Santiago walked me to the front door, therefore I inferred there was no harm.
I walked through the door, and noticed someone digging through the fridge. They popped open a soda can and finally closed it shut, revealing their face.
I was shocked.
"Hey Danica!" Alessandra smiled as she paced over to me.
I choked the words out, "You're back?"
She nodded her head, grinning, then hugged me tight. Her bubbly aura embedding me, filling pieces of my heart back together.
"I'll let you guys catch up," Santiago waved once before turning to me, "Goodnight, Danica." He trailed off into his bedroom down the hall, and into the guest room.
Alessandra and I sat at the living room, exchanging greetings. Our conversation soon began to hit a nerve, one of my very sensitive nerves.
"I'm sorry Eric did this to you, Danica. I truly am." She sighed, shaking her head.
I swallowed hard, successfully holding my tears back. "It's fine, it was my fault. I should've never left his sight."
Her brows furrowed, "It wasn't your fault, sweetie. Marcello was the bastard that got into Eric's head. If it wasn't for him, Eric would've still been here, with you."
My expression shifted. I was puzzled, "What did Marcello say?"
"Eric said he told him it was best for you two to be separated. That you should have a chance to a better life... a safer life."
A pit of fire scorched in my stomach, "Eric is the better life."
"Think of this situation in reverse. It would've been selfish of him if he hadn't given you a chance."
A hot tear streamed down the side of my cheek.
"Do you miss your old life? Before Eric?" She asked curiously.
My eyes squinted, "I can't remember it. Probably because it wasn't worth remembering."
My mind was flooded again with thoughts of Eric. I shook my head in disbelief, grieving once more. "He needs to come back. He has to."
"You never know what'll happen, at least try to move on."
I wonder how she coped with the loss of her love.
"How did you move on?" I asked idiomatically.
Her eyes fell, and I noticed my question took her by surprise. She cleared her throat, "Well, um..." Then there was a long pause. "It was difficult, but I managed. You will too. I was alone, but you're not. I'm here for you."
I couldn't help but come in for a hug. She knew what this felt like, she understood.
* * *
Two months later...
It was better with Alessandra around. A lot better.
She convinced me to get back on track and get on with my life. Though it was boring, I was continuously being productive. I never fully gotten over Eric, I'm just so busy now I don't have time to think about anyone.
I ended up attending Nefard University, where I'd dream about going for years. Luckily, they took me in, even after I postponed their acceptance letter. Nefard is a well known school, making them the 2nd best school in the state.
NU took a little past thirty minutes to get there, therefore I commuted.
Currently, I had just came back from school and ended up plopping onto the comfy couch in the living room.
Alessandra joined me, and flipped through the channels with a can of soda in her other hand.
I began to contemplate a little, "Hey Ales, do you mind me asking... what was Rico like?"
His name froze her, she sat the control aside and then she smiled deep into thought, along with a sigh.
"Well, he was very... refined and had sharp features. He always had an odd lightness about his eyes, though, and a small curve to his lips, as if there was something terribly funny only he knew the answer to. His wicked eyes would glance at me, making my cheeks grow scarlet. He liked that. The hint of danger. Made him seem more like something he wasn't." She wistfully trailed off.
"What was different about him, that stood out to you?" I asked intrigued.
Ales smiled, "His intelligence."
A dark thought ran across my mind, the question accidentally slipped out. "So, he never returned?"
Her smiled faded as she shook her head, "No. It's already been 6 years."
"Have you ever wondered if he was still alive?" My curiosity took over.
"Every day, but that's impossible." She laughed without humor.
"Why haven't you tried?"
"I don't want to set myself up for disappointment." She wiped a tear that streamed down her cheek.
Moments passed, and my head began to bulge with unanswered questions.
"So Ales," I murmured to her and her face turned to me. "Do you know how Eric's doing." It troubled me greatly to pronounce his name, without my voice cracking.
She took a deep breath, then spoke carefully, "He's so ashamed with himself, you can almost smell it."
I mumbled over my breath as I looked away, "I still don't get why he left."
I'm guessing I said it too loud, because she then answered me. "For your safety."
I groaned, "I was safe with him, he protected me."
She shook her head, "No, you're safe now. It's been months without him and not a thing has happened to you. Now, count how many times things happen to you when you were with him."
I folded my arms and leaned my head on the headrest.
Ales pursed her lips together, "I know you think Eric's indestructible, but I can assure you he's not. There's too many dangerous people out to get him, it's already hard enough to make sure he's safe."
My brows pulled together, "But he always told me he was the most dangerous?"
She shrugged, "In the hierarchy, Eric's in the top five."
My voice was disgustingly surprised, "There's a ranking system for mafias?"
Ales nodded once, "Yeah, it's based off of skill, style, number of murders, amount of money, and so on."
I scoffed incredulous, "How many people are in the system?"
She sighed heavily, "Probably like a thousand or two. It's a worldwide event, everyone is out to get everyone. And the higher you are, the more you're targeted."
"This all seems so... impossible. What happens to their wives?"
"Death is common in the mafia "world". It's normal. I'm sure he'd rather live apart from you knowing you'd be safe, then to live with the burden of being in danger."
I shuddered at the thought. Loved ones victimized, all because of some game. It's unfair, and I didn't like it.