"Go back to Aria and fix shít with her because that's clearly the underlying issue here."
L U C I E N
"What the fück do you mean he's missing?"
My eyebrows furrowed and my chest heated, the irritation that was a result of Alex's stupidity only leaving me with the need to smash his head through a fücking brick wall.
"He's literally fallen off of the face of the earth, I don't know where he's gone or who he's-"
"I don't care whether he's fücking balls deep in a Russian stripper's áss, Alex!" I snapped, cutting his words off as I heard him sigh sharply through the receiver of my phone that was pressed against my ear. "I want Joe found and if you're going to püssyfoot around the situation, then I can get someone else to do your fücking job because you clearly can't do anything fücking right."
There was a moment of silence the ensued between us after I'd spoken, my heavy breaths echoing in the speaker of my phone as I stared through the window of the moving car I was in.
"...are you okay?" Alex asked wearily, his words making me scrunch my eyes closed as I pinched the bridge of my nose and side glanced Nick who was in the driver's seat.
"Fücking fantastic, Alex," I muttered, breathing out a heavy breath as I leaned my head back into the headrest whilst loosening my tie that felt like it was choking me, the heat of my anger fanning around my face when I pin pointed my stress and huffed.
Five days.
That's how long it had been since I'd last seen Aria.
I would've liked to think that our distance was because of business, however I knew that wasn't true since I was left feeling ill every time I thought about her after what happened back at the Moretti mansion.
Whether it was the way that I pictured the hurt on her fact or the fact that I was beyond livid with the way things had unfolded, I couldn't help but let the anger I had course through me and become one with my blood. It awakened the monster inside of me and only resulted in me being pissed at everything in life the minute I'd been sent to Venice to deal with Giovanni's business, a situation that I was now being driven back from as I ran a hand through my hair and blew out a sharp breath.
"You're clearly pissed at something," Alex said, his tone inquisitive. "Care to fill me in?"
"I'm pissed because a man that was in plain sight is the one behind our father's attack, care to fücking keep up?" I muttered, calling him an idiot in Italian as I opened the window to get some fresh air.
"Are you sure it's not anything else?" Alex asked me, his tone decisive as I ran my tongue over my teeth and inhaled through my nose. "You've known about Joe falling off the face of the earth for nearly a week, but you're having a go at me now."
"Stop dancing around the subject, what are you trying to get at?"
"Today's the day that you go back to see Aria...a little birdy told me you guys had a falling out."
I hummed sharply at his words, the context of them only leaving me to swallow as I remembered back to the last thing that I'd told Aria.
...and to think I even convinced myself that I had feelings for you.
I sighed at the thought, the words that were now a bitter pill to swallow only leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth that seemed to get stronger as the days went by.
It was clear that saying what I had only emphasised and heightened every sense and feeling, my mind making space to accommodate to the flood of thoughts that centered Aria and everything connected to her.
I hated it and I hated her.
I didn't want to think about what she was doing or wonder about what she'd done after I'd left her standing by her bedroom door.
No. I wanted to think about how she fücking got through life being the bítch she was, or how anyone tolerated her since keeping secrets and blindsiding people were her speciality.
I scoffed at the thought but felt my shoulders slump at the hurt look on her face that flashed before my eyes, my tongue running over my teeth again when I replied to Alex.
"Who told you?"
"You just did," he sniggered, his words leaving me to hum sharply since I should have seen it coming. "I figured something was up when you completely went off on one when I asked where Aria was a few days ago."
"You're an ásshole," I muttered, gritting my teeth together as I swallowed.
"I'm just fulfilling my job of being an older brother," he said to me, the smug tone that he used only pissing me off further. "It's moments like these that will be used as life lessons that you tell your kids."
"Kids?" I asked, my mouth curving into a frown at the thought. "Why would I want kids? So I can put them through what we're having to go through now?"
"No. You'll have kids so I have a chance at being the fun uncle," he said like it was obvious, his words making me roll my eyes. "Anyways, what's happening with you and Aria?"
"Nothing is happening," I said to him sharply, his disbelieving laugh and drawled out call of my name leaving me to press my lips together.
"C'mon. I've waited so many years for you to have girl trouble and it's finally happening."
"Firstly, shut the fück up," I said to him when he laughed. "Secondly, whether I have girl trouble or not, I wouldn't ever come to you considering your track record."
"This is coming from a man who didn't spare a woman a glance unless he wanted to fück her or use her as leverage against the enemy."
"What's your point?" I asked tiredly, suddenly wanting nothing more than to end the conversation.
"Aria is changing you and it's amusing."
"Aria is not changing me," I bit back, my eyebrows furrowing at the distasteful thought. "So what if we had a little fight. I'm allowed to be pissed off at her."
"...because you care," Alex trailed off like it was obvious, cutting me off when I went to tell him to fück himself. "I mean...you've killed people without a second thought but you're brooding over an argument with her...so..."
"Shut up," I told him, my eyes squinted even though he couldn't see me. "You don't even know what we had an argument about."
"So tell me then?"
"I-"
My mouth closed quickly when I took a moment to reflect on what had happened between Aria and I, the prompting questions I'd asked as a result of caring about her being the reason that we'd had the argument in the first place.
I fücking just had to wonder what was wrong and why she was upset.
Fück sake.
"I'm waiting..." Alex suddenly said, reminding me that he was on the phone still. I knew he would've mocked me for what I'd done considering I'd made it clear that I didn't care about Aria despite knowing what I truly felt.
It only left me telling Alex that I had to go before I hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of my slacks, my hands running through my hair again as I closed my eyes and sighed deeply.
The weight on my shoulders left my body feeling heavy and tiresome, yet it was nothing compared to the mess that was in my head considering everything that I normally thought about was now emphasised with the added stress of my issue with Aria.
Gesù Cristo.
My petty words had plagued my mind the instant that they'd left my mouth and continuously poked at my brain whilst I was away from Aria, in turn only adding fuel to the fire that was my emotions. It left me feeling sluggish and repeatedly reliving the moment since I'd never dealt with feelings before, the thought suddenly making me realise that as much as I hated to admit it, it seemed that Aria had done exactly what Alex had said.
She had changed me.
I couldn't deny it considering the fact that the thought of her had been a prominent one since I'd left Sicily and flown out to Venice, the visual of sharp brown eyes and red lips being a repetitive image that hadn't left my subconscious mind.
"Aria..." I breathed out annoyingly at the thought of her, rubbing over my closed eyes harshly until I could see blurs of colours when I opened them and adjusted to the sunset that filtered orange throughout the interior of the car.
I focused on it for a while until I brought myself back to reality when I passed the familiar church that I'd taken Aria to, the tall building doors that were opened wide for the public distorting past my eyes when we kept driving until we reached the Moretti estate.
It all seemed like a trippy high until the car stopped and I found myself already getting out without thinking, my suit jacket draped over my forearm as I picked up the leather duffle bag stuffed with my clothing before I looked up at the house.
I don't know why I had expected it to change in a matter of days but it seemed I was doing a lot of things out of the ordinary lately.
The very fact only left me inhaling sharply as I was frisk searched by another guard I didn't know the name of, my impatient look seeming to make him slow down as he challenged my stare until he was done and I was pulling my things to walk into the house.
I shot him a glare and called him an ásshole whilst walking through the corridor, my feet taking confident strides to my room upstairs since I knew I didn't have to greet Giovanni who was playing another poker game with his friends.
The thought replayed in my mind as I kept walking until I was in the main corridor on the left side of the house, my heartbeat hammering in my chest when I eyed Aria's door that was opening.
I squinted and cursed the man in the sky for pulling Aria and I together, my annoyance at the situation hitting me with the weight of a truck when my eyes settled on the front of her as she flicked her hair behind her shoulder whilst typing something on her phone.
It didn't take her long to realise I was there when she looked up, her heeled footsteps halting for a second until she kept walking whilst keeping her eyes on me.
I could see her swallow at the same time a tug of tension brought us closer, her outfit that consisted of a satin printed top with a deep V that was tucked into black tight pants only kick starting the way I acted on the flicker of anger in my chest.
"So you're not going to even say hello?" I asked her as she went to pass me, the smell of her perfume when she turned to my direction only leaving me to tense as we made eye contact.
There was something different about her but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Instead I kept staring through narrowed eyes and raised my eyebrow to prompt her answer to my question, her eyes darting across my face as silence threaded in between us until she spoke.
"Ciao," she mumbled, looking down my body until she met my eyes again, turned and then walked out the corridor.
Her simple word echoed in my ears like a scratched record as heat slapped me in the chest and left my body coiled tight, my mouth parting to scoff at her before I walked into my room and slammed the door behind me.
The sound only made me shove my stuff to the bed before I changed into something a little less constricting so that I could work out, my hands quick to pick out some gym shorts as I skipped wearing a top and walked out of my room once I had my phone with me.
It seemed that not seeing Aria for so long only to receive a one word reply pissed me off more than I wanted to admit to, my mind overloading with the thought as I reran the ten seconds between us whilst I walked downstairs to the gym. I could feel my heartbeat hammer in my head as my fingers clenched into my palms, the sight of her looking the way that she did suddenly making me clench my jaw as I swallowed harshly and pushed the door open to the gym.
"Fück her," I muttered to myself, the ache in my chest worsening and only leaving me in a sourer mood as I stretched and proceeded to exercise my anger out.
It took me a lengthy three hours until I felt better as I pushed the dumbbell above me and breathed through gritted teeth, my muscles flexing with the weight above me as I pumped iron until I felt the heat bloom in my head.
"Christ," I groaned as I felt the tension in my body snap once I'd placed the dumbbell back on the holder before sitting up easily, my breaths heavy as I used my hands to push back the pieces of hair that had fallen over my sweaty forehead.
I felt a little more relaxed as I stood up and stretched, the thought of Aria something that was a little less prominent than before as I turned and stared at my reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror.
I was putting on a little weight which only made me huff as I patted my stomach to feel the muscles of my abs, a mental note settling in my head to eat a little cleaner as I picked up my phone and walked out of the gym whilst filtering through my messages.
As I did I realised that the time was coming up to eight in the evening, my stomach suddenly rumbling in turn as I walked towards the kitchen to get a glass of water whilst I slowed down my breathing.
My chest stayed rising up and down a little faster as I replied to Alex's text that told me that he'd done everything to find Joe but still couldn't, his words only leaving me to become pissed all over again when I walked through to the kitchen to find Giovanni eating dinner.
"Lucien," he smiled, his hand coming out to shake mine as I politely smiled and then suddenly wondered where Aria was considering there was two extra plates on the table.
Dámn woman, get out of my fücking-
"She went out."
"She didn't say that she was," I furrowed my eyebrows at Giovanni's words, my chest caving when I went to ask who she had gone with.
"Don't worry, she went with someone," he smiled, telling me to take a seat as he cleared his throat before adding to his words when I narrowed my eyes. "Carlos took her."
At the name of the guard who pissed me off I grew annoyed, the thought of him being alone with Aria only leaving me to run my tongue over my teeth when I became pissed again.
It seemed working out hadn't helped my situation with Aria but had only masked it instead. That only meant that I was strung tighter than I was before, my muscles tensing when I hummed sharply at what Giovanni had said and then took a seat where he'd motioned to before dinner was served for me.
It didn't take me long to eat considering I was now being a lot more careful about my intake, the plate of food that was put in front of me being demolished in a matter of minutes as Giovanni spoke up.
"So I heard that Alex might be taking your place in running of consigliere," Giovanni spoke up, looking at me expectedly as I swallowed the mouthful of cold water and nodded at what he'd said.
"As honoured as I am to be considered, consigliere is not a job that is right for me."
"How so?" he asked, his green eyes squinted at me as he wiped his mouth with the point of his napkin before leaning back into his chair.
I contemplated telling him the truth but knew that I had a fifty percent chance of being called a rat...however with what had been happening, it seemed that I had nothing left to lose.
"Salvatore doesn't have complete trust in me," I said to Giovanni simply, his features softening as he stared at me and raised an eyebrow to prompt me to carry on speaking. I cleared my throat. "Certain things have given him a reason to doubt my power within-"
"You mean your relationship with Aria," Giovanni cut me off, pressing his lips together as he inhaled when I stayed quiet. "I may not be around Lucien, but don't take me for a fool."
"I don't take you for a fool, Giovanni," I clarified, sitting up straighter as I looked at him.
"I've practically raised Aria myself..." he told me, reminding me of the fact that she'd been living with him since she was eleven years old. "I know how she works, which also means that I know when she's upset."
His words confused me until I put two and two together, the thought of her being upset making me swallow as I rubbed my lips together.
"Did you say something to her, Lucien?"
I opened my mouth until it shut in a split second decision, my mind flashing back again to the words I'd last said to her.
...and to think I even convinced myself that I had feelings for you.
I sighed.
...and to think I even convinced myself that I had feelings for you.
...and to think I even convinced myself that I had feelings for you.
...and to think I even convinced myself-
"Lucien," Giovanni prompted again, pulling me out of my thoughts as I pushed away the look Aria had sent my way once I'd spoken. "Is something going on between you two?"
"No," I answered curtly, swallowing again as I cleared my throat before ignoring the pull in my chest that was nothing short of discomfort. "Not anymore."
Giovanni looked at me once I'd spoken, his eyes trained on my own for a few seconds until he nodded slowly to himself and braced his hands together.
"Thank you for being honest with me," he said as Martha moved into the kitchen to clear things up. "Te ne sono grato."
I nodded at his words that told me he appreciated it before I excused myself from the table, my body standing as I read the text Alex had simultaneously sent whilst I walked out of the room like my dámn áss was on fire.
From: Alex Romano (received 8:43pm)
I can't find Joe. Johnson has done everything to find a trail but he keeps on coming up empty.
His words made me press my tongue to the inside of my cheek, a sharp breath leaving my nose when I cursed my idiot older brother for being goddámn useless before I turned when I heard my name.
"I am grateful that you took good care of Aria despite whatever was happening between you two, and I know you will continue to..." Giovanni spoke, tucking a clean napkin into the neck of his dress shirt as he held his fork and looked at me. "However, I know my granddaughter and I'd like to think I know you too..." he trailed off, pursing his lips for a second as I waited expectantly. "So, whatever happens, you have my blessing."
"I..."
"That's all, you're free to go," Giovanni said with a boastful smile when he'd rendered my speech useless, my feet already taking me out of the kitchen as I walked through the corridor and upstairs whilst replaying his words in my head.
Blessing? For fücking what?
I scowled at what Giovanni had told me as I huffed to myself, my hands pushing past my bedroom door as I wondered what the hell he'd meant by knowing Aria.
Did he know that she was a raging bítch when she wanted to be and fücking drove me up the wall?
"Fücking doubt it," I muttered to myself, her face suddenly popping into my mind as I undressed myself and headed into the shower. I was naked and under the heated spray of water in a matter of under a minute as I continuously ignored the thought of the woman that was plaguing my mind, my annoyance settling deep in my bones when I ran my hands over my face and suddenly thought to what I was doing with Joe.
My mind blurred the ideas I had in my head as I remembered back to the hotel with Aria and what had happened, the memory skipping right past everything in my head until I was suddenly at the moment Aria and I were in the car.
It seemed my subconscious had a mind of its own when I remembered back to the way she felt against my fingers, a sudden light groan passing my lips when I tensed as the ghosted feeling of her rocking hips against my own distracted me.
Despite her pissing me off it was clear she was something I couldn't get out of my head, the abrupt change of mood in my body making me bite my lip when the familiar tickle of pleasure shot down my spine and straight to my fücking dick.
"Fück sake," I gritted my teeth, feeling myself get hard as I blinked my eyes open past the water that on my face and looked down at my cóck that was reacting to the images in my head.
The strain started in my thighs when I braced my hand across the tiles, my head dipping as I groaned and felt the water move down my neck. I tried to ignore my mind but it was fücking loud and dominant, the result only leaving me to torture myself when I recalled the hot confinement of Aria's mouth but stopped myself from touching my cóck all together.
I wanted to, fücking badly, but I knew my hands were nothing compared to being inside Aria now that I had been.
Dámn her.
Regardless of the situation that we were in I couldn't help but admit that the thought of fücking her whilst I was pissed was another idea that had diseased my mind in the past couple of days, the concept of it something that was a lot more appealing than it should've been considering my preference for restriction during séx.
The thought of hearing her beg whilst I controlled her only left me suddenly realising the full extent of what I felt for her séxually, the emotional side put on hold as the spread of warmth in my chest controlled my body and left me recalling what happened in the car.
I bit the inside of my lip when the magnitude of my thoughts resulted in me being fully hard, the strain in my balls suddenly hitting me in the face as I cursed my body to hell for wanting Aria just as bad as I'd wanted her when I'd seen her for the first time after so many years.
I felt animalistic as I pushed my blunt nails into the tiles, my eyebrows furrowing when I swallowed at the thought of pleasuring myself again.
"What are you doing to me...?" I groaned to myself, wanting to take a bullet to the head when my mind conjured up the sudden image of Aria on her knees in front of me. I loved her püssy and savoured the way that she couldn't walk after I'd fücked her, however it seemed that I had a preference for seeing her with smudged mascara and lipstick as my brain imagined fictional Aria taking me into her mouth and past pouted, red painted lips.
Fictional Aria teased just like the real one, her tongue moving against my cóck the same way my hand curved against it, the sudden ease of pleasure making me close my eyes as I leaned my head against the tiles and rubbed my closed fist over my length whilst moaning lightly.
The picture in my head was exquisite. The sight of her with her mouth open and willing made my shoulders tense with pleasure that racked my spine and made my toes curl into the floor, the pressure I applied with my hands enough to make me breathe in a heavy breath when fictional Aria let me take control.
My hands went to hair as her palms flattened to my thighs, the open, warm wetness of her mouth making me groan as the image continuously overwhelmed my mind for minutes at a time. It left my body coiled tight as my thoughts meshed to create a façade that pleased me more than it should have until I found myself spilling into my hand, my groans leaving my mouth in heavy breaths as the heat went to my face and snaked around the back of my neck.
"Fück," I shuddered lightly when my hand rubbed out the rest of my orgasm as the water washed away the evidence, the ache in my body still present but a lot less controlling than before as I swallowed, feeling stupidly pathetic for doing what I had just done as I went on with my shower as if what had just happened didn't.
I stayed in longer than I would've cared for, my fingers slightly pruning with the heat and moisture of the water as I rubbed my fingers against my face in an attempt to stop thinking about Aria whilst suddenly craving a cigarette. It was easier said than done and ultimately I gave up, a sigh leaving my lips as I turned off the shower and then stepped through the bathroom and to the main body of the room whilst I tied a fluffy white towel around my hips.
I picked up my phone and cigarettes when I passed the bed before walking over to the balcony, my fingers quick to unlock my phone and light my cigarette as I pushed past the doors and walked out into the cool night air that I used as a distraction from my mind.
The sun had set and the sky was dark considering it was coming up to ten, the lights in the garden creating a dull glow to illuminate the paths and balconies that were set in four different directions as I leant against the stone and smoked freely.
I stared at the scenery I could see before I replied to messages for a half an hour until I moved back inside when it got a little chilly and I became annoyed at Alex's lack of responses, his message thread suddenly dead which only left me rolling my eyes as I ran a hand through my hair and got changed.
I didn't bother with boxers as I pulled on grey pyjama pants, the loose fitting material low on my hips as I walked over to the bathroom to throw the wet towel into the hamper. Whilst doing so I looked in the steamed mirror once I'd cleaned a messy circle into the glass, my shoulders rolling when I felt the tenseness in my muscles from working out as I eyed the patch of clean skin that was just below my left hip.
I made a mental note to get it tattooed as I moved back into the bedroom and laid on the bed, my phone suddenly vibrating with a spam of messages when Alex said that Johnson had found a lead in Munich that tied to Joe.
In turn it resulted in spending a few hours trying to pin point things whilst Alex pissed me off with stupid ideas that made no fücking sense, my irritation seeming to bubble over my exterior when I'd bluntly told him to shut the fück up unless he wanted to be killed too.
"You know what, fück you and your pathetic mood swings," he snapped, frustration lacing his tone as he scoffed at me. "Go back to Aria and fix shít with her because that's clearly the underlying issue here."
With his words ringing in my ears he hung up easily, my eyebrows furrowing as the heat trapped in my chest spread over my body in an angry overwhelming wave.
"Che cazzo di idiota," I muttered, voicing what a fücking idiot out loud in Italian as I huffed angrily at what he'd said just as I heard movement in the corridor.
With frustration icing my bones I ignored the sound that I knew was Aria whilst realising the time was nearly one in the morning, Alex's words swirling in my mind as I pictured strangling him until I heard what sounded like a pained groan.
What the fück...
I stilled as if I could hear better that way, my eyes narrowed on my door when I heard a subtle huff before I actually registered what I heard when there was a thump.
Instinctively, despite knowing it wasn't likely, I flicked the safety off of my gun and walked towards the door. My senses stayed heightened as adrenaline seeped into my blood, my hand turning my door handle until I opened the door and held my gun defensively in front of me to expect the worst but instead found myself face to face with something I'd never seen.
My eyes settled on Aria sitting against the wall, the sight of her bloody and bruised making me freeze for a second until I was flicking the safety of my gun off and walking towards her without a second thought.
She was slumped and breathing heavily whilst holding the side of her ribs, her painful breaths muffled when I looked at her and then followed the light scuffed trail of her heels that disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
"What the fück happened?" I asked her bluntly, the situation between us completely forgotten as I looked at the state of her whilst shoving my gun between the hem of my pants and the skin of my hip. She had a few minor cuts across her face and the side of her face was beginning to bruise, the sudden registration that she was injured only leaving me to narrow my eyes into a glare. "Where the fück is Carlos? He's supposed to keep you fücking safe-"
"He's dead," Aria choked out, pushing her head back to the wall as she closed her eyes and winced, her words only leaving my mind to generate hundreds of questions as I kneeled down in front of her and soaked in the extent of her injuries.
"Can you walk?" I asked her, seeing her shake her head as she opened her eyes and looked at me, my chest caving when I saw the glassed over look in her eyes. "Jesus Chris, what the fück were you doing Aria?"
"I was t-trying..." she trailed off, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. "Trying to figure something out," she breathed out, my hands moving to take off her heels as I looked at her covered legs and suddenly felt thankful for the first time considering the bits of glass I could see were caught in the fabric rather than her skin.
"And you didn't think to ask me for help?" I questioned, seeing her right ankle swelling slightly before she groaned when she coughed.
"You were mad at me," she spoke quietly, her face scrunching up when I picked her up easily and registered her words.
They echoed in my head as I inhaled a deep breath, her body held close to mine as she leaned her head across my bare shoulder whilst I pushed past her room door and walked into the bathroom.
I put her down onto the sink counter, her back reflected in the mirror where I saw a gun that was identical to mine tucked between her shirt and pants.
"Mad at you or not, if you need me you just ask," I told her bluntly, still wondering what the fück she had done as she told me where the first aid kit was. I followed what she had said easily, the burning in my chest anything but lessening when I cleaned up the cuts on her face whilst she stayed holding the side of her ribs.
We stayed in silence the entire time, her eyes staring up at my face before she winced when I got to the cut just under her jaw. I apologised quietly before telling her to move her hand where she was holding her ribs, my fingers moving to the hem of her shirt that I untucked and pulled up so I could see where she was holding.
She wasn't wearing a bra and the sight of her nipples were enough to distract me but I refocused and pressed my fingers to where she said that she was in pain, my eyes narrowed on the bruising skin that set fire to my brain when I wondered who the fück had hurt her.
"They're not broken," I said to her simply, letting her shirt flow back down to cover her as I took a step back and tilted my head, suddenly not trusting myself to be close to her without lashing out as a result of what I was feeling.
"How do you know?" she asked when she winced when she took in another breath.
"I can break bones with my hands, I think I'd know if your ribs were broken or not," I told her, seeing her nod before there was silence. It was a few moments that let everything sink in, my hands running through my hair as I looked at the reflection that was my front and her back before I spoke up. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"
She swallowed, still looking a little hazy as she leaned back to pull out something that was tucked into a pocket that was obscured in her pants, the white scrap piece of paper that looked ripped from a notepad handed over to me when she sat up straighter and winced.
A set of numbers, an address and a name were scribbled in black ink, my eyebrows furrowing with confusion until she spoke up.
"I found out where Joe is for you," she said quietly, blinking a couple times as my mouth opened and then closed before I repeated my actions and then grew silent when irritation bubbled within me.
I stared at her for a few moments, my shoulders slumping with what she had done for me until I was brought back to reality when the cut in her forehead oozed a little more blood.
"You just..." I started, finding it hard to find the right words as she breathed out a wavered breath. "Aria, you don't...I can't..." I breathed out, my eyes narrowed as I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "Why would you do that?"
"I needed to."
"No, you didn't," I told her sharply, my head shaking as I looked at her and breathed a shocked breath when I kept looking at her injuries. "You nearly got killed, what the fück is wrong with you?" I snapped.
"I fücked up with you!" she bit back in response to my tone whilst wincing, her eyebrows pulling together when I scoffed. "I did something I shouldn't have and I regret it, so I tried to fix it by doing something for-"
"Aria," I groaned loudly, cutting her off as my heartbeat echoed in my head. "The reason I was pissed at you was because you blindsided me with what you were feeling...you've just gone ahead and done the exact same fücking thing," I breathed out, her eyes narrowing at me as I shook my head and ran my hands through my hair whilst closing my eyes.
"I was just trying to help because I know you couldn't find Joe-"
"Goddammit! That was my problem to deal with, not yours," I retorted loudly, staring at her and feeling irritation set my blood on fire when I looked at her injuries again. "For God's sake, look at you."
"I can take care of my-"
"You couldn't even walk down the corridor, Aria," I fumed. "Your security fücking died whilst on the job and you expect me to be happy just because you did me a favour?" I questioned, my tone emphasised when she rubbed her lips together and swallowed.
"I know how much finding Joe meant-"
"Aria-"
"Stop cutting me off!" she snapped suddenly, heat in her eyes as I glared at her harsh tone. "I fücked up with you, ok?! I was stupid for what I did and I realise it now, so why can't you just accept that I did this as a way to tell I'm sorry?"
"I can't because your fücking safety is more important, Aria!" I admitted sharply, breathing harshly when the ache in my chest overwhelmed my body with the force of a truck.
"Let me guess," she muttered dryly, laughing humourlessly, "Is it because if I die, my dad will kill you?"
Her words echoed in my brain, her scoff sounding out loudly as she moved carefully from off the counter so that she didn't put pressure on her swelling ankle.
"It always comes down to you being my security," she puffed out, her tone pissed as she used the edge of the counter to help her walk as she limped, mumbled curse words leaving her lips.
"Aria, you know-"
"Know what?" she snapped again, turning around as she reached the door and glared at me. "I went out of my way to do what I did so that I could show you that I was serious about being sorry!"
"You could've said it to me and I would've understood," I told her bluntly, seeing her breathe out a heavy breath as she held herself steady with the door hinge and spoke.
"See but that's the problem with me," she said, her breathing wavered as she caught her breath and spoke to me. "I've been through so much shít that I'm conditioned to think that words hold no weight when it comes to promises and apologies, Lucien."
"You nearly killed yourself," I stated as if she'd forgotten, my eyes wide before they narrowed again when she said my name until I cut her off. "Just to apologise to me, you put yourself in danger."
"Lucien, it's what-"
"You could be dead right now, do you understand that?" I asked her.
"Yes, but you-"
"Aria, you could've literally died-"
"Died tonight, yes I fücking get it!" she shouted, her breathing wavered as I pressed my lips together when her voice echoed against the bathroom walls. "I get that I could've died but when you said what you did, I realised I fücked everything up with you and I wanted to make it right-"
"But why would you do that to yourself-"
"Because I like you, Lucien!" she cut me off loudly, her words making me still as she breathed out a heavy breath and stared at me. "My feelings for you scared the shít out of me and I thought that pushing you away would be easier than dealing with them," she explained, her words suddenly leaving me to make sense of why she had been acting the way that she had. "It's why I did what I did."
I licked my lips, repeating her words in my head over and over until I'd actually registered what she'd said.
"Your feelings...for me...scare you?" I asked slowly, as if I didn't know what to respond which was partly true.
"I had a shít relationship with Ryder," Aria started, swallowing. "The thought of it happening again scared the shít out of me."
"...happening again?" I said when I repeated her words again. "You...you think we're going to get into a relationship?"
"I..." she trailed off when she realised what she had said, the abrupt flustered look on her face alleviating the awkward air between us when she stuttered. "I-I never said that."
"You insinuated it," I corrected her with a sudden widening smirk when heat suddenly fanned at her neck, her lips pressing together as she glared.
"You're completely fücking annoying, do you know that?" she said, shaking her head despite the way I could see the curve of her lips.
"But you like me," I said to her, teasing her with her own words before I stared at her for a few moments, the both of us holding eye contact until she spoke up slowly as her smile faltered.
"Did you mean what you said before?" she asked me quietly, leaning against the threshold as she breathed in a light breath when I licked my lips and repeated her question in my head, her words making me swallow before I spoke up.
"No," I said, my tone cautious until I cleared my throat and shook my head to make sure she knew. "I lied because you pissed me off and I wanted to hurt you."
"Wow..." Aria trailed off, her arms folding over her chest which made her wince before she tilted her head, the curve on her lips returning when she looked at me. "We're a lot more alike that I would've thought."
"I'm not as annoying as you are though," I told her, my tone mocking which made her narrow her eyes at me as she pressed her tongue to her cheek to stop her from smiling.
"I'm not annoying," she said, my drawled out hum making her shake her head as I felt the tension in my shoulders leave considering how things had worked out.
"You're annoying when you want to be," I said whilst biting the tip of my tongue to stop myself from smiling when she raised an eyebrow.
"As much as you're an ásshole?" she asked, the teasing flicker in her eyes as she looked at my lips when I bit them only leaving me to inhale a light breath.
"I plead the fifth."
"Admit it," she prompted, the heat in her eyes making me bite back a smirk when I shook my head. "Admit that you're an ásshole."
"I'd rather die," I said smug despite not having any issues with saying it, my words only prompting the challenging stare that she pinned on me which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand when she licked her red lips.
"I can arrange that," she said to me, tilting her head again when she trailed her eyes down my shirtless body before she stared just below my hips. "It'll be easy," she said once she met my gaze again, the familiar look in her eyes only prompting the heat in my body before I registered her words and her sudden movements when she reached behind her back, my own hands quick to mimic her movements.
In a split second we had our own guns pointed at one another with fingers on the trigger, our eyes trained on each other as the air shifted between us suddenly.
I could feel the pull of abrupt tension that made my body heat, her eyes moving down to my lips as we stayed aiming our weapons until they dropped and I was moving forward to her.
With ease I was I front of her before my hands cupped her face lightly as I kissed her hard, the sound of her moaning the way that she did echoing in my head as I picked her up and pressed her against the threshold of the bathroom whilst still being careful of her injuries.
I could taste the faint tinge of blood from her mouth as I pushed past her lips and stroked my tongue against hers, the feeling that was kissing her seeming to set fire to my bones just as she winced when I gripped her a little too tight.
It only left me to pull away until she pulled me back by the back of my neck, my groan swallowed into her mouth when she ran her fingers through my hair and caressed the back of my head as she tilted her own and moaned against me.
Her movements and the heat of her body kick started the familiar tickle of pleasure again, my chest caving with my groan against her when my thighs tensed and my cóck hardened.
I kissed her harder but it was then when I felt her tense as I moved my hips into hers, her mouth pulling away from mine suddenly which only left me breathing heavily and speaking.
"Did I hurt you?" I asked her, feeling her shake her head as I pressed my fingers lightly into the curve of her áss as I rested my head against her shoulders.
"We can't fück," she said, her words making me look up at her as I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm on my period."
"Hm," I pressed my lips together as she ran her nails lightly over my scalp, the trail of pleasure spreading down my spine as I spoke smugly. "Well then it's a good thing that God gave you three holes."
"You did not just..." Aria's eyes widened as I let her down, her hand smacking against my chest as the thought of taking her the way that I wanted invaded my mind whilst I leaned against the opposite hinge.
"What?" I asked her, seeing her limp towards her bed as I tilted my head when I stared at her áss, my hands quick to readjust my cóck that was pushing against the fabric of my pyjama pants. "Have you never been fücked in the áss before?"
When she turned and sat on the bed she shook her head, her movements only making me bite my lip when I thought too much about it.
"Ryder really was a dick," I muttered, the thought of him making me scowl before I looked down at her ankle that was still swelling. "You need to put some ice on that," I told her, feeling her already looking at me when I met her gaze. She didn't say anything in response to what I had said but instead stayed silent, the bruise on the side of her face a lot more noticeable just as she spoke up slowly.
"Are we good?"
I raised my eyebrow at her sudden words, my tongue licking over my lips as she looked at me and braced her weight on her two hands that were behind her body. It took me a few seconds to realise the extent of her apology as she frowned when I took too long to answer, the visual of her only prompting my words as I nodded and bite back the boyish grin on my face.
"We're good."
*
A R I A
"What time is your flight?"
I turned my head from stretching on the floor to see my grandfather, the breeze in the garden passing through my hair as I crossed my legs whilst staying sat on my purple yoga mat.
"Two in the morning," I said to him, noticing the way he was staring at the bruise on the side of my face that I'd covered in makeup, his hand coming up to block the light from the setting sun away from his eyes. He narrowed them as I looked straight ahead, my own settling on Lucien who was on the phone and aimlessly walking up down the balcony with a scowl on his face.
The sight of him only made the pit in my stomach drop, my teeth biting into the inside of my cheek before I looked away when my grandfather spoke.
"I don't want to see you hurt again," he said to me, the concern in his eyes making me pout slightly. "Both physically and emotionally."
With his last words he nodded in the direction of Lucien, my vision following his as Lucien ran his hands through his hair before he leaned against the balcony and shook his head at whoever was talking on the phone.
Things between us were better since he'd returned from Venice two days ago, the tension between us something that was a little less overwhelming since I'd realised that I had been in the wrong for what I had done to him.
"He's not Ryder," I said quietly, inhaling a small breath at my words as I looked up to my grandfather who smiled at me.
"I know he's not," he said, stepping over to me and placing a kiss on my forehead before walking back into the house and leaving me to do some yoga.
I continued to stretch under the extended roof of the garden, the living room wall standing tall behind me as I looked at Lucien whilst reaching for my toes that were in front of me. I did so without breaking a sweat, the ease I found in doing so being a result of the ballet lessons I'd taken from four years old up until I'd met Ryder when I was sixteen.
I had stopped attending because it had gotten in the way of me seeing him, the thought now making me roll my eyes as I stretched over my legs and then proceeded to manoeuvre myself into another stretching position.
I did so for the next forty five minutes whilst Lucien vanished into the house once he'd bluntly asked me if I had weed after he'd ended his phone call, my nod only leaving him to huff sharply before he told me to meet him at nine so that we could smoke.
His mood only amused me more than it should have, the scowl on his face something that deepened when I told him exactly that and watched as he vanished in the house whilst throwing his middle finger up at me.
When I recalled him doing so I bit back a smile as I rolled up my yoga mat and walked into the house, the time on my phone showcasing eight thirty which gave me enough time to shower up before I smoked with Lucien.
I let the time repeat in my head as I walked into my room and sidestepped my suitcase that was open and on the floor, the mess of clothes on my bed only making me huff when I worked out how long it would take me to pack considering we had to leave at one in the morning for our flight back to New York.
"I'll do it after," I mumbled to myself as I pushed my rolled yoga mat under the bed before walking into the bathroom, my hands quick to undress myself until I was naked and under the water of the shower.
I took care to clean myself gently considering the bruises I had before I exited a mere ten minutes later, my eyes squinting suddenly when I saw the minimal staining of blood on my towel when I dried myself off.
It seemed that my period was being strange since it was nearly coming up to a week and I normally bled for a few days, the thought making me hum before I put in a tampon just to be on the safe side whilst getting changed into something a little more comfy.
I settled on a matching white satin pyjama set that was hemmed with the same colour lace, the shorts tickling the tops of my thighs as I pulled on a black robe that was the same length before I sifted through my closet to find my weed stash.
I did so easily, a few more minutes passing as I rolled before I walked out of my room and stepped towards Lucien's where I could hear him talking to someone. His tone was sharp and he seemed just as pissed as he was before, the sound of him being angry only leaving me to curse my fücking vagina to hell as I knocked on the door before a few seconds passed and he appeared.
He was on the phone, his head moving in a beckoning motion to coax me into his room as his eyebrows furrowed at whatever the person on the other line said.
"Are you fücking stupid? You can't make a decision like that by yourself Alex," Lucien snapped, his body tense as he stood in a tight sleeved white V neck and the same loose fitting grey pyjama pants I'd seen him in before.
The material looked expensive, clinging to him in all the right places whilst I stayed in the corner of his room and flicked the lighter in my hand on and off, my eyes on the flame that sparked to life and then died when I let my hold go.
"Don't give me bullshít!" Lucien suddenly shouted, my head turning up to him as he ran a hand through his hair and scowled. "I swear to God Alex, the moment I fücking land in New York tomorrow I am going to castrate you."
My eyes widened at the threat Lucien sent his brother, the matter seeming to be serious as I cringed at a sudden cramp that flowed through my body.
I fücking hated periods.
"Nobody is pulling the fücking plug Alex, that is a joint fücking decision and I swear that if you make it your goddámn self I will put you six feet under the second I fücking see you," Lucien bit out, his threat clear as I put two and two together and made a face at the way Alex was acting.
It was clear that he and Lucien dealt with death differently and I had no right to judge, but with what I was hearing, it was clear that Alex just wanted to get everything over and done with concerning Jeremy.
"Tu mi fai più che schifo," Lucien retorted before hanging up the phone and throwing it to his bed, his words letting Alex know that he disgusted him as he ran his hands through his hair and breathed out a heavy breath. I sympathised with him considering the situation that he was in, my heart feeling heavy as he breathed in a light breath through his nose and rubbed his lips together before turning to me. "Sorry."
"You don't have to apologise," I told him, ignoring the discomfort when I moved too quickly as I lit the blunt in my hand between my lips before inhaling deeply. I did so a few times, watching the end burn bright orange as smoke filled my mouth, the smell of weed permeating the air around me as I parted my lips before I passed the blunt to Lucien whilst blowing the smoke past my lips.
Instantly I relaxed and watched as Lucien smoked, the tension that radiated off of him creating a stiffness in the air as he blew smoke past his lips in a heavy breath that made me frown.
I didn't know whether he was hurt or angry but I knew he was one as we smoked for a few more minutes in silence, the blank look on his face making me pout a little just as I spoke words that should've been said the moment we'd landed in Sicily.
"Can I show you something?" I asked him, seeing him look at me before he nodded after a few seconds of staring.
I mimicked his beckoning motion with my head so that he could follow me out of his room, the journey towards where I wanted to go only consisting of a few minutes as we stepped into the lighted garden and walked down the path that led to the far side of the house.
I was already feeling hazy from smoking as I stared at my feet and where they stepped in the darkness of the night, my head turning back as I panicked for a moment and made sure Lucien was behind me, which he was. He was blowing the last of the smoke past his lips as we entered the clearing behind the main house, the little pathway to the mini looking home only leaving my chest to hurt as I led Lucien down until we reached the door.
When we did he flicked the dead end of the blunt to the bushes as I disabled security with my thumb and watched as the dark inside of small property lit up, my hand pushing down the handle until I walked in and swallowed harshly when I entered the place Jeremy spent all his free time in.
I knew Lucien recognised where we were when he suddenly stopped walking, the door still open as he stayed between the threshold and stared with a distant look in his eyes.
It wasn't until after a few moments that he moved, his steps slow as he scanned the room once I'd closed the door and leaned against it. I watched with a slight haze as he took slow tentative steps, as if he feared that walking normally would destroy the set in stone memory of his father's room.
"Lucien ..." I whispered, barely audible to my own ears as he breathed out a heavy breath and walked towards the desk where Jeremy had a multitude of family pictures framed. The lights bounced off of the glass when Lucien picked up a picture that was a younger version of him and Alex, his fingers touching over the memory as he looked at the others that were there and swallowed loudly.
He stayed silent as he walked through where his father had stayed during the years he'd been staying here in Sicily for me, his fingers ghosting over the sofa where I'd seen Jeremy drink from the mug that Lucien had painted all the way in kindergarten. It was still sitting in the cupboard of the kitchen that was through the double doors at the side, the thought making me chest cave again as I swallowed a ball of nerves in my throat and followed Lucien through the lights that I turned brighter.
He was now in his Jeremy's bedroom, his body leaned over as he sat at the edge of the bed and pressed his elbows to his knees and held his head in his hands.
I could tell he was upset when he looked up and turned away from me, the thought of me being the reason that he was since I'd brought him here suddenly making me feel ill as he rubbed his hands over his face and inhaled a deep breath.
"Aria, you need to leave," he said without looking at me, the haziness of my high not felt as I fiddled with the edge of my robe and registered the emotion on his face.
"I didn't mean to make you upset," I told him quietly through a rushed breath, as if I had a feeling that he was going to interrupt me. He didn't, instead forcing me to make myself feel worse when rubbed his fingers into his hair and looked up at me, the glassy look in his eye making me shrink under his gaze when I realised how upset he was.
"You need to leave..." he trailed off, his voice barely audible when he looked away, his eyes scanning over the personal belongings Jeremy had scattered across his bed stand. Even with Lucien's words I couldn't bring myself to move away, the sudden deep intake of breath that came from his mouth only leaving me to blurt out something that distracted him from what he was feeling.
"I'm afraid of the dark," I said out loud, watching him turn his head to me as he gave me a questioning look, my motives to distract him working slightly when I spoke up again. "I have an insane phobia of being in the dark...it's why I always sleep with the lights on and why I told you to keep one window shade open when we were in the jet."
His eyebrows furrowed at my words, his hurt vanishing from his eyes as it was replaced with confusion.
"Is that why you kept the dashboard light on in the car when I first met you and drove you to church?" he asked, his knack for remembering details only serving as an advantage as I nodded at what he said. "What caused it?"
"Bad childhood experience," I said simply, not delving deep into the details just yet as he looked at me from still sitting on the bed, his swallow less harsh as we stayed silent for a few seconds. It seemed that me sharing my fear only alleviated what Lucien was feeling, the distant look as he stared at me only creating tension between us as I rubbed my lips together and stayed standing at the threshold.
His stare lingered silently as I grew hot under his gaze again, my thighs pressing together before he stood up and stepped towards me with fire in his eyes. His body heat bounced right off of mine once he was standing in front of me and making eye contact, his hand coming up to cup the side of my face before he traced his thumb over the healing cuts on my cheeks.
"Thank you for bringing me here," he said quietly, his palm burning a pleasurable fire into my bones as he licked his lips and inhaled a short breath, the sincerity in his words and the look in his eye making me realise that he was nothing like Ryder.
The sudden thought slapped me in the face with the weight of a truck as he pulled away and looked around the room, my head tilting as my high left me feeling hazier than ever when I kept looking at him. It was an odd feeling to feel everything and nothing all at once, however it seemed I was done caring about things when I found myself smiling lightly, the ache in my chest blooming further when Lucien turned and met my gaze before he mirrored the curve on my lips and sighed.
What are you doing to me, Lucien?
*A/N*
FÜCK ME IN THE EYE SOCKET I LOVE LARIA SM
ok maybe I'm being a lil dramatic but still (:
Laria made up (: I love my kids who are getting deeper into feelings since they've admitted it to each other
*sobs quietly in the corner*
Lucien is still coming to terms with having feelings but he knows that they're there, which is why he was acting a little AWKS during their conversation in the bathroom
Aria is also realising that lucien is nothing like Ryder. She did that thing where you realise what you've done wrong after you've had an argument, which is why she went out of her way to show lucien how sorry she was by finding Joe.
They're both like lowkey messed in the head but again, it's why they work so well!!
Yay for Laria *violently swings laria flag*
ANYWHO
The next chapter is them back in NY! Things will be changing between them since they're gonna be around everyone again, so expect lowkey sneaking around even though everyone catches on dksjdjdn
Halloween is also coming up soon (in the story!) any ideas for costumes 🌚
ALSO ALSO
if y'all have any scenes for laria let me know because I'll incooperate them!
As of now, laria will probably end up together by chapter 20, or chapter 22 if I'm pushing it fldkkdkd so you'll be getting smut, soft(ish) laria And them working together since y'all liked chapter 14 sm dksjdjdn
BUT YEAH
LET KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT!
I wrote this chapter in two days so whEWWWWW
What do you think is gonna happen when they go back to NY?
Did we like the flip in cliche roles when Lucien was the one cleaning aria's injuries up? We love a woman who goes to extremes fkdjdjdjto
Any ideas for smut? Cos I know y'all love that sm (;
Also, who's POV do we also like better? Lowkey like Lucien's but let me know dksjdjdn
Also 2.0, any changes that you feel would suit the characters? I'm always open to discussion!
ANYWAYS THO
Can we try for 170 votes and 600 comments?????
I'll see y'all next week with another chapter so stay tuned oK!! I update on either Tuesdays, Thursday's or Fridays!
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I hope this chapter wasn't shite because I legit edited it in one day dkskdkd but lemme know if I can improve on anything because I'm always open to criticism!!
I'll see y'all next week!
I love u all to the moon & back 🌙✨