"Well by the looks of things, it seems that Aria is the reason you're experiencing a lot of firsts,"
L U C I E N
"So you're telling me that two guys broke into your home, tried to kill you but couldn't because you were fast enough to kill them both?" I asked Aaron, my body leaning against my office desk as he sat in the chair opposite, his panicked eyes struggling to keep eye contact from the way I was staring him down with zero expression on my face.
It had been a total of ten minutes since he had appeared at my door looking worse for wear, the sudden stress of the situation along with what Aria was hiding only leaving me in a conflicted state of feeling nothing and everything all at once...something that wasn't good for anyone.
"They said that they were after Aria," Aaron breathed out quickly, his words making a sudden blanket of overwhelming heat to pass through my body, the split second anger that it turned into blooming in my chest uncomfortably whilst it boiled my blood and awakened the monster inside of me.
"What the fück do you mean that they said they were after Aria?" I snapped, my tone blunt and doing nothing to hide my sudden irritability when I white knuckled the edge of my desk and glared at Aaron. "Who the fück were they?"
"I-" he swallowed harshly, looking between Aria and I as she stood at the door of the office with squinted eyes, her expression mocking my own except for the fact that it was aimed at me and not Aaron.
"You're scaring him, Lucien," she mumbled as she walked towards me, her words only kick starting my forceful instincts as I pushed my body away from the desk to get all necessary information out of Aaron. It was a result of my impatience getting the better of me when I actually contemplated threatening him until Aria stopped me, her hand pressing hard to my stomach as she pushed her weight into me to stop me from walking any further.
I hated the fücking way I relaxed under her touch, the feeling of her body soft and against mine only making me exhale a sharp breath through my nose as Aria spoke up and looked at Aaron.
"He won't do anything to you," she promised, the scoff that left my lips joined by the roll of my eyes.
"I fücking doubt-"
Aria's glare made me shut my mouth, the irritation I had inside me making me run my tongue over my teeth as I stepped back to my desk and distracted myself with the blunt force of my fingers digging into my palms. It was hard to focus when all I could see was red at the threat that was centered on Aria, my intolerance at the way I was blindsided in this situation only tripling when I remembered that I still had no idea what the fück she was hiding.
For fück sake.
"I think...uh..." Aaron swallowed again when I glared at him, my temper flaring inside my body and waiting to burst wildly like a shaken coke bottle. "I think Joe might've tracked me from when I helped you in Sicily."
"You've got to be fücking kidding me..."
"Lucien!" Aria snapped as she turned to me sharply, my body already having a mind of its own as it retraced the steps I made towards Aaron.
"You seriously fücking believe-"
Again, my words were cut off when her arm outstretched and her hand was back to pushing me back, the notion a lot harder to do since I was stronger than her until I hissed at the way she dug her nails into my bicep. "For God's sake, let him talk."
I scowled at the dull pain in my arm before I glared at Aaron again and turned to the pull of Aria, my frustration over the entire situation becoming something that wasn't easy to keep under wraps considering I'd had the bad habit of being impatient since I could remember.
"Talk then," I bit out, blinking at Aaron when he rubbed his lips together and inhaled a breath, his eyes darting between Aria and I again before she nodded and prompted his words that fell short for a few seconds when I tilted my head mockingly. As he struggled to speak I took the opportunity to pull Aria by the hand until the side of her body was pressed against my front, her quiet gasp going unnoticed when I leaned against my office desk again and split my legs, her body settling between them like the space was made just for her.
I had no reason for my actions except for that fact that I knew Aria was the only way that I was going to stay calm in the situation due to the distraction of her body against mine, the sudden anger within me feeling a little less out of control as I ignored the squinted expression she looked up at me with and listened to Aaron.
"I was just minding my own business, trying to pin point where Joe was when I heard smashing noises upstairs," he cleared his throat as he explained what had happened. "I knew it wasn't my aunt because she left for a business trip yesterday, so I checked the CCTV for the first floor and there were two armed guys trashing the place," he carried on, looking down to his clothes that were clinging to him from the blood that was soaked into the fabric. "I knew I didn't recognise them so I started formatting everything from my servers. I would've called one of you two to help me but they were too close so I just waited for them to come down once I'd armed myself."
I pressed my lips together and didn't do anything except from stare, my blood steadily singeing me from the inside out and coaxing my normal instinct to be violent. It was hard to ignore but easier than normal when I distracted myself as Aria moved until her back was against my chest and she was leaning into me, my left hand moving to play with the hem of her satin shorts whilst I also caressed the smooth skin of her thigh that was underneath.
"When they did reach the basement I asked what they were there for..." Aaron said as he licked his lips and sighed. "They wanted to kill me because they knew I was a part of helping you two find Joe through Joseph Vallaro in Sicily," he inhaled a breath. "That means that Joe is a lot closer than we all think and he knows that we're trying to find him."
Fücking lovely.
"It also means that he knows the link between Aria and I which only leads me to guess that Joe knows how big of a part she plays in everything...I wouldn't be surprised if the price on her head has probably tripled."
His words that were most probably true made me grit my teeth, a harsh swallow stretching my throat as I inhaled a breath through my nose and ignored the sudden yearning I had to hold my gun in my hand.
Breathe, Lucien.
"How were they even able to track you when you always make sure that you're linked to a completely dead end?" Aria asked, unlike me unfazed by what Aaron was saying as her eyebrows raised, her head soon turning to look back and up at me whilst I thought about it.
As much as I wasn't warming up to Aaron during the situation, I couldn't deny that he got things done easily. Along with what Aria had told me I knew he was one of the best at what he did taking into account his age, the very thought running through my mind when I wondered if there was more to the picture than we all thought.
"That's the thing I don't get," Aaron said, his shoulders slumping when he made eye contact with me before staring at the way I had Aria in between my legs, his vision soon focusing on the way that I kept touching her aimlessly. "I'd never put you two intentionally in danger, or even risk anything if it came to your lives. I genuinely don't know how they tracked everything back down to me but I know they're probably going to come back for me as well as Aria too."
"Over my fücking dead body," I muttered, the thought something I didn't allow myself to think as I grew silent and found myself subconsciously pulling Aria closer, the curve of her áss settling against my covered cóck which made me hum a subtle sound of approval before I spoke to Aaron. "How did you kill them?"
"I told them that I'd be on their side and double-cross you if they spared my life," he started, humourlessly laughing as he shook his head. "They stupidly believed me and whilst they thought I was putting together a flash drive, I dropped it and did what Aria taught me...stab, duck and-"
"Shoot," Aria finished off for him, a half-hearted smile pulling at her lips before sympathy swam in her eyes.
"After I killed them both I went a little crazy and made sure that they couldn't live by cutting them open," he said nervously, scratching the back of his neck before he reached into his pocket and showed us two tiny circular disks that were black with a silver circle in the middle. "I found these GPS trackers on them and disabled them with a programme I made on my phone. I would've tracked them back to wherever their main connection was coming from but I didn't know if anyone else was coming for me and instead I just drove straight here."
I stayed silent as I registered everything that he'd said, my lips pressed together as I stared at him through blank eyes and felt Aria's nails trace lines over my hand that was holding her by the waist, the feeling of her doing so making me narrow my vision at Aaron before I spoke.
"How do I know that you're not here to fück us over instead?" I asked bluntly, Aria's movements suddenly stopping as she turned her head and raised her eyebrow at me, her reaction only going ignored as I kept asking Aaron questions. "For all I know the only reason you're here is because you made that dámn deal with them in exchange for your life."
"Lucien," Aria muttered, her eyes on me whilst I kept my own on Aaron, my questions seemingly unjustifiable to her which didn't matter...not when I was doing things in her best interest.
"I took a blood oath for Aria, you know that," Aaron told me, reminding me of what he'd done for her. "As much as I don't like murdering people, I did what I had to do because there's not a chance I'd ever betray you or Aria."
His words appeased me slightly but it was when I watched him trace the blood oath scar on his palm that I relaxed completely. A slight hum pressed my lips together as I nodded once and moved my hand over Aria's stomach and felt the tension in my shoulders steadily dissipate, the warmth of her body under my fingertips becoming an obsessive thought when I suddenly wanted to feel the rest of her.
It didn't help when she shuffled her feet and leaned into me more, a sudden harsh swallow stretching my throat as I battled the demons in my head that became louder when the curve of her áss pressed right against my cóck. I breathed out a subtle breath as she aimlessly scratched her nails softly into my thigh, the voices in my head bluntly goading me to tell Aaron to leave so I could fück Aria on my desk until the image in my head stopped at the sound of her voice.
"What do you need to track them back to where their main connection is?" she asked Aaron, motioning to the little discs in his hand as I exhaled. At the same time I did I willed away the need to feel Aria naked in my hands as I focused back to the situation at hand, the topic of conversation leaving me to feel a little less pissed when I came back to the realisation that I could trust Aaron.
"I just need a laptop and a secure network connection...I have the backup hard drives from the mainframe in my car," he explained, licking his lips as he held his hands together on his lap. "But right now, I don't think that matters because I have two dead bodies in my basement."
"Let's go sort that out before anything else then," Aria started, looking back at me for some sort of agreement that I easily gave before she spoke up again. "Do you have any clothes that he can borrow?"
"I'm feeling in a giving mood," I mumbled only for her to roll her eyes.
"Nobody would've guessed Mr I-scowl-at-everything," she said, my squinted eyes doing nothing to provoke a reaction when she moved away from me and smiled small at the way that I was looking at her.
Her doing so alleviated the sudden twist I had within me when I subtly missed the feeling of her body against mine, my tongue licking across my lips before I inhaled a breath and spoke up, this time looking at Aaron when I realised that if I looked at Aria much longer she wouldn't be clothed.
"You can shower in one of the guest rooms," I said to Aaron, seeing him look up from staring at his hands. "I'll grab you some clothes."
With my words I exited the office after I gave into my own thoughts and glanced at Aria quickly, her eyes already on me which made me supress the curve of my lips when she looked away instantly and bit the inside of her lip.
It was in that small moment that I seemed to forget what I was doing or what was going on until Jinx appeared in the foyer, his curious eyes squinting in my direction as I walked towards and then past him to go to my room since I had a feeling he was about to pester me.
"Hey!" Jinx called after me, my eyes rolling as I ascended the stairs and prepared myself for the endless amount of questions he probably had. "Who was that?" he asked, his confusion faintly justified considering he had been on the staircase the moment Aaron had appeared bloody and panicked at the door.
"A friend," I said simply, appeasing his line of question but not diving in too deep since I knew the lengths that Aria had gone to, to hide Aaron away from everyone.
"I know all your friends and he's not one of them," Jinx said as he ran up until he was by my side and walking up the stairs with me, my tongue pressing to the inside of my cheek when I registered his words. "But that's mostly because everyone in this house are probably your only friends...everybody else hates you."
"Good," I muttered, silently agreeing with his words until I suddenly didn't feel in the mood to talk when Jinx smiled at me and then stood in front of me to stop me from walking anymore.
To the man in the sky, please send me the patience I fücking need to deal with this idiot in front of me.
"Is he a friend of Aria's?" at the mention of her name leaving his mouth I tilted my head slowly whilst maintaining blunt, narrowed eye contact, the stare that I knew worked on everyone confirming the result when Jinx cleared his throat and moved out of my way. "So...is that a yes?"
"That's a shut the fück up before I make you," I told him as I resumed walking up the stairs, my hands quick to pull down on the sleeves of my dress shirt before I entered my room and walked towards my closet once I'd slammed the door shut.
When I did I heard the beautiful sound of deafening silence, the lack of unnecessary noise making me breathe out a light breath until I froze and closed my eyes briefly when the tell-tale sound of Tofu meowing ruined my mood.
I liked to think that I didn't hate him, but when I turned and saw his fluffy body jump from being curled on my pillows I made a sharp humming sound, my eyes settled on him as he stepped over to where I was standing before he sat at my shoes.
"What do you want?" I asked aimlessly, knowing fully well I wasn't going to get a response as Tofu kept staring up at me with big blue eyes before he leant on his hind legs and motioned for me to pick him up. "Oh for fück sake."
Reluctantly I scooped him up into my palms, his head mushing to my chest instantly which made me roll my eyes as I walked into my closet and picked out some clothes Aaron could wear.
I had a feeling he wasn't a suit type of man and instead walked past that area of my closet as I picked out black jeans, a black long sleeve top as well as a pair of socks and boxers, the sudden choice of dark colour regretted instantly when Tofu's white hairs caught onto the fabric and showed up easily.
I didn't bother voicing my tired thoughts out loud as I walked out of my room with one hand occupying the weight of Tofu as the other held the clothes I had, my feet stepping out into the corridor before I walked into the guest room Aaron was in and set the clothes on the bed next to where Aria was sitting.
"Thanks," Aaron muttered quietly, smiling hesitantly at me as Tofu wiggled out of my grip and jumped towards Aria who was on her phone. I could tell she was occupied when she didn't look up to me even when I stared, the sound of Aaron locking the door of the bathroom not doing anything either which made me squint at the same time she frowned whilst continuing to scroll on her screen.
"What is it?" I asked her, my words still taking no effect on her as she kept scrolling whilst the frown on her face deepened. Her reaction only made me walk towards her as I grew inquisitive and slightly annoyed at the thought of her being uneasy, my shadow soon obscuring the view of her screen which lead to being the only reason she eventually looked up to me.
When she did I squinted at the slightly distant look in her eye, her upset aura making me want to suddenly kill whoever was making her feel that way...the questions I had in my head soon answered when she spoke like she was reading my mind.
"It's Ryder," she mumbled quietly, looking back down to her screen before she handed me her phone and sighed as I read the message thread from his unsaved number.
From: Unknown (received 6:02pm)
They'll all know whether you like it or not
From: Unknown (received 6:01pm)
I will finish what I started just like you did
From: Unknown (received 5:59pm)
Your secret won't be safe forever
Ryder's words made me grow silently pissed, the sudden thought of shoving the crutches he used to walk with down his throat becoming an obsessive one when I wanted to grab my fücking car keys and bring the fantasy to life.
What stopped me was Aria's reaction, the weary look on her face as well as the way she seemed uncomfortable only leaving me to sit down next to her as she locked her phone and looked at her hand that was stroking against Tofu's head.
"You okay?" I asked whilst clearing my throat of the weird tone I used, the entirety of my life seemingly lacking the experience of comforting someone which only showed when I pressed my lips together, suddenly finding myself feeling out of touch with everything considering the slight peak of emotion I'd just willed into reality. It would've normally bothered me since I knew emotions were only used as a leverage by the enemy, but a part of me felt ill seeing Aria the way she was, my words only echoing in my head and suddenly doubted when I wondered if I said the right thing when she didn't answer right away.
"I'm fine," she breathed out after a few seconds, clearing her throat quietly before she looked at me and smiled. "Don't worry about it."
With her words spoken she kept on playing with Tofu, the distance I suddenly felt between us leaving me confused with what to do next.
Was I supposed to keep asking if she was okay when I knew she wasn't?
Would that annoy her?
Would I make her more upset?
...fück.
Why the hell is this comforting shít so fücking hard to do?
I scowled at the thought and made a sharp humming sound that resonated in my ears, my hand running through my hair as I stood up and stayed silent whilst distracting my mind with the thoughts on how I could kill Ryder.
I already had a few ideas from the moment I'd met him...one's which included a tank of gasoline and a blow torch as well as this weird contraption that tied your limbs and slowly pulled you apart until your bones popped and your body split in half from the force.
Strangely (and not) I smiled at the thought, the fictional scream of Ryder begging me to stop only warming my body and diverting my thoughts away from Aria at the same Aaron exited the bathroom fully dressed and blood free.
I watched in my peripheral vision as Aria turned to him from looking at her phone again, the sudden smile on her face that I knew was fake only leaving me to focus back on her as she asked Aaron if he was ready, the wavered tone she was also using making me squint just as Aaron smoothed his hands down the clothes I'd given him and spoke.
"Let's go deal with these bodies."
~
"You gutted them like a fish, Aaron."
My lips pressed together at the sight of the two dead men in Aaron's basement, his words of cutting them open seemingly taken with a light heart when I assessed the damage he'd done and realised how vivid of a picture he'd painted on his floor. His computer screens were splattered with the blood from the open stomach cavities both the men had, their organs sliced into and permeating the air with a putrid smell that I knew was going to cling to my clothing.
For fück sake, this was Armani.
"Aria taught me how to do that," Aaron spoke from behind me quietly at the same time Aria entered my line of vision, her heels clicking against the blood stained ground as she kept her eyes on the men on the ground before she kneeled at their heads and opened up her bag silently.
Her lack of words made me inhale a breath, the sudden flashback of her dealing with a dead bodyguard in Sicily contrasted to now confirming that Ryder's words, and now texts, had taken a toll on her.
She had stayed quiet from the moment we'd left the guest room in my house and I didn't enjoy it, especially when I knew it was because of her sad excuse of an ex who I wanted to smash into a wall. I was used to her smart mouth and her attitude, the silence I was exposed to something that I wasn't familiar with, particularly when it came to her. I expected anger and frustration to override her system like normal but instead I was witness to careful calculation and silent thoughts, the very reality smacking me right in the face when I looked at her for a little too long and heard the sigh I made repeat inside my head.
"What are you looking for?" I asked her.
She looked up from reaching inside the man's jacket, her gloved hands obscured by the material as she licked her lips and spoke.
"Um," she started, looking down at where she was touching before looking back up at me. "Any ID or personal belongings they have."
The stutter she made only left me to validate my suspicions on how drastic the effect of Ryder's idiocy had taken on her, the thought of him even having that sort of leverage over her for however much longer leaving me to create an image in my head, one that consisted of him with a bullseye between his eyes whilst the barrel of my gun pressed against the X in the center.
Idiota del cazzo...just wait till I get my dámn hands on him.
My blood boiled but I didn't say anything and let Aria get on with what she was doing, the thought of me adding to her stress making me bite my tongue when I wanted to suddenly demand her to tell me what she was hiding so I could essentially rid her of the problem.
I wanted her to know that I would never judge her and that no secret would be big enough to make me feel anything less for her, the thought running through my head for a few moments until I had a feeling that it wouldn't have been the right time to do so, especially considering her mood that would most likely interpret my words to be selfish...which they essentially were.
I sighed.
"I'm going to call Charlie," I said simply to Aria as she moved onto the next man, her head turning to look at me as she nodded and watched me leave to call the help I needed to dispose of the bodies Aaron had made a mess of.
Charlie was a professional cleaner who dealt with the messy aftermath of mafia bloodbaths in homes and disposed of bodies for a hefty yet understandable price, his business being one that was known in the world that I lived in considering the line of work I was sucked into.
I'd dealt with him many times before since he'd accompanied me personally on my crazy phase of killing the Sabella bloodline, the notion running through my head as I told him the address of where I was once he'd picked up and proceeded to reassure me that he'd meet with me within the next half hour.
His words made me roll my eyes when he made a joke out of the way that I liked to be prompt, my own personal quality of being impatient only translated into my hatred of being late for things along with how I loathed when people did the same to me. I didn't like having to wait and wanted things done in a certain manner, the fact confirmed subconsciously when I hung up the phone, looked at my watch and then told Aria that I was going to smoke when I realised I had time to kill.
"I'll come with you," Aaron piped up suddenly as I took out my packet of cigarettes and lighter, my thumb rolling against the wheel to produce a flame before I let it die down and started walking with Aaron following behind me.
His actions considering smoking were out of the ordinary since I knew he didn't touch cigarettes, the reminder making me hum quietly to myself as I silently thought about what his motives were whilst I walked past broken glass in the corridor and stepped through to the back of the house, my hands quick to push open the door to the dimly lit garage where my car was parked.
"Want one?" I asked Aaron once the door was closed, my fingers extending a cigarette to him despite what I knew whilst I placed one between my own lips. He looked at what I was offering before shaking his head at me, my eyes rolling as I lit the cigarette between my lips, inhaled a few breaths and exhaled smoke whilst he spoke up suddenly.
"What happened to Aria?" Aaron asked, his words making me freeze mid inhale before I plucked the cigarette from my mouth and blew out a misty cloud of grey, his words suddenly making his actions justifiable considering he didn't smoke in the first place but had willingly joined me.
"What do you mean?" I asked him, feigning my innocence easily as I took advantage of his jittery mood and lied smoothly. I knew that there was a high probability that he already knew what Aria was hiding considering they had been friends for a number of years and Aaron was present during her relationship with Ryder, the fact only creating an idea in my mind that was selfish and uncalled for when my predator instincts overwhelmed my system and fed on the way he was nervous.
"She's upset, I can tell," he told me whilst clearing his throat, my thoughts split in half as one side wondered how easy it would be to threaten Aaron into telling me what Aria was hiding whilst the other screamed at me to trust her no matter what it was. "What happened?"
"Ryder was trying to expose her for something," I said to him before inhaling against my cigarette again, the end lighting in a bright shade of orange that glowed in the hazy lighting. "They were on the topic of his son that she killed and he just went off on one until Salvatore cut him off mid-sentence."
"Oh..." Aaron breathed out quietly, his reaction only confirming that he knew what Ryder was talking about. "Um," he cleared his throat. "Did Aria tell you anything?"
"No," I said simply, rolling my shoulders back to rid myself of the tension residing there as one voice in my head kept provoking me to act selfish and ask Aaron what she was hiding so that I could take matters into my own hands. "She told me to trust her and that she would tell me what she was hiding at the right time."
Aaron nodded slowly, no longer maintaining eye contact which should've pissed me off but I was too busy fighting off the voices in my head, the incessant battle between me being selfish and me trusting Aria creating a dull ache to form in my temples.
What a fücking mess.
It took me a few seconds to come to a conclusion but ultimately I knew that I was to trust Aria completely no matter how much I wanted control, the thought confirmed in my mind as I squashed the selfish ideas I had and sighed to myself once I'd finished my cigarette and prompted Aaron to walk back to where Aria was.
"Wait, before we go," he piped up, holding his hand out to stop me from walking. "Um," he started, hesitant on what he was to say which made me raise my eyebrow as he cleared his throat and then spoke up. "I want to thank you for helping me."
His words echoed in my head until they become distant and distorted, my lips pressing together as I inhaled a fresh breath of air and calculated the chaos that had ensued today.
"I'm not going to lie to you..." I started, looking at him dead in the eye. "What you did today might have caused the beginning of something that makes a war look like a pretty fight," I said, hating myself for enjoying the way Aaron cowered slightly under my gaze. "I would've normally killed you for it, but you protected Aria indirectly and that's the only reason I'm not going to touch a hair on your head."
With my words I nodded in the direction behind him, his open mouth slowly closing as he nodded slowly before he turned around and walked back to where Aria was, his hands fiddling with the end of the shirt he was wearing before he spoke up. It seemed that the silence had got the better of him and he was taking the opportunity to try and make conversation, his actions making me roll my eyes until the topic fell to my father's state in hospital, the sudden subject only deteriorating my mood when I answered with a blunt he's the same and told Aaron to keep walking.
I could tell that he knew he shouldn't have touched on a personal matter of mine when he cleared his throat quietly, my eyes staring at the back of his head as I followed easily whilst scoping the corridor for any changes to distract my mind, the lack of anything being different not doing anything for tension I felt from speaking about my father as we descended down the stairs and into the basement where Aria was looking through a leather wallet.
"The blondes name is Ezrah Miller," she said as she turned to us and threw back what looked like several credit cards to the desk behind her. "I have his details including his social security number so that's great."
Her attempt at faking her enthusiasm made me stare at her for a few seconds, her mood being the only reason I stopped thinking about my father just as the bell that was connected to the front door sounded out, all three of us looking at one another before I turned and made my way upstairs so I could open it.
"Nine minutes early," I made an impressed hum as I looked at my watch before opening the door and greeting Charlie, the rest of his men who were behind him looking like a normal cleaning crew with their mops and buckets despite the fact that they were here to dispose of two dead bodies.
"Do you want us to clear upstairs too?" Charlie asked as we walked into the kitchen, his leather gloved hands picking up pieces of a broken plate before he watched them crack again once he'd thrown them aimlessly to the floor.
"Sure," I said simply, watching him turn around before he gave me a smile and shook my hand.
"It's nice being in business with you again, Lucien," he said, his smug look only making me roll my eyes as I told him to get to work. "I'll send the bill to you."
"Of course you will," I mumbled under my breath as Aria and Aaron stepped up the stairs at the same time Charlie vanished down them, the both of them looking at me as Aria pushed her hair away from her face and sighed quietly.
"So, what now?" Aaron asked, looking at me as I stared at the way Aria looked at everything around her with a distant look in her eye, the sight of her being so out of touch making me inhale a deep breathe before I looked at Aaron and spoke up bluntly.
"We find out where the fück those men came from and plan to give Joe a taste of his own dámn medicine..." I muttered, gritting my teeth when Aria frowned slightly. "If they want Aria, they'll have to go through me first."
~
2 DAYS LATER
J U S T I N
"Is she still the same?"
I looked at Aaron from staring at the designer box I'd placed on the desk in his hotel room as a result of an impulse purchase, my eyebrow raised as I registered his words once I was done blinking out of my sudden doubts concerning my motives.
"If you count not eating and hiding in her room as the same, then yes," I said to him, moving towards the sofa at the side of the bed Aaron was sitting on as he continued with trying to find Joe through the trackers he'd found. At my words he raised his eyebrow as I sat down on the large grey cushions, my legs lazily splitting as I ran my hands across my face whilst sighing and wondering if what I'd just done was justified.
"If she's not eating then that means that she's-"
"Stressed, yeah I know," I muttered, running a hand through my hair when it flopped over my forehead slowly.
Note to self, get a haircut.
"I see you're getting to know her," Aaron said in a teasing voice, his tone only making me look at him bluntly as he typed on his laptop without looking.
"Aren't you supposed to be busy trying to track down the main connection for those GPS trackers?" I asked, narrowing my eyes when he waved me away and carried on typing as if my visible threat didn't faze him.
I liked jittery Aaron a lot better.
"I can still track them down whilst teasing you about your feelings for Aria," he said to me, bringing me out of my own thoughts as I went to argue against what he said but found myself keeping my mouth shut when I realised there was no point in fighting against it anymore. "Wow...I never knew you could be silent."
"I will sew your lips to your throat if you don't shut up."
"Are you in denial?" he asked playfully, smiling at the way I glared at him. "Oh c'mon...you really expect me not to say anything when I know you're not here to see if I'm okay but instead ask how to give Aria the shoes you've just bought her."
My mouth opened until I shut it again when Aaron raised his eyebrows, his attention to detail pissing me off when I realised he'd looked right past my faked sympathy for him and right through to issue at hand...the heels that I'd just bought for Aria.
"If it helps, Christian Louboutin's are her favourite," Aaron said, telling me what I already knew considering I'd watched her step into nearly twenty five pairs back at the Moretti mansion in Sicily.
The thought only left me subconsciously smiling when I thought about how happy Aria looked until it turned into a scowl, the sudden image of Louis, her stylist, putting his hands on her invading my vision and leaving me green with envy.
"Just tell me what the fück to do and you can get back to figuring out where the hell Joe is," I snapped at Aaron, seeing him roll his eyes at my words as I kept wondering how the hell to go about the situation since it was the first time I'd been in this position.
It was bad enough that I was dealing with feelings that left me obsessed with the brunette who was most likely cooped in her room opposite my own, but it was worse that I was now overthinking things to the point where even a simple gift seemed like a gesture that made me look desperate.
"Well, firstly you need to actually know why you bought them for her."
"She's upset. She likes heels. What is there to think about?" I asked blankly, suddenly hating the fact that I'd come to Aaron for help when he laughed at what I said.
"You really don't know what to do, do you?" he chuckled, a deep sigh resonating from my chest when I shook my head to myself and stood up.
"Forget that this even happened," I told him, hating the way that I seemed to be out of control in this situation as well as mocked for it until Aaron repeated my name a couple times.
"Wait, ok...wait I'll help you," he breathed out in an amused tone, his hand covering his mouth when he cleared his throat at the narrowed stare I gave him to see if he was taking the piss out of me or not. "I'm serious."
"If I find out that you're not, I will literally plant a bullseye on this room door and let everyone who wants to kill you know that you're here."
"You wouldn't..." Aaron squinted suddenly, his jokey demeanour nowhere to be seen when I raised my eyebrow.
"Try me."
"Hm," he pressed his lips together. "Sit down and I'll tell you."
Today wasn't going to be the first time that I took orders from someone so instead I leaned against the wall next to the desk, Aaron's subtly annoyed look as a result of my actions making me smile sarcastically as he motioned to the box after a few moments.
"So," he started. "You're basically telling me that you got them for her because she's upset," he said and I nodded, his words prompting my mind to remember back to the way Aria had cooped herself up for the last forty eight hours.
The lack of seeing her made my stomach churn uncomfortably, my obsessive thoughts only leaving me to feel fücking crazy when all I wanted to do was get her out of her mood and take away anything that was obstructing me from doing so...those including her bastard of an ex and the dámn door to her fücking room.
"Well, with how Aria works I think it's best to tell that straight to her face," Aaron said, pulling me out of my thoughts as I registered his words before my eyes widened slightly. "...you've never done that before."
"Unless I'm bluntly telling her that I want to fück her, then no."
"I-" Aaron stuttered, his shocked look suddenly turning into amusement again as I crossed my arms over my chest and puffed out a breath. "Okay then..."
"What?"
"I didn't expect you to be so blunt."
"I could give you another example and talk about how great our séx was if you need convincing-"
"I'm okay," Aaron said with a tight lipped smile, a smug laugh parting my lips when I realised how uncomfortable he seemed. "Anyways...back to the issue at hand."
"Hm."
"Just tell her how you feel about everything," he started, looking up at me as he leaned his body back on his hands and stretched his legs in front of him. "I know you've both told each other that you like one another, so what's there to lose."
"Her," I said without thinking, the sudden realisation that I'd said it out loud leaving me to curse myself to hell and back when I saw Aaron's lips curve into a boyish grin.
Oh, for fück sake.
"You really do like her, don't you?" he asked, chuckling happily as I inhaled a breath and nodded hesitantly, both my hands coming up to rub the back of my neck whilst I sighed.
"I just..." I started, wondering if I was using the right words when I thought things out in my head. "I don't like it when she..." I trailed off, finding it hard to speak things out loud before I sighed. "I like it when she's mouthy and has attitude..." I said to him, ignoring my normal instinct of keeping my thoughts private as I swallowed lightly and didn't think about my pride. "I don't like it when she's not herself."
"...and you want to help her get back to being the way she normally is," Aaron finished off, his words something I silently agreed with as I looked at him and watched as he made a sound of approval. "You're a good guy for her Lucien."
The compliment didn't go to my head like normal but instead added weight to my shoulders, the sudden realisation of getting into my emotions leaving me to scratch my neck awkwardly until I realised I had bigger things to stress about when Aaron spoke again.
"You should ask her out."
"As in a date?" I asked, my blunt tone emphasising on the foreign word that seemed to leave a bad taste in my mouth when Aaron nodded. "I've never dated."
"Well by the looks of things, it seems that Aria is the reason you're experiencing a lot of firsts," he said, motioning towards the shoe box that was settled on the desk and containing the heels I'd bought. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about a relationship with her."
I stayed silent.
Despite how much the thought of a relationship scared me, I couldn't help but think back to the few times I'd subconsciously thought about one with Aria due to the very fact that I wanted her all to myself. I knew that we worked well together and being together meant that I could easily stake my claim on her, however, even with knowing all those things, there was always one thing, or in this case person, who stood in my way.
Salvatore.
Whether it was because of the deal we had or that fact that Aria was his daughter, I knew that Salvatore would have a problem with Aria and I being together despite the way that he behaved towards and around her. It was the only reason that I had stopped myself from fantasizing about something that I knew would probably end badly, the thought of Aria being affected mostly continuously replaying through my mind every time I ended up thinking about it.
"If it helps, I'm sure she'd say yes to being with you," Aaron said, a small sympathetic smile curving at his lips when I blinked out of my thoughts and swallowed roughly. "Just tell her how you feel, Lucien."
I nodded slowly to myself as I ran my hand through my hair and thanked him, my hands quick to pick up the shoe box in my hand before I told him I'd see him at Blake's Halloween party at the end of the month which was in a few days.
He nodded and sent me on my way with a cheerful good luck, his words making me think everything over as I made my journey back home until I found myself standing outside Aria's locked room door with the shoe box in my hands.
"Well...here goes nothing," I muttered dryly before I cleared my throat and knocked on her door with my tongue feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds in my mouth, a few seconds passing with no response which had me inhaling a deep breath as I knocked again and waited for her to respond.
With nearly half a minute passing I grew impatient and gave into my bad habits by opening the door myself through the biometric system I had installed, the successful humming of the door unlocking becoming music to my ears as I pushed past and scoped the room that was strangely empty. Her bed looked slept in as an open book rested on the pillows, Tofu's sleeping body curled against his tiny bed in the corner as all the lights shone brightly from the ceiling and illuminated the space Aria had hid herself in for two days.
"Where are you...?" I whispered under my breath as my eyes settled on the bathroom door, the sudden yet faint sound of music seeming a lot clearer as I placed the shoe box onto the bed and walked over to the closed door, the miniscule gap at the bottom providing a hint to the fact that she'd just had a shower when I smelt the familiar sweet scent of the soap she normally used.
It made a shiver straighten my spine when I realised the smell effectively meant that this was the first time I'd been close to her in two days, a deep breath tightening my chest just as I went to knock but stopped when the door opened and revealed Aria to me.
She looked surprised to see me which was something I anticipated, however what I didn't expect was the sudden look of slight relief that came in the form of her lips curling slightly.
"Lucien," she breathed out quietly, already tying the black robe she had on as she licked her lips that were free of her red lipstick, her eyes darting across my face as my body registered her being near me when my heart beat suddenly echoed between my ears and left me to swallow harshly. "How did you get in my-"
"I don't like it when you're upset," I bluntly got out, cutting off her sentence as she opened her mouth again to speak before she closed it and let me carry on when I cleared my throat. "I uh..."
Jesus fücking Christ, how the hell do guys do this?
My stuttered words made her press her lips together to stop the smile that wanted to grow, her reaction only goading my speech when I realised what I was saying wasn't offending her or making her feel worse.
"I...um," I cleared my throat again and put my hand out for her, her eyes swiftly staring at the way I wanted to lead her before she placed her hand that was smaller than mine in my palm. I felt an overwhelming sense of warmth flood my system when she did, my teeth biting on the inside of my cheek as I led her out to her room and towards her bed where I'd placed the box I'd bought with me. "I got you something."
"You did?" her tone was soft and showed her curiosity, my body hiding the view of the box until she saw it when she peaked over the side of my arm.
I knew she did when I watched her free hand try to cover her reaction that came in the form of a nervous smile, her teeth biting down on her thumb nail before she sat down on the bed alongside me with her legs crossed as the top of her laced robe tickled the top of her thighs.
"I know you were upset with what Ryder did," I started, looking at her as I picked up the box and fiddled with the lid when I carefully picked out my words in case I became impulsive and said something wrong. "I just...hm" I cleared my throat again, hating the way that I was stuttering over my words before I looked at her and felt the tension in my shoulders slowly dissipate. "I want you to know that I would never judge you for whatever leverage he thinks he has over you."
"Lucien..." Aria whispered, cutting me off but I stopped her, the sad look in her eyes appearing again when I mentioned the reason she'd been cooped up for so long.
"I trust you," I reassured her, every fücking fibre in my body seeming to agree when I hated the way she looked distraught for a split second. "If you don't want to tell me now, that's fine. If you do, I am here to listen and kill whoever you want me to kill."
My choice of words made the smallest of smiles appear on her face, a light laugh parting her lips as she looked at me and inhaled whilst thanking me.
"Don't thank me until I've opened this box," I said to her, seeing her bite the inside of her lip as I motioned towards it and then inhaled a big breath. "But before I do, I want to say something to you."
Remember what Aaron said...just tell her how you feel, Lucien.
"When you're upset over something, come to me instead of hiding," I said to her, my heartbeat picking up as I kept speaking and watched her head tilt a little when she stared and registered my words that seemed out of character for me. "As much as I'm not good with the emotional shít since it's all new to me, I'd rather you be upset with me instead of without," I told her, feeling the distance that had been put between us slowly crumble when the light in her eyes returned slowly. "I might not be good with dealing with problems if they don't end with someone dying...but...I'm here."
With my words repeating in my head I watched her smile again, a few seconds passing between us as I waited for her to respond.
It didn't happen instantly like I'd anticipated, my subconscious suddenly shouting at me when I put it down to me saying something that I shouldn't have, the words I'd spoken probably taken the wrong way and leaving her to think that I was selfish or controlling, both of which I was unapologetically anyways. It only left me inhaling a deep breath as I cursed myself to hell and back for thinking I could deal with spewing emotions, my hands moving to open the shoe box in my hands until I felt it move from me when Aria picked it up.
My head turned to look at her as she shoved it to the side, the look on her face one that I didn't recognise until she moved towards me, the sudden weight of her in my lap something that I'd missed just as she cupped both sides of my face and kissed me hard.
Her lips moulded against mine as I groaned pleasantly and surprisingly at the contact, both my hands moving to the dip in her waist as I kissed her back and felt my body steadily warmth with the nearness of her and the feeling of her body underneath my fingertips.
From the way that she was kissing me my worries about saying something wrong to her vanished, her legs splitting over my lap as she sunk her weight into me and moved one of her hands to the back of my neck to pull me closer. At her forceful movements I groaned against her mouth, one of her hands staying curved against my jaw as she tilted her head and deepened the kiss, my fingers pressing into the warmth of her skin underneath my touch as my lips parted and tongue caressed against her own.
I felt her body instantly relax as she moaned lightly when I stroked my tongue against hers just like I always did when I was between her legs, the sudden inviting thought making me pull her closer to me as I kissed her hard and soaked in her reaction that was a short gasp.
Fück, I missed her.
She plagued my fücking mind and diseased my thoughts in the best fücking way, the notion making me pull her into me as I kissed her until she was breathless and pulling away from me.
When she did she rested her head against mine, her eyes closed and a small smile playing on her lips as she caught her breath and then turned once I kissed her quickly again, this time my lips pressing against her cheek.
"Let me show you what I bought you," I told her quietly into her ear, finding myself kissing her cheek again as she stayed on my lap and watched as I opened the box to reveal the shoes I'd bought her.
"Should I be worried that you have my taste down to a T?" she asked, her tone playful and teasing which made everything worth it when I watched her pick up the black heeled boot that had silver details across it.
"Do you like them?"
"I love them..." she whispered, her eyes in awe as she bit the inside of her lip and then turned to me. "Thank you, Lucien," she mumbled, looking down before back up at me. "I know that I can get too caught up with my thoughts...it's a bad habit of mine but I'm working on it," she finished, finally telling me that she was thankful for my trust before she looked down at my lips and kissed me quickly, the shy look that followed making my chest tighten whilst she moved off of me to try the heels on.
I stayed on the bed where I was as she did, my hands bracing my weight as I watched her try on the heels in just a black robe, the shoes a perfect fit as she walked effortlessly across the room and then turned to look at me with the same shy smile on her face.
When she did the sudden words of Aaron entered my head, my chest tightening suddenly when in a matter of seconds I imagined about a relationship with Aria in my head, the thought plaguing my mind as her bright eyes and smile were infectious.
It made me smile as I stared at her and felt my body relax, the curve of my lips becoming a reminder that I was the reason she was happier now as she gazed thankfully at the shoes I'd bought her, the very thought only becoming obsessive when I wondered if feeling like I how was came with the added title of being with her.
...because if it did...whether Salvatore approved of us or not, it wouldn't be long before I asked Aria to be with me...and that was something that I was sure of.
~
HALLOWEEN NIGHT
L U C I E N
"A vampire...really Aaron?"
"What's wrong with being a vampire?" he asked Aria as she looked at him, her robe covered body standing at the threshold of my bathroom as Aaron walked into my room and swung his obnoxiously large cape. As he did I rolled my eyes, my vision soon settling on Aria's legs as she stood in black fishnets and fixed the blonde wig she had on.
I watched as she did, her manicured fingers pulling at both the pigtails that were died individually blue and red to match her character that accompanied the one she'd given me to impersonate.
The joker and Harley Quinn. That's what we were together tonight.
The thought of us mimicking them only made me snort at the similarities we both had in comparison to the psychotic couple, the idea making me smirk as I buckled my belt to the black slacks I was wearing and listened to Aaron and Aria's conversation.
"I have my pickup lines ready," he said to Aria, my hand scratching against my naked chest as I made an approving sound when I realised the gym work that I had been putting in was showing.
"You do?" Aria asked.
"Hey baby, what's your blood type?" Aaron started, my eyebrow raising slightly at his words as I watched them both through the reflection in the mirror. "How about joining me for a bite? Get it? It's because I'm a vampire...I'm so fücking funny."
"Oh my god..." Aria mumbled under her breath, supressing the laugh she wanted to make as Aaron moved past her and towards the mirror to fix the fangs he had on his teeth.
"I can really suck the life out of you," he added, my eyes narrowing slightly when he made eye contact with me before he chuckled at my reaction and then turned back towards Aria. "If I said you had a beautiful corpse would you hold it against me?"
"If you get laid tonight I will be surprised," I said to him, ignoring the look he gave me as he called me a spoiled sport and then walked into Aria's room across the corridor once he'd told us that he was going to play with Tofu.
"Everyone is obsessed with the cat," I heard Aria say to herself just as she walked towards where I was, her head now coming up to my shoulders courtesy of the fact that she didn't have her heels on.
"Are you going to wear heels?" I asked her as the thought entered my mind, my eyes meeting her gaze in the mirror reflection before I looked at her directly when I turned to see her.
"Yes," she said, smiling at me when I stared at her and then at her wig. The blonde hair strangely suited her, the colour making her look a lot more tanned as she said something that I didn't catch when I started to imagine things in my head.
"What did you say?" I asked her once I'd blinked out of my thoughts, my eyes meeting her own as I looked away from her hair.
"I asked why you were staring," she said, looking up at me from the height difference which made me want to tease her. I knew I could do so easily considering her mood had switched back to normal since I'd talked to her a few days ago, the very fact that I was the reason for the change leaving me smug as I looked at her and spoke.
"I was thinking about how blonde suits you," I told her, softly hitting the blue dipped pigtail with my hand which made her roll her eyes amusedly. "But I like your dark hair better."
My words made her smile before she hit me playfully in the chest, her humour infectious as she sat up on the counter and told me to turn so that she could spray my hair green to match the character of the joker.
Her plans only made me squint when I remembered back to the disagreement we'd had just twenty minutes prior, our conversation over whether I was going to allow her to change my hair colour for the night leaving the both of us verbally fighting until I got tired and realised that she wasn't going to back down until she got what she wanted.
"I swear if this ends up permanent I will put hair remover in your shampoo," I told her seriously, my hands trapping her by the sides of her body as I leaned my weight into the marble and felt her legs split to pull me closer.
The feeling of her doing so made me inhale a breath and all my worries dissipate slowly as she told me to grab the towel by the side, my hands quick to do so as I keep watching her proceed to spray my hair through the constant sequence of looking at her reflection in the mirror and then staring at her right in front of me.
It was amusing seeing her spray my hair with such precision, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together as she silenced her breaths to the point where wondered if she was even breathing as the hiss of the spray can bounced between the bathroom walls and echoed in my ears.
Her careful calculation was strange but nonetheless entertaining as I looked at my normal dark hair change into a rich emerald green, my chest suddenly tightening at the instant change until I found myself looking down at Aria's lips and distracting my mind with wondering how close I could get before she said something to me.
I entertained the thought in my head for a few seconds before I moved forwards slyly, my tongue swiping across my lips at the same time I noticed the way she sat up straighter so that she could reach the back just as I felt her inhale a sharp breath.
"I know what you're doing," she mumbled to me, the sudden déjà-vu I had of us entering my mind when I remembered back to being downstairs in my kitchen after I'd watched her effortlessly (and now, ironically) cut a man's mouth open in the style of the joker.
"We've been here before," I told her, the hissing sound of the hairspray can suddenly silenced when she stopped looking at my hair and to my eyes instead.
"Déjà-vu is a funny thing," she told me, a teasing tone playing between her words as she bit her lip and tilted her head whilst looking at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. It made me smug when I revelled in the way that I was going to kiss her, the sudden idea overwhelming my system when I leaned in until I was suddenly pushed away and looking at her through narrowed eyes. "Turn around, I need to do the back of your hair."
Hm.
"You'll regret that," I told her, the itchy need to kiss her making me inhale a breath as she smirked at me before I turned around and felt her put the towel I'd given her around the back of my neck.
In a matter of a half minute she was done, my hands moving pieces of my hair that were now green to a style I liked as I leaned against the counter and watched as Aria vanished from the bathroom before returning with a pink zip up bag.
"I need to do your makeup."
I grew unenthusiastic at her words, the annoyed frown on my face giving that away when Aria sat on the counter again and then told me to turn around, a few minutes passing as I found myself subject to her painting my face a ghastly shade of white whilst my lips were a bright red colour that smudged slightly outside the lines.
"Gesù Cristo," I mumbled when I caught a look of myself, the slight snort that emitted from Aria's throat leaving me to look at her as I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek and spoke. "Just wait till I'm sick and you have to dote over me in a séxy nurse outfit."
"I look forward to it," she said smugly, her lack of an embarrassed reaction only making me think impulsive thoughts that I acted on as she said she was going to finish her own makeup.
In a matter of seconds I pulled her into me, her light gasp making me smirk just as I leaned down and kissed her with everything that I had in me despite knowing fully well that my makeup wasn't set yet. She moaned at the force I used as I dipped her back slightly, her hands moving to my face as she kissed me back and then held me by the back of my neck to hold her weight that I was dangling against my hands.
At first I knew I was doing what I was with the intentions of getting my face makeup all over her, however when she pulled me into her and made a pleasurable sound, I grew overwhelmingly hot and felt the familiar bubble of lust pool between my veins and blind every rational thought I had within me.
Fück.
I pulled and picked her up until she was settled on the counter with her legs split, her hands scratching against the back of my neck as I pulled her by the waist so that the heat between her legs was trapped just over the swelling bulge of my cóck.
Just like that I wanted to fück her and forget about going anywhere tonight, the sudden overpowering urge to make her mine from the inside out leaving my hands with a mind of their own as they undid the tie to her robe until the fabric was being pulled down her shoulders.
"Lucien," Aria breathed out as I pulled away from kissing her and curved my hand across the underside of her jaw, my mouth kissing down the length of her throat until I could feel the erratic pulse of her blood underneath my tongue. "F-fück."
I groaned at the sound she made and the way she scratched at the back of my shoulders when I reached the dip of her cleavage, the heat of her skin underneath my mouth being something that I fücking missed as I teased my finger underneath the cup of her bra.
"When was the last time we fücked?" I rasped out, suddenly moaning at the thought of watching my cóck slick from her arousal dip in and out of her püssy as I fücked her and revelled in her voiced pleasure when I hit that soft spot she had deep inside her.
"Nearly three weeks ago," she got out breathlessly as I made my way back up her chest and neck, my hand freeing her face of the way I tilted it at the same time I kissed her and felt her hands skim down my chest until they reached my belt buckle.
Her hands were quick to undo my belt as she popped the button of my slacks and pulled down the zipper, her mouth incessant against my own as I groaned when she dipped her hand down and against my cóck that was hard and wanting friction...preferably from her püssy.
"Cazzo, sì," I groaned against her as she bit my bottom lip and pulled at it teasingly, the slight popping sound making her moan lightly as she licked over the sting and then went to say something until another voice popped up.
"Do you think cats actually understand what we're saying because I just told Tofu he was cute and he just walked away from me?"
I inhaled deeply into my chest as Aria sighed quietly at the sound of Aaron's voice, the both of us trying to catch our breath as I turned my body away from the bathroom door and zipped up my slacks. I could feel the ache of my cóck ricochet outwards until my thighs stayed uncomfortably tense, my chest expanding again as I inhaled another big breath before watching Aria tie her robe again and slip off the counter.
"Aaron, can you give-"
"Wow. Did you do your makeup with the lights off..." he cut her off suddenly, my head turning back to see what his words were a result of until I did a double take at my reflection in the mirror.
It seemed that my original plan to get my makeup on Aria had successfully worked. The smeared red of my own lips meshed in with the white of my face paint just as Aria turned around confused at what was going, her expression soon morphing into realisation when she saw the state of my own face.
"Oh my god..." she mumbled as realisation hit her, her feet taking a few steps towards the mirror as I bit my lip to stop myself from smirking at the light pink splotch across her mouth and the few faint lines down her neck and chest. "Ti ucciderò!"
I dodged the sudden slap she aimed at my shoulder, her narrowed eyes staring me down but doing nothing to provoke me when I saw the way that a smile curved at her lips.
"I fücking hate you," was all she said as she walked out of my bathroom once she'd taken her things, the defiant tilt of her head making me smug as I spoke up and called out after her.
"Now you know how I feel when you kiss me and you've got red lipstick on!"
"Ásshole!"
"That's yet to be fücked!" I responded, hearing her frustrated sigh repeat beautifully inside my head as I smirked and readjusted myself shamelessly, Aaron still standing in the same place as he stared from where Aria had just walked before back towards me.
"What just happened?" he questioned, squinting his eyes at me as I rolled my own at his words and tried to fix what damage I'd done to the makeup on my face, a few moments passing when I wondered what to do and heard Aaron leave the room. It was a bittersweet moment trying to readjust the smears on my face when I didn't know what the fück I was doing, my frustration soon getting the better of me as I ran my hand through my hair out of habit and realised that the spray hadn't set when my palm stained a bright green.
"You've got to be fücking kidding me..." I muttered to myself, irritability tightening my chest until I heard the sound of heels walking into my room.
At least I knew Aria could fix it.
"I can't fücking get-" my words slowly trailed off when I turned and looked at her, her outfit complete as she stood in extremely short shorts and a crop top that showed a strip of her toned stomach. She smirked at me dramatically when I didn't know what to say as she swung the bat she had in her hand teasingly and licked her lips, her makeup fixed and done to look like Harley Quinn which she successfully impersonated when she spoke up.
"Does puddin' need help?" she asked me, motioning towards my makeup as I looked at her and tried to supress the impressed smile on my face until I couldn't hold it any longer as she kept speaking. "Daddy's little monster at your service," she teased, the nickname making me make a subtle sound of approval before she walked up to me and realised I was blatantly staring at her. "You're staring."
"Your point?" I asked, her hand settling across my bare abs to move me back towards the counter which I did successfully as I gazed at the length of her legs and tried to ignore the thought of them wrapped around my waist. It was hard to when they were so visible to my eyes, my hands moving to play with the hem of her top as she wiped away my makeup and redid it. I stayed silent throughout the entire process and stayed admiring her as my hands moved to her waist, my eyes fixed on her as she licked her lips slightly and then moved back once she'd finished everything.
"Done," she mumbled to herself, gazing at me from afar before she closed the bathroom door and retrieved the jacket she'd bought for me that was hanging on the hooks. It was long and a shimmery purple, the shade something that made me cringe which only resulted in Aria rolling her eyes as she told me to put it on at the same time she picked up her bat again.
"I'm going to purposely make myself sick...I look like a fücking beetle," I muttered as I looked in the mirror once I'd put it on, the sudden displeased frown on my face at the weird clothing vanishing when I looked at Aria who was looking at me from the side of my body.
Together we truly did embody Harley and the Joker, the notion making me run my tongue across my teeth as she unlocked her phone and then told me to smile for the picture she was taking. Her enthusiasm amused me and was probably the only reason I stayed sane even whilst looking like a fluorescent light bulb, my body moving behind her as one of my arms lazily fell across her shoulder until I moved it towards the other and held her to me whilst the flash went off.
She took a few pictures of the both of us before she hummed happily, her hands quick to edit in filters just as she sent them all to me and then turned around whilst teasingly pointing her bat at me.
"Okay, you can take the jacket off now," she mumbled as I moved my arm from her, my eyebrows raising at her words that didn't seem to make sense. "I'm not stupid. You don't like the jacket and to be truthful, it does make you look like a beetle."
I looked at her with squinted eyes, the supressed smirk on my face seemingly being noticed when she told me to shut up as I took the jacket off and watched her vanish outside the room. It was entertaining knowing that she knew what I was thinking, the fact making my chest tighten as she returned a minute later with a white dress and a gun holster that was made of maroon leather.
"Only do up a few buttons," she said to me, her orders making me look at her as I exhaled a breath through my nose.
"Someone's feeling bossy."
"Says the man who told me, and I quote, you can have you control everywhere else, but when your püssy is wet you answer to me."
"So why aren't you answering to me then?" I asked, my words taking a moment for her to register as she ran her tongue over her teeth before pressing it into the side of her cheek.
"Just get ready and let's go before we're late," she said to me, her tone blunt despite the curve of her lips as she handed me the shirt and then walked away, her actions making me hum pleasantly when I stared at the back of her right from the point of her heels to the blonde of her wig before I let my words part my lips.
"Here's to a night of hopefully no drama," I called out teasingly after her, her body turning to look at me as she smiled mischievously at my words and swung her bat again, the playful look in her gaze returning before she licked her lips, hummed lightly and spoke up.
"We'll see about that."
*A/N*
HELLO
IT HAS BEEN A HOT MINUTE SINCE I UPDATED
But omg I am stressed, idk if I like this chapter or hate it because I do like it but then I hate it
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT
Laria are progressing steadily and are moving into the couple but not yet a couple stage which means lucien is so soft for aria but a complete a-hole to everyone else
DON'T WE JUST LOVE HIM
I do
I want him to bust a fat nut right down my-
Nevermind
ANYWAYS
I feel like im talking so fast omg
I wanna keep these end notes really short, that probably wont happen because my mum is about to strangle me since I ran away from trying wedding outfits on (not my wedding, my uncles) and welp I don't feel like dying just yet soooooo
LETS TALK
I had such a struggle writing this chapter which is why I kinda left yall hanging for a month so im sorry for that, but hopefully all these laria feels that come in the form of nearly 13k words helped??????
*nervously sweats*
Let me know because im so insecure (((((((((:
ANYWHO
I had to split Halloween up into sections because this chapter would've been way too long and I feel like it would've taken away from the character development I wrote
SOOOO
Next chapter will start with Halloween things and drama at the party before we see Aria moving into her new apartment!
*couGHS IN KINKY FLOOR SMUT*
Yayyyyy
That also means that lucien will be clingy asf which is lovely because don't we love a mafia man in touch with his feelings who also has a big pornstar d!ck
Ugh yeS
But yeah, smut next chapter!!!!!!!!!
Lovely jubbly
BUT OK *breaths deeply because I still feel like im talking so fast*
Questions;
Do we think that laria are moving too fast with feelings or is it steady? Is the character development good? Again, help your insecure friend out (:
(are we friends? I like to think we're friends 😅)
Lucien bought Aria heels because she was sad. Does she suck his dick or does she suck his dick?
What do we also think about what Aria is hiding? A few of you actually guessed it in the last chapter but I'm not confirming anything! All will be revealed in chapters 20-22!
Did we all scream when lucien thought about how he's gonna ask Aria to be all his soon? Cos I screamed...I really did ngl I love my children
BUT ANYWAYSSS 2.0 OR 3.0 idk how many times I've said it
I'M GONNA LEAVE
My mum is gonna have my head on a stick
Can we try for 180 votes and 700 comments? Is that a reach? IDK, yall have consistently got over 1000 comments since chapter 12 and that makes me so happy because you love laria and that means that you love what I write and it just makes me SO SOFT
So vote+comment+all that good shiznittttt and talk to me on my socials!
Twitter | btwitssurina
Ask.fm | btwitssurina
ALSO, ARIA AND LUCIEN GOT INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS. FOLLOW THEM BECAUSE I'M CONSTANTLY FOREHSADOWING THINGS OVER THERE!
Aria | ariamxretti
Lucien | lxcienromano
HAPPY FOLLOWING!
I LOVE YOU ALL SO BLOODY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME AND MY WEIRD UPDATING SCHEDULE! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT AND I'LL SEE YALL SOON! (fr this time)
I LOVE U ALL TO THE MOON & BACK 🌙✨