"You will never gain anyone's approval by begging for it. When you stand confident in your own worth, respect follows."
― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass
Caroline
"Vic! Vic! Victor where are you?!" I called out into the seemingly empty penthouse. I threw my designer bag onto the couch beside me and continued walking around the apartment searching for my missing boyfriend.
He was usually here around this time, so I found it odd that he wasn't responding to my calls; after trying for a couple more minutes, I decided to give up and just thought that something had kept him at work which was why he was late coming home.
It was so weird to think that we were living together, but at the same time it brought a warm feeling in my heart that I had someone to come home to every night, I hadn't ever felt that in my life because I was so good at closing myself away from any man getting close enough to me.
Victor and I had our ups and downs especially around the 1 and half year mark in our relationship where we had this big blow out and broke up for a while; it was rough on both of us, but in the end we found our way back to each other and were happier and stronger than ever before, I had Val and Nic to thank for that, they were always looking out for the both of us.
"Vic! Vic!" I called out one more time and when I received no other response, I assumed he wasn't in the house.
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, I twisted the cap, and took a long swig of the liquid. Once I put the cap down I almost spit the water out of my mouth—correction, I did.
All over Victor.
"I already took a shower, but this surprise bath is definitely something I look forward to." He laughed.
I caught my chest because my heart was beating so irregularly, I thought I might pass out.
When I finally got myself together, I realized Victor was in a pair of gray sweats that barely hung onto his waist, showing his deep "v" that led to....
Well you know where.
He was shirtless and I could see the small droplets of water that were dripping from his hair down to his solid fit chest.
I hadn't even realized that I was staring until he pointed it out.
"Like the view, Cara." Victor had wrapped his arms around my waist and placed butterfly kisses across my neck.
I instantly melted under his embrace and wrapped my arms around his body, too short to meet up with his tall frame and neck. I had to blame my partial Asian genes for that, my mother was pretty short, but my father was really tall so I averaged somewhere around the middle.
"Mhm...maybe." I replied to his comment.
He chuckled, "How was work?" He asked me curiously.
I shrugged, "Better now that I'm here." I replied to him pecking his lips lightly.
He watched me for a silent moment.
I broke our embrace and cocked my head to the side, "Where you taking a shower the entire time I was calling you?" I asked him.
He ruffled his hair letting a couple of droplets spring from his hair, down onto various parts of his body, and onto the floor, "No...I had just finished, I just didn't feel like responding back to you." He said jokingly.
I narrowed my eyes and slapped his arm, "I thought you were working late tonight!" I groaned and began walking towards the bedroom we shared together.
Victor followed behind me his pace slow and unhurried, "Me? Victor Mosello staying later than absolutely needed...mai!" (Never) He laughed with an evilness that caused me to briefly look at my boyfriend with an odd stare.
He was a piece of work sometimes.
But so was I.
So I guess we perfectly fit for each other.
I kicked off my heels and began unbuttoning my button down shirt when Victor spoke again. "I'm not like my crazy workaholic best friend who can't forget that work it isn't his life." He said as he helped me with my buttons and unzipping my skirt.
I waited for the fabric to slip down my ankles before I kicked it away and I shrugged my unbuttoned shirt off. Victor growled at my simple black lingerie that I wore underneath my work clothes and began placing his kisses over my bare neck and collarbone.
His passion was so tempting and full of desire, but I knew how these Italian men were and seducing my weak mind, but not this woman! I've been doing so well 2 years without sex and it's like I'm a different person.
Almost as if I see things in a different light.
Victor pushed me onto the bed and I fell on my back with a big huff, it was crazy everyday I believe his sexual appetite increased more and more and although I felt the same way, I knew this leave of absence from my sexual life gave me a chance to make sure Victor and I were 100%.
My body heat rushed with excitement as I couldn't help pulling at the dark strands of his hair and fisting it into my hands which earned a low growl from his throat.
I chuckled, "Easy there tiger...or should I say Italian stallion." I teased him.
He stopped kissing me momentarily and flashed me a devilish smirk, "Have you forgotten I am also part French, my love?" He asked me curiously.
I rolled my eyes, "Fine then....French-Italian stallion, better?" I asked him.
He nodded and smiled, "Much better." He bent down to resume seducing me but the sound of his phone ringing brought us out of the mood.
He sucked his teeth, "Merde! Qui diable appelle maintenant?" He yelled in his native French tongue. (Shit! Who the hell is calling now?) He got out from on top of me and slid over to his phone sitting on his side of the night stand.
I laid up on my elbows with a smirk on my face wondering who could be calling him.
"Hello?" He answered his phone.
The minute he heard the voice on the other line, his face paled and he sat up his full attention on the call.
I watched him with inept curiosity.
He cleared his throat, "Yes ma'am we'll be sure to be there tonight." He gulped, clear nervous behavior emitting from his so called "bad boy" persona.
More speaking on the other line.
"Yes, I understand...have a nice day Mrs. Williams." He said before closing the phone.
So my mother huh?
"Since when does my mother start calling you?" I inquired him with enthusiasm.
It looked as if a thought had flashed through his mind for a moment before he answered.
"Uh....ever since we've been together, you know she may be little, but that woman is very protective of you. She once threatened to have me mutilated if I ever cheated on you." He looked to have shuddered from the memory.
I cackled with laughter, that sounds like something my mother would say.
"By the way we're having dinner with your parents again, tonight." He said sitting upright on the bed, running his hands through his still damp hair.
Again?
I groaned, "This is like the 4th time this week! I think I'm getting tired of traditional Chinese food..." I crawled over to him and placed a soft kiss on his back where he was having his own contemplating session at the edge of the bed. "I want to spend time with you tonight, just me and you." I finished.
His tense muscles seemed to relax for a moment, "I know il mio petardo but it's not going to kill us if we spend one more night at your household." (My firecracker) He said pretty rationally.
I was taken back for a moment.
Usually Victor would be the one to suggest we dip or whatever, but tonight he had his mind set on attending this dinner. It had me wondering just how much of a tight leash my mother had my boyfriend on.
I narrowed my eyes, I was supposed to be the one cracking the whip and if I found out my mom was calling all the shots....
Well, there's about to be a commotion that was for sure.
At the thought I instantly grabbed for the back of Victor's neck and held it with intention, he cowered at the sensation I knew he hated and my eyes burned with a pleasing fire of satisfaction.
"What are you up to, huh Vic?" I said in a death whisper to him.
"Aye! Cara, you know I hate when you do that?" He said cringing at the sensation.
I chuckled, "Then if you want me to stop...tell me what you're up to." I said giving him an ultimatum.
He squinted his eyes, "I just want to impress your mother, okay? She gives me a lot of grief for you, even more so than your father...I actually think your father and I are best friends. It's your mother who's like trying to take down a concrete wall with a toothpick." He said.
I let go of his neck and he breathed a prayer in Italian.
I nodded, "She's as tough as the great wall to be exact...but I understand." I hopped off the bed and allowed my hair to run free from the ponytail I had kept in all day and walked towards the bathroom. Victor got up and followed me there only stopping at the entrance and leaning towards the door frame.
In the bathroom, I took off my makeup with some wipes and felt Victor's eyes lingering on me for awhile.
"Have you heard from Nic today?" I asked him curiously.
He huffed, "Not today, why?" He sounded a little salty his boyfriend didn't call him.
I laughed at his childish behavior. "I was sure he would call you after this time." I said secretively.
"Huh?" Victor sounded genuinely confused.
So he didn't know.
I smiled.
"I got a secret, I can't tell." I teased him.
Victor without another word walked over to me with a serious look on his face as he looked me in the eyes intently. "What do you know?" He interrogated me.
I zipped my lips and threw away the keys.
He growled.
What was he a tiger or something?
Didn't he have his frosted flakes this morning or something?
"Cara." He whined.
I just hummed a familiar Drake tune...One Dance to be in particular as I continued removing the makeup from my face.
"Caroline." He said seriously.
I giggled.
"You little minx devil." He said attacking my lips with his. I instantly forgot what I was doing and succumbed to his playful and teasing lips that conveyed me to release my secret. The way the glided and rested on the soft corners of my mouth was enough for me to open my mouth and tell him.
"Guess who's going to be a godmother and godfather?!" I squealed happily.
Victor furrowed his brown and cocked his head to the side. "Your brother is having another child?" He asked me.
I made a face and slapped his shoulder. "No dummy, Val is pregnant!" I hopped up in excitement at my best friend's good news, she was finally going to be a mother after Nicolas's tireless attempts at impregnating her by trickery.
His eyes widened, "Valeria is pregnant?!" He questioned me.
I nodded with a wide grin on my face, "She's 10 weeks and counting." I explained to him.
Victor shook his head, "And that testa di cazzo didn't even tell me, oh he will hear from me tonight!" (Dickhead) Victor quickly marched to his bedroom to retrieve what I believed was his cellphone, to speed dial his Nicolas about his little secret.
I would have sworn he told him about the pregnancy, I mean it's only been a day or so but I'm sure he would be the first to know from his side.
As I climbed into the shower I could hear the sounds of Victor telling Nicolas off through the phone and I just shook my head and got to work cleaning the rest of my body off; it was going to be one hell of a night for Nicolas, that was for sure.
-
Victor
Quella cagna! (That bitch!) How dare he not let me know this little piece of information that was absolutely critical for me to know?!
How could he keep Valeria's pregnancy from me?
"I just found out yesterday, I haven't even told my parents yet." He groaned over the phone.
I huffed, "Forget about that, I should know before them. It goes Victor, Nicolas's parents, the dogs, and then everyone else!" I said to him.
I could sense Nicolas rolling his eyes from the other side of the line.
If I saw him in front of me I would probably strangle the life out of him!
"I'll make sure to correct my error next time." He informed me.
I narrowed my eyes, "Have you forgotten that I am the sole reason of the many tricks to convince Valeria to get pregnant, hm?" I asked him.
"I have not forgotten, Vic." He chuckled.
He laughs now, but I remember the frustration in his voice as he called on my phone numerous times asking for advice on how to convince Valeria that it was time for them to have children. My own best friend....the betrayal!
"I'm hurt, friend." I said to him.
He laughed. "I'm sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?" He asked me.
I thought about it for a long hard moment, "I have no clue, but I will think about it....actually." I turned my head and listened to the sound of the shower running confirming that Cara was indeed still in the shower, for extra measure I walked into the living room and shut the bedroom door behind me.
"I still need help planning Cara's proposal." I whispered to him.
"Ah yes! Has her mother given you approval yet?" He asked.
I sighed, "No...hopefully tonight will be the night." I said in a hopeful tone.
I had spent 8 months, that was the amount of time I had kept Cara's engagement ring on lock because I had wanted to propose to her after we had gotten back together again, but when I went to her parents home to ask for her hand, although her father was okay with it, her mother shot me down completely.
She told me that if I wanted her daughter's hand in marriage, I had to earn it, and that was by the traditional Chinese customs. So I got to figuring out what all of that was about and sent 30 unique gifts to their homes as a step one, I then went out of my way to have our birthdays looked at by a Chinese match maker to see if the heavens saw that we were perfect for each other...thankfully we were.
I then sent a handwritten betrothal letter in a red envelope with our birthdays, my wishes, and promises I intended to keep with Cara as my wife written on it. I then even got more betrothal gifts, I found out what Mia (Cara's mother) liked and filled her house with just that, flowers, fresh fruits, freaking coy fish!
Then there was this gift letter that Mia had sent to me which was supposed to be a list of the wedding gifts my parents and I had to send to the Williams household. At this point, I was desperate to get her approval that I did just that. My mother and father both helped me get these very complicated gifts and had them sent to her house in a flash.
Then as a traditional custom they sent half of the gifts back and even added some of their own, and this point I was confused but I had someone explain to me that it was a way of showing how the bride and groom's family would be dedicated and hospitable tone one another if the marriage went through.
That being settled I thought I was done....
No!
Now I had to wait on Caroline's mother to find the perfect wedding date according to all our aligned stars and shit and so far she hasn't gotten back to me in 3 months! Every time I came over for dinner I asked her and she's come into this habit of shaking her head no, meaning she wasn't going to allow me to marry her, every time I went to dinner I hoped for an approval nod of the head, but I was always disappointed.
I prayed that tonight will be the night, but I had doubts raging in my stomach.
"I'm sure you will be successful tonight my friend, I feel it in my gut." Nicolas said optimistically.
I scoffed, "Yeah but I do not feel it in mine." I said.
Nicolas sighed, "Don't worry I will send you ideas on proposals as soon as I can." He said.
"Papa! Can you read me a bedtime story?!" I heard Mila's voice on the other line.
"Okay, wait a little bit so I can finish talking to Uncle Victor." He replied to her.
"Hi, Uncle victor!" She screamed into the phone.
I chuckled, "Hello, Mila." I replied to her.
She giggled.
"How's Valeria doing?" I asked him curiously.
He sighed, "The morning sickness is getting to her, but she's been doing fine so far." He explained.
I chuckled. "Take care of her and that baby or I'll strangle you to death." I warned him.
"You and my sister are both too alike for my comfort, but on that note I bid you a good night and good luck. I have to go read the little one a story for bed." He said.
I began walking back into the bedroom.
"Surely. Thanks again for the lies!" I called out to him.
He laughed before hanging up the phone, just as Cara erupted from the bathroom in just a towel.
Mhm...just how I liked her.
"Baby, get dressed we have to leave pretty soon! You know my mom hates when we're late. She'll go on a rant on how I've become more westernized." She rolled her eyes as if she could hear her mother right in front of her before she disappeared into her walk-in-closet.
I smiled.
I was definitely going to marry her.
One way or another.
-
We finally arrived at the Williams household on time and was greeted at the door by Cara's father and Mia who had her eyes firmly set on mine and for a moment, I thought she was going to give me an answer but she looked away.
I sighed.
We sat our outside shoes at the front steps to the house, as we usually did. I wasn't used to Asian culture but I knew it was disrespectful to walk into the house with shoes from the streets. We switched into slippers, but Cara as defiant as she was preferred to walk barefoot.
"Jiyayi put on your shoes!" Her mother called out to her.
"Hello to you too mother." She kissed her cheek and then hugged her father tightly. "Hey daddy!" She said to him.
"How are you doing, baby?" He kissed her forehead and she smiled letting go of his neck as she walked further into the house.
"I'm fine...still wondering why we're having dinner at the house again." She directing that question to her mother.
"Because I know you don't cook!" She called back.
She groaned and I stiffed a laughter. Cara has gotten better at cooking for me, I thought it was cute whenever she tried to make something fancy but ended up failing miserably and we would just eat take-out or something; I didn't stop loving her though, I loved her even if she couldn't boil water properly.
"I'll have you know I have mastered the skill of making spaghetti, mother." She said proudly.
I have that to testify to, she was getting better.
We helped Mia set up the dinner table and such before we sat down for some dinner. I had gotten used to her Asian cuisine, at first it was a guessing game wondering what was what, and my absolute biggest challenge which was learning how to use chopsticks.
I remember my first attempt and the look of pure disappointment on Mia's face as she watched me drop the food relentlessly onto the plate until I resorted to some fork and knives she had specifically put on the table for me. I was absolutely determined to fit in with her cultural family and practiced endlessly until I was gripping those sticks with the utmost confidence a man could ever have holding chopsticks.
I was now a pro holding the stainless steel contraptions in my hand.
I had also gotten used to how the Chinese ate their meals, which was like a buffet style where others put on your plate and you had to eat no matter what, even if you were full so you didn't disrespect the chef.
Yeah, I had grown a solid stomach at this point.
I think I could handle anything this family threw at me.
The meal was filled with Cara speaking animatedly about what she was up to while my mind was on various things like whether or not we would ever get married at this rate. As I ate, head in the clouds, I felt a pair of eyes on me and I looked up to see Mia staring intently at me again.
My eyes widened and hopeful she would nod her head as a sign of a yes, but I frowned when I saw that she had shook her head back and forth.
Shit!
I wanted to break something, but I remained silent and went back to eating my food.
Later on, after dinner was over and everything we were in the living room watching television and talking when Cara had decided to get up to get something to drink, on her way to the kitchen she stopped and grabbed her foot letting out a string of curses as she hopped on one leg.
"Shit! Fuck! What the hell is a freaking thumb tack doing on the floor, ma!!!" She shouted.
"Jiyayi! Language!" She called out to her daughter.
Everyone's attention turned to Cara who was caressing her foot gently as she surveyed the damage.
Her father shook his head and I stood up and walked over to her.
"This is what happens when you don't wear slippers!" Her mother bopped her upside the head and tisked.
Cara growled, "I still probably would have gotten stabbed." She stated confidently.
I sighed, "Come, Cara...I will attend to your wound." I helped her as she hopped on one leg to the bathroom.
Like her, similar things had happened to me, so lucky for her I knew how to handle a minor wound such as this.
"Sit." I ordered her as she sat on the toilet.
"This shit hurts!" She muttered as she continued to look at her food with a little fear.
"Ahhh!!! It's bleeding." She cringed.
I shook my head.
I got to work washing her foot to reduce the risk of an infection and then allowed her feet to soak to soften the skin. I then knelt in font of her with tweezers ready to pluck it out and she grimaced.
"Ugh...be gentle, Vic....I am a gentle soul." She said dramatically.
"What happened to all the fire in your burning soul, my love?" I asked her sarcastically.
She pouted and narrowed her eyes at me, she looked just like her mother when she did that.
"Are you ready?" I asked her.
She took a deep breath, "As I'll ever be." She closed her eyes as the tweezers neared the skin of her foot.
"Be gentle." She whispered softly.
She was adorable at times like this.
My fireball.
"It will be quick and easy, just don't look at it, there might be more blood." I informed her.
"Oh God!" She groaned.
I chuckled and went for the tack and took it out as precisely as I could and just like that it was out.
But that didn't stop Cara from screaming like someone was cutting her leg off.
"Baby, it's out of you." I informed her.
She looked down at her slightly bleeding foot. "Oh." She shyly looked away and I smiled.
"Thank you." She muttered.
"What was that? I didn't hear you." I teased her.
She rolled her eyes and looked at me, "I said thank you...asshole." She added.
I scoffed and got up grabbing some ointment, alcohol pads, and bandages in the cabinet before crouching again to attend her wound. Once I got the bleeding to stop, I added some ointment and sealed it with a bandage.
"There all done!" I said clapping my hands together.
She smiled. "Thank you, baby." She wrapped her arms around my neck and nearly knocked both of us over onto the bathroom floor with her force. She stared into my eyes intently and then she slowly leaned into and kissed me passionately.
"You're so good at taking care of me." She was once we had broken off the kiss.
I arched my eyebrow, "My job is to take care of you and I will until the day I take my last breath." I informed her.
She smiled once more before Cara's mother cleared her throat calling our attention to her.
"May I have a word with you, Victor?" Mia asked me curiously.
I looked over at Cara and she shrugged, "Wait...carry me Vic, I can't walk." She said as she lifted her arms to me.
I sighed, "You overwork me woman!" I said to her.
She pouted, "I thought you said you would take care of me until your last breath...are you dying right now?!" She asked me.
Cara is a child.
I picked her up bridal style and she squealed as I dropped her off in the living room with her father who had switched the television off to a basketball game.
"Daddy, who's playing?" She said getting immediately distracted as she focused on the basketball game. I followed Mia into another room and she shut the door behind her. I didn't know what she wanted, she had already told me no and I was back to square one again.
I sighed. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked her when the silence in the air had thickened.
She shook her head. "You are a good match for my daughter...here." She handed me a red envelope with Chinese characters on it.
"What is this?" I asked her curiously.
"The wedding date." She stated simply.
The final step...well until I married her of course.
Is this real?
"I can marry her?" I asked her with excitement.
She nodded.
I was stunned, "But-but...you shook your head no at the dinner table." I said confused at her sudden change of mind.
She squinted her eyes and looked away with embarrassment, "I wasn't sure of you until I saw you in the bathroom with Jiyayi....you took care of her just like a good husband should. You said you would do it until your last breath...I would be honored if you would be my son-in-law." She said to me.
I beamed with happiness.
I immediately walked over to her and embraced her in a tight hug, "Of course! I will be honored to be your son-in-law....thank you! Grazie!" I said to her.
She laughed and patted my back, "Okay! Okay!" She patted my chest when I had let go of her.
"We have a lot of planning to do for the wedding, the Chinese and Western one alike...make sure to put a ring on her finger by this week, please." She said as she arched her eyebrow at me.
I was already on it.
"I'm a step ahead of you." I went into my pocket and showed her the 20 carat flawless pear-shaped pink diamond ring that I had specifically found in Geneva for her. I really don't know how long I had this ring, but I was happy to put her it on her finger and finally claim her as mine.
Her mother gasped at she looked at the ring with admiration. "How much was it?" She asked.
I chuckled.
"I probably shouldn't go into the specifics of that, but know that there is no limit to what I would spend to gain her affection." I answered her instead.
"I like it...very good use of her colors." She informed me.
I nodded closing the box and shoving it into my pocket along with the envelope. I was literally bursting with so much happiness right now, I was tempted to ask her right at this moment, but I wanted to make it special for her...something she would never forget.
"Thank you." I said once more to her.
"Uhmm." She walked towards the door. "Just take care of my baby, she's my only daughter...stubborn, but she's a good woman." She said as she left the room.
I walked out after collecting myself and returned back to the living room where Cara and her father were fighting over what team was better the Los Angeles Lakers or the Miami Heat. I stood for a little while more in the Williams household before Cara and I decided on leaving.
On the car ride back, Cara turned to me with suspicion.
"Why are you smiling like that?" She asked me.
I shook my head, "I just feel like today is a good day." I replied sending her a brief glance.
She furrowed her brow, "Me stepping on a tack is a good day for you?" She asked me.
I chuckled. "No...just other things." I said.
She quirked her eyebrow, "Oh, do you have a secret now, Mr. Mosello?" She inquired.
I looked over at her again. "Hm." Was all I said.
She huffed, "Come on tell me!"
"Baby!"
"Please!" She whined.
"I got a secret I can't tell!" I said in the same way she had teased me.
She groaned and reached over so she could place her lips on my neck.
The car almost swerved when she did that.
Damn that woman with her seducing ways!
She will learn how to behave soon enough.
"Aye! Cara, I am driving!" I said to her.
"Tell me, or I'll drive us both off the road." She dared me.
I knew she was bluffing.
"And kill us both?" I asked her.
She nodded her head.
This woman was crazy.
I scoffed.
"My lips are sealed." I zipped my lips just as she had and threw the key out the window.
She huffed.
"Asshole!" She shouted.
"Yeah, but you love me."