Aidan stalked back into the random bedroom that he had just come out of, walking into the bathroom to wash off the lipstick stains that were all over his chiseled face. He let out a gut wrenching huff as he splashed his face with water, glancing up into the mirror to see the pain and lifelessness in his own eyes.
'Play along...' Aidan's spine tingled, recalling the sensation of Luca's breath tickling his skin as he whispered into Aidan's ear; all the while Aidan glanced around in confusion, finding himself in a room that he didn't remember how he'd ended up in. Aidan still remained mostly in the dark concerning exactly what was happening; he figured it involved Gio, but that wasn't even what bothered him most. Though Aidan trusted Luca, a part of him still felt unsettled with what had just happened. All those harsh words, all that anger; was they actually how Luca felt? Was that what he thought of Aidan? All this time that he'd give Luca his everything, did Luca have these festering doubts hidden away concerning Aidan's loyalty?
Aidan's attention immediately shifted to his phone on the bathroom counter as he saw a notification illuminate the screen. Aidan picked it up disinterestedly, a smirk creeping over his face as he read the text message he had just received.
Baby <3 : If you aren't already balls deep in a rebound, meet me behind the tree in the backyard.
Aidan trudged through the party, pushing past random drunk freshmen and annoying couples making out in the middle of the staircase. He finally made his way to the foyer and towards the door, but not before he felt a strong hand come down onto his shoulder.
"Awww... Leaving so soon?" Gio said smugly, miming a fake tear down his cheek. "What's the hurry... It's not like you have anyone waiting for you." Gio taunted as Aidan felt his blood boiling.
"You..." Aidan glared at him with narrowed eyes, noticing a second blond boy standing to the side behind Gio. The same blond boy from the movie theatre, Colton.
"I don't know what you're talking about..." Gio smirked condescendingly at Aidan. "And even if you think I did something, Luca won't believe you. Not after what he saw, not after the way you made him cry."
"Why?" Aidan's voice cracked pathetically but Gio tried hard to maintain his stone cold exterior. If he felt the slightest sympathy for Aidan, he'd be damned if he let it show. "Why'd you do it?"
"I had my reasons... But take this as a warning, Taylor." Gio chuckled devlishily. "Stay the fuck away from me and my family... I'll see you at the championship game."
Aidan stared in awe as Gio and his minion stalked away with looks of pure pride on their face. They looked as if they had won the war, and for all intents and purposes, they had. But Aidan knew better, Aidan knew that they might have won this battle, but not the war.
Aidan turned around and made his way out the door, zipping up his jacket as he walked through the blustery November wind. He turned the corner, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm as he walked in the bleak darkness towards the back corner of the house's backyard. He spotted the large old oak tree almost immediately, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the shadow of a certain beautiful petite boy underneath it; only the light of his phone dimly illuminating his face.
"Took you long enough." Luca said with a a smirk creeping across his pretty face. "I thought you'd have found a rebound by now." Aidan smirked at that comment, running up to the dark haired boy and engulfing him in his warmth as he peppered chaste kisses atop his soft black hair.
"I could never..." Aidan looked in his eyes, a look of deep pain still present in them from Luca's harsh words earlier. "I only have eyes for you, you do know that, right?"
"Of course I know, babe. I trust you..." Luca whispered as he stood on his tip toes and kissed Aidan deeply on the lips.
"Then... Why did you say all those things?" Aidan's voice cracked, as Luca brushed his cold cheek lovingly with his soft knuckles.
"I didn't mean them, babe. I'm sorry if I hurt you, I just needed it to seem believable. I needed them to think they'd won." Luca started with a sigh. "You're one of the most transparent people I know, it's one of the things I love most about you. I was going to keep you in the dark to make it all seem believable, but when I looked down into your eyes I... I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt you like that..."
"Do you actually believe those things you said?" Aidan asked sharply, a look of hurt omnipresent in his bright blue eyes.
"I did at some point." Luca admitted honestly with a sigh. "It crosses my mind from time to time, but I trust you and I love you. I trust you, because I love you. With all my heart and soul."
"I would never hurt you..." Aidan said softly. "I would never cheat on you... You know that right?"
"I know." Luca continued with a sigh. "Gio and Colton did this... Gio drugged you, paid some freshman girl to make it look like you were cheating. Then Colton came and told me Gio was waiting for me in that room."
"He basically just admitted to it inside too..." Aidan said coolly, snaking his arms around Luca's waist and pulling him in. "I'm so sorry baby." Aidan's voice cracked slightly as tears began to stream down Luca's cheek. He had so many emotions inside him from heartbreak, to anger, to confusion, to even more anger. It was all too much for him. "I'm sorry this happened to us. I'm sorry you had to deal with this baby. I'm so fucking sorry. I'm sorry I lost my temper with you today, I'm just..."
"Right." Luca cut him off. "You're completely right. I shouldn't have ghosted you like that... It was wrong. And for that I'm truly, truly sorry..."
"I understand why you did it now..." Aidan admitted with a sigh. "Do you think it could get worse than this?"
"Oh, one hundred percent." Luca said matter-of-factly, with a defeated look in his amber eyes. "But we'll fight through it. For each other..."
"What are you going to do about Gio?" Aidan asked him with a furrowed brow.
"The Lord will handle him..." Luca said bleakly as his eyes glazed over, clearly deep in thought.. The Lord would handle him, but not before Luca Greco had the chance...
The next afternoon Luca gazed into the mirror letting a forced exhale out as he closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. His eyes were reddened and puffy from hours of forced crying. He smirked evilly as he stared at his perfectly sad looking face. Giovanni Greco is going to get a taste of his own medicine, and Luca was going to be the one prescribing it.
He grabbed the tray of Pasta alla Norma that he had just made off the kitchen counter and walked out the side door of his house. He confidently stripped towards Gianna and Gio's house next door and rang the door bell, making sure he looked as sad and broken as possible when Gio opened the door.
"Good morning!" Gio said cheerily, so cheerily that Luca almost wanted to deck him in the smug face. "You okay? You look sad..."
"I'm fine..." Luca said with a pathetic sniffle. "I made lunch, thought maybe we can all eat together..."
"You didn't go to mass?" Gio asked with a cocked eyebrow as Luca sighed again, shaking his head. "Well it's just us two, the rest of them went to Mass..." Luca acted surprised though he wasn't surprised at all.
"Well then I guess it can just be the two of us." Luca said with a forced melancholic smile as the two of them sat down for lunch. Luca served the Pasta alla Norma onto two plates before sliding one to Gio with a sigh. "Gio...I... Wanted to tell you something..."
"What is it? Is everything okay?" Gio asked with bated breaths, mentally preparing himself to act surprised when Luca told him exactly what he already knew.
"I... wanted to say I'm sorry. I know I've been keeping you at arm's length these past few months and I want you to know why." Luca started as he both took a bite of the Pasta alla Norma, watching carefully as Gio did too. "I was... dating Aidan Taylor and I was afraid to tell you because I knew you'd take it badly... I guess you were right about him. He is a stronzo." (Piece of shit.)
"What did he do?!" Gio asked convincingly, cocking a brow at his cousin.
"Remember freshman year when we came back from that party and Gianna, you and I were talking about our biggest fears." Luca asked softly, with a glint of pain in his doe-like brown eyes. "Do you remember what I said mine was?"
"Being cheated on?" Gio said shakily, as Luca watched his adam's apple bob nervously in his throat.
"You did remember..." Luca said coldly as he noticed Gio clearing his throat and sniffling out of the blue. "I told you it would break my heart. It would shatter me to pieces. It would kill me."
"What's in this...?" Gio wiped the cold sweat off his brow as he began to feel a tightening sensation in his throat.
"Oh just the usual... Nonna's recipe, but I found a tip online so I thought I'd give it a try." Luca said coldly as Gio stared at the look of pure anger and hatred in Luca's fiery amber eyes. "I know you knew..."
"Luca..." Gio began to gasp slightly, a wheezing sound coming from his throat as he struggled to breathe.
"I know you did it, Gio! I know you paid that girl to make it look like Aidan was cheating on me! I know you drugged him!" Luca got up from his seat, locking eyes with Gio.
"What's... in... it..." Gio gasped as his face began to take on a bright red tinge.
"Oh nothing....Just a little of peanut butter." Luca said with a smirk as he watched the panic set in on his cousin's face. "Doesn't feel so nice does it!?" Luca screamed in Gio's face, slamming his hand on the dining table as the cutlery clanked on the china plates. "When someone knowingly uses your weakness against you to hurt you... When someone you thought you could trust hurt you?! SOMEONE YOU LOVE!?"
"Luca... Please... I... Sorry... It..." Gio begged as he gasped desperately for breath, his voice growing more and more hoarse.
"I wish it didn't have to come to this Gio..." Luca said seriously as he fished through his jacket pocket and pulled an Epipen out. "I really, really wish you didn't make me do this."
Luca sighed, pushing the fabric of Gio's shorts up to reveal his skin and stabbed the orange tip into the side of his thigh, holding for a few seconds before glancing back up at Gio who had a panicked look in his eyes.
"Andrà tutto bene, sono qui..." (Everything will be okay... I'm right here...) Luca said comfortingly, chastely kissing his cousin on the cheek. "But If you ever... ever... cross me like that again... I might just forget how to use an Epipen... Capisce? (Understand?)" Luca said slapping the taller boy's cheek lightly before pulling him up. "Come one, Let's get you to the doctor."
"You're fucking psychotic, you know that!" Gio screamed out hoarsely as his breath gradually returned to normalcy. "You could have fucking killed me! What about fucking Colton? He's not exactly innocent here."
"Colton isn't family." Luca replied tersely. "I don't love Colton. I don't trust Colton. I love you. I trusted you. You hurt me more than Colton could ever. Besides, your allergies aren't anaphylactic. I wouldn't have put you in too much danger." Luca smiled teasingly.
"Do you love him?" Gio asked with a defeated sigh. "Aidan... I mean..."
"I love him more than I've ever loved anyone before." Luca said confidently, as Gio let out a frustrated groan.
"Why?" Gio glanced up at him with a mix of sadness and disappointment in his dark brown eyes.
"Because he makes me happy." Luca said with a smile. "He makes me feel like I'm not in it alone... He makes me feel, Gio... And I haven't ever let myself feel before."
"Cazzo Luca... (Fuck, Luca...) Why didn't you just tell me before?" Gio glanced up at him with a sympathetic look on his face as Luca sat him in the passenger seat.
"I didn't feel like I could have..." Luca sighed, putting the car in reverse and getting onto the main road.
"I'm sorry Luca... I... I was stupid I should never have played with you like that." Gio said as he placed his hand on Luca's shoulder. "I was just so mad because you hid it from me... and it's Aidan fucking Taylor... I just... I wanted to somehow end it and I knew this would do it. I didn't stop to think about how you'd feel..."
"It's okay..." Luca said with a genuine smile. "I really wouldn't have let you die, you know that?"
"I don't know. You could have fooled me." Gio joked, though his eyes carried an indelible look of regret in them.
"I love you, Gio..." Luca said softly, glancing at his cousin as he pulled into the Urgent Care parking lot, getting out and opening the passenger side door for Gio.
"I love you too" Gio said as he got out of the car and pulled his little cousin in for a hug. "And if that stronzo ever hurts you, I'll fucking kill him."
"I wouldn't expect any different." Luca said with a content chuckle. He felt a weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders now that Gio knew about him and Aidan. He finally felt like the dark cloud over their relationship had finally lifted. But little did Luca know, there were more storms coming in around the horizon...