ROMEO (book 1)

60. ROMEO

***6 Months Later***

For six months I have waited in the airport for all of the flights from Korea to arrive. Today, mom won't let me go.

That only lets me know that Delilah is coming home.

They locked me in the basement to keep me here. If I'm going to see her anyway then I might as well get it over and done with.

I miss her.

I didn't think it was possible to cry so much over somebody. She makes my eyes water far too much and she doesn't even know.

And she doesn't know because I haven't seen her in six months.

Six months. Too long.

I need her.

Right now.

I have broken this door far too many times.

So I do it again.

I run into it, breaking the entire door and falling through into the hallway. Alessio stops walking and blinks blankly at me. "Mamma said I have to call her if you do that."

"If you call her I'm going to kill your hamster." I stand up properly. "And then slowly dissect it and leave pieces of it around your bedroom so every time you see it, you cry."

He frowns and then his jaw drops.

"You're not leaving, Romeo." I hear Luca. "And you're not hurting Alessio's hamster."

"This is why I like Hammy better than you." Alessio carries on walking.

I smile at Luca, "I need her. You wouldn't like it if I locked you in a basement while mom was... i don't know... Missing."

"Delilah isn't missing. Matteo is with your mother picking her and her friend up now. You will wait until she wants to see you."

"Who's her friend?"

"The Polish guy. I forget his name."

"Jakub." I roll my eyes. He's so ugly. I don't know why she likes him. I'm much better. And I'm actually attractive.

I walk into the kitchen, sitting at the table.

Luca starts dishing me out food, "How's therapy?"

"Great. I haven't killed anyone in a week." I look down.

"That's good." He smiles, putting a plate of food in front of me. "Eat."

"Do you think Delilah still has an Eating Disorder?" I dig in.

"Well, let's hope not."

"I was scared." I admit. "In Korea, their beauty standards are so... stupid. I hate them. The whole so skinny thing is so disgusting to me. I'm worried she's going to pick up those unrealistic standards since she's been there."

"She spent most of her time in a therapy hospital recovering. And Recocery takes a long time, Ilaria is still recovering." He sits beside me. "So, even if she hasn't, you'll help her."

"Yeah." I nod my head. "I don't understand how people hate food."

"I don't think it's food they hate." He looks at me.

"No?"

"No. It's the way it makes them gain weight." He stands up again as the phone begins to ring.

He walks away to answer the phone and I finish eating the pasta salad. When he walks back, he has a soft smile on his face. "Delilah is joining us for dinner."