𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟠

Honestly, I'm not surprised Rose is behaving the way she is. I sound like a disappointed parent. However, Mr. Giordano doesn't know Rose and how she operates, and I believe I do. I'm planning on taking her out for lunch today so that we can talk alone. 

I need to explain a lot of things. I had already talked to Mr. Giordano, and he said I could, but there will be security following us. Assuming they could never be too cautious. He attempted to ask me some questions about Rose, but I didn't answer them, telling him to try to talk to Rose. 

It looks like he didn't take my advice. At first glance, Rose appears as if nothing could bother her, but what I do is right now, she is feeling like an outsider looking in. The only reason everyone stopped talking when she walked in is that they were talking business. 

Still, no excuse for them to be rude and not say good morning back to Rose. It seemed like she already showered from her only slightly damp hair. She was fully dressed, so she must have been awake for a while.

During breakfast, Rose just admired her food for entertainment. I was sitting directly next to her and decided to break the silence between us. 

"We are going to lunch together to talk," I said to Rose, trying not to make it obvious we were talking. I didn't want to draw any more unwanted attention. 

"Oh, and when did I say yes to that? I could have had a hot date," Rose said, giving me the side-eye. God, I hope no one heard that. If any of them found out, she was even joking about going on a date someone would go missing. I shook my head, not surprised by her stubbornness.

This time I decided to propose it as a question. "Do you want to go to lunch with me?" I asked, trying to sound like I was giving your choice.

"Only if your paying," she said, tilting her head to the side. I rolled my eyes at her. Of course, I would pay, but I am surprised she isn't insisting on her paying. When we were friends, she never excepted handouts, and if she did, they couldn't be called handouts because she would pay you back one way or another. 

"Of course," I said, my lips lifting into a small smile. Rose had never been an open book similar to Cedric, but her eyes could tell you something if you have known her long enough. Right now, she had a small sliver of hope in her eyes. I want to think I gave that to her.

"What's everyone doing today?" Matteo asked, leaning back in his seat. Usually, when everyone is hungover, which they are, we stay in and watch TV and eat. The Giordano's are like our surrogate family. Darlo is like a father figure to most of us. 

"I'm free all day," Noah said, shrugging his shoulders. Everyone around the table collectively nodded their head in agreement. 

"I'm hungover," Naomi said before letting out a big yawn. 

"Not surprised," I heard Lucifer mutter quietly under his breath. However, not quite enough because Naomi reached over the table and hit him on the back of the head. "Ow what the-" before the profanity could slip out, he was hit on the back of the head by Matteo. He gave him a cheeky smile.

"Can you guys please stop hitting me?" Lucifer said, barely holding in his anger. He was intensely glaring at everyone who was trying to hold back a laugh. They are all dumbasses.

"Rose and I are going to lunch," I said, turning towards Rose, hoping to get some reaction out of her, but Rose didn't even react when she heard her name. 

"So we have three hours to do something destructive," Carlo said, being the dumbass he is. By this point, Carlo doesn't get hangovers. He's known as a party animal due to some stunts he has pulled while under the influence.

"Nothing destructive, all of you stay in this house until after lunch you could still be suffering after-effects of your stupidity," Darlo said, rolling his eyes. A collective round of groans left all of us surrounding the table. 

"Can I be excused?" Rose asked, pushing her plate of food away before standing and leaving the dining room.

"She was up early this morning," Gavino said to his father. Darlo raises his eyebrow in question. "Walked downstairs at five-thirty, made coffee, and left," Gavino said, shrugging his shoulders. Through the early years I had known Rose, she had nightmares and never got much sleep.

Rose had never fully opened up to me about everything, but I do know most things about her. Of course, I wasn't going to tell her family about her sleeping problem because that was her information to disclose. 

"I told her no caffeine!" Gino said, throwing his hand up in obvious disappointment. "It's bad for her," he said, scoldingly shaking his head at no one in particular.

"Good luck depriving Rose of her lifeline," I said under my breath. Once you have known Rose, you tend to conclude she is a simple creature. Caffeine, fists, and absolutely no emotions that let you know she is even human. Okay, I may be exaggerating, but you get the point.

"You all were a shit show last night," Noah said, rolling his eyes before getting up and walking out of the room. We were not a shit show. We may have been shit faced, but definitely not what he said. The group was perfectly classy and well mannered. That may be a stretch, but still, you get it.

"Where is Rose's room?" Naomi asked, probably wanting to bug her during our newfound free time. 

"Second floor farthest door to the left," Giani said to her. I think that was the first time he talked this morning. He is a man of few words that sometimes weren't very nice.

"Okie Dokie," Naomi said before hopping out of her chair and skipping out of the room. Sometimes I swear she is just a toddler in a teenager's body.

"Does Rose know?" I asked, turning towards her family and my friends. Most of them became friends because Matteo, Noah, Lucifer, and Carter all worked for Darlo in their organized crime activities. 

"No, I will tell her when the time is right," Darlo said, trying to sound wise and stern. I know this big teddy bear, and he has a soft spot for all of us, so I will not hesitate to defend my best friend.

"All of you need to talk to her next time instead of looking at her like a fucking circus animal. She is used to temporary things, and this is not one of them. If you want her to actually talk to you, make her feel comfortable, and let her know she's not going anywhere," I said before standing up and walking out of the dining room.

I decided to go where I assumed Naomi was heading because I had to stand by my dramatic exit. Walking up the stairs and down the hallway to the last door on the left. I see the door slightly cracked open. I peek in and see Naomi and Rose sitting with their faces at the end of the bed, looking at the TV. 

From what I can tell, they were conversing about the show Criminal Minds. At this moment, Rose looked so content that I decided to snap a picture. Taking out my phone, I got the perfect picture of her laughing with Naomi. 

I wish she could stay that content forever.