Little star

Nine

Amara

The phone drops from me grasp. My knees buckle and I hit the ground. Mario was shot. I can hear Gios muffled shouts for me coming for the phone on the ground. He was shot? Raymond crouches down in front of me and puts the phone to his ear. "She's okay," he's into the phone.

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "She is just in shock." He holds the phone against my ear. I don't move or speak, I can't. "Amara he's alive." I let out a breath of air. Tears brim my eyes. "He is?" I ask needing the reassurance again.

"He is." He confirms. I take the phone back from Raymond, but stay on the floor, he stays with me. "The thing is Mario is a stubborn bastard, he won't stay in the hospital and won't have someone random person go to his home and take care of him. So I told him me and Lo would come home early, but he snapped at me. He won't let this ruin our honeymoon."

Sounds like him. So freaking stubborn. "So can you stay with him?" My mouth files open. I haven't seen him in almost two years, he doesn't want to see me. "He wouldn't want that." Gios sighs aggressively in my ear. "Well we're not going to give him a fucking chance to not want that." He sounds stressed, I get it. But I can't.

I hear Lo yell at his husband and Gios tone gets softer. "Please Amara, it's been a week and he is alone." My heart stops. A week. "Okay." I barley even hear the words slip past my lips, but they must because Gio acknowledges them. "Thank you. Pack a bag now, Raymond will take you to him." I nod, even though he can't see me I nod.

I end the call and look up at Raymond. He squeezes my shoulder. "Be ready in five." He says giving me a small smile. "Ten." I smile back. He helps me up and I walk on wobbling legs to my room.

The drive to Mario's is quite long, or it just feels long because I'm stuck in this weird daze. What if he kicks me out. "We don't give him a chance to not fucking want that." Gios words play in repeat in my head. Raymond put my favourite playlist on in the car, Trapt''s Headstrong plays quietly.

I bob my head to the song, praying it give me strength to face him. I don't like feeling unwanted and I know that's all I'm going to feel while I'm here. We look to be in the country side, weird I expected a flashily mansion from Mario.

Raymond finally makes a right turn and we pull into a gravel driveway. My eyes widen. "Are we at the right place?" Raymond turns the car off. "Yes, this is Mario's house." He gets out of the car leaving me stunned. This place is everything I have ever dreamed of. A small quaint farmhouse, covered in vine and decorated with beautiful rose bushes. My eyes water a bit at the beauty of it.

My door opens and Raymond gives me his hand. I take it, I don't think these legs can walk on there own right now. Nature covers every inch of this property. "This is beautiful." I say in aw. Raymond seems to actually look around the place. "Really? It feels like I'm camping. I hate camping." I let out a small laugh. He doesn't appreciate nature and all her beauty.

We get to the door and I admire the cobblestone siding. I run my hands up the rough stone. The front door is curved, I feel like a fairy. Raymond doesn't knock he leans over me and pulls out the stone I was just rubbing. When he turns it over there are buttons on the back. He punches in a code and the back of the rock opens and a key emerges.

Fancy. He unlocks the door and I waste no time walking in. I've been dying to see the interior. "Wow." I breathe out. The off white walls of the foyer welcome me. Wood work and stone decorate my way down the hall. I walk past an entry way but walk backwards a few paces to see it again. Cooper pots hang on a rack above a wooden island. The island that has a random giant wooden bowl full of peaches.

When I step through the threshold I'm met with the sage green accent wall. Not the stark white of Gios, green. My smile widens he lives here? I feel Raymond's hand on my shoulder turning me back towards the hall. I can explore later.

We get to the last closed door and I slowly open it. When it is fully open I'm staring at the end of a barrel. I yelp. "Stellina." His voice sounds desperate. The gun is tossed to the ground in seconds. He is shirtless standing awkwardly. That's when I notice the bandages. He has one wrapped around his bare torso, a faint stain of blood peaking through. His other one is wrapped around his right shoulder.

He winces and Raymond quickly helps him back to bed. "I can do it!" He barks but does little effort in pushing away the help. Once he's comfortably back in bed he looks a lot more comfortable. "Why are you here?" He ask Raymond, not me. He hasn't looked at me since the gun was pointed to my head. I knew it.

He doesn't want me here. "Your refusing help, and you need it." The big guy barks back. "Fucking Gio." I stand froze in place, staring at him. His hair is longer then before, messy and a little greasy. He has almost a full beard now too. I don't love it, I like seeing his whole face but he's still his gorgeous, brooding self.

I shift a little and his eyes snap to mine. His expression falters from rage to regret, but he quickly covers it. With that bored look. I hate that look. It's rails me up, so much that I storm to the edge of the bed. Before I can speak he bellows. "Get out!" His accent is strong when he shouts those words towards me. I don't flinch, or stand down.

"I will be staying with you until your better, Raymond was just leaving to get my bag." I nod to Raymond to leave us. "Like hell you are, this is my home." It looks like he's going to hop off the bed and drag me out of here so I point a finger at him. "Don't." I warn. His mouth drops in shock.

I'm angry with him so he better not push me. After a few minutes or a stare down he settles back into bed. Raymond drops my bag at my feet and kisses my cheek. I swear a small growls comes from Mario. "Call if you need anything." He walks out leaving me alone with a murderer.

"You fucking him?" My head jerks back towards the bed. "No." I say in a surprised tone. His lips quirks slightly. "Oh yeah, you didn't end up getting married so your still a good little virgin." He laughs, but I flinch. That stops his laughter fast. "Amara—"

"I'm going to settle in." I walk out the door without another word. Why is he being mean to me? He is the one that left. I open a few doors finding an office, bathroom and finally a small spare room. It's honestly just a bed and a dresser, but it will do. I flip down on the bed bouncing on the mattress a couple times.

This is going to be a long recovery, and not just being of the extent of his injuries. I fall back on to the mattress. Please help me find the strength to deal with this man. Please don't hurt me Mario, my heart can't take much more rejection. Just be my friend again.