Angel (Damiano David & Victoria De Angelis)

Chapter 39

Of course, Thomas and Ethan were extremely curious about the meeting. Damiano on the other hand didn't seem interested in telling them anything, immediately making his way to his and Victoria's room. Of course, she wanted to follow after him immediately, but once again it was Thomas who held her back. "Leave him be for a while. Let him cool off a bit and then go talk to him...it'll be easier that way." She looked at Thomas in annoyance. She really didn't need his input on things he didn't understand. She had more important things to do right now. "Listen, I know you mean well, and I appreciate you trying to help, but you don't know him like I do, so I don't think you understand." He crossed his arms like a stubborn child:" I know you think you know everything Vic, but I assure you, I know better...at least sometimes. Give him 10 minutes, then follow him and everything will be fine. If you follow him right now, he'll most likely snap at you." Then, he left her standing there. Of course, she was very confused. Why did Thomas always come in with things like that but never gave any hint on how he knew those things or why she should trust him of all people? It didn't make sense to her at all. She decided to give it a shot anyway, sitting down on the bottom of the stairs to wait a few minutes. It didn't take long for Ethan to appear next to her:" Don't be too hard on Thomas, Vic. He's just trying to help." She ran a hand through her hair, looking at her friend:" You think I'm doing the right thing? You think I should follow Thomas' advice?" Ethan took a few moments to think about that, then shrugged:" It's hard to say, really. This time, I think he's right. I think you should give Damiano a bit more space sometimes, but other than that, I think you're doing great. I mean, just look at how far you've come already. He trusts you...and by that I mean that he trusts pretty much only you, so I don't think that Thomas has any right to tell you that you don't know what's best for Damiano. Just try to give him some space to breathe sometimes." She let those words sink in. She knew he was right...she basically followed Damiano around 24/7 and she was sure that could get annoying sometimes, but she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if she left him alone and something happened to him. "I know.", she finally said after contemplating his words for a few moments. "I know you're right...but what happens if I leave him alone for too long and he does something bad...like really bad?" Ethan patted her on the back:" I know you're worried about that...and those worries are totally valid considering his history. But you can't sit on him like a hawk for the rest of your lives. You need some time for yourself, and he needs some time to be alone with his feelings as well. Otherwise, this isn't healthy for either of you. I mean, when was the last time you actually had time for yourself?" She shrugged...she honestly didn't know:" A few months ago, maybe...I mean, come on, Ethan. How am I supposed to take time for myself when Damiano is all I can think about?" "I know it's hard, Vic...and nobody expects you to go out every afternoon or something. All I'm saying is that you should try to get some distance for at least a few minutes a day. Just give him and yourself a few minutes a day to be alone with your thoughts. You both need that. Now, go up and check on him. It's been long enough, and I can see you're just waiting to go up there."

Victoria took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He didn't answer which made her worry. "I'm coming in now love, alright? Be prepared.", she warned him as she slowly opened the door. Her first instinct when she didn't see him was to run to the bathroom, but then she noticed that the door to the tiny balcony was open. They always took the rooms with the balconies as the two of them were heavier smokers than Ethan and Thomas. She made her way over and stepped out into the cool air, seeing Damiano sitting on the floor with a cigarette in hand. He didn't look her way and he didn't say anything. She didn't either. Instead, she sat down next to him, lighting a cigarette for herself as well. She took a drag and looked at him worriedly, though not saying anything. She figured if he wanted to talk, he would. And so, he did:" I didn't cut..." She nodded:" That's good. I'm very proud of you." Then, they went back to silence for a bit. When he didn't initiate any more conversation, she decided to take the first step again:" Are you okay, Angel?" He shrugged, taking another drag of his cigarette:" I guess so. Just stressed out." She nodded:" Well...how did the meeting today make you feel? Do you think you'll be able to work with Chiara?" That's what she was most anxious about; anxious that Damiano didn't want to cooperate with their lawyer. "I don't know, Vic. She seems nice enough but I'm so fucking scared of what's about to come. But I know I have to do it, so I will. Because I can't let Carla get away with what she did. Not again."