine, smiling as we both caught our breath. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that?" she said, pulling me further into her warm body.
I hummed when one of her hands gently grabbed the front of my throat and guided my face toward hers.
"I thought I didn't have you wrapped around my finger?" I said, fluttering my lashes as our noses brushed one another.
She shook her head slightly, her smile growing as she leaned down into me and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
I slid my hands up her arms and around her neck, leaning further into the kiss. Her other hand gripped my waist closer to her, transitioning the kiss from innocent to needy.
A moan escaped my lips but was quickly muffled by Armani's as her warm tongue slid into my mouth. I tilted my head back, giving her full access and control over the addicting kiss. My brain felt fuzzy and my body only grew hotter by the minute.
"Hey, lovebirds!" a voice called out which easily made me separate from Armani by at least a foot.
The action itself made Armani let out a laugh, looking behind me to who I assumed was her nonna.
"Make out all you want, but at least let me eat breakfast first," the woman joked, walking over to the tree to grab the basket of fruit.
I couldn't help but chuckle, looking over to Armani with heated cheeks and a shy smile.
Armani smiled, taking a few steps toward me with an extended hand, "I was trying to eat breakfast too," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
I couldn't help but gasp at the realization of what she meant, smacking Armani's shoulder as her Nonna let out an amused laugh.
"You're worse than your father—do you know how many times I caught your parents out in this field?" Rosana said, walking toward the large house as we followed behind her.
Armani shuddered, "No I didn't know, and I still don't want to know."
I laughed, gazing around the large backyard that seemed to span for miles. Everything about it only inclined me to stay here rather than go back to Chicago.
The garden, the hen house, the shimmering pool by the edge of the yard with tan lawn chairs around it, even the patio right by the backdoor that had a firepit and an outdoor sectional couch by it. I could spend years here and not even realize the time ticking by.
When we made it back up to the house and finally got settled in the large chef's kitchen, Armani's nonna got to work.
She instructed us over to the sink to clean the fruit while she prepared the eggs. Ironically, enough, she ended up pulling out a homemade biscuit dough with jams alongside it, which easily made me think back to my own assumption of making biscuits from scratch.
Soon, the fruit was cut up and in a large bowl together, the scrambled eggs were made, and the biscuits had cooked to a golden brown in the oven. I could feel my mouth physically watering as we all sat down at the long wooden table in the formal dining room, which we only took up the end of given that it was only us three.
I grabbed a warm biscuit, breaking it apart and sitting it on my plate before grabbing one of the jams to smear on it.
"So how has the Viper's been?" Rosana asked, scooping the cut-up fruit onto her plate with her eggs.
Armani shrugged, "Normal, I guess."
Rosana only hummed knowingly, "I've heard otherwise from your father."
I couldn't help but look up, noticing that Rosana was eyeing Armani for more information.
Armani didn't look up as she continued to smear the strawberry jam on her biscuit, "He told you about the Strix?" she asked nonchalantly, but it was far from nonchalant for me.
What is the Strix and why is Rosana asking her about it?
"It's not something you take lightly la mia piccola stella," Rosana said, grabbing her fork and sticking it into the fruit.
I couldn't stop myself before I inevitably asked, "What are the Strix?"
Almost immediately, Armani looked up, her eyes locking on me. "Nothing that you need to worry about."
Rosana shook her head, "You need to be more transparent with her Ani—after all, she is your girlfriend."
I furrowed my brows, sensing that I was supposed to have known about the Strix long ago.
"Armani... what is the Strix?" I said, asking the question again.
Rosana shook her head, "More like who."
Who? What does she mean by who?
"Did you seriously not tell her about the incident?" Rosana said, chewing on her fruit.
What incident? What are we even talking about—who are we even talking about?
Armani sighed, pushing her plate away. "Yes, she was there."
"I was?" I said, raising a brow, which made Armani purse her lips.
She grabbed her glass of water, taking a brief sip before saying, "You remember when I went missing a little over a week ago? Something about handling matters with a rival?"
I nodded hesitantly. "Yes?"
Armani cleared her throat, "Well, that rival was the Strix—I couldn't tell the Vipers yet since Dominico and I weren't sure, but when my father got intel a couple of days ago, it was confirmed that it was them who we had stumbled across."
I blinked a few times, "Stumbled across?"
What did that even mean? Did they have an accidental meeting or something?
"Stumble across... kill... same thing," Armani said, her tone still calm and nonchalant.
But I was far from calm. I knew that it was a setup by the rival gang but I didn't realize people died—or that this gang was still a threat to the Vipers. I thought it was handled.
I pushed the killing topic away, deciding to discuss it with her later. What I needed to know was who the Strix were and why they were an issue.
"So the... Strix—" I said, unsure of what to even say next, "—they're a threat?"
Rosanna laughed. "Oh honey, they've been a threat for decades, but the moment they killed my husband, they were declared a handled threat," she said, which easily made my stomach drop. They killed... Armani's grandfather? An ex-mafia leader? "They honestly should be extinct—far from a threat, but somehow they're up and running again."
I felt my sinking stomach grow hollow, suddenly I couldn't eat anymore.
Armani cleared her throat, "Look, it's nothing that you need to worry about."
I shook my head, "Nothing I need to worry about?" I said, my tone clipped which made Armani raise a brow. "You knew this two days ago and you didn't say anything to me?"
Armani tilted her head, her dark eyes analyzing my face fully, which made me conclude that she was contemplating her next moves. "We're handling the threat Mi—"
"But how are you handling it? You aren't even in Chicago—why would we even leave town if something like this was happening?" I said, cutting her previous sentence short.
But suddenly it had all clicked together, especially when Rosana cleared her throat. It was all so obvious, especially since she refused to leave me alone with security earlier.
"We didn't leave town for a date did we?" I said, mumbling my thoughts aloud, and when Armani's lips pursed into a straight line, I knew I was correct. "You used that as an excuse to get me out of town—to get me away from the Strix."
Armani shook her head, "I have it handled—"
"No, no. Tell me Armani, is that why we left town?" I said, feeling my head grow dizzy with realization.
I don't even care that we left, I just wish she would've told me instead of lying to me.
Armani sighed before inevitably nodding, "Yes, but it was only to protect you, Mi."
I shook my head in disbelief, standing from the table and promptly exiting the dining room.