Romeo, Romeo..
♛
"I CAN'T GET over the view from this balcony," Fia yells. "Look, the ocean is right there!"
"Good thing we have your sharp eyes, otherwise we may have lost it," I quipped, mindlessly scrolling through my phone. She goes quiet, suggesting she didn't hear me from the ridiculously large balcony Fia was currently exploring.
Appearing from the hallway that led to our newly designated bedrooms, Akilah collapsed down into the plush sofa positioned across from the identical one I was curled up on.
She sighs. "I have to admit, when we went into that office I thought we would leave for something much worse than this."
"So did I," Liona comments from the kitchen she had been rummaging through for the last ten minutes. "This is already feeling like a holiday."
Locking my phone, I lean my head against the armrest. "That's concerning. Do you always get knocked unconscious and shipped off to another country against your will when you go on holiday?"
Rolling her eyes, Liona seated herself on the vacant sofa between the two of us. "You know what I mean," she scoffs, tucking her legs in a criss-cross position. "They've even given us our own 'wing' or whatever you want to call it. At least we have some privacy."
"I don't think we're special for that. Do you see how big this place is?"
"Speaking of privacy, we should check for cameras," Akilah suggests, already glancing around the room. Agreeing, I nod.
After my father left to return home, Armando was the one to guide us to where we would be staying. Leaving shortly after to settle into his own room – further down the hall, while we rummaged through ours, discovering a handful of suitcases already waiting for us filled with most of our belongings. The rest we'd either have to buy or have shipped over, depending on how long our stay was. And after spending a short amount of time organising, getting our things settled and ourselves showered, we regrouped in the living room.
"Do you know what I've just realised?" Fia questions, joining us inside, seating herself beside Akilah. The faint distant sound of the ocean's waves floating into the room through the balcony doors. "We haven't had dinner."
Baffled, Akilah turned to her. "I thought you were going to say something serious."
"It is." Fia looks at her, just as baffled. "Should we cook something?"
Liona scoffs. "Mi scusi... There is no 'we'. Didn't you learn from your incident this morning?"
Knowing Fia, I consider whether we should start making bets now for how long it will be before she ignores the warning on my cousin's face, and either burns or breaks something.
Excuse me... –
Glancing up at the clock, I noticed it was just getting into the evening, so it was still a little early. "We should look around before we settle for the night. I'm not sure what the routines are like around here. Manny will know more than us."
Coincidentally, a knock echoes into the room coming from the end of the hallway that led into our apartment like space. "Speak of the devil," Fia mumbles, before shouting for him to come in.
Armando's large frame appears seconds later. Freshly showered, dressed more casually in an all grey short-sleeved t-shirt and joggers. "Buonasera," he greets. Throwing himself down onto the couch next to Liona rather abruptly, making her body shake—tumbling sideways into the armrest.
Good evening. –
Sitting herself upright, she reaches over, repeatedly smacking him in the arm. "Stronzo. Was there any need?" He ignores her, getting comfortable — stretching his arms across the back of the sofa, the intricately designed tattoos that decorated his brown skin now on full display.
Asshole. –
"How are you all settling in?"
"We're settled... for now," I answer. Mirroring my position, Liona leaned back against the armrest so that she was now facing him. "It's nice," she comments.
"Nice?" Fia sputtered. "It's like an extravagant hotel. I already feel right at home."
"I wouldn't say that just yet," Akilah disagreed. It may look amazing, but for all we know, this place could be a living hell. I highly doubted it was, but we had been here all but a few hours that were mainly spent unpacking and showering.
"Did you see the looks on all of their faces? Everyone already has their opinions and thoughts on us, and I've gathered that from their stares alone." Liona scoffs, "As if they're in a position to be cautious of who we are."
"Well, one of us is their Don's daughter," Fia points out, jerking her head in my direction—as if everyone in the room didn't already know that.
As much as I hated the word, in old fashioned terms I was considered royalty on the hierarchy scale of our famiglia. Which apparently makes some people unnerved to be around. Personally, I didn't get it because I was a joy to be around.
Glancing from Fia to Armando, my brows drew together. "They don't know that... do they?"
Shaking his head from side to side, lips pursed, he replied, "As far as I am aware, everyone here believes you're an outside group that Marcello hired to work for him."
"Buona. Let's keep it that way then." Everyone nods slowly in agreement. "We need to keep our wits about us. Play along. The sooner we're home and back to normal, the better."
Good. –
Anticipating Manny's interruption, I cut him off before he could lecture us about whatever crap my father had spouted. "Don't even try to act like the bigger person. I know you would much rather be back home than here babysitting us." Knowing how much he'd hate being away from Guilia for so long — his girlfriend, who also happened to be my cousin and Liona's older sister.
He rolled his eyes, and just to be annoying, the hand resting over the back of the sofa reached out, flicking a quiet Liona in the ear. She slapped his hand once again, mumbling under her breath whether she would end up killing him before we returned home.
"So Armando, since you know your way around this place more than we do, we were thinking you could show us around a little before dinner..." Akilah suggests, distracting him before he could really piss Liona off.
He shrugs. "Ok, come on then." Slapping his hands against his thighs, pushing himself up from the sofa.
"What, right this second?" Fia asks.
Raising a brow in her direction, he retorts, "I'm sorry. Have you got something better to do?"
Glaring from under her lashes, she audibly huffs before following suit.
♛
If there's one thing I'm certain of so far in this 'tour', it's that breaking into the Louvre was far easier than if we were to have tried to break in here.
I couldn't even begin to map the layout of this place.
There were so many rooms, dips, staircases, offices, balconies, gardens—yes, plural. Manny had shown us around a few of them already, briefly being introduced to a few people along the way.
"At least we know you'll get your steps in around here," I joke as he takes us through another door leading outside to yet another breathtaking scenery.
I was willing to admit that it surprised me to find the grounds so beautiful and well kept as they were. Some areas even looked like a maze. And it was clear by the fact that I had seen more people outside than I had inside that it wasn't just for show purposes.
To us, it may be a training facility, but to these people, it was also a home.
Sweeping her eyes over the area, Fia swooned. "I could live out here."
The corner of Manny's lips tipped up into a teasing smile. "Nobody is surprised by that, Fifi." Using the nickname he gave her a few years back when discovering her 'obsession' with nature.
Fia loved her plants, like Liona loves her cooking.
Refusing to deter her gaze away from the scenery, Manny chuckled under his breath when a middle finger was pointed in his direction. Meanwhile, I was antsy to get moving and explore some more.
Heading back inside, Manny steered us toward another part of the building we had yet to see. "Towards the back of the main building is where you'll find most of the training rooms. The gyms, weapons, you name it." He motions ahead, indicating that was where he was taking us.
"Majority of the lounge areas, the kitchens and whatnot you'll find towards the front. Obviously there are more elsewhere because this place is so big, but for now, those are the main areas you'll need to know of."
"How come all the training rooms are in the back?" Fia wondered, walking ahead a little as we continued down an empty corridor.
"A lot of people here tend to train outdoors just as much as they do in, so it makes it easier for people to come and go when they are training."
Glancing over her shoulder, she nods. "That makes sense, but where—"
"Ascolta, amico, te lo ripeto..." Another voice echoes into the hallway. "Merda!" Fia's body stumbles backwards but with the three of us standing directly behind her, she doesn't fall. Though, I can't say the same for the person she bumped into.
Look, man, I'm telling you... Shit! –
Stepping forward, getting a clearer view of the groaning person that lay dramatically spread across the floor. A hand shielded his eyes almost entirely covered in bold ink, their mop of dark curls sticking up in all directions.
Seeming to suddenly remember that he had bumped into an actual person, his body jerked upright, leaning up onto his elbows. Peering up at Fia in alarm, his wide eyes—a light shade of green—held an apologetic glimmer, though it quickly shifted into one of intrigue.
"I have to say this is the most painful way I've fallen for a girl, but I certainly don't mind," he smirked. His features held a look of youth, even though he seemed to be older. Assuming he was in his early twenties.
Fia tilted her head that craned down at him. "It seemed to me like you were about to cry a second ago." An amused hum escapes his lips, the smile on his face giving off a cheeky vibe.
It's only then do I notice another figure looming under the doorway to our right. Rolling his eyes down at who I assumed to be his friend, judging by the look on his face as he scrambles to get up off of the floor.
Now standing at his full height, Fia had to crane her neck up to meet his eyes. The two were tall, but standing next to Fia anyone was with her 5'4 height.
Only then did the pair take notice of the rest of us, a look of recognition on both of their faces when their gaze landed on Armando. That recognition quickly turned into one of realisation, as if they only just seem to realise who we were. Though they didn't seem put out by their revelation.
"Sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't looking where I was going." His face softened in sincerity.
The rest of us continued to hover. "Non ti preoccupare. I wasn't looking where I was going either," Fia says in return.
Don't worry about it. –
"I'm Romeo. And this is Milan," he introduces. His friend only nodded once in acknowledgment.
I raised a brow. "Romeo? As in... Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?"
He shot me a dry look. Clearly already used to and sick of the comparison. Though it seemed to make a crack in Milan's demeanour; a glimmer of amusement dancing in his honey brown eyes.
"Sì..."
"Cool." The corners of his mouth tip up into a boyish smile. Seeming grateful that I'd dropped the subject and somewhat broke the ice.
"I'm Marcella, this is Fia, Akilah and Liona," I gesture towards each of the girls.
Armando scoffs beside me. "Am I invisible all of a sudden?"
"Introduce yourself. You're in my bad books right now," I scorned; glaring up at his six foot four body that towered over mine.
Romeo interrupts, asking, "Where were you headed?"
"Armando was taking us for a quick look around the training rooms," Akilah answered. That seems to spark his interest. "Oh, come this way then. I'm an amazing tour guide."
"You have never given a tour in your life," Milan utters—his accent thicker and gruff sounding. The two starting to walk down the hallway, bickering.
Fia, Akilah, Liona and I watch them for a second unmoving before we all collectively turn, looking up at Armando. He simply shrugs, then casually strolls along behind them.
"How do you know that? You haven't been with me every second of my life." I hear Romeo scoff when the rest of us catch up.
"I basically have."
"Oh, scusami, I forgot the part where you were in the hospital when my mother was giving birth."
"Where would you need to give a tour when you were being born—to your mother's womb?" Milan dead-panned.
Romeo shivered. "Don't talk about my mother's womb like that." Milan hardly seemed phased by their conversation, as though this was just the norm for them.
"Allora, there was a lot of talk going on this morning before you arrived..." Romeo slows his pace, glancing at us over his shoulder.
This morning. Meaning everyone here knew we were coming while we were clueless—still dragging our hungover asses out of bed, thinking our only concern for the day would be Fia possibly burning our house down for the hundredth time.
"The big boss comes every so often to check in on things or whatever," he rambles. "But it never stirs so much gossip and whispers. I knew something must have happened or something else was going on."
"It's weird. Everyone knows all about the infamous 'Angeli Oscuri', while also knowing absolutely nothing about you. At least now we can put faces to the name." Reaching the end of the corridor, we're led down a short staircase.
"It was definitely a surprise to see four girls getting out of the cars... I was spying from the top-floor window with my brother," he bashfully admits.
"Women." Fia corrects, sounding defensive. "And why was that a shock? What—our name isn't as scary now because we're female?"
Romeo reaches the bottom of the staircase, turning, walking backwards—hands held up in the air. "Definitely not. If anything, it makes you scarier."
"Good," she smirks.
"I meant we had no clue what to expect. You could have been an elderly couple going around stealing for the fun of it, for all we knew."
"That would be a sight," Armando mumbles.
Reaching the bottom of the steps, everywhere suddenly became a lot more conspicuous and open. Glass walls with black borders stretched out on either side of us, enclosing two sizable gym rooms. The right full of cardio equipment; treadmills, assault bikes, etc. The left held all sorts of weight equipment.
Ambling along the pathway between both rooms, Romeo asks, "So, what did you do?" My brows pull together, conveying my confusion. "You must have done something crazy since the boss man delivered you here himself."
"Doesn't anyone watch or read the news around here?" Liona utters distractedly, focusing on the rooms we were passing.
His mind seems to go a million miles a minute as he tries to find the meaning behind her words. "Well, yes, but..."
Something clicks in his head. "Wait. Paris, the museum... che sei stato tu?" His golden green eyes wide—incredulous. A quick look in his direction is enough to answer his question, and apparently keep him quiet enough for us to hear the whirring of the machines and muffled chatter. Even Milan—who I'd already deducted wasn't as enthusiastic or much of a talker—watched us with a newfound curiosity.
That was you? –
"This is one of the break areas," Armando points towards the next room on the right. A wide doorless entryway revealing quite a large space filled with tables, chairs, sofas and vending machines. My eyes travel towards the far back wall—also entirely glass—a sliding door in the centre leading out into the gardens.
"And the bathrooms," he points to the left. Thankfully, not made of glass.
Passing both rooms, the walls on either side turn to solid white brick. The natural light that illuminated the area slipped away the further we walked; our surroundings becoming dimmer and cramped. The echoing of our footsteps grew louder in the narrowed space, filling the unusual silence that allowed my thoughts to wander. I could already feel another oncoming headache at the long list of things at the back of my mind.
Rubbing the back of my neck with a sigh, feeling eyes on the side of my head. Liona's arm links with mine the second it falls back down to my side, allowing me to lean on her a little. She was always quick to recognise when my energy was slowly starting to crash.
Today felt like we had done so much, yet absolutely nothing all at the same time. The little that had gone on had been so extreme that I had hardly any time to process everything, despite it originally feeling and looking like I had.
"And this..." Romeo's voice disrupts my thoughts, "is where the magic happens." Shifting his body to the side, allowing us to see what was ahead.
My first instinct was to joke about how they like to have everything out in the open around here as I stared up at the glass walls that encased the room in front of us—stretching so far both ways they disappeared from the eye down the dimly lit hallway.
Instead, my gaze falls through the pristine glass, finding myself a little stunned when regarding the enormous training room that lay beyond it.
You couldn't see the entire room from where we were standing, and I had to admit it was already bigger than any training room we had used back home.
Despite it being on the ground floor, the area had a rustic underground look to it. The lack of windows and low lighting added to the effect. An array of equipment was spread across the room; punching bags hanging from beams, a boxing ring at the far back, mats spread across the floor, etc. The room disappeared further on all sides, multiple doors and staircases leading to other floors and hidden rooms.
"...Well, some of it. Most people prefer it because it's our biggest indoor training area, and it has pretty much everything you could need."
Myself and the girls gravitate forward, coming to a standstill under the wide doorless entrance. The four of us observed the area, the equipment and the many people that were already occupying the room. Fists slamming against the leather material of the punching bags combined with the rowdy chatter and the many other noises that bounced off of the walls, made it all start to feel a lot more familiar and weirdly relaxing.
"He should be around here somewhere," I think I hear Romeo murmur as he too scans the room. Though I don't pay him too much attention... that is until he starts waving his arms around in the air like an overactive lunatic.
All of us—Milan included—looking at him in mild horror.
"Dami!" He starts shouting, his voice reverberating across the room. Tearing my eyes away from his excessive waving, I attempt to find whoever's attention he was trying to get. Though it was hard, considering he now had nearly every person in the room looking in our direction.
"Ey, non ignorarmi!" He points in the direction of some punching bags further off to the side where only one person stood, their back to us.
Don't ignore me! –
I started to think that they had headphones in until the lone figure slowly turned, revealing themselves.
I felt a sense of déjà vu when I immediately recognised him as the beautiful stranger I had a stare down with earlier today... until my father rudely interrupted us. The indifferent, slightly agitated look on his face looked the exact same as it did this morning. I wouldn't be surprised if it hadn't moved since then.
Evidently displeased with Romeo's display, though it was barely noticeable as he focused on unwrapping the worn material around his knuckles, drawing my attention to his broad arms now on full display. His right arm was entirely covered in a tattoo sleeve, the left almost untouched of ink apart from the single tattoo that was half hidden beneath the shoulder of the black t-shirt that clung to his biceps. The sweat from his workout only added to that.
Yet again, I had absolutely no shame in checking him out. I could practically feel my heart spiking out of my chest when he raised a hand, pushing away the damp curls that fell over his flushed forehead, only for them to fall back into place.
Jesus, take the wheel.
"Who is that?"
Romeo grins, "That's my brother." Frantically flailing his arms once again.
♛
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