(BlackHeart2) BLACKSOUL

Epilogue (Dom)

         I knew I couldn't keep lying to my best friend when it came to his little sister and what she meant to me. We've had scraps in the past on this exact topic. It's never gone in my favor. I always end up punched in the face, but this time I'm not fucking things up with Mia. And for once she isn't going anywhere. We're really gonna do this thing. Be together. So I gotta talk to Elio about it.

I know I'm a prick. I know he's seen some of the worst sides of me. I get why he doesn't want me to date his sister, but he's never stopped me before and he never will. Mia Fiore has me too far gone. 

I've tried fighting it for over a year, but that only left me in a very dark miserable place. I was even more mean. More dangerous and even deranged.

        The day Mia and I reconciled she told me Giana called her and admitted the drunk conversation I'd had with her where I confessed some pretty deep seeded feelings towards the girl. Mia, not Giana. 

I know what I did with G was wrong. I knew it was even worse that Giana was going to take care of the looming issue on her own. I almost told Mia the truth of it. If I lie now then I'm starting a relationship based on a lie. The thing is, when I tried telling Mia about it she stopped me and told me she didn't wanna know. 

She asked, "Are you two going to have a kid together?" I said no, because we aren't. She asked, "Did you claim her?" And again I said no. Because I absolutely didn't.

        What happened between Giana and I the day I gutted Conry alive...it's twisted and dark and it's not something I'd ever wanna tell Mia about. And she gave me the out. She said she didn't wanna know any of the details beyond that. I didn't have to tell her Giana was technically pregnant, but would be terminating. 

It was a relief to me because I don't think I'd survive a second, or I guess a third time of Mia wanting nothing to do with me. If her and I didn't work out...that fire. No.

       So, since the Giana issue was in the past I headed down to my buddy Elio's apartment because I knew Mia was on a job and he'd be alone. I texted him to give him a heads up, so I barely had to even knock. By the time I was at the door he was already opening it. His hair was half sticking up and he was in sweats. 

"Were you sleeping?" I asked him as he stepped back to let me in. We didn't have work today, so I was also in casual wear. "Just laying down. It was a late night for me," he smirked. I chuckled, knowing what kept him up all night. Or rather who.

"So, what's the house visit about?" He cut to the chase when he waved me over to the living room. I didn't sit. Instead I went to the large glass panes and looked out at the very blue sky today. 

"It's about your sister," I decided not to beat around the bush. I fucking hate when people don't get to the point when talking to me.

        In the quiet I was forced to turn back around. Elio was standing awkwardly between his sofa and his coffee table, waiting. Stiff. "Dom," he already huffed. At least he didn't look pissed yet. He was swinging first, asking questions later the last time we breached this topic. 

"Look, hit me if you must, but Mia and I resolved our shit. We're, uh," I felt fucking weird talking to my buddy about this. I hate talking.

I watched my buddy's jaw jump with the tick of aggravation. He didn't say anything though, which I wasn't expecting. It left us in a strange silence that settled between us, waiting for the other to say the next thing. When he didn't, I did. 

        "I like your sister, man. More than like. I think that's been made obvious enough. We're gonna try it," was how I put it. I'm not gonna go gushing about my goddamn feelings. He's seen the tyrant I've been since leaving Paris last year. 

He saw the times where I wasn't fucking miserable, and he knows now that those were the times I was secretly with her. He saw Mia and me have that blow out where I confessed some shit I didn't even know was true until I said it.

I needed her to say yes. 

        It wasn't about her leaving work for me. It wasn't about me trying to be selfish. I'd felt vulnerable for asking that of a person, so I needed her to say yes, because I was so raw I couldn't fucking handle anything other than a yes. I couldn't do another 3 months of waiting. It'd been eating away at me. 

Of course, leaving her altogether ended up proving to be so much worse. I assumed I'd get over the affliction. Outta sight, outta mind. That's not how that went down though.

Elio knows I blew up the day I thought Mia was going to London for months. He's not a stupid man. He's seen enough to know that when I say I'm gonna date his sister I mean it. I might be a man whore prick, but he's seen enough to know there was only one girl that I've wanted for a very long time now. 

That other pussy was meaningless when the names and faces all blended into one consistent blur of fucking and cumming. No heat. No passion. Just fucking and releasing. 

With Mia though...

        "I knew this was coming," Elio finally muttered out. He was shoving his fingers through his unruly hair and huffing, but he wasn't pissed. Not like how he's been in the past. 

"Dom, I know she matters to you. I at least know that much, but you can't be how you were. Not with her. If you want me to take you seriously you can't fuck around with other girls or go giving my little sister false hopes. If you hurt her I swear to god I'll hurt you worse. I don't like this...but," I saw conflict flicker behind my buddy's eyes. 

He went quiet and I didn't know what to say so the silence surfaced again.

       "I trust you with my life, man. But I don't trust you with her. I'll say that. If I gotta go punching you once a month to remind you of that fact and keep you in line with her, I will," Elio puffed his chest out, being the protective brother. He hates that he's saying yes, but he is saying yes. Yes that I can date his sister. 

"Yeah, alright, man. You do that," I humored him with a flat sarcastic ok. "Fuck man, why her," Elio huffed and snorted at the same time, but the question seemed rhetorical. 

"So, you're not gonna fist fight me?" I was still waiting for the punch, but nothing.

        "I knew this was coming. I saw the blow out. I saw how you've both been acting. I mean, fuck, what else can I say about it? I don't like it, but I don't think I could stop it either." He was frustrated but conceded. "No, you couldn't," I warned him that his assumption was correct. He can't stop me. He can hit me, but he can't stop me. 

Mia Fiore belongs with me.

        I'd been standing more rigid than I realized, still by the window. He was still between the sofa and table, but he plopped down after that. I heard his deep chuckle. "You really are waiting for me to punch you," he noticed my demeanor. I shrugged. "Don't give me a reason to hit you, how about that?" He asked me. 

"Fair enough," I shrugged again, "Then...I got shit to do," I announced my departure. I've done what I came here to do. Warn him that Mia and I are dating and that he can't do shit about that.

 "Where you headed? I thought we didn't have work today?" He asked me. I hesitated for my real answer. "We don't," was all I decided to say. Is this how it's gonna always be? Me feeling awkward bringing up Mia between us. 

        "You're picking her up," Elio chuckled. He's smart. He caught on just fine. I nodded and slid my phone from my pocket to be sure I didn't miss her message. Elio sighed but leaned forward to snatch the remote. He settled back into the sofa and clicked the large flat screen on. 

I gave him one more quick glance, but he felt it. His eyes tipped up to mine, but he's like me, he can keep a blank expression. "Settled?" I asked.

I know I lost his trust once when I went behind his back to fuck around with Mia. I lied each time I flew out to Paris or London. I told him she was nothing to me when she was far from it. I've lied to Elio for a while now, but here was the truth of it right in front of him. Mia does matter. She always has mattered, and always will matter.  

"Settled," he nodded.