Alessandro |18+|

23

ARIA

"What's in your jacket?" Sandro asked, tugging at the material. I zipped it down, holding it open to show him the array of snacks I had stashed in every pocket.

"I was supposed to take it home but..." I trailed off.

"Take it home? Where were you?" he asked inquisitively, scrunching his eyebrows. I hesitated for a moment knowing that Sandro didn't like me walking in the dark. Even when the walk was fairly short.

"I was at the store when Carlo found me," I mumbled, and I raised my hand defensively the second I saw his face drop. He let out a sigh, and it looked like I was stressing him out although the deed had already been done.

"I know, I know. Dark equals danger." I shrugged the jacket off, flinging it on the empty chair.

Sandro barely had time to respond before I opted for tilting to the side to let my head rest in his lap. His good hand started stroking my hair, and I could feel his eyes on the side of my face. He was still sitting, and I let my fingers circle the tattoo on his knee. That must've fucking hurt.

"You know I just care about you, right? I'm not trying to dictate what you can and can't do," Sandro said, tucking my hair behind my ear. His voice was gentle, and I could sense the sincerity behind it. It was amazing, really. If I had met Sandro any other way, there would be no indication of what he did for a living. Besides the gun he always carried.

"I know," I replied. "I agree with you. There are fucked up people in this world. Can you believe I was dragged into an alley by this random man who held a gun to my neck and miraculously let me go?"

Sandro chuckled sheepishly, his hand stilling for a second. "Bellissima, stop. I thought we were pass that."

"I'm just saying," I said softly. "I saw you holding your ribs earlier. Are you in pain?"

"They're just bruised, baby. Don't worry about me," he said, and an involuntary smile formed on my lips. Baby.

"I missed you," I said after a beat of silence. "You're not allowed to do that to me again,"

Instead of giving me a sarcastic response like I had expected, he replied with a, "That's why Carlo has your number now. So you won't have to worry again." Sandro touched my cheek, turning my face so I could peer up at him.

"I missed you, too. So much," he whispered, and another grin made its way to my face. I couldn't stop it, and Sandro's eyes softened. "See, all you have to do is smile and I want to drop to my knees and give you the world. You're very dangerous, bellissima."

"I'm the dangerous one?" I asked, drawing my eyebrows together.

Sandro let out a small laugh. "You're never going to let me live that down,"

"Never."

"I don't blame you," he said, and I could hear the playfulness in his voice. Sandro knew I wasn't mad at him, but the 'never letting him live it down' part was in fact one hundred percent true. It was leverage that I, unashamedly, savoured.

"You're not a bad man, Sandro." I whispered, letting my hand rest on his thigh. I felt like he needed the reassurance, and it was evident that he appreciate it in the way his entire body relaxed underneath me. "Only sometimes," I added, and he laughed out loud and I smiled at the sound of it.

"God, you're amazing. Thank you." He leaned down, giving me a soft kiss on my temple. I turned my head to capture his lips in mine because I had no words to describe how much I missed kissing him. It was scary, but I ignored it and enjoyed the moment.