Raelyn
Every passing day on the move with Vincent, I felt blessed. In the beginning of this journey, I thought I could find peace on my own, but the time I have spent getting to know Vincent, and hopping from one place to another, made me realize there was not a chance I could have gotten so far without him.
Feeling confident each morning I woke up was a regular thing. I often found myself looking forward to the future Vincent and I would create. The distance we have created between us and our past was great and I dwelled in the importance of positive thoughts, constantly.
We've been staying in small cities and towns to reduce the chances of being found, as well as moving farther to the west of the nation. One week turned into two, two to three, and on the fourth week, my relationship with Vincent was continuing to get deeper and more meaningful.
With so much time being spent together with no other distractions to impede our chemistry, I became more aware of how I truly felt about him. When my engagement was nearing, I forced myself to detach from Vincent as a means to face reality and not get heartbroken.
Stefano wasn't in between us anymore, so the line I had drawn between Vincent and I had quickly weathered away. I was being hopeful that Stefano had given up searching for me. It's been a month and it made sense to throw his ambition away.
My thoughts carried me to that night my parents and I dined in Stefano's home.
'You're good, Raelyn. And I'm a bad man.'
I closed and locked the door to our motel room, startling Vincent as he sat up from the bed with tired eyes. In the afternoon we fell asleep watching TV together and my hunger woke me up to go and get pizza for the evening.
"Finally awake, sleepy head?" I chuckled setting the pizza box on the nightstand.
He eyed the box in admiration before shifting his eyes at me with a skeptical look.
"You left?" He asked me, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.
"I'm a big girl, Vinny." I said taking a slice of pizza and plopping on the bed next to him.
He frowned for a split second before nodding his head. "I know baby, I just don't want-"
"Vincent, I get it. Just eat this pizza with me." I chuckled allowing his to lean and take a bite as well.
I almost forgot how good pizza tastes. After a couple large slices, I knew I had enough.
"I feel like I'm about to burst so, that's enough for now." I said shaking my head as I ripped my eyes away from looking at another slice. Vincent laughed at me and shrugged."More for me." He said nonchalantly. I smacked his hand away to stop him from getting another slice.
Unexpectedly he turned and started tickling me. I screamed and breathless giggles escaped my mouth as he attacked me with his fingers. He was on top of me, continuing his assault as I tried pushing him away, my hands on his bare chest and arms.
He smirked at me before leaning in and gently pressing his lips against mine. Our lips massaged each other and we made out, caressing each other affectionately.
The moment I felt him get hard against me, I broke away from the kiss, chuckling.
"What's so funny?" He asked with a warm smile.
"I just um, remembered something funny." I lied.
Vincent shook his head and grinned. "You're weird." He said poking my forehead before getting off me and reaching over for the last pizza slice.
For the next week, I could feel this kind of sexual tension even more between us. I felt like it was accelerated because we were living together and sleeping in the same space with each other. He hasn't forced me to do anything and never brought the topic of sex up. That didn't mean though, that he wasn't thinking about it.
It would be embarrassing for Vincent if I told him I sometimes heard him grunt in the bathroom in the middle of the night. It was obvious what he was doing in there.
I tried not to think so much of sex. It was hard of course because I've gotten to know Vincent so well. He's so handsome, has the body to match, and I just melt when he kisses and touches me. I knew Vincent and I were going to marry in the future, but I didn't want to fall into temptation and ruin God's plan for us.
"No, it sounds bad when I say it." I pouted. Vincent was teaching me Italian as a means to pass time.
He shook his head. "Why are you so shy? Rae, you sound so sexy when you speak it."
"Well of course you're going to say that." I laughed.
"Yes but, fact of the matter is you shouldn't doubt yourself because you're really good." He reassured me.
"Thanks, Vinny." I leaned in and kissed him.
"Have you ever been to Italy?" I asked him.
"No. I want to, though. Let's go together, someday." He said squeezing my hand.
"That would be nice." I responded. I've always wanted to visit all of Italy's beautiful cities.
One thing I like about Vincent, is that he says things firmly without thinking of maybe's and if's.
"This July weather is making me sweat bullets!" Vincent said irritated as he got off the bed and paced around to cool himself off.
Something dawned unto to me at the mention of the month we're in. "What's the date?" I asked him. "Huh?" He asked confused. "Today's date." I restated.
"The tenth, Why?" He answered and asked me simultaneously. My heart sank slowly as I realized what day it was.
Me and Stefano's wedding was supposed to be today.
A thrilling rush surged through my veins. The fact that I escaped my worst nightmare, was enough to make me feel completed in life.
I may be living a loose life right now, but anything was better than an eternity in bondage.
"What's wrong?" Vincent asked me, blatantly concerned. "Today's the day Stefano and I were to have our wedding." I answered, turning to look at his face.
I watched as he smirked. "Sucks to be that bastard." He chuckled.
"Do you think I destroyed his reputation?" I asked Vincent. I knew for a fact Stefano would be looked at as weak if his bride was able to escape. His own men wouldn't take him seriously.
"Yes, Do you care?" Vincent asked me, raising an eyebrow.
"No, just a thought." I shrugged my shoulders. He smiled at me, perhaps relieved that I didn't care about Stefano.
"That reminds me," Vincent said going to the corner of the room and digging in his backpack. "What?" I asked him, interested.
"Before we left Boston, I got you a little something." Vincent balled his fist as he turned towards me again. He walked up to me and took my hand and opened his fists, dropping the item in my hand. My eyes widened in shock. "Isn't this the bracelet I was looking at through the store window that one time?" I asked him chuckling. I couldn't believe he remembered that afternoon.
He nodded his head with a sheepish smile. "I love it, thank you." I said kissing him on the cheek before sliding the bracelet past my wrist."that's all I get?" He get joked. I rolled my eyes playfully before kissing him again, on the lips.
pulling away, he took my hand and twirled me around like he always did. I laughed aloud, going in for another kiss. Vincent brought me into his body further and slipped his hands underneath my shirt, caressing my sides. He deepened the kiss and I kept up with his pace. Vincent's kisses were so slow and passionate.
As my head hit the pillows, he began kissing my neck. He licked, sucked and grazed my flesh with his teeth, adding a new hickey brow the spot of the previous.
*next morning*
The next morning I woke up feeling energized, which was weird because I always woke up craving sleep. I also woke up feeling super embarrassed because of last night.
I slowly took the covers off me, to not disturb Vincent as he slept. I giggled at how innocent and cute he looked while at rest. I reached over and grabbed the camera, snapping a few pictures of him. Afterwards, I got out of bed and grabbed my shorts that were laying on the floor, and slipped them on.
After brushing my teeth, I went back into bed to wake Vincent up."Vincent, wake up." I said and poked his face. "Ah!" I yelled in surprised as he pulled me on top of him, causing me to straddle his waist.
"I'm awake, baby. By the way, I think I like this position better." He said giving me a tired smirk.
"I made a huge mistake by waking you up." I chuckled.
"You're cute." He said back, shaking his head.
"And your breath stinks." I said getting off him.
He took the covers off and walked towards the bathroom. "I'm going into the shower, wanna join?" He asked laughing.
"Don't even think about it." I threw a pillow at him and he ducked.
*
"I miss eating proper food." I said pouring the pasta shells into the boiling water. Me and Vincent went out to buy some groceries this morning and decided on saying in to cook something together, to eat.
"Same. I think I'm starting to despise pizza-wait-just kidding." He said laughing in the process. I smiled in response.
As the pasta was cooking, we talked about our future together. "I'd like to have boys. I'd worry too much, having a daughter." Vincent said bluntly.
"Why would you worry?" I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows.
"She'd grow up to look just like you and it would be hard to keep the boys away." He said and winked at me. I shook my head at his cheesiness.
"What would you like to name our boys?" He asked, interested.
"I really like the name, Geovanni."
Vincent scoffed. "If you had yelled out that name in our old neighborhood, at least ten necks would turn." He said thinking my name was unoriginal.
"Hmm," I said thinking about it. He wasn't wrong. There were about ten Geovanni's in our neighborhood around my age. "I've thought of Cristiano and Dante." Vincent brought up.
"Those are handsome names." I said nodding my head agreeing.
After dinner, Vincent and I decided to start packing our things that night, so we could leave the motel in the morning and relocate somewhere else. I was going to miss Arkansas.
When morning rolled around, Vincent was up and functioning as usual. This time, he was the one pulling me out of bed. "I'm gonna look in the fridge if we have something to eat before going." He said squatting down to open the tiny fridge below the microwave.
I noticed a shuffling sound and voices by our door. "Vincent, do you hear that?" I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Hear what?" He asked, his head still in the fridge.
Then, there was a click.
"Um, that?"
Before he could respond, the door slammed open, creating a loud sound as the door hit the back wall. I yelled from shock and felt the blood drain from my veins as I saw the man I've been running away from, stand in between the door, accompanied by other men on either side of him.
I watched timorously as Stefano's eyes danced around points in our room, his eyes sharpening at Vincent's frame, before they deployed to mine. There was no warmth in his eyes. He was beyond angry, beyond mercy. His white shirt clung to his body and a sheen of sweat coated his arms.
The men moved into the room and the one on Stefano's right closed the door behind them and locked it, giving me a grin afterwards. "Oh my God, oh my God." I said in a mantra. What were we to do now. "Raelyn," I heard Vincent say my name softly.
I watched him turn his body towards mine and prepare to run towards me. Before he could act, he was pushed up against the wall, Stefano's body towering over him. "Agh, fuck!" Vincent yelled. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, so I wouldn't scream. The way those two other men were looking at me, told me it would do me no good.
Stefano eyed Vincent with the most seething look I'd ever seen. One hand was around Vincent's neck as he tightened his hold on him. I watched as Vincent desperately clawed at Stefano's veiny hand to release his neck.
"Leave him alone! Let him go!" Tears were slipping from my eyes I charged towards Stefano. I didn't make it far before I was held back by one of his men. My heart dropped to my stomach as Stefano gave Vincent a blow to his stomach, making him double over in agony. Stefano punched him again and Vincent dropped to the ground solidly.
"Vin-Vincent." I cried, struggling to get out of the man's strong hold. I kicked, I scratched, I tried everything and all to get to Vincent but I was too weak. My heart was aching watching What was happening to Vincent.
Stefano picked him up by his shirt and punched Vincent again. Vincent's face was bruising bad and he was beginning to bleed from the mouth. Stefano eyes him intensely as Vincent struggled to get off his knees.Vincent was weak, but he still swung at Stefano despite missing repeatedly.
Stefano grabbed his hair and rammed vincent's face into the wall. There was blood.
"I can't blame a man for being in love. However, I'm sure I made it clear to you, she's off limits." I heard Stefano's bone chilling voice.
"Fuck you." Vincent replied.
"Vincent, oh my god..." my body trembled in fear. trying to rub to him. "Don't hurt him! Please don't hurt him! It's my fault!" I said, losing control over my emotions. I couldn't take watching Stefano do this to him.
Vincent was going through this because of me.
"You want me to spare him?" He snarled at me. Stefano awaited my answer, his jaw clenched. Something in me snapped as I responded. "He has nothing to do with this. It's my fault."
"Is that so?" Stefano asked slowly, reaching into his holster and drawing out a gun.
My body and my mind Stilled.
Vincent became alert as he saw the weapon. With one more attempt to swing, Stefano took his arm and in one quick move, twisted it, making Vincent yell in agony. I couldn't help my sobbing as I tried to pull away from the man that just wouldn't let me go. "Let go, let go of me!" I tried clawing his hand but he wore gloves, along with the rest of the men.
It was obvious what they came to do. They came to murder Vincent and go on with their lives. I felt sick.
Vincent's head was lowered and Stefano was looking at me through his eyelashes.
"I will never forgive you." I said to Stefano, the tears drying on my face. I had ran out of tears.
He turned his head away from me and looked down st Vincent with a look I couldn't read. "You went against the pride."
Vincent gave me a look before turning away to look at Stefano with a hateful glare.
"Boss, we should get going." The man standing by the door said.
"Take her and get out of here." Stefano ordered the one holding me.
"No! I'm not going anywhere." Once again I tried to get out of the man's arms but he instead began dragging me away. I was taken outside against my will as Stefano and Vincent were left alone in the motel room. "It was my fault! Vincent-"
It wasn't a second later before I heard a gun go off and I heard vincent's agonizing yell. Several more shots went off by Stefano's gun followed by silence.
My body gave up and I felt as if my spirit left me to cope with an empty shell.