Waking up from such a peaceful night was, brutal to say the least. Hearing the usual alarm coming from my phone was something that sent pure hatred coursing through my body. For a moment I contemplated the idea of pressing snooze, but remembered I had to work today. As I was about to leave the bed, I realized I was once again in the couch, like the night before, except this time I had a sleeping Bucciarati on my body. His head was laying on my stomach, my hands was on his arm and I felt every exhale coming from his nose, tickling my stomach.
My heart started pounding in my chest once I understood the position we were in; fortunately, as I was about to pry Bruno's head from my person, I felt him stir and slowly sit up. Running his hand through his messy hair, he looked around, still drowsy, his eyes setting on me after a few seconds. We stared at each other a moment, being that we had both woken up barely a minute ago, none of us talked for a moment. "How did you sleep, cara?" he asked groggily, his accent thicker from not being fully awake yet.
It took a while for my mind to process his question, I was not the type of person that needed their morning coffee to be functional but I did require a bit of time before being able to hold a proper conversation. Holding a thumb up, I maneuvered my way legs out of Bruno's back and out of the blanket with some struggle, but I felt so much lighter once I felt the cool air out of the blanket. Getting out of the couch, Bruno held out his hand to help me out of it too. Gently taking my hand, he pulled me off the couch, then started tidying it up a bit.
"If I fall asleep on you next time, do wake me up cara." I'd be a lie if I said I didn't like his accent, therefore hearing it so strongly made my heart skip a bit, or two. Shaking my head, still groggy myself it took me a moment to gather my thoughts and formulate a proper sentence; "All good. I like sleeping with you, you're warm." I told him with a tired smile, grabbing my phone from the table before going on about my routine.
During work days I'd always wake up too early, that way I could take all the time I needed to get ready, eat breakfast and have a slow morning. Something I enjoyed with Bruno was that he was always calm and quiet, no matter the situation which was a true blessing when it was so early in the morning. I mean, I'm sure he could be wild if I knew him a bit more, but I still enjoyed his composed personality; it gave me peace and quiet before the rush of waitressing at Libeccio.
After having showered and gotten dressed, I felt much more awake and very less dead inside. As I passed Bruno's room, I peeked my head in it to tell him the bathroom was free to use but as the words left my mouth, I was met with quite the sight: the man was working out. Upon hearing my words, he finished his series of push-ups and stood-up, sweaty and breathing heavily. "Grazie cara, I'll be quick." He breathed, taking his clean clothes from his bed along with his shampoo and body gel, before leaving the room with hasty steps.
Goodness, I breathed out in a hushed tone. Even after having left the room, I could still remember the scene; his usually pristine appearance set in parallel with this wild, untidy and if I dared, sinful, appearance, was a sight to behold. If that was part of his routine, I would be wise to get up early every day and enjoy it while I can, I thought with a smirk. The less horny part of me, however, thought it'd be smarter to simply not pay attention to what I've seen; it was, as previously mentioned, part of his morning routine so it's bound to happen again, might as well get used to it.
To make use of my time wisely while Bruno was showering, I decided to prepare breakfast. I'll admit not being the greatest cook, but I did pride myself in being able to make some passable scrambled eggs. Taking the eggs from the fridge, I set the box down on the counter before stopping dead in my track. "There is no fun in cooking without a bit of music..." I whispered to myself, quickly making my way to the drawer next to my bed to grab my earbuds and returning to the kitchen in an instant. Not wanting to get caught off-guard by the mafioso, I put one bud in my ear and played the music.
Doing things with music always made it more enjoyable, may it be chores, work or cooking, it made life much easier. Humming melodiously to the tune playing in my ear, I took a bowl from the cabinet then cracked a few eggs in it, adding pepper and salt to it before mixing it all up. Nodding to myself in satisfaction, I moved to the stove where placed a pan and started heating it. "Easy peasy, there is no way to fuck up scrambled eggs." I said to myself, leaning on the safer part of the stove.
Once it was warm enough, I poured the mixture in the pan and stirred it to the beat of the song I was listening to. With still some beaten eggs left in the bowl, I emptied the pan on the first plate and repeated my actions again, this time bobbing my head slightly. I barely had time to listen to three songs before I was done with preparing the eggs; Putting the peeping hot pan in the sink, I grabbed the two plates and turned towards the counter to set them down before Bruno's arrival.
I was greeted by Bruno leaning on his hand, "Buongiorno, cara." He spoke in a low tone. "Jesus fuc- how long have you been there? I only put one earbud specially to avoid this situation!" I gasped inaudibly, setting the plates down with slightly flushed cheeks before going back in the kitchen to get two forks and put away my earphone away. I heard a deep and silky chuckle escape the mafioso's throat as I came back and sat down in front of him. "You're like a cat, too silent, seemingly unapproachable, definitely deadly and yet everybody wants one." I observed out loud, looking at him with a pensive look.
Bruno smirked in response; he was not leaning on his hand anymore but he gave me a weird look. I would have described is as seductive, or flirty, if I didn't think this man was out of my league. That's the worse way of thinking ever, I could get that if I wanted, I thought, trying to pump myself. "Ah so you want me?" he asked in a husky tone. I did to double take upon hearing his words, giving him a bewildered look.
My mouth was gaping a few seconds before I found back my composure, "I should shut my mouth at this point, whatever I say can't save me from digging my own grave." I shrugged in fake self-assurance, avoiding the Italian's gaze, now finding those eggs extremely interesting. Hearing the clutter of a fork against the ceramic plate made me look up again, Bruno had his hand in front of his mouth and a glass of water in the other. Oh god, is it that bad? I think it tastes rather good.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and went to take the plate from him to get rid of it for him but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist gently. Confused, I spoke, "I might your host, but you don't have to force yourself to eat it. I'm not going to cry or anything because you don't like it." I said with a deadpanned look as I went back to my seat and started eating again. Right after I sat down, Bruno shook his head and smiled reassuringly at me, "It's not bad, it's just very salty. I was just surprised." He explained softly, eating again but this time there were to emotion on his face.
I had to laugh, I really tried to hold it back for a moment but it escaped my lips. Covering my mouth once I had burst out laughing, I looked away still joyful. "I'm sorry- it's just," I took a deep breath to calm down, my face red from laughter. "It's like a parent telling their 3 years old kid their drawing looks good, you know?" I continued, this time facing the man properly. He had a shocked expression on his face, his hand stopped mid air as he stared at me. "Like, everyone knows it's bad- but for the kid's sake you say it's art." I emphasized on the last word, another giggle escaping my mouth. I had slowly calmed down while talking and was now able to breath. "Please, I'll have Benito make you something at Libeccio, stop eating it, it's just sad." I added with a genuine smile that, hopefully, said I did not mind.
Sighing, Bucciarati put the fork down, resigned, I could see he felt bad for doing so but I couldn't hold it against him. He must be used to fine cuisine, but I was not and I found my scrambled eggs pretty neat, I liked them salty. As he was about to speak, I knew what he was going to say, "Don't apologize, we're good. I just don't want you to starve so we'll leave right after I'm done washing the dishes." I told him, finishing my plate in a hurry before going on about my task.
Expecting for Bruno to go on about his business, I was surprised to see him by my side when I started washing the dishes. He had rolled his sleeves up, and was waiting with a towel in hand to help me out. I could say it was nice of him, but it was mainly distracting it was to see his strong forearm on display, it gave off a certain aura that I could not define. It barely took 5 minutes and we were done with our chore. Afterwards, we put on our coat, I took my bag from the hanger and we left for Libeccio.
This time there was no interruption from any creep lurking nearby. Being that it was morning, there were hardly anyone fully awake in my street. The walk from my building to Libeccio, with Bruno, was quiet and enjoyable, once we arrived, we entered through the back door. "I'll be staying until your shift is done, give me a sign when you're done." I could tell by the tone of his voice that I was not to argue with his words, no matter what I'd say he'd stay and wait for me. Nodding with a smile, I told him it was a full shift to which he said he didn't mind, that way he could focus on his paperwork.
The day was spent without a problem, every half an hour or so I would check on Bruno, see if he needed a refill for his tea, or perhaps a change of beverage. Since it was the beginning of the week, there was no real rush except for lunch when every business men and women would come on their break to enjoy Benito's scrumptious food; now that I think of it, there might have been a large percentage of chance that some of them were mafioso.
A few times during the day, I thought I'd caught Bruno looking at me but every time I turned my head towards him, he was deeply focused in his paperwork. I had given him a table in the far corner of the restaurant, where he could see every angle of the room and bodyguard me at the best of his abilities. It was funny how someone set on that specific spot for a whole could look very shady, but Bruno? He could pass as a simple business man, working on his stuff, enjoying a cup of tea. If it had been anybody, with much less charisma, they would've been called out a while back.
And just like that, we had a routine. After my shift at Libeccio, Bruno would walk with me back to the building, we would both get changed and shower, him first that way he could start prepping dinner while I went on about my business. After dining, which entailed with delicious Bruno-made meal and idle conversation, we would sit on the couch and relax with a movie playing on the screen. At first, we would chat during the movie, our stands have the time of their life by just hanging out together, as nights went by, we would fall asleep sooner than the night before.
I found comfort in Bruno's presence, not that I'd ever admit it, I'd say he's reassuring because he's my bodyguard but the truth was that I grew fond of the raven-haired man. He was gentle, caring, funny, charismatic but the best part was his kindness, it was rare to find someone as kind. People saw it as a vulnerability but it was a strength to be kind, and as much as I could not handle it, I loved it.
Every night we'd sleep like a log, except that one night on Friday. I was sleeping profoundly, in the warm of the blanket that I shared with Bruno when I felt something moving hectically against me. Standing up with my eyes half-open, I noticed Bucciarati stirring in his sleep, I couldn't decipher the words escaping from his lips but it didn't require a scientist to understand he was having a nightmare. Pondering a moment, I considered the best move; He was a trained-assassin, he was deadly and he could probably kill me in his sleep if caught off guard.
Leaving the couch and sitting right in front of him I extended my hand and touched his cheek lightly, "Bruno?" I called out softly. It didn't help, he was still tossing around in his sleep. Sighing, I moved closer and sat by him on the couch then put a hand on both his cheeks. "Hey, caro, wake up. It's all good Bruno, it's just a dream please wake up." I whispered tenderly, this time I felt him calm down, and dropped my hands off his face. There was a moment of calm before he sat up quickly, clutching his shirt at the center of his torso, breathing heavily.
I leaned back just in time to avoid a head-butt and waited for him to be with me before speaking. He stared at his hand and shirt a minute, then lifted his head and was now staring at me with wide eyes. Realizing the situation, he tried to compose himself and bring a neutral expression on his face which saddened me slightly. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry, I'm good now you can go back to sleep, cara." He told me softly, while I understood his reaction, I wanted him to be able to feel vulnerable with me.
"Bruno, I-..." I did not what to say, I did not want to force him to open up but I wanted to help. Sighing in resignation I was about to stand up when he grabbed my hand but didn't say anything, he was looking at the blanket. Smiling softly, I waved him to scoot over and lied down first, signaling him to put his head on my chest. He was hesitant to do so, which I understood once I realized how weird it seemed. Oh god, I fucked up.
What I did not expect was for him to talk, "I want to hold you" he said bluntly. I've never been more grateful of the darkness than I was at this instant. My body temperature rose a hundred degrees and my face burst aflame at his words. I could see he was barely awake, but I moved down a bit for him to put my head on his chest and hold me close. He was warm, he smelled of ginger and dark chocolate but it was a familiar smell, it was sweet... it was nice.
I debated internally whether I'd wait until he was fast asleep to hug him or do it now. Shyly, I wrapped my arms around him, tightening my embrace with the perfect amount of strength. He mumbled something in my hair before falling in a deep slumber, "Mmmh isn't that right?" I said humorously, my words unclear from being said against his t-shirt. His warm embrace quickly lead me to the world of dreams.