Chapter Eleven:
Iris’s POV
I swirled the pasta around me fork before shoving it my mouth.
“This is really good,” I commented swallowing the creamy pasta.
“Thanks,” Robbie nodded. The kitchen was filled with the smells of Italy, with garlic bread and rich pasta. Robbie had made us Fettuccine Alfredo tossed with a parmesan-Reggiano and freshly baked garlic bread. I loved any types of pasta but I had now found my favourite. I smiled to myself as I filled my face.
“Where did you learn to cook this?” I asked finishing my food.
“I lived in Italy for a few years. I only came back last year in fact,” He said something swimming in his eyes as I gazed at him under my lashes. I didn’t think it was as simple as him just living in Italy for one year, there was something more than that, with the faraway look in his eyes.
“Did you meet any interesting faces?” I smiled leaning forwards to show I was interested as my heart banged against my ribs.
“Yeah,” he ate some more. “A few,” he looked at his plate.
“Oh,” I smiled. “I feel like you are keeping something from me,” I grinned. “I feel like there is woman involved in this story,” his head snapped up and he met my gaze.
“Why would you say that?” his eyes narrowed. “Has Eliza been telling you things?”
“Err... no?” I raised an eyebrow. “Should she have?” He looked away.
“There was a girl,” he muttered not looking at me.
“I bloody knew it,” I pointed at him but I couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened. That had been a rumour last year that there wasn’t gonna be an Unmated Ball because the Robert had chosen a Mate. “Tell me more,” I grinned as he puzzled at me.
“She was a human girl,” he shrugged. “I loved her but she didn’t me, end of story,” he picked up our plates and put them in the sink.
“It has to be more than that,” I said softly.
“She was just a girl I met in Italy Iris, I fell in love and she broke my heart there is nothing more to it,” he snapped storming from the kitchen.
I frowned. “Robbie,” I called after him. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” I followed him outside into the back yard of the cottage.
The garden was overgrown with flowers of every colour. Herbs sprung from pots along the cobbled path filling the air with their smells. I would have taken time to wonder around and enjoy the fresh crisp night but Robbie’s retreating back made me hurry to catch up with him.
“Robert,” I shouted but he didn’t reply as he disappeared out of the garden gate into the forest. I sighed, I wasn’t gonna follow him into the forest at night. I wondered back to the cottage with my heart heavy and disappointed.
Robbie still hadn’t returned an hour later so I decided that I would just go to sleep and deal with him in the morning. I didn’t need drama; I had, had enough of that for a life time in these past few days. Regret started to sink in. I wished I had never come on this stupid holiday thing that Robbie wanted me to go on. I wish I had put my foot down and said no. My thoughts all swirled around in my head until I finally fell into a deep sleep.
Robert’s POV
My vision started to blur as I took in the empty spaces next to me, on both sides. I undid my sliver tie throwing across the flagged stone floor sighing deeply through my nose. I wouldn’t show my pain here not in front of everyone. I stumbled past rows of my family and friends. Why had I done this?
I couldn’t look at the disappointed face of my father, the sorrow in my mother’s and I could not look at my sister. She had told me not to go through with it; she told again and again that she wasn’t right for me. I had been made a fool out of and the worst of all, I wasn’t even sure that I cared. I wanted her still. I wanted her to come, running back to me, saying that she was just running late, I didn’t want to believe that the empty spaces next to me were those of my best friend and my bride.
I ran the last few metres, throwing the church door open. The roaring breath of Venice hit my face. I ran out slamming the door behind me.
The memory flickered past like a Movie. I tear slipped from my eye but I batted it away angrily. I would not cry again. I would not remember them. I had not meant to have upset Iris nor treat her the way I did but I didn’t want her to see my moment of weakness for a woman I loved. The key word was loved. I had loved that woman with all my heart and for a time I thought she had loved me to. I had thought she was my forever, my other half.
The truth was she was my other half, she was my true mate but unlike what you read in stories you didn’t have to be with your mate and it wouldn’t kill them if you chose to leave. Aletta understood what we were but she was human and couldn’t deal with the reasonability. There in Italy, in the most romantic place in the world my heart was shattered into a million pieces.
I sighed. I was glad that I had met Aletta. She showed me so many things that I will treasure to my dying breathe.
I couldn’t help be stare. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. The girl was small and petite with small hands grasping onto her straw hat as the hot wind blow. Her hair was long, and chocolate in colour with golden highlights in the sunlight. Her skin was creamy but stained with coffee from the hot Italian sun. Her eyes wide, doe-like chocolate brown and twinkled with amusement as she watched me stare at her.
“Can I help you?” she chuckled. Her laugh was like music to my ears.
“Err...” I stuttered out. I had never acted like this around a woman before. I was always a smooth talker but this girl made my legs turn to jelly and my palms to sweat. “No,” I shook my head.
“Oh,” she faked hurt. “It just by the way you were staring at me, I thought you might be in love,” her thick Italian accent holding nothing but amusement. I smiled. “I’m Aletta by the way,” he stuck her hand out for me to shake.
“Robert,” I answered as our hands touched the sense of fulfilment filled my insides. I had found her, my one true mate, my forever, my love.
Oh had I been wrong. The angel was nothing but the devil inside. Her beauty was nothing when you looked deeper, into her soul. She wasn’t that light spirited girl that I loved that first day we had met.
It wasn’t her fault. She had turned sour after learning that I was the cost of falling in Love with the Crown Prince of Werewolves. At first she was finding with it but soon she came to realize she couldn’t stay in Italy, the country she loved and grew up in. She couldn’t stand the scraping and the bowing. She hated the fact she didn’t have any freedom to speak her mind, like most Italians she was hot headed and short of Temper but when I asked her to marry me she still said yes.
I shook my head of those bad days, the days leading up to the wedding, the fights, the threats, the hate and the days after with the pain and heart break. I didn’t blame her for running and I couldn’t blame Joey for falling in love with her. I just wish they told me so I didn’t have to look a fool in front of all our friends, our family. It was lucky that I and Aletta would have had to go back to my home to have another wedding for the Werewolf clans. The one in Venice was just for family and close friends.
The embarrassment washed over me again in waves as I remembered. Some things were better off forgotten.
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So what do you think? I know it is mostly about Robbie’s past and next chapter will have more Iris and Robbie together, so don’t worry ;)
I know that some of you wanted Iris to be his True mate, his soul mate but I wanted to put a twist and to prove not everyone gets their happy endings. Robbie didn’t but maybe he will now? Life doesn’t always go the way we want it but everything turns out right in the end, hopefully...
I am uploading a little bit faster this week because I have two weeks off from college. I should be revising but I hadn’t started yet... Eek!
Just to let you guys know, that this isn’t TWILIGHT and if it was I would have made it so Robbie sparkled like a fairy! I am not a fan of Twilight and I find it somewhat offensive when you compare this story to it! I don’t mind the fact that some of you are fans, (and btw I have read and watched them as I was giving it a chance,) I know that Twilight also has a cottage but as far as I am aware this is the only similarities. Robbie I do believe is nothing like Edward, for one he doesn’t look constipated all the time.
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