Deadly Nightshade

Chapter 19: The Mug of Tea

All I saw was blood...

In my hands...

In my clothes...

My hair was drenched in blood...

I was also sitting in a pool of blood...

It was like a blood bath...

I was confused as to where the blood was coming from, since it was definitely not my blood.

I stood up from my seating position, and that is when I noticed the bodies laying on the ground, the blood that I was covered in, belonged to them.

When I took a closer look at the face of the body that was on my right side, I saw...

"AHHHHH!!" I screamed.

At the sound of my scream, a few seconds later, Enzo barged into my room with a gun in his hand. The dim light of the lamp on my nightstand made it easier for him to see my figure sitting on my bed.

And when he saw me with my head in my hands, he understood the reason for my scream.

The truth is that I've been having nightmares since a month ago. It has been difficult for me to sleep peacefully, I honestly cannot remember the last time I slept more than 4 hours. For the most part, I have been coping with them alone; but ever since Enzo started to stay more at the Cattani Residence, he has witnessed a few times when I wake up screaming because of the nightmares. And this time it was no different.

"Ms. Cattani?" he approached me slowly, not wanting to alarm me with his presence.

When I looked up at him, my forehead was drenched in sweat and I was breathing heavily. I looked as if I just ran a marathon, and with the way my heart was beating, I felt like I actually did.

"I just had a nightmare." I say in a low voice, the silence of the night made it easier for Enzo to hear my words clearly.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." He shook his head at my statement, "I wasn't sleeping." he says as he takes a seat beside me on my bed.

For the past month Enzo and I have gotten close. Something that was bound to happen due to the amount of time that we spend together everyday. And I dare to say that he and I are close enough to be called 'friends'.

"Is it the same dream from last time?" he asked me, concerned.

"It was different this time..." I answer him, but I don't add anything more. I just want to forget about the nightmare I had.

Enzo seemed to get my message that I didn't want to talk about it, since he responds with, "I'm going to make you a tea to help you get some sleep. I'll be right back." He stands up from my bed and heads out of the room.

After Enzo left I checked my phone to see if I had any notifications on my phone and when I saw that none of them were important, I put my phone in the nightstand, once again. Then, I went to the bathroom to refresh myself.

Once I was done, I went back into the bedroom and climbed back into my bed. A few minutes after, Enzo came into the room with a mug of hot tea in his hand.

I was reading a book to distract myself, and when I noticed his presence in my room, I offered him a small smile. I put my book beside me on the bed and I made an attempt to grab the mug from his hand, but instead he put the mug of tea on my nightstand, making me frown.

"It is still hot, let it rest a few minutes before you drink it." he explains his actions. I nod my head at him as I thanked him.

"I'll be in the room next to yours if you need anything." he says as he walks toward the door.

"Enzo..." I call softly, before he could reach the bedroom door.

"Yes?" he asks politely, turning around to face me properly.

"Back at the parking lot, do you remember when we were running and I looked back at you?" I ask him.

"I do remember that. I threw myself at you to prevent you from getting shot." he says, a little confused since he didn't know where this conversation was going.

I nod my head at him, since he was following were I was going with the topic. "And do you remember what you screamed when you threw yourself at me?" I asked.

Enzo thought about my question for a while with a frown on his face, then his expression changed to one of realization. "I screamed your name..." he said softly, remembering that he didn't use any honorifics.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Cattani. I will make sure that won't happen again." he apologized immediately, as if he did something wrong and was caught up in the act.

My face softened at his words. I didn't mean to sound harsh nor was I trying to scold him, on the contrary.

"Actually, I would like if you drop the honorifics when you talk to me." I offer him a small smile. My statement seemed to take him off guard since he wore a surprised look on his face.

"Oh," is what he manages to say.

"Since you have been working for me for a while now, I would feel more comfortable if you just called me 'Lea'." I further explain to him.

"I was scared for a moment," he chuckles nervously, "I thought you were going to scold me."

"Not today," I try to joke, "Now, go take some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day and I need you to be well rested." I order him.

"Yes, ma'am." he says.

"I hope you can sleep well this time." he whispers, as if he didn't want me to hear his comment. Regardless of that, I still nod my head at him in acknowledgment.

After that, Enzo walks toward my bedroom door, again. But before he exits the room, he pauses to take a look at me, and he smiles softly to himself when he sees that I was blowing the tea he made for me before I took a sip. He looked fondly at me one last time before closing the door softly.

On the other hand, I was unaware of all of this.

I was too busy thinking how attentive Enzo was that he even knew the way I liked my tea.

And that made me smile softly to myself.

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Note:

Hi, guys! Thank you so much for patiently waiting for this new chapter.

I also wanted to thank every single one of you who read, comment and vote on my story. I truly appreciate all your support.

And just a quick reminder for everyone who reads this: You matter in this world, so thank you for existing. Take care of yourself and I wish you happiness.

I wish everyone a wonderful day/night!