We were happy.
I can't believe I could say that. After everything we had been through. Everything from our past, from what I had almost done, what he had done, and some how, we were happy.
We sort of fell into this routine, a life. Together. One where Alessio got up every morning at the crack of dawn and took a growing pup for a jog down to the coffee shop where I would eventually meet him having rode down with Simone. We'd sit at a table outside and Donato, despite being my dog would lay at Alessio's feet until we walked home. We would separate soon after, after a shower for example, and I would head to work and Alessio would do, uh, whatever it is Alessio would do.
Most of the time we managed to get together for dinner, and Alessio seemed to be in such a pleasant mood about the grand reopening of the casino, in a different location of course, and the grand removal of the stripper pole that he hadn't even mentioned Matteo again.
"Same time tomorrow?" Spence said lamely as he did almost every day after our news segment.
"You know it."
I gathered up my notes and papers. I was actually relieved Alessio had headed out of town again. I was just barely keeping up with my contract and if I didn't get some serious writing done I was risking not keeping my end of the bargain up. Some distraction-free writing time sounded heavenly.
"Hey Kate." Stacey said jogging to catch me before I reached the door. "Are we still going to boxing tonight without the guys?"
I sighed. "Unfortunately I promised Alessio I'd got six times a month and the month is almost over so I'd better."
"You look...different."
I stopped and looked down at myself, trying to see what she was seeing. "Do I?"
"Yeah. You look..."
"It's the color isn't it? I told Alessio anything with black and yellow and I was going to look like a fȕcking bumble bee but he doesn't listen-" I started and looked down at my dress. The abstract design was yellow black and white and I wore a red belt with it.
"You look happy."
I looked up quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"No offense, but I'm sort of used to brooding work obsessed cynical Kate. Lately you've been so..."
"Distracted?"
"Bubbly, and active. I mean, you agreed to cover the guy who was stuffing all the squirrels. You've always been the big story or no story kind of reporter. You were the coming in five minutes before the morning show still in your pajamas and working our makeup team to the brink of insanity and now you're all...put together. I know you aren't a morning person."
"I'm still not. But Donato gets really whiny if he doesn't get out for a jog first thing in the morning. Usually Alessio takes him but with him out of town..." I shrugged.
"You jog now?" She said in disbelief.
I laughed. "Stace these are all good things you're worried about. We've been saying for the last year that we should start working out more. And now we are."
"Okay yeah. But usually when you start things..."
"I quit, I know. But things are different now."
"I'll say." She muttered and glanced down.
"Everything alright?"
She sighed and we fell into stride, walking out of the building together. "I don't know. I'm...I'm a little weirded out." She admitted.
"About me being happy?" I laughed.
"No. It's Pietro."
"Oh."
"I'm really falling for him, I like him more than I've liked anyone for a long time."
"But?"
"But there's just things about him. Things I don't understand. It's like I feel like I'm constantly left in the dark about everything."
I could relate to that one. At least I knew what they did. Stacey knew only that they owned a private company who dealt with exclusive clients and due to the high profile clients offered the utmost of confidentiality. Stacey was pretty convinced they were dealing with A list stars, quite a far cry from the truth. Naturally I had elected not to correct her.
"I mean, they make all this money, but Pietro lives with Alessio? What sense does that make?"
"They're family." I shrugged.
"Okay so get houses like side by side or something, but together? I mean, Petro is almost thirty he should be living on his own."
"My dad and Sam live together." I pointed out.
"But they're both single and broke." Point made.
"So, maybe they've got some sort of agreement like they'll live together until they get married or something. I don't know."
"You spend more time with Pietro than I do."
"Is that what this is about?"
"No! I just. I don't know Kate. I feel like he's keeping so much from me. It was great, so great when we started out but the longer we're together the more questions I have. Everything with you and Alessio is just falling together perfectly and I can't even get Pietro to spend the occasional night with me!"
She could not have been more wrong about Alessio and I. We were a half gallon bucket with a gallon full of troubles. But we were doing better in the past few weeks. A lot better really. Alessio was making efforts, the sex was on point, and he seemed to finally believe me when I said I hadn't cheated on him. Donato fell into our daily routine like he'd been there all along. Stacey had no idea all the struggles we had gone to, for nearly three years now only to have things going well for a few weeks.
We were sharing a life together. We were trying at least.
We reached Stacey's car first and I sighed. Pietro might have been keeping Stacey at arms length due to the dangerous and busy nature of what he participated in but Stacey could never understand that. He didn't stay the night with her because Alessio was so damn insistent about having at least one other person in the house at all times, preferably more, and especially at night, in case of attack.
"I'm starting to think my boyfriend is, I don't know, unhealthily obsessed with yours." She sighed and opened the passengers side door, throwing her purse onto the chair and shutting the door again. "Does Alessio have some sort of hold on him or something?" Or something. "I mean, is there something I'm missing here?"
I decided in that moment that I would have to tell Alessio to start letting Pietro out more. I was actually quite fond of Silvano and Simone and Simone seemed to have been promoted into Benji's position. It only made sense to have him around more often.
"I can assure you Alessio doesn't have any sort of special hold on Pietro. They just...I mean they work a lot. Need to be available for clients at all times and all that jazz. I mean, we are talking A listers right, they can get so entitled sometimes."
Stacey sighed. "I just feel like something is off about him and honestly, I can't help but be jealous about how you and Alessio are moving forward in your relationship and Pietro and I...well we aren't. I just don't know what to do."
"I'll talk to him."
"Oh my gosh no! That'd be so embarrassing. He can't know I'm like spazzing out."
I laughed. "He knows you're a spaz already. I'll just drop some not so subtle hints about you wanting to spend more time together."
"I told him my lease was expiring next month. Told him I wasn't sure if I should renew it. You want to know what he said? He said if I liked the please I'd be silly not to. Silly not to!"
I chuckled. "He's crazy about you. He just doesn't pick up on hints like that, no guy does. I've got this."
She sighed. "I really like him Kate but...I don't know. He's keeping something from me."
"We all have our secrets." I muttered more to myself than her. My own secret almost betrayal still burning a hole in my chest, Alessio and Pietro's illegal activity adding salt to the wound as I looked my best friend in the eye and pretended to be clueless. "I'll see you tonight, alright?"
We said our goodbyes and I made my way down to my Lexus. I climbed into the drivers seat, threw all my folders and notes onto the passenger's seat and fired her up.
"Kate."
I jumped in my seat causing me to hit my knees on the steering wheel and cursed loudly before turning around to face Nash in the back. "You gave me a frigging heart attack!" I yelled.
"I'm sorry." He smiled apologetically. "I just wanted to talk."
"Heard of a telephone? Geez." I put my hand over my heart and exhaled heavily.
"I'm sorry. I just, I, well I wasn't sure you'd take my call to be honest."
I turned forward again and put the car into drive.
"Kate, I swear, on everything that I wasn't-"
"How does Mexican sound?"
"What?"
"Mexican? Food? For lunch? I didn't have time after taking the dog for a jog to grab breakfast. I am famished."
"I, er, it sounds great."
"Great."
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Hey readerssss.
Whether you love Nash (as I do) or you hate him (as I almost might sometimes lol) you have to agree with one thing. Having him drop from the story would be such a huge plot hole, and I'm not all about those plot holes. So, if you hate Nash, sorry, but this is something that needs to be taken care of. The story isn't over so neither is his role (:
Stacey starting to get a little suspicious...how long is Pietro going to manage to keep his life under wraps from her and can they truly have a relationship with so much secrecy?
Do you guys like how calm and happy things have been lately, or are you missing the dramaaaa?
Much more to come.
Please do vote and comment (: and don't forget to follow on twitter!!!