Sorry for the late update- I've been busy with some school deadlines. Online classes are somehow worse than actually going to school
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Romeo walked through the campus trying his best to blend in. Everywhere, normal kids living their normal lives, doing normal things. Like worrying over exams, talking about upcoming frat parties, gossiping about who hooked up with who. The weather was agreeable and the varsity football team was out practicing for city finals. It was hard to believe some of these kids were the same age as him.
The warm sun hit his skin and bounced off his ray bands. He had parked further away and was walking to the business building where Daniella's class ends in two minutes.
He tried his best not to glare and look intimidating. He schooled his expression into something somewhat friendly. Being here, at campus made him uneasy. This wasn't his turf, this wasn't a place where he belongs. But he can adapt to his environments when required.
He didn't have time to go home and change after taking care of Zack Franci's body so he borrowed a change of clothes from Xavier. Romeo was dressed in a tight white t-shirt with a black flannel and dark jeans. Although it's not his usual style, he looked sexy and he knew it. But him as a college student? Laughable.
The thought of sitting in a lecture made him want to blast his brains out. Although he had nothing against education, high school had pushed him into hating school in general.
Sit up straight in perfectly organized rows, raise your hand before speaking, ask before going to take a piss. Most of the teachers in his inner-city school were all sad and pathetic, none of them saw past his delinquent behaviour to see a kid who was desperately crying for help. Most of the kids in his grade were immature and it cunts- much below his advanced and early developed brain. The things he learned didn't help him at all beyond a test. Well, that's probably because the school system isn't programmed to teach mobsters. If a subject interests him, he'd rather teach himself.
He walked through the main doors of the business building. Once inside, he scanned the room out of habit before taking off his shades and lifting his head high. You never know where your enemies may be lurking. He checked the information desk and found out what auditorium Daniella's class was in. 301.
Peeking a look at his watch, he spotted the stairwell and made his way over. He jogged to the third floor dodging students who were sitting on the steps. When he found the room he was looking for, he leaned against a wall watching the stream of students who just began to rush out.
He looked at the students waiting for Daniella tapping his foot impatiently. When she did come out, Romeo wasn't too happy with who she came out with. It was the same tall dark-skinned man that was with her at the gallery. They were looking at each other, talking and Daniella was smiling. He could be labelled as attractive. Tall, nice build, strong jaw, and light eyes.
Romeo knew they were friends but it still didn't sit well with him. It wasn't that he was a guy, of course, she was allowed to have male friends. But it was what type of guy he was. A nice decent guy who probably shared the same morals as her and had a lot going for him. He was from her world. He wouldn't have to lie about who he is. The guy who was laughing with Daniella had something he didn't and that made Romeo feel...Insecure?
He brushed his insecurity away when Daniella saw him and smiled even wider. It was obvious to anyone and everyone that Daniella was smitten by Romeo. And her friend? If the way he looked at her was anything to go by, he was friend-zoned. Sucks to be him.
She said something to her friend and left him behind. As usual, she looked beautiful. Hair loose, tumbling around her shoulders. White knit sweater, and dark jeans.
As Daniella was walking over, her friend looked at Romeo not happy with him. Not one to back down from a challenge, Romeo held his eyes tilting his head back. Julian was the first to back down, he looked away and shook his head muttering to himself. He looked at Daniella one more time, said something and walked away.
Something about him wasn't right. Romeo realized something familiar in his demeanour. Something he recognized. There was an edge to the way he carried himself, Romeo saw the way his eyes looked around and assessed his surroundings. The hitch in his stride as he walked away. His posture is clearly on guard.
Who was he?
"Hey."
"Ciao, baby."
"What are you doing here?" Romeo looked down at her shorter build and bit back a smile. He allowed a bit of emotion to shine through the cracks of the apathetic mask that he wore. He couldn't help it. Her surprised face was just too cute.
She started walking and Romeo fell in step with her, his hand found hers.
"Let's see... I'm not a student here." Daniella had put him in a good mood. He couldn't pass up a chance to make her smile. Romeo took her black bag and led the way to his car.
"Nope." Daniella played along with him as they walked down the hall towards the stairs weaving through the crowd.
"I'm not a teacher?" He looked at her when she laughed. "Am I a librarian?"
"Not." She laughed out. Her smile was radiant and full of life. It gave Romeo life as he smiled at her. Not a grin, but a full smile that showed his teeth and the wrinkles around his mouth.
"Wow. You should smile more often. You look like a whole new person." Romeo simply shrugged. He does that a lot, shrug things off. But he was working on it, surely it comes off as rude to Daniella.
They walked down the stairs while Daniella led the way. He noticed how cold her fingers were. It was warm outside and she was wearing a sweater. He rubbed her hand gently trying to get the circulation going.
"Should I rephrase the question? Why are you here to see me when I told you I need to study?"
"I wanted to see you. It's been a while."
"It's been two and a half days!"
"Yeah, a while."
He opened the door for her as they made their way outside and Romeo slid on his shades.
"Where are we going?" She asked but again, he just shrugged. He didn't have a plan.
"Are you sick? Your hands are freezing." His slightly calloused fingers traced over the back of her hand as they crossed the street, away from the other students.
"Nah, my hands are usually cold." he nodded, note taken.
Like a true gentleman, he pulled open the door for her.
"Are you hungry?"
***
Twenty minutes later, Daniella and Romeo were walking down the streets of Little Italy with gelato in hand. When he was younger, Romeo's father had taken him to Italy and that trip had possibly been the best three weeks of his life. One of his favourite things about Italy was the food. Although it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch, there's no set time for gelato.
The conversation was easy and light until Danielle asked a question he was not ready to answer. As usual, he gave a vague half-truth and although disappointed, she ate it up. Romeo licked the gelato off his spoon and watched Daniella follow the movement with her eyes. "How can you trust the things I say so easily?"
He truly didn't understand. She wasn't a half-wit. Normal people- folks with any sense of self-preservation would do anything they can to stay out of his way after an encounter with the notorious Romeo Moretti. So why was Daniella doing the opposite? Sweet, warm and trusting Daniella easily fell into his trap of charm, sex appeal, and flashy lifestyle. Like a bee to honey. Even if she didn't fall into his life complacently he was certain that would be enough to keep him away.
"Well... I always give people the benefit of the doubt. And what do you mean? " Daniella knew he had a point but she would still defend herself and her pride.
"You mean you trust them." Romeo took another bite and ignored her question. They turned the corner and he stepped to the sidewalk to throw out his empty cup. His hand was itching to hold Daniella's again.
"Well, not completely... But what's so bad about giving people your trust? If they betray you then you'll know their true colours and then cut them out ." He had to hold down a scoff. Trusting a mobster could get her seriously hurt. The thought had occurred to him before- just being associated with him puts her in the danger but as long as he keeps her at an arm's length shell stays away from the line of fire he's embedded in.
"There are other ways of knowing people's true colours, Daniella. That's a pretty shit strategy I can't lie."
"Alright, Freud. How do you deal with people?"
"Simple. If you don't trust people, then they can't hurt you." They both walked to his car and Daniella went to open the door and waited for Romeo to 'click' the lock from his keys. But he had other intentions.
"What? Okay come on, you cant be this emo and brooding."
He laughed a deep throaty laugh and Danielle paused to appreciate the sound. Unbeknownst to her, he thought the conversation was more ironic than funny. You don't know any better. If you did, you wouldn't be here with me. He didn't voice his opinion in fear of turning the mood sour.
"I've learned that lesson the hard way."
They had circled back to his parked car. Daniella stood at the passenger seat and Romeo put his hands on either side of her, palms on the shiny candy paint finish of his sports car. He had his sunglasses on so Daniella couldn't see his eyes. His poker face was solid so she slid his sunglasses off to read his eyes. His green eyes were still laughing. She could make out carefree, probably at her own expense.
"What'd you wanna do now?" He leaned in closer and played with a loose strand of her hair. It easily slipped through his fingers like silk.
She placed her hands on his torso liking where this was going. His warm body through his shirt was inviting. "I don't know." She did have ideas, but Daniella was too shy to say them out loud.
"I have a few ideas." This sounds familiar to something he said not too long ago. "Ce ne dici? Il Mio Posto?"
(What do you say? My place?)
"I still don't know Italian..." She moved her hands to his arms, feeling the hard muscle of his biceps.
Instead of saying translating, Romeo leaned in for a kiss. She tasted like mango gelato and her soft lips invited him in for more. He bit down on said soft lips and breathed out a content sigh. This right here could never get old.
She pulled away and Romeo frowned. Instead of pulling himself of her, he just gripped her hips harder.
"That lady over there is looking at us weird. Come on, no one likes PDA." Daniella muttered into his neck embarrassed. He smelled like smoke and something uniquely Romeo.
Romeo peered over his shoulder and sure enough, there was a lady in her 50' with a dog giving them dirty looks. But he didn't give a shit. Let them look, other people's opinion doesn't bother him. "I don't mind PDA."
He leaned back in and this time his kiss was harder instead of sweet and playful. When he heard her small intake of breath, Romeo deepened the kiss, angling his jaw for better access. His tongue swept across her lips and he had to force himself to stop before he went too far. Curling his hands into fists, he placed a kiss on her forehead taking a moment to collect himself.
When he looked up, the sight made him momentarily pause. Romeo's attention immediately left Daniella's body and he analyzed all aspects of the situation in front of him. He was willing to bet his balls that the man standing outside the gelato shop was Stefan's right-hand man; Luca Valdezi.
The slightly older man was leaning against a wall propped up on one foot and his two bodyguards stood close to a BMW parked four spaces away from them. Luca looked him in the eyes and smiled like he had no care in the world, taunting Romeo.
He fixed his crisp blue suit, straightening his royal blue tie. Romeo tightened his grip on Daniella and clutched the handle of his car, ready to shove her in if Luca posed a threat. But Romeo doubted he would do anything in broad daylight. And he was correct. The older mobster simply walked to his car and nodded his head at Romeo as if saying 'good day'.
Daniella had turned around to see what Romeo was studying so intensely. Luca had the balls to give her a wave. And being the polite young woman she is, she returned a smile. Motherfucker. The man Romeo was looking for was right in front of him yet there was nothing he would do except give him a death stare. Romeo could only watch as the black car sped away. He wasn't able to make out anything that was happening behind the tinted windows but he was damn sure Luca was having a good laugh with his buddies.
He kept one hand on the small of Daniella's back and opened the door with the other. Romeo was so calm, it was scary. He gently ushered Daniella into the car before closing the door and jogging to the other side. The fact that Luca had seen him didn't bother Romeo at all. But they had seen Daniella. The thought of Luca even knowing what she looked like made his blood run cold.
Mentally kicking himself in the head, Romeo got into the car. He picked up his phone and text Xavier letting him know that Luca was in the city. He couldn't go after Luca at the moment like he wanted to. Daniella needed to be returned to campus and he couldn't leave her here with Stefan Conte's rats lurking around.
"That was weird? Did you know him?"
"Something like that." He murmured the hurt reply under his breath trying to make sense of Luca's motives.
She was still breathing hard and collecting herself. Daniella had spent quite some time dreaming about Romeo's lips on hers again but nothing was as good as experiencing it again. She was oblivious to what was going on.
Romeo leaned over her seat, he still had an intense look on his face. Daniella thought he was going to kiss her again, so she slightly parted her lips. Instead, he pulled the seatbelt over her chest.
"Safety." was all he said.
Sensing the tense atmosphere she didn't say anything about the speed limit when he started racing down the street. Romeo smiled and reached into her lap to hold her hand trying to forget about Luca and reassure her. He only had a few more moments with Daniella before he would have to go M.I.A on her again using 'work' as an excuse. It wasn't safe to be around her while members of the opposing mafia were in the city. Luca was a long way from his own turf in New York.
"Who was that guy with you today?" Jealousy wasn't new to him. But this was a different type of jealously. He couldn't help but feel threatened, a very new feeling. Something about Julian just set him off. Daniella might have fallen for whatever action he was putting up. Pretending to be a concerned friend and overly friendly but Romeo saw right through his bullshit. He wasn't a good guy either but Romeo didn't feel guilty for being a hypocrite at all. He would never hurt Daniella but who knew what her 'friends' intentions were.
Daniella was still staring ahead as Romeo took another random turn. Just in case someone was following them, though he was certain no one was.
"What? Do you mean Julian? I think I introduced you to him at the gallery." She still wasn't looking at him and Romeo didn't like that.
He felt a sour taste in his mouth when she said his name. He didn't like this Julian at all. "Oh, that's his name. I forgot." This wasn't good, Romeo has a knack for remembering the faces and names of people. This just further proved Daniella was a distraction.
"Why do you ask?" She finally looked over to him but Romeo's eyes were already on her. The light turned green and Romeo had to look away again.
"Can't I know about the people in your life?"
"You don't tell me about the people in your life." And once again, they were back here.
"Trust me, Danny, there isn't much to me. You don't wanna hear about my life."
"Why can't I decide for myself?" She didn't know why Romeo kept on avoiding the subject of his personal life. He was unlike anyone she's ever met but what could he be possibly hiding?
"Where do you want to go? Back to campus?" He tried to ignore the pressure weighing down on his chest reminding him that this is how it'll always be. Dancing around the subject.
"And now you're changing the subject." The genuine disappointment in Daniella's voice made him cringe internally. Why can't he just have one thing work out for him?
"No... seriously, I don't know where I'm driving."
"Oh okay. I have to go home. I'm seeing some apartments near my school later today with Jade." She had mentioned this earlier. He was glad she was moving out. It would be easier to keep tabs on her and see her if she wasn't living with her parents.
Daniella was in no rush to move out, but Jade needed a place to stay urgently. She suspected her parents will kick her out sooner than later. Even if they didn't, Jade couldn't stand to be under the same roof as them. She could only crash the night at Daniella's house so much.
Romeo pulled into her suburb slightly disappointed they'll be apart.
"You can drop me off here. My neighbours are going to have a lot of questions if they see me come out of this bad boy." She jokingly slapped the leather seats.
"Hey, don't hurt my car." He tried to lighten up the moment, unwilling to let her go on a dull note. He had been waiting for the past few days to see her and was beyond irritated their time together had been cut short. Even though it had been over an hour, it felt like he had been standing outside her class only five minutes ago.
Maybe it was for the best. He couldn't afford to have Daniella distract him right now.
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