We're all seated for lunch as, Emily, our maid, brings food to the table. We're eating Italian for lunch, and I've never been more happier. Emily's Italian food is the best.
I look up from my plate and I see the tattooed man himself sitting across from me. He's texting someone, very quickly I must add. I'm a fast texter myself, but the way he was typing it was as if his mom was going to take away his phone and he wouldn't see his friends for another year or so.
His fingers moving so fast. I wonder what else those fingers can do.
Nope, not going there.
Everyone starts eating and I start wondering how this man hasn't said one word to anyone except his brother, the whole day.
Is he shy. That's cute. Shy guys are the cutest people to exist. But in my experience, sometimes they're the most freakiest people. Like woah, okay.
"Will you guys think about kids? We really hope to have grandkids one day, and same with Viola and Daniel, I assume?" Vera asks with mischief laced in her tone.
I choke on my lasagna not expecting this, to be the first topic of our lunch. Okay, I guess we're talking about that then. My parents never brought it up. Maybe they thought that it was self explanatory. I think they do want me to have babies with this man.
I can't imagine him being a father. I feel like he'd be a good one. Or that's how it ends in the books that I read. The tattooed scary guys end up being the cutest fathers ever.
"Well mamá, that depends on Melina doesn't it?" Alessio responds with mischief dancing in his eyes.
So many thing to unpack here. First, his voice. Lord. His voice is piercing, raspy, low. Not in the kind where it's cringe, but in the kind where it makes you weak in the knees.
Second, first thing he says to me all day is indirect, and so random. We haven't spoken in years, and he wishes to talk to me about sex. What the fuck.
And then Mila beside me, giggles. Happy someone finds my misery entertaining.
I avert my eyes to the dark brown ones, sitting across from mine. There is pure amusement displayed across his eyes. A smirk placed on his lips, as if he's trying to hold in a laugh.
I clear my throat before responding. "I love kids, and always dreamt of having a family of my own so, yes." I say with a radiant smile. And I receive a smile back from Vera.
I turn my gaze away from Vera, and attach it onto Alessio's while raising my eyebrows in pride.
Meanwhile, he smirks and rolls his tongue against the inside of his cheek, while averting his gaze elsewhere. And I notice dimples.
Alessio fucking Mazzelli has dimples. Like him rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek wasn't enough, he had to have dimples. I'm a goner.
After that whole scene, everyone continues eating and talking amongst themselves.
After eating a whole portion of lasagna I feel full. But I have this need to take more, otherwise I'll look too skinny in the wedding dress.
"Melina you have to eat more otherwise you won't look appealing to boys."
"you look sick melina, eat more."
"if you keep up this body, you'll end up with no one."
"you look sick. here eat this whole plate."
"your body makes me wanna throw up. gain some weight."
Flashbacks hit me like a truck. These phrases still haunt me. After I hit puberty, everyone started talking about my weight. I thought they were right, at the time.
"My body looked sick", that's what I reminded myself every time I ate. I needed to eat more. Look more appealing.
But I always threw it all up. Every night.
There wasn't one event or party, where my weight wasn't mentioned.
I got better as I moved out. Lived far enough so people don't invite me. It helped me grow a healthy relationship with my body. I'm not curvaceous, but I think I have okay sized breasts. And my ass isn't completely flat, I have a little something. It took me a while to love my body, I still don't have the perfect relationship with it, but I'm okay for now.
Before I can start tearing up I go to put my plate away, in hopes to distract myself.
"Ms Solace, please let me." Emily asks to take my plate away.
"Emily, I can do it, you eat some lunch and take a break okay?" I say knowing she'll listen to me. One, because I'm stubborn. Two, she's known me since I was little and she understands that I like doing everything on my own.
Doing everything on my own, is a habit I grew into. Because if I ask anyone for help, I know I'm giving them more things to worry about. I don't want to be a bigger burden than I already am, so I'd rather suffer and do things in silence, than let someone help me.
While I'm rinsing my plate, Alessio comes up beside me and waits to rinse his plate. Surprised he didn't give his plate to Emily. Thank god that he's not bratty rich kid.
I know he has manners. His parents don't look like the type of people to teach their kids to let the maids and helpers do all your work. I'm glad. All of the guys that I've been with, they let their maids do all work. It wouldn't kill you to help out a little.
"Give me your plate, I'll rinse it." I say expecting him to give his plate and walk away.
"No." That catches me off guard. He doesn't want me to rinse his plate for him?
I think he has a strict word limit per day. I'm the opposite. I love talking. But I sometimes hate myself for it. People get annoyed of me pretty easily. I'll never stop talking. No matter how bad it gets.
Talking makes me avert my focus off of my problems. So will I ever stop? Probably not.
"Just give it to me, I'll rinse it." I respond, being over with whatever this interaction is.
"No." He responds in a monotone voice.
I swear he has a word limit per day.
"Do you have any other words in your vocabulary, other than no?" I ask impatiently.
"No." He responds.
I'm slowly losing my patience.
I'm a very patient person, but Alessio makes me want to lose it all.
"Do you get paid for saying no?" I ask, my tone filled with amusement.
"Maybe." He responds, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
I start laughing. I can't keep it in anymore. This man has to be a social experiment.
"Fine whatever, here you go." I say before washing my hands and drying them.
Before I leave, I see that his eyes have victory gleaming within them. He's so strange.
A couple hours pass by and everyone's having a good time. I love moments like this. I love seeing people happy. It makes my heart warm.
I look at the time and it's now 6:15 pm. I could probably catch the sunset. There's a trail from my parents house that leads to a beach. No one goes there, so it's a nice secluded area.
"Mamá, I'm going to the beach nearby, I'll be back in a bit." I say informing her before I leave, otherwise she's going to start calling the rescue teams.
"Ask Alessio if he wants to go with you, you guys can use some alone time. Bond with him." My mom says trying to get me to talk to him.
Should I? Sure why not. Maybe he'll cancel the marriage after he hears me babble about random shit.
"Okay. See you later."
The worst he can do is run away from you. Oh god, what if he does?
I try and look for him, and I see him sitting outside in the backyard.
I make my way towards him, mentally preparing myself to him saying no. Maybe he'll say yes. I shouldn't always think of the worst.
"Hi Alessio, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the beach with me? If you don't want to, that's okay I don't want you to feel like you have to come with me." I say hesitantly.
"I'll join you." He says gruffly.
Oh god. He probably said yes to shut me up. A win is a win though. I'll take it.
I knew Melina Solace. Saw her at every charity event, fundraiser. She never saw me.
I still remember our interactions from when we were little.
If she was gorgeous then, she's breathtaking now.
She's like daylight. Golden and radiant. She has that kind of smile that, even when you're having a bad day, it makes you feel warm inside.
But I'm not excited to marry her. Not at all. If I told anyone, they'd think it's because I ended my two year relationship with Eva Montgomery.
It's not. I'm just not ready to marry someone. Settling down with a girl isn't for me. I'd rather stick to fucking around. Way more fun. No attachments or that lovey dovey shit.
I hope Melina doesn't expect love from me. I can't give that to her. Never will be able to. I'm not built for love. Wasn't then, wasn't going to start now.
During lunch I notice Lina's mood change. Her smile dies down a bit. She zones out. Immediately, she comes back to reality and goes to put her plate away. Before she does, the maid comes over to her and tries to take it away from her. But what Lina does next kind of shocks me. She tells the maid to take a break and eat lunch.
I thought she'd be like every other rich girl. Letting the maids do all her work. She has a good heart. Kind of tempts me to taint it. Ruin it.
Soon after, I finish eating and go to put my plate away. I see Lina rinsing her plate.
I stand two feet away from her, waiting to rinse mine next.
"Give me your plate, I'll rinse it." She says, as if she's used to this.
"No." Is all I can get out. Even though I fuck around with women, doesn't mean I don't have common respect.
"Just give it to me, I'll rinse it." She says, not budging.
"No." I grit out.
I see irritation slightly spreading across her face. This just got fun for me.
"Do you have any other words in your vocabulary, other than no?" She asks me, as if she already knows the answer.
"No." I say amused. Making her lose patience is entertaining.
"Do you get paid for saying no?" She asks me with amusement dancing in her eyes.
She finds this amusing. Huh. And here I thought I could drive her to the edge.
"Maybe." I say shrugging my shoulders.
She laughs.
Her laughing is probably the best thing I've heard in a while. Fuck.
"Fine whatever, here you go." She says while washing her hands.
I smile, but quickly cover it up before she turns around.
Everyone finishes up eating, and drown into their own conversations. Our families really seem to get along. That's good, I guess.
I see Cami walking to grab something, and I think this is probably a good time to ask her what Lina likes to eat. During lunch, I noticed that she's kind of a picky eater.
So, who knows what she loves to eat, better than her sister.
"Hi Cami, I was wondering if you could make a list of what Melina loves to eat, and pass it by me before we leave?" I ask her, hoping she'll help me out.
She starts smiling and gives me a stare, like she knows something.
"Yeah, I'll give it you before you guys leave." She responds with a polite smile.
"Thank you." I say before leaving to sit outside in their backyard.
I needed some fresh air. Process how I'm getting married in less than a week. Take it in.
She's going to be living in my space. Seeing me everyday.
I drown myself in my thoughts, but suddenly I hear soft footsteps approaching me.
It's Melina.
"Hi Alessio, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the beach with me? If you don't want to, that's okay I don't want you to feel like you have to come with me." She says like she's in a hurry.
Should I go?
Fuck it, I'm going. Maybe I'll get to drive her to the edge more.
"I'll join you." I say while waving my arm pointing towards the door.
She just nods her head in response and walks ahead of me. My gaze soon falters to her ass.
I can't help but wonder what she'd look like underneath me. Those plump wrapped around my—
I need to stop before I get a hard on.
I soon catch up to her. Should I start a conversation?
Never mind, she starts it.
"So, wanna play 20 questions?" She asks hopeful, while looking away.
"No." I grit out.
"Are we back to this, again?" She asks while rolling her eyes.
She needs to stop, before I actually give her a reason to roll her eyes.
Before I can say anything, she trips over a plant pot.
I quickly catch her and my hands snake around her waist.
Fuck, she fits in my hands perfectly.
She looks in my eyes as if she's trying to find something.
I bore myself in her eyes. Angelic. Pure.
If I got lost in her eyes, I wouldn't want anyone bringing me back.
"Falling for me, already?" I ask playfully.
She quickly breaks eye contact and regains her balance.
"You wish." She responds with snark.
I do.
Nope.
Hi guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it's pretty long. We finally got Alessio's pov!! I have no idea how to write from a guy's pov so bear with me. Lmk if there are any spelling or grammar errors! Thank you for reading, luh youuu x